President of the Day: A brand new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll released today predicts that if the elections were held today, Rick Santorum — the presidential candidate who believes that pregnant rape victims should make the best of it, that free prenatal testing leads to more abortions, and that, contrary to the Constitution, the separation of church and state should not be absolute — would defeat President Obama by three percentage points.
I listened at length to a radio program on the topic of the actual (vs. perceived) importance of the presidency. They interviewed a presidential historian who basically said that the executive branch of the government was basically the ultimate PR firm, and as an individual the POTUS wields relatively little power over policy and even less over the economy. The presidency, he argued, is a more ceremonial role with the primary function being to “set the tone,” to project an image of the country they lead. Classic illusion of choice: we hold elections, but we’re voting for a mascot more than anything.
I’m really not one for nationalism or patriotism, but if I were looking at it from the above perspective, I would much rather be represented by an eloquent, charismatic, soul-singin’ moderate than a tight-assed, Bible-thumping, would-be theocratic ideologue.
^ that
deleted all comments but the last because I found it both incredibly interesting and extremely true.
President of the Day: A brand new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll released today predicts that if the elections were held today, Rick Santorum — the presidential candidate who believes that pregnant rape victims should make the best of it, that free prenatal testing leads to more abortions, and that, contrary to the Constitution, the separation of church and state should not be absolute — would defeat President Obama by three percentage points.
I listened at length to a radio program on the topic of the actual (vs. perceived) importance of the presidency. They interviewed a presidential historian who basically said that the executive branch of the government was basically the ultimate PR firm, and as an individual the POTUS wields relatively little power over policy and even less over the economy. The presidency, he argued, is a more ceremonial role with the primary function being to “set the tone,” to project an image of the country they lead. Classic illusion of choice: we hold elections, but we’re voting for a mascot more than anything.
I’m really not one for nationalism or patriotism, but if I were looking at it from the above perspective, I would much rather be represented by an eloquent, charismatic, soul-singin’ moderate than a tight-assed, Bible-thumping, would-be theocratic ideologue.
^ that
deleted all comments but the last because I found it both incredibly interesting and extremely true.
