Liberty Maven

There is no mistaking those faithful activist followers of Ron Paul with the general drooling masses swayed into true belief in the boundless ability of the American presidency. It even filters down to presidential candidates. Myths become reality and contradictions are ignored. The Ron Paul zealots, even the conspiracists among them, deserve more credibility than those that believe in the magically deliciousness of Barack Obama. At least they pay attention beyond the main stream media soundbites. You don’t have to think very hard to realize that John McCain is just an old establishment hack politician. His claim of being a “maverick” is as credible as his claim of believing in the United States Constitution.

Yet the masses are moved into worshipping these men because they sought out the position of “leader of the free world.” The truth is the job of American President in this modern age is doomed no matter who sits on the Oval Office throne. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time, “The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power“, explores the slow development of the presidency from its humble beginnings to its godlike stature today.

The reality is that the more we expect from our President the less he is capable of delivering. This is especially true during economically calamitous times such as these. The book is a timeline of the American presidency put through the limited government microscope of author Gene Healy (CATO Institute). He celebrates the “boring” presidents like Harding and Coolidge. He hammers on the generally more popular and active presidents like Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and FDR.

The book will force you to realize that our current outgoing President is not so awful on civil liberties when compared to the likes of Wilson, FDR, and even John F. Kennedy. Healy also argues that the modern machinations of the White House itself are enough to transform the president into a completely different person.

“…the environment that the modern president enters into upon assuming office virtually ensures that even a conscientious, psychologically healthy person will become increasingly disconnected from reality. The demands of the job and the conditions of White House life warp personality, distort judgment, and encourage dysfunctional behavior.”

Unfortunately, this same description can now be applied to the blind Obama believers. Didn’t you hear? Obama is going to bring health care to every American while “fixing” the economy! He’s going to eliminate racism! He’s going to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice! He’s going to lower taxes for 95% of us. He’s going to cut spending! We’ll see.

Healy’s wonderful book will make you think about our president in a new way. It should be sitting on the desk in the Oval Office for when the new president arrives. It should be required reading for every American.