You know, I've been thinking more about how weird the US system is, both intentionally and accidentally. Over in the Supreme Court thread I pointed out that it's not uncommon for one or both candidates for the highest office in the land to be people the general public had never heard of until they started running less than a year before the election date. And how this automatically gives a huge advantage to any candidate who is actually a major public figure.
And it dawned on me that, all other factors being equal, this would be very different if we had a parliamentary system. The President and the Speaker of the House would be the same person, and in the event that the balance shifts, the most likely next President would be the former Minority Leader. Both of whom tend to be among the most newsed-about members of Congress. Everyone has heard of Newt Gingrich, Nancy Pelosi, and John Boehner. Imagine knowing two whole years in advance who the next head of state would be if and when the power balance shifts next election. And I mean all the time, not just when Trump is running.
But all other factors wouldn't be equal, clearly, because I don't know for example who Labour's top pick for PM is right now. In fact, no one has even been discussing it. Do you have any idea who it is? Are they in the habit of saying so, do they prefer to keep it a secret, is it unnecessary because everyone just assumes it'll be whoever the "minority leader" is, what's goin' on?
