Framed [electronic resource] : America's fifty-one constitutions and the crisis of governance / Sanford Levinson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Of compromise and constitutions -- What is the pint of preambles? -- How does a "republican form of government" differ from "democracy"? -- Elections and a republican form of government -- Bicameralism -- If two opinions are good, is a third opinion (with the power of most of the time absolutely to kill the decision of the first two opinion-makers) even better? -- Presidentialism (and "gubernatorialism") -- So what, precisely, does one get, as a constitutional matter, upon being elected president? -- Presidential duration in office, the possibility of impeachment, and the role of the vice president -- Divided government -- How "independent" a judiciary do we really want? -- On the judiciary (and supreme court) as guardian of the constitution -- Federalism -- Amendment -- Emergency powers.

Electronic reproduction. Palo Alto, Calif. : ebrary, 2011. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ebrary affiliated libraries.