All Hail The Imperial Presidency. Not.

Back in 1973, Arthur M. Schlesinger wrote The Imperial Presidency, a sort of history of the executive powers of an American president, culminating with Richard Nixon's terms in office. His focus was on how war is waged. Wikipedia's opening paragraph of synopsis of the book is succinct and rather clear:

[The book] discusses how the applications of the Constitutional authority to declare war given to Congress and the Constitutional authority to conduct foreign policy and act as commander-in-chief given to the president have evolved since the government's inception, creating a dangerous imbalance in the separation of powers.

I'm pretty certain Schlesinger didn't envision a president with a crown...or maybe he did...but he does point out, through historical example, how the ambiguity of the war powers as delineated in the Constitution allows for a sitting president to act in a monarchical manner, including but not limited to Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War. Ultimately, Schlesinger acknowledges that while he had initially been an advocate for an activist executive branch, that expansions of presidential power had led to dangerous abuse of the office. American presidents have an unbroken line of sabre rattling through the years. Sometimes it's effective, other times...meh. Increasingly, it seems the presidency moves from one event to the next confronting a state of perpetual crisis, with the powers of the executive branch continuing to grow beyond the bounds of the Constitution. 

A revised version of the book came out in 2004 and points to George W. Bush as an Imperial President who led us into an astoundingly unnecessary war with Iraq. I'm sorry Shlesinger died in 2007; I would love to read what he had to say about this president.

I love the phrase Imperial Presidency. It conjures up all sorts of things for me. Having had most of my education in theater, I firmly believe.....and you should, too, that appearances count and perception is everything. We are wired to believe what we see, and these days, a fair amount of what we see is not real. But it's the visuals that are really getting to me these days. Of course, there was the story about Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's 18 carat solid gold toilet (offered to Feckless Felon by the artist and declined) but he really did have a golden apartment in his not-so-ivory towers. The flat was famous for its tasteless ostentation, but that didn't stop him from showing it off in glossy magazines. 

During his first term, he gussied up the Oval Office with gold drapes and a new gold rug. This time, however, he had grandiose plans, He told the Ohio State football team

I've done some ‘Trump touches’ to the Oval Office. It's a little nicer than it used to be, I think.

Honestly, it looks like a cross between a New Orleans old time bordello and Versailles. And not in a good way. 

Above picture was hand tinted

I think Teddy Roosevelt is spinning over by Sagamore Hill . See, he's the guy who decided the White House needed an upgrade. He had a big family, they needed the room, so the West Wing was assigned to office space. It was supposed to be a temporary fix. The Oval Office was constructed under President Taft. Of course, he used the Resolute Desk (now there's a good story) in this quasi-circular room with a green carpet and walls covered in green burlap. It was a functional meeting space. Serious business happened. While Washington, D.C. was designed to impress, the West Wing was an office space, a place where the staff could work in close proximity to the president. Made sense. Sure, each president added a little something to the office. Some totally redecorated, but there was a sense that this is America's house and it should reflect American sensibilities. Town and Country Magazine did a nice piece on the Oval Office a few years ago. Take a look. You'll get my drift. 

Why am I even writing about this?

Because appearances count and perception is everything. In a 1961 interview with Hugh Sidey of LIFE MAGAZINE, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (Onasis) said,

All these people come to see the White House and they see practically nothing that dates back before 1948. Everything in the White House must have a reason for being there. It would be sacrilege merely to "redecorate" it -- a word I hate. It must be restored -- and that has nothing to do with decoration. That is a question of scholarship.

She would go on to establish a White House Fine Arts Commission to aid with restoration and decorative arts. She instinctively knew that place had to be uniquely American...from the pictures on the walls to the food on the plates at a state dinner. Most occupants of the White House have followed her example. 

But not this one. The Ormolu Office is as tawdry, cheap, and cheesy as President Felon is. No world dignitary will say,  Oh my, how elegant! They will force a smile and truly understand this guy has no taste, no class, and, to be honest, no brains. They will titter behind their hands and fans. And they will not take him seriously at all. That which is fake will be inescapably hideous.

Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

You can see President Macron's reflection in the table. This is a guy who I'd guess knows Versailles pretty well. I don't think the gold paperweights or inlay on the table is gonna do it for him. He knows the difference between the cheap imitation and the real thing. And it's pretty clear Macron knows exactly who President Felon really is. At least I hope so. 

President Felon is an unreasonable facsimile, a sucky cosplay character who likes getting his ass kissed while his henchmen humiliate our nation on the world stage. He thinks no one has noticed he's snuggled up in bed with Putin. He thinks jerking around Ukraine is gonna get him a Nobel Peace Prize. He thinks his bloviation is gonna get him the Rapture and the Second Coming. And he thinks rattling his toy lightsaber is gonna get him Greenland and Canada as states. Not bloody likely.

World leaders are watching him like a hawk. Not because they think he's leading them....but because they know he is unstable and untrustworthy. They watched him play tariff roulette as he played chicken with the Chinese. Most of the other leaders aren't blithering idiots. America is the only country who seems to have actually elected one. They may have wanted MAGA. but what they got was MAFA: Make American Fake Again.

Every week as I sit down to write this, I wonder why I'm still doing the blog after almost 15 years. I'm an old lady not just in my kitchen, but on the blog-o-sphere as well. I'm okay with that. 

And if you have something to say about it...lemme know. Except for the death threats, I always write back.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Over the next 6 + months, I'll be traveling more than usual.

I will come to you from exotic places like Brooklyn ...

And Eretz Yisroel. 

But here's the thing...if you ask,

I will tell you I am fantastic....because I am. 

I'm excited to be heading off on adventures.

This is because I choose to be happy.

the alternative is kinda depressing, dontcha think?