Inventing the American presidency - Kenneth C. Davis

Osmišljavanje američkog predsedništva - Kenet C. Dejvis (Kenneth C. Davis)

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

The Oval Office,

Ovalna kancelarija,

Inauguration Day,

Dan inauguracije,

Rose Garden signings,

potpisivanje u Bašti ruža

and secret service agents

i agenti tajne službe

with dark sunglasses and cool wrist radios.

sa tamnim naočarima za sunce i kul radijima na ruci.

For a moment, forget all of it.

Zaboravite sve to na trenutak.

Toss out everything you know about the President.

Odbacite sve što znate o predsedniku.

Now, start over.

Počnite sad otpočetka.

What would you do if you had to invent the President?

Šta biste uradili ako biste morali da izmislite predsednika?

That was the question facing the 55 men

To je bilo pitanje pred 55 muškaraca

who got together in secret

koji su se tajno okupili

to draw up the plans for a new American government

da sastave planove za novu američku vladu

in the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia,

u leto 1787. godine u Filadelfiji,

in the same place where the Declaration of Independence

na istom mestu gde je Deklaracija nezavisnosti

had been written eleven years earlier.

napisana 11 godina pre toga.

Declaring independence had been risky business,

Objava nezavisnosti je bila rizičan potez

demanding ferocious courage

koji je iziskivao žestoku hrabrost

that put lives and fortunes in jeopardy.

koja je dovela u opasnost živote i bogatstva.

But, inventing a new government was no field day either,

Ipak, ni osmišljavanje nove vlade nije bilo mačji kašalj,

especially when it's summer

naročito kada je leto

and you're in scratchy suits,

i vi ste u odelu koje grebe,

and the windows are closed

a prozori su zatvoreni

because you don't want anybody

jer ne želite da neko

to hear what you are saying,

čuje o čemu govorite,

and the air conditioning doesn't work

a klima ne radi

because it won't be invented for nearly 200 years.

jer će je izumeti skoro 200 godina kasnije.

And, when you don't agree on things,

A kada se ne slažete oko nekih stvari,

it gets even hotter.

postaje još toplije.

For the framers, the question they argued over most

Za sastavljače, pitanje oko koga su se najviše raspravljali

while writing the Constitution

dok su pisali Ustav

and creating three branches of government

i stvarali tri grane vlade

had to do with the executive department.

imalo je veze sa izvršnim sektorom.

One man or three to do the job?

Jedan čovek ili trojica za taj posao?

How long should he serve?

Koliko dugo on treba da služi?

What would he really do?

Šta treba da zapravo radi?

Who would pick him?

Ko bi ga birao?

How to get rid of him

Kako ga se rešiti

if he's doing a bad job or he's a crook?

ako loše obavlja posao ili je prevarant?

And, of course, they all meant him,

Naravno, svi su podrazumevali da je to „on“,

and he would be a white man.

da će on biti beli muškarac.

The idea of a woman

Ideja o ženi

or an African American, for instance,

ili Afroamerikancu, na primer,

holding this high office

koji drži ovu visoku funkciju

was not a glimmer in their eyes.

nije im bila ni na kraj pameti.

But the framers knew they needed

Međutim, sastavljači su znali

someone who could take charge,

da im je potreban neko ko bi preuzeo vođstvo,

especially in a crisis, like an invasion or a rebellion,

naročito za vreme krize kao što je invazija, pobuna

or negotiating treaties.

ili sporazumni pregovori.

Congress was not very good

Kongresu nije naročito dobro išlo

at making such important decisions

donošenje tako važnih odluka

without debates and delays.

bez rasprava i odlaganja.

But the framers thought America needed a man

Sastavljači su smatrali da je Americi potreban čovek

who was decisive and could act quickly.

koji je odlučan i ume brzo da deluje.

They called it energy and dispatch.

To su nazivali energijom i brzinom.

One thing they were dead-set against:

Oko jednog su se apsolutno slagali -

there would be no king.

neće biti kralja.

They had fought a war against a country with a monarch

Vodili su rat protiv zemlje sa monarhom

and were afraid that one man

i bojali su se da bi jedan čovek

with unchecked powers, in charge of an army,

sa nekontrolisanim moćima na čelu vojske

could take over the country.

mogao da preuzme zemlju.

Instead, they settled on a president

Umesto toga su se složili oko predsednika

and laid out his powers in Article 2 of the Constitution.

i izložili njegove moći u drugom članu Ustava.

But who would choose him?

A ko bi ga birao?

Not the people, they were too liable to be misled

Ne narod, previše su podložni obmani,

as one framer worried.

brinuo je jedan od sastavljača.

Not the legislature, that would lead to cabal and factions.

Ne zakonodavci, to bi dovelo do mahinacija i razdora.

Got it: electors, wise, informed men

Znam - birači, mudri, informisani ljudi

who have time to make a good decision.

koji imaju vremena da donesu dobru odluku.

And if they didn't produce a winner,

Ako ne donesu pobednika,

then the decision would go to one

onda bi odluka prešla

of the other branches of government, the Congress.

na jednu od ostalih grana vlade, Kongres.

The House of Representatives would step in

Predstavnički dom bi priskočio

and make the choice,

i odabrao,

which they did in 1801 and 1825.

što se i dogodilo 1801. i 1825. godine.

In the long, hot summer of 1787,

Dugog, toplog leta 1787. godine

compromises were made to invent the presidency,

postizani su kompromisi da bi se osmislilo predsedništvo,

like counting slaves as 3/5 of a person,

kao što je računanje robova kao 3/5 osobe,

giving the President command of the army

davanje predsedniku komande nad vojskom,

but Congress the power to declare war,

ali Kongresu moć da objavi rat,

and unlimited four-year terms.

kao i neograničen četvorogodišnji mandat.

Since then, some of those compromises have been amended

Od tad su neki od tih kompromisa izmenjeni

and the men in office have sometimes been too strong or too weak.

i ljudi u kancelariji su ponekad bili previše jaki ili previše slabi.

But, if you could start from scratch,

No, ako biste počeli otpočetka,

how would you redesign the Oval Office?

kako biste iznova osmislili Ovalnu kancelariju?