STEVE PIECZENIK TALKS

The Imperial Presidency Has Returned: So Long Congress! Welcome Nixon Redux-President Obama!!

No historical truism is more accurate than the simple fact that history repeats itself, again and again.

Just as legislators decided to recess from their already non-existent jobs and careers,  Obama has quickly resumed the mantle of power and authority not seen since the days I worked for President Nixon in the very late 1970’s.  A statement wafted out of the White House ether concerning one simple phenomenon.  President Obama would resort to the ‘phone and pen’ in order to execute governance.  In other words,  Obama alone will decide what is good, bad, appropriate or inappropriate for the American citizens.  Gone is the historical or even hysterical notion that we are a country of ‘checks and balances’.

That myth immediately evaporated once the 103^rd Congress decided to work less,  attend fewer sessions and pose more ‘selfies’ rather than propose effective legislation.  I am not advocating anything other than the simple fact that ‘democracy’ suis generis, is at best a ‘fragile experiment’ at worst it is nothing but an illusion.  Before everyone starts the nonsensical rampage of ‘take back our country’ or ‘eliminate tyranny’, let me assure you good citizens of America that we are not really a ‘democracy’ wherein everyone can vote on every single issue that relates to welfare of the nation.

In fact,  for some time now, since the Bush Jr administrations and Obama’s tenure, nothing has become more clear to me than the fact that we are in fact a REPUBLIC.  A Republic has surrogates who supposedly represent our collective interests; but that is only true in theory.  In practice,  most of the legislators have been stripped of one of the most valuable tools of legislation –the line item budget- or the ability to ‘pork barrel’.  Without sounding a pejorative note,  the ability for a legislator to exchange favors from one person to another was and has been a very effective, if not somewhat distorted, element of our legislative process.

Once stripped of that mechanism, nothing was left to the legislators except to amplify their personality preferences, which for most legislators was self-aggrandizement and spouting nonsensical obstructive palaver, signifying nothing. That’s when an ambitious, smart individual like Nixon or Obama (who fits more of the isolated, intellectual personality type of Nixon than any other President I knew)—decides to fill the power vacuum.

And he does for the simple reason that he can.

Obama saw a long time ago the power vacuum in the legislative branch,  instead of trying to “Clintonize” it by spending countless, possibly fruitless hours, days and weeks caressing egos,  he went right of the legislative jugular- inactivity.

Right or wrong,  Obama proceeded to abrogate any powers that may have impeded his continuing rule as the leader of a REPUBLIC where the legislators absolved themselves from any responsibility other than collecting their ill-gotten gains.  The most important factor to remember right now, is that Obama is working within a twisted and contorted series of laws which may or may not be legal.  That is for history to determine.

For now I caution you all that President Obama, like President Nixon was not addressing his constituents at the time of his tenure.  Just as Nixon did,  President Obama is playing to the HISTORY BOOKS…. And that future narrative will decide where he stood in the pantheon of rulers of the American Republic for which we stand.  Remember your pledge of allegiance…. It is to the REPUBLIC!!
“and to the republic for which it stands” Obama is fulfilling his role as the new Imperial Leader! Like it or not!!! At least the pretense of the costly, massive narcissism , called ‘legislators’, has disappeared.