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Monday, February 17, 2014

Happy Presidents' Day!

This post was originally written for Presidents' Day 2014 but now includes updates added on Presidents' Day 2021:

Ever since I was little, I've been fascinated by the office of the presidency of the United States. The institution of the presidency is an incredible one because it is an awesome force that can be used for incredible good or incredible bad. There is tremendous power over the globe centralized into the hands of one individual.

Our country's best presidents were those who utilized this power to maximize good for citizens around the world, whether it was Abraham Lincoln, signing the Emancipation Proclamation and ultimately backing the abolition of slavery, or FDR, marshaling through Congress the New Deal and leading the U.S. to an Allied victory in World War II. The worst presidents did precisely the opposite: using the powers of the office for personal satisfaction or being terribly incompetent in management of the executive branch. These include Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's horrid successor who opposed the constitutional amendments that outlawed slavery and advanced equal protection, and notably, our current self-obsessed president, Donald Trump.

For better and for worse, the power of the presidency has only expanded over time, in both domestic and foreign affairs. In the domestic arena, the president's authority to sign executive orders, faithfully execute federal laws, and set the agenda through the power of the 'bully pulpit' gives them enormous advantages over the other branches of government. In foreign affairs, the president's expansive power as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, combined with their stature as the representative of the United States to the global stage, is continuously growing.

Given these realities, it is incumbent upon a president to use this awesome power for good. Exercising such a mission should mean fulfilling one of the core promises of the preamble of the United States Constitution: using the power of the federal government to "promote the general welfare" of the people. In the end, this notion is tied to the question that presidents should ask themselves upon leaving office: how did I use the power when I had it?

It is a privilege to wield the unimaginable power of the presidency and it should be the duty of each president to be able to answer that question in a way that indicates they did what they could to sizably, materially improve the lives of Americans, and people around the world, for better.

It is often debated whether presidents make history or whether history makes the president. Those presidents who have used the power of the office to maximize good, and to expand opportunity and prosperity, have been the ones who have helped shape and make history. Those presidents, the ones who exceeded observers' expectations, are the truly great presidents.

These presidents that go above and beyond the call of duty in "promoting the general welfare" are the ones historians ought to hold in high esteem. Consider FDR's example as he was elected in 1932 to enact emergency, temporary public works spending and even campaigned on deficit reduction. Roosevelt though decided he wanted to change the course of history and fundamentally reshape the social safety net. He created Social Security and the National Labor Relations Board, among a slew of massive progressive reforms that continue to define our domestic social welfare structure. FDR recognized that history's call beckoned him to show boldness that would have a lasting effect for generations.

Lincoln, similarly, acted beyond his mandate to demonstrate necessary, transformative leadership in the country's most perilous hours. When Lincoln was elected, there was no expectation that he would ever endorse the abolition of slavery. During the 1860 campaign, he advocated merely for halting the  expansion of slavery; he was even, at one time, a supporter of the racist American Colonization Society which called for black Americans to be sent to Africa. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Lincoln, despite a difficult reelection campaign in 1864, endorsed a constitutional amendment to outlaw slavery and he helped see this goal through in 1865. He rose to the occasion when the moment called for it and set the stage for the emergence of a fairer and more democratic country.

It should go without saying that none of these displays of presidential leadership would be possible without the persistent activism of an engaged citizenry. It is also incumbent upon us, as participants in a vibrant democracy, to use our own tremendous power as voters and as activists to demand courage from our leaders.

Ultimately, we are a better country today because of these past successes. We need bold, activist leadership from the presidency and engagement from the public for the sake of the prosperity of all. In the long run, both the country, and the legacy of a president who answers the call for using power for maximum good, will be stronger because of it. Happy Presidents' Day!

MY RANKINGS:

TEN BEST PRESIDENTS (starting with the best):
1. Abraham Lincoln
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt
3. George Washington
4. Theodore Roosevelt
5. Barack Obama
6. Lyndon B.  Johnson
7. Thomas Jefferson
8. John F. Kennedy
9. Harry Truman
10. Dwight Eisenhower

TEN WORST PRESIDENTS (starting with the worst):
1. Andrew Johnson
2. Donald Trump
3. James Buchanan
4. Franklin Pierce
5. Millard Fillmore
6. George W. Bush
7. Warren G. Harding
8. Calvin Coolidge
9. John Tyler
10. Herbert Hoover

Friday, February 14, 2014

The Cultural Significance of The Beatles

February 9 marked 50 years since The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in front of 73 million American TV viewers and forever changed the history of music. The Beatles though, in that performance and beyond, changed more than just music. They and their brand were far more significant in their impact on American culture and public life. The Beatles served as the perfect transition between the structural, ordered nature of the 1950s and the counterculture heyday of the late 1960s and the 1970s.

Their embrace of love, lyrical tributes to the beauties and disappointments in relationships, and seemingly out of this world hairstyles and unique live performances that brought girls to their knees (literally) were part of a much needed cultural jolt. The music, style, and attitude of The Beatles liberalized the culture, enthused young Americans with newfound energy, and celebrated free expression and artistic creativity. Perhaps it is not so surprising that I have this feeling since not only I am a huge Beatles fan but I am also a Democrat and as President Clinton perfectly put it a decade ago, "if you think the 60s were a bad time, you're probably a Republican; if you think the 60s were a good time, you're probably a Democrat."

In the process, The Beatles also helped Americans cope with the struggles, sadness, and sorrow of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who perished just three months before the Fab Four appeared on Ed Sullivan's stage. As young Americans lost an icon who connected to them in a deeply personal and fundamental way, they then found in The Beatles new icons with whom they could easily identify. This generation yearned to be free-spirited, rebellious, and emotionally charged. John, Paul, George, and Ringo gave them that chance more than anyone else in the public eye at the time.

Further, as protests against the Vietnam War grew in the late 60s and much of the youth of America turned to sex, drugs, and countercultural attitudes that offended Richard Nixon's so-called "silent majority," The Beatles led the way and reflected those feelings. Both in their songs and in their appearance, they shifted to a more psychedelic nature, best seen in the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, that essentially communicated to this generation that they should embrace and expand their freedom to be who they are without fear.

Ultimately, The Beatles did not just launch a revolution in the music industry. They also helped fundamentally transform and reshape American culture more broadly. Paul McCartney himself acknowledged this reality in a recent CBS Grammy tribute to the band as he told the audience that so many Americans told him personally that the Ed Sullivan appearance changed their lives. Cheers to The Beatles.