Presence of Malice: Against the Conservative Portrait of the President

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Presence of Malice: Against the Conservative Portrait of the President

This article appeared in American Digest. I have been saying this for some time now.

We can survive many traits in presidents, but malice is not among them. In the unfolding saga of the Libyan adventure I note that, even though it is early innings, a popular strain of conservative criticism centers around the always popular idea of 'stupidity in government;' with a variant on the subset of 'the president is not as smart as he thinks.' The popular variant this time is: 'deep down, Obama is shallow.' This notion includes various complimentary subsets such as 'he is lazy,' 'he is incompetent,' 'he's hooked on the perks and doesn't care for the work.' All comfortable notions that imply that the critic is, conversely, smarter, more diligent, and more fit to make governmental decisions than the president. The problem here is that the critic is not the president and hence has no power to do anything remotely presidential. (Continue reading...)

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity, but don't rule out malice." ~ Heinlein's Razor

I think we're being far to quick to rule out malice, because up until now, a malicious president simply hasn't been part of American history.

3 comments :

Karl UppianoMarch 24, 2011 at 10:48 AM
Lately, I've been thinking that "Kakistocracy" doesn't even begin to describe our government. The malice from the 'progressives' and the cowardice of the 'conservatives'.
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inocence escartin jr.September 30, 2011 at 11:32 PM
talking too much about Kakistocracy seems absurd to those who are victims of corruptions. there are millions of people who talked and found solutions on poverty cause by mal-managing of the leaders. what i mean is that talking is not enough, what the necessary thing to do is "acting" the words that we talk. give something to help the poor, do not talk too much to them cause it will never give them food on their table.
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Karl UppianoOctober 1, 2011 at 1:01 AM
Inocence, I make no distinction between the rich and the poor. Oppression is bad no matter to whom it happens. The poor are better off when everyone is better off. The rich give more when they have more to give. And even when they spend their wealth selfishly, it still creates jobs and spreads the wealth. It just isn't the government doing it, and wasting the majority of it. The free market doesn't waste much at all.
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The Only Question You Need

"Which article of the Constitution gives government the authority to do that?"

If more and more people start asking this question, I think most of our worst political problems, in all branches and all levels of government would go away by themselves, almost overnight. When a reporter asked Nancy Pelosi that question about the healthcare bill, her deer-in-the-headlights response was, "Are you serious?" Well, we are serious, and politicians should be afraid to step out of their offices without a credible answer to that question. It is the only "litmus test" that we need.

It really takes so little effort, that it is at least worth a try. The beauty of it is, this really should appeal to honest people from anywhere on the political spectrum.

Uphold and Defend

Big government and bad policy, usurpation of authority not granted in the US Constitution is human nature. Republicans and Democrats are both guilty. We the People must realize that this is not a partisan issue, and demand that all of our politicians follow the Constitution.

The US Constitution is still the official specification for the United States of America.
It guarantees equal justice for all, and protects your life, liberty and prosperity.
Any regime that distorts or disregards its original intent is untrustworthy and dangerous.

Presidential Quotes

The policy of the American government is to leave their citizens free, neither restraining nor aiding them in their pursuits. ~ Thomas Jefferson

With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators. ~ James Madison

I think we can say that the Constitution reflected an enormous blind spot in this culture that carries on to this day and that the Framers had that same blind spot. I don't think the two views are contradictory to say that it was a remarkable political document, that paved the way for where we are now, and to say it also reflected the fundamental flaw of this country that continues to this day. ~ Barack Obama

Every word [of the Constitution] decides a question between power and liberty. ~ James Madison

Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. ~ George Washington

Do You Still Have All of the Liberty That You Were Born With?

Think back to when you were growing up. What things could you do then that you can no longer do now? What things did you have the liberty to decide for yourself that is now a mandate? How many federal, state and local laws were passed since you were born? How many new bureaucracies and agencies have been created since you were born? How many new regulations have they imposed? How many tax increases have you seen in your lifetime? How many new government programs have replaced your ability to do it yourself? (more...)

Kakistocracy Report

Thursday, March 24, 2011