sidents now have. "In the early nineteenth century it was commonly believed that the president should not exercise the veto to express policy preferences. The president's primary responsibility was to faithfully execute the laws passed by congress"(Rimmerman 236). The president can veto any bill proposed by the house or the senate. The president who exercised the use of the veto was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He used an unprecedented six hundred thirty five presidential vetoes against congress. With congress divided as evenly as it is, it is going to be difficult for the new president to influence congress. This is one reason that a president will use his veto against congressional bills. On the other hand, the presidential veto is not final. The president can have his veto overturned by congress with a two-thirds vote making the bill law. The only veto that congress can not overturn is a pocket veto which a bill that is brought before the president to sign with in ten days of the end of his presidency.The senate, however, has a tool to combat the veto. This tool is called a filibuster. A filibuster is a "a tactic used by members of the Senate to prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority backs down"(Ginsberg). A senator can debate for as long as he wants, so that any action of legislation that party opposes does not get through and the majority backs down. With the senate split fifty-fifty it will be difficult for either party to stop the other from using them because to stop a filibuster one needs sixty votes or three-fifths vote. Even though filibusters have not been used often, the threat of a filibuster usually scares the opposition, which is the desired effect for by that party.The president, which will most likely be George Bush Jr, is going to have difficulties passing legislation through congress with such a small majority of republicans cont...
