The Yardstick By Which To Measure Presidents.

[PoliticalChic]

1. Many leading academics find that the greatest modern Presidents are those that have made government bigger and more powerful, and have expanded the reach of the presidency, i.e., Woodrow Wilson and FDR. By the same token, those Presidents with a limited-government POV, such as Harding, Coolidge and Reagan, are treated dismissively by journalists and historians.


2. Prior to the 20th century, Congress was considered the apex of the American political system, but today many believe the President to be more akin to the king or religious leader described by Frazer in “The Golden Bough.” He must be the ‘great father,’ the ‘miracle worker,’ and the ‘fulfiller of all wants.’ Liberals swoon at the charisma of an Obama or a John F. Kennedy.

a. Obama supporter Peggy Joseph: “I never thought this day would ever happen. I won’t have to worry about putting gas in my car. I won’t have to worry about paying my mortgage. You know, if I help him, he’s gonna help me.”

b. Obama: "This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow, and our planet began to heal."


3. The expectation of a godlike President who can or should solve all of our problems reinforces the central impulse of Liberalism, which is to politicize more and more of private life, always expanding the power of government.


4. Leftist governments infantilize their populace. When political operatives advocate doing something ‘for the children” one can see the tendency to make children out of the citizenry.

a. “Vice President Al Gore said the government should act like “grandparents in the sense that grandparents perform a nurturing role.” Cult of the Presidency

b. “…Denton Walthall, who asked a question in the second presidential debate in 1992. …Referring to voters as "symbolically the children of the future president," he asked how voters could expect the candidates "to meet our needs, the needs in housing and in crime and you name it, as opposed to the wants of your political spin doctors and your political parties.” How town-hall debates can go very wrong for a candidate. - Slate Magazine


5. Citizens have accepted this, as shown by what they tell pollsters they expect: ‘experience,’ or that ‘he shares my values,’ or ‘cares about people like me’ or ‘understands the needs of the country.’ It is unlimited. What, then, is the correct yardstick by which to measure a President? Does the President take seriously his oath of office:

a. Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Article Two, Section One, Clause Eight

Covered more fully in "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Presidents," by Steven Hayward

 

[tinydancer]

1. Many leading academics find that the greatest modern Presidents are those that have made government bigger and more powerful, and have expanded the reach of the presidency, i.e., Woodrow Wilson and FDR. By the same token, those Presidents with a limited-government POV, such as Harding, Coolidge and Reagan, are treated dismissively by journalists and historians.


2. Prior to the 20th century, Congress was considered the apex of the American political system, but today many believe the President to be more akin to the king or religious leader described by Frazer in “The Golden Bough.” He must be the ‘great father,’ the ‘miracle worker,’ and the ‘fulfiller of all wants.’ Liberals swoon at the charisma of an Obama or a John F. Kennedy.

a. Obama supporter Peggy Joseph: “I never thought this day would ever happen. I won’t have to worry about putting gas in my car. I won’t have to worry about paying my mortgage. You know, if I help him, he’s gonna help me.”

b. Obama: "This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow, and our planet began to heal."


3. The expectation of a godlike President who can or should solve all of our problems reinforces the central impulse of Liberalism, which is to politicize more and more of private life, always expanding the power of government.


4. Leftist governments infantilize their populace. When political operatives advocate doing something ‘for the children” one can see the tendency to make children out of the citizenry.

a. “Vice President Al Gore said the government should act like “grandparents in the sense that grandparents perform a nurturing role.” Cult of the Presidency

b. “…Denton Walthall, who asked a question in the second presidential debate in 1992. …Referring to voters as "symbolically the children of the future president," he asked how voters could expect the candidates "to meet our needs, the needs in housing and in crime and you name it, as opposed to the wants of your political spin doctors and your political parties.” How town-hall debates can go very wrong for a candidate. - Slate Magazine


5. Citizens have accepted this, as shown by what they tell pollsters they expect: ‘experience,’ or that ‘he shares my values,’ or ‘cares about people like me’ or ‘understands the needs of the country.’ It is unlimited. What, then, is the correct yardstick by which to measure a President? Does the President take seriously his oath of office:

a. Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Article Two, Section One, Clause Eight

Covered more fully in "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Presidents," by Steven Hayward

I wish I could remember where I read this recently.

The author of the piece was tackling how divisive Obama's Presidency has been. And he said just the simplest phrase to absolutely nail the tactics of Obama and Democrats alike.

The basis for his conclusion was that liberals don't want America to be a nation in harmony. They need Americans to be divided. They need divisiveness to fuel the numerous bases they have.

His phrase for this tactic by Obama, his czars and the DNC....."The Balkanization of America".

Brilliant. Just brilliant. Whoever the author of the piece was managed in just a few words to nail the political climate in the US right now.

I really will try to find that opinion piece again (sorries in the middle of planting out a whole batch of seeds right now in the house/getting ready for a kick ass garden).

I really want to make sure I give that author credit for an amazing article. And Political Chic great post.

I never thought I would ever witness an "anti American" American President. It's surreal.

 

[Mr. H.]

Obama- the ruler that would be yardstick.

 

[Peach]

Hayward is just a tiny bit biased, he works for the AEI.............................. NOT a historian's historian by any means.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Hayward is just a tiny bit biased, he works for the AEI.............................. NOT a historian's historian by any means.

I notice that you didn't list any errors in his precis......

What is the import of his alleged 'bias' if everything he says is true?

 

[bripat9643]

Hayward is just a tiny bit biased, he works for the AEI.............................. NOT a historian's historian by any means.

Yeah, he's not a blatant propagandist for the all-powerful state like every other historian on the government payroll.

 

[washamericom]

washington wouldn't let his face be on america coins, cause that's what the british monarchs did.

then i find out he got everyone boozy before the election. i don't know if lincoln drank. the government is too big.

 

[Immanuel]

1. Many leading academics find that the greatest modern Presidents are those that have made government bigger and more powerful, and have expanded the reach of the presidency, i.e., Woodrow Wilson and FDR. By the same token, those Presidents with a limited-government POV, such as Harding, Coolidge and Reagan, are treated dismissively by journalists and historians.

By those standards, when he is done, President Obama will be considered a god by most.

Oh wait! He already is by the left.

Immie

 

[PoliticalChic]

Hayward is just a tiny bit biased, he works for the AEI.............................. NOT a historian's historian by any means.

Yeah, he's not a blatant propagandist for the all-powerful state like every other historian on the government payroll.

Yup....Liberals will always rate more liberal Presidents more highly than conservative Presidents, and since liberals dominate academia, it is no surprise that Liberal Democratic Presidents are more celebrated in the leading literature.

This is the reason to remind that the Constitution tells us what every President has promised when elected.

Progressives control the universities and the means of dissemination of information....


1. The radicals of the sixties did not remain within the universities…They realized that the apocalypse never materialized. “…they were dropping off into environmentalism and consumerism and fatalism…I watched many of my old comrades apply to graduate school in universities they had failed to burn down, so they could get advanced degrees and spread the ideas that had been discredited in the streets under an academic cover.” Collier and Horowitz, “Destructive Generation: Second Thoughts About The Sixties,” p. 294-295.

2. “The radicals were not likely to go into business or the conventional practice of the professions. They were part of the chattering class, talkers interested in policy, politics, culture. They went into politics, print and electronic journalism, church bureaucracies, foundation staffs, Hollywood careers, public interest organizations, anywhere attitudes and opinions could be influenced. And they are exerting influence.” Robert H. Bork, “Slouching Toward Gomorrah,” p. 51


Were it not for the overreach of President Obama, most of those who will vote him out of office in November would still be unaware of the danger of Liberalism.

 

[sparky]

A yardstick to measure a presidents what?


~S~

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Many leading academics find that the greatest modern Presidents are those that have made government bigger and more powerful, and have expanded the reach of the presidency, i.e., Woodrow Wilson and FDR. By the same token, those Presidents with a limited-government POV, such as Harding, Coolidge and Reagan, are treated dismissively by journalists and historians.

Incorrect, George W. Bush made government bigger and more powerful, and expanded the reach of the presidency and is treated dismissively by journalists and historians.

The same is true concerning Nixon, with regard to making government bigger and more powerful. Nixon also oversaw a republican administration that attempted to expand the reach of the presidency through a criminal conspiracy. That criminal conspiracy failed only as a consequence of the conspirators’ incompetence.

Nixon is as close as we’ve come to a dictatorship and the destruction of the Republic. The Republic was saved by the Constitution and the Supreme Court, adhering to the rule of law, the same rule of law republicans seek to violate each and every time they occupy the WH.

 

[washamericom]

huckabee mentioned bill ayers and bernardine dhorn last night. said he thought they should be in jail, instead of teaching on the taxpayers dime.

 

[Wiseacre]

Tough question to answer IMHO. To me, it comes down to how successful the president is/was in handling the issues he had to face. How well did he work with Congress and foreign leaders, how well did he lead the American people, all of 'em, did he leave the country better off than he found it? Is the future brighter or not, how has the American culture and character changed, for the better or worse?

Some presidents had a relatively easy time of it, like Clinton did IMHO. Others, like Lincoln and Roosevelt and truly major upheavals to deal with. Plus, hindsight is always 20-20, how fair is it to criticize after the fact; and BTW, we may not really know all the facts even many years later.

 

[washamericom]

Many leading academics find that the greatest modern Presidents are those that have made government bigger and more powerful, and have expanded the reach of the presidency, i.e., Woodrow Wilson and FDR. By the same token, those Presidents with a limited-government POV, such as Harding, Coolidge and Reagan, are treated dismissively by journalists and historians.

Incorrect, George W. Bush made government bigger and more powerful, and expanded the reach of the presidency and is treated dismissively by journalists and historians.

The same is true concerning Nixon, with regard to making government bigger and more powerful. Nixon also oversaw a republican administration that attempted to expand the reach of the presidency through a criminal conspiracy. That criminal conspiracy failed only as a consequence of the conspirators’ incompetence.

Nixon is as close as we’ve come to a dictatorship and the destruction of the Republic. The Republic was saved by the Constitution and the Supreme Court, adhering to the rule of law, the same rule of law republicans seek to violate each and every time they occupy the WH.

911 changed everything. i hope the constitution saves us from obama.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

TR and Eisenhower are examples of republican presidents who made government bigger and more powerful, and expanded the reach of the presidency not treated dismissively by journalists and historians.

 

[tinydancer]

huckabee mentioned bill ayers and bernardine dhorn last night. said he thought they should be in jail, instead of teaching on the taxpayers dime.

hells bells its freaking chicago......

 

[francoHFW]

Pure Pubcrappe. Well, the USA does better under liberals, unless you like corrupt cronyism boom and bust recessions and depressions and stupid, arrogant, cavalier, violent foreign policy...

Read "The Good Old Days- They were Terrible!" Reaganistas live in a dream world.

Getting people on assistance in a Pub DEPRESSION and regulating health care that is TOTALLY out of control is not big government, it's reality and solutions. Pub dupes! They'll tell you ANYHING and do ANYTHING to get pwer back- country be damned...

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

And Herbert Hoover is an example of republican president who is justifiably treated dismissively by journalists and historians due to the fact he adhered blindly to conservative fiscal dogma, to the detriment of the Nation.

 

[Bfgrn]

Hayward is just a tiny bit biased, he works for the AEI.............................. NOT a historian's historian by any means.

I notice that you didn't list any errors in his precis......

What is the import of his alleged 'bias' if everything he says is true?

AEI doesn't allow truth to be spoken. Ask David Frum who was fired for speaking the truth or the AEI 'scholars who were ordered not to speak to the media during the health care debate because they agreed with too much of what Obama was trying to do.

David Frum and the Closing of the Conservative Mind by Bruce Bartlett

 

[PoliticalChic]

Many leading academics find that the greatest modern Presidents are those that have made government bigger and more powerful, and have expanded the reach of the presidency, i.e., Woodrow Wilson and FDR. By the same token, those Presidents with a limited-government POV, such as Harding, Coolidge and Reagan, are treated dismissively by journalists and historians.

Incorrect, George W. Bush made government bigger and more powerful, and expanded the reach of the presidency and is treated dismissively by journalists and historians.

The same is true concerning Nixon, with regard to making government bigger and more powerful. Nixon also oversaw a republican administration that attempted to expand the reach of the presidency through a criminal conspiracy. That criminal conspiracy failed only as a consequence of the conspirators’ incompetence.

Nixon is as close as we’ve come to a dictatorship and the destruction of the Republic. The Republic was saved by the Constitution and the Supreme Court, adhering to the rule of law, the same rule of law republicans seek to violate each and every time they occupy the WH.

I'm beginning to worry about you, Torte....

You link "...Harding, Coolidge and Reagan,..."

But write "incorrect...." and go on to refer to Bush and Nixon.

Attention Deficit Disorder?

Here, let's rein you in....The modern presidency has become an engine for the growth of government. It was a very different situation prior to the 20th century. Our early Presidents were defenders of the Constitution...unlike Wilson and FDR.
And you-know-who.

Example:
In 1794, when Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief of French refugees who fled from insurrection in San Domingo to Baltimore and Philadelphia. James Madison wrote disapprovingly, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."


Of course, if you have read the Federalist Papers, this will come as no surprise.

“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State Governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negociation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will for the most part be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects, which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties and properties of the people; and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State.” James Madison, Federalist #45, January 26, 1788