Executive Efficacy Expanded

Written by: Elizabeth Cable on Feb 16, 2008 2:27 AM EST

Many, many people in these united states long for the day upon which George W. Bush will vacate the Presidency. During Bush’s terms in office, he has gotten us into a Quagmire in Iraq (and has engaged in a generally arrogant and foolish foreign policy), deftly removed many of our civil liberties from us, racked up record deficits, exploited the people’s fear of terrorism (which helped him to win elections, achieve his agenda, and rob us of our apparently undeserved liberties), and, most importantly, greatly increased the power and influence of the Executive Branch. The People long for Bush’s exit because they are tired of these repeated abuses and usurpations, and with the hope that, once Dubya leaves, we’ll be able to get a Democrat or at least a moderate in office and get America back onto the right track. This perspective is not in agreement with my own; in point of fact, I disagree with it very strongly. It seems to me that this belief is the product of the very ignorance which allowed Bush to expand his office and worsen the state of the country in the first place. Let me take just a few moments in order to explain my thoughts more clearly on this matter.

During these past several years, Presidential puppet George W. Bush and the various puppeteers in his administration have worked to greatly expand the power of the Executive Branch in the United States government. They have been very successful in their pursuance of this goal, and it now appears as though we have a new kind of ”imperial presidency” in place. Their ability to expand the power of the Presidency was due to the negligence and cowardice of the Congress and the ignorance and inattentiveness of the American people. It is as Thomas Jefferson wrote, “If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions.” The people were inattentive to the Executive office, so the officials associated with the Executive all became wolves, thirsting after, not blood, but power in the excess. But what are the implications of this greatly expanded efficacy of the Executive?  What are the implications of all of the new precedents set by the Executive office?

During Bush’s two terms, We the People of the United States have effectively given many new and frightening powers to the Executive Branch, simply because of how much we tolerate. We tolerate phone wiretapping, we tolerate torture, we tolerate the violating of the Constitution, and so that becomes part of the policy, part of the powers of the executive branch, because we allow it. These terrible things will all be set as precedents for the next Executive to follow, and they, whomever they may be, will fall in step with these precedents. I say this because there have not been many in history who have denied themselves nearly unlimited power purposefully (George Washington, the great leader, being a notable exception). The next President shall not deny themselves the excess power because they know that they can get away with exercising such power with no consequences to them. They will not be punished, they will not be impeached, they will reap the rewards of nearly absolute power, and with not a squeak from the American people on the matter because the masses are too busy watching American Idol to watch American Government. However, the next Executive may not be as blatant about exercising these excesses in power as George W. Bush has been. An image to present to the public must be maintained, because image is everything to a People who only look broadly over the surface of the ocean of politics without bothering to look deeper. Bush really has been quite inept at projecting a good public image. However, both political parties are in general very good at fabricating false images with which to hoodwink the People: among other things, the Republicans have been skilled at fabricating an image of being better terrorist-hunters, and the Democrats have been adept at fabricating the illusion that they are a populist Party of the People.

I believe it very likely, and, in fact, inevitable, that these repeated usurpations and injuries will not end with George W. Bush. The precedents have been set for nearly absolute power for the Executive Branch, and power corrupts and is irresistable to falliable human beings. It is fairly apparent to me that the actions of George W. Bush will be perpetuated by every future President of the United States. That is, unless the People and the Congress step up and put the option of impeachment on the table, and preferably impeachment for George W. Bush, because it is best to stop the problem at its source. However, it is very unlikely that we will impeach Bush or Cheney, because the members of Congress are politically calculating cowards who don’t want to do anything controversial with an election coming up. But if we don’t impeach Bush now, we’ll either have to impeach another President farther down the road or perpetually suffer from usurpations from the Executive Branch.

To you people who still believe that electing a Democrat will get rid of the deplorable policies and precedents of George W. Bush, I salute you for navigating, in direct conflict with evident truths, along the channels of blind party loyalty. It is naive to believe that all of the damaging actions that George W. Bush has inflicted upon us will just disappear upon the entry of some other falliable human being, whatever their political affiliation, into the office of the presidency. It is naive to believe that all of this overstepping of constitutional authority will end as soon as George W. Bush is gone. It is naive to believe that a new president, even a Democratic President, will be a magical remedy to the things like loss of civil liberties. Only We the People can ensure that our civil liberties are perpetually protected, and we can protect them by informing ourselves and being attentive to the actions of our government and demanding impeachment for elected officials who overstep their authority. It is lazy to assume that the politicians who we elect to our political offices are the only ones responsible for keeping our civil liberties safe, and that We the People are not responsible in the slightest for preserving our own rights. This responsibilty absolutely does not belong to our assorted elected officials. When I say that the People must protect their own rights, who do you think I mean that the rights have to be protected from? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the terrorists. These United States politicians who we trust, trust on the basis of faith in their abilities, to protect our liberties, become nothing more than wolves when the people are not attentive, as Thomas Jefferson stated centuries ago. The entire system fails to work if the people are not enlightened and watchful.

The preservation of liberty requires eternal vigilance from the informed Peoples of the United States, creators and overseers of their own elected leaders, safeguards of their own democracy, and keepers of their own country’s well-being. That’s what self-government is all about. And, if we fail to understand that, then perhaps we just don’t deserve our liberties. If we fail to understand that and act upon it, then it is likely that our problems with unprecedented Executive power, created by the lack of political attention and activity among the People, will never be remedied. Perhaps our democracy is destined to fall to the power of an unchecked Executive, and then swirl down the toilet into the Sewers of History.

Tags: