Thursday, February 02, 2023

The President as employee

The Journal yesterday ran a story saying the Biden had submitted to a search of his Delaware beach house by the Department of Justice in search of classified documents. Good. He definitely fucked up in handling them more than once, this is a reasonable thing to do and definitely drives home the point the Presidents are in some regards employees like any other. They work for us.

Yes they are special too because the Presidency is a unique job and it takes a unique set of characteristics to earn the right to the seat and then to occupy it. Therefore listening to ex-Presidents speak is pretty incredible. I heard Bill Clinton talk at a conference in 2010 or so and his blend of intelligence and perspective were remarkable.

But while they are in office they are employees and subject to controls. We should remember that. Presidents should remember that and be less aggressive with Executive Orders. Legislators should remember that and figure out how to compromise and get things done. The electorate should remember that legislators need to compromise and therefore not demand perfect ideological conformity from them.

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