"I Got Into the Habbit of Paying for Boys" says French Minister, Still Popular

[BuddhaRhubarb]

The closest thing to a PM would be the Speaker of the House. 

Now you are just being facetious. That's so blatantly untrue I have to conclude you are either joking or someone has hacked your account.

dude you are so wrong... the US system doesn't include a President for the same reason no other system should have both. It's a holdover from aristocracy. redundant position with no power (excepting in Current Russia)... The USA is all about the perception/illusion of individual strength. The President is supposed to be the standard bearer. But in fact his powers are fairly limited... Veto is not everything.

I'd say Veep is closer to the Euro PM position (in govs with both) Cheney was able to exercise more power than either Biden or Gore have bothered with. But he's the exception to the rule.

[The Minsky Moment]

Neither the President nor the VP can initiate legislation.  The VP at least actually does preside over one of the legislative houses, and in that limited sense is closer to a euro-style PM.  The Speaker in the House is closest in function, role, authority, and in some cases method of appointment (he/she is elected by the majority party in the legislature), though admittedly there is no analogue in the US system that is comparable.

[Valmy]

The closest thing to a PM would be the Speaker of the House. 

Now you are just being facetious. That's so blatantly untrue I have to conclude you are either joking or someone has hacked your account.

The Speaker of the House is elected by the majority party in the House to lead that branch of the legislature.  How is that 'blatantly' unlike a PM?

[garbon]

No one wants to admit their PM is like Nancy Pelosi.

[Martinus]

The closest thing to a PM would be the Speaker of the House. 

Now you are just being facetious. That's so blatantly untrue I have to conclude you are either joking or someone has hacked your account.

The Speaker of the House is elected by the majority party in the House to lead that branch of the legislature.  How is that 'blatantly' unlike a PM?

The PM leads the executive. 

In some countries, the Parliament elects the chief judge of the supreme court or even the President. That does not make these offices "like the Speaker of the House" either unless I am missing some point MM was making. 

[viper37]

Still, Marti's right. As Spitzer shows, American politicians are fine so long as they only sleep with female prostitutes.

There was never any questions about the age of the prostitute.
Mitterand was deliberately ambiguous and he did talk about ephebes, wich usually means younger teenage boys.  And he defended a know sexual agressor by calling americans "prude".  While true that the US has some ridiculous moral standards sometimes, I don't think the crime of Polanski is stricly one of morality.

Had Mitterand said in previous interviews that the "boys" were not minors, there would have been no scandal today.

[Duque de Bragança]

There's no PM in the US since the President combines both powers.

Not so.  All legislative powers reside in Congress.  The closest thing to a PM would be the Speaker of the House. read Article II of the US constitution- you may be surprised by the limited nature of presidential powers under the US system.

In France, except for the various interludes of cohabitation, the PM is often just a disposible political tool of the President.  Or a favored protege who is protected so long as he is scrupulously loyal.

Sorry for messing the quotes on the previous post...

Well, the Assemblée Nationale has the real legislative power. Are you are mentioning ddécrets and circulaires administratives ? They're often needed to enforce it and that's where the bureaucracy strikes...

Cohabitation has really had an impact on the status of the President. Perhaps de Gaulle had more power(s) than its US counterpart. Since Mitterrand and Chirac at the very least, I am not convinced.
Regarding armed forces, the US president has the Marine Corps, no such thing in France.

I would agree about the description of PM but sometimes the PM has its importance and not only for political betrayals

As for suspending the Constitution, it's true but it has only been once and I just don't see Sarkozy using it anytime soon unless REAL REAL trouble begins . . .
Dissolving the legislature is a real power?

A power need not be exercised directly in order to have impact.

It needs above all to be exercised properly cf. Chirac 1997 

[dps]

The closest thing to a PM would be the Speaker of the House. 

Now you are just being facetious. That's so blatantly untrue I have to conclude you are either joking or someone has hacked your account.

The Speaker of the House is elected by the majority party in the House to lead that branch of the legislature.  How is that 'blatantly' unlike a PM?

The PM leads the executive. 

In some countries, the Parliament elects the chief judge of the supreme court or even the President. That does not make these offices "like the Speaker of the House" either unless I am missing some point MM was making. 

His point is that the U.S. system has no office like that of the PM, who leads the executive yet is a member of the legislature.  The President is NOT the U.S. equivalent of the PM;  we don't HAVE an equivalent, and the Speaker of the House is in many ways actually closer to a European-style PM than the President is.

You are of course correct that the Speaker's position, duties, and powers are not particularly similar to those of a PM in a parliamentary system.  But that's as if MM had said that Philadelphia is closer to Madrid than Pittsburg is, and you had replied that Philly isn't at all close to Madrid.  You're right, but Pittsburg is still even further away.

[dps]

Regarding armed forces, the US president has the Marine Corps, no such thing in France.

Huh?  I'm not sure what the point is here. 

[Valmy]

The PM leads the executive. 

In some countries, the Parliament elects the chief judge of the supreme court or even the President. That does not make these offices "like the Speaker of the House" either unless I am missing some point MM was making. 

He said the closest thing we have to a PM is the Speaker of the House.  I understand the Speaker and a PM are different it is just that there are some similarities so it is not 'blatantly' untrue. 

[Martinus]

The PM leads the executive. 

In some countries, the Parliament elects the chief judge of the supreme court or even the President. That does not make these offices "like the Speaker of the House" either unless I am missing some point MM was making. 

He said the closest thing we have to a PM is the Speaker of the House.  I understand the Speaker and a PM are different it is just that there are some similarities so it is not 'blatantly' untrue.

The US President is much closer to a PM in a Parliamentary democracy than the Speaker of the House is. 

[Admiral Yi]

The US President is much closer to a PM in a Parliamentary democracy than the Speaker of the House is. 

Pretty sure they're talking about the PM in the French system.

[Martinus]

The US President is much closer to a PM in a Parliamentary democracy than the Speaker of the House is. 

Pretty sure they're talking about the PM in the French system.

The PM in the French system heads the government, leads the ministers and decides on national policies (albeit unlike true Parliamentary democracies, his function is more administrative than decisive). There is no such function in the US government per se because the function of the French Prime Minister and the French President is combined in the US in the President.

The French Prime Minister does not chair the sessions of the French Parliament nor does he hold any procedural function in the Parliament. He is the head of the government and chairs the meetings of the French cabinet.

The French Parliament does have a position of the speaker. The Prime Minister couldn't be further from it.

[Valmy]

Pretty sure they're talking about the PM in the French system.

Well that is a little weaker simply because a French PM does not even have to be a member of the National Assembly.

[Valmy]

Eh I think the distinction MM was trying to make was that the American President's powers are limited because he has no legislative authority beyond his veto, and thus is rather limited in what he can do without Congressional opposition..something no PM of any country would ever have to deal with since legislative support is a requirement for the job.