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The cult of the US presidency

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 3:16 pm
by Jamiet99uk
I just read a very interesting article which suggests that one of the problems of US politics is that:

"The presidency has become a cult, like that of a medieval patron saint, to which we are expected to constantly direct our attention.... The presidency has swelled into a role no mortal person can fill and that no citizenry can hold to account."

I find this a very interesting viewpoint and one which, as an outside observer, I am inclined to agree with. Note that this is not a pro or anti-Trump stance - the article notes that this was just as much of a problem under Obama, and for many years before.

The full article is here:
https://www.americamagazine.org/politic ... presidency

Re: The cult of the US presidency

Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:20 pm
by TrPrado
Very interesting, and I’m inclined to agree. It’s been pretty liberating for to focus much more on Oklahoma politics due to the absolutely taxing nature of trying to follow along with that kind of role the presidency holds and how intrinsically national politics are tied to it.

Re: The cult of the US presidency

Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 2:02 am
by Incrementalist
That article is all over the road. The author seems to be complaining that the Presidency is too "big", yet agreeing with the idea that who is President doesn't matter (since Trump hasn't derailed the economy of much of anything else) and at the same time complaining that politics is now "personality-driven" (which would make the office itself irrelevant).