George Washington did not refuse to be king; he refused to be called that. He gladly accepted Article II which gave him way too much power, and through today’s optics that certainly looks like monarchy: commander in chief, power to pardon, executive orders … The U.S. needs to revise executive privileges and arrive at a system that is closer to the original intent, i.e. checks and balances. But with a Congress in deadlock and the SCOTUS asleep at the wheel the U.S. is now closer to a very bad version of monarchy than ever before.
A Cincinnatus story: when I was a freshman in college, I took Latin because it had no language lab. It was unspoken! I thought I had outwitted the system. Boy was I wrong. Not an easy language at all… Anyhow, Day 1, the instructor is droning on to a bunch of sleepy college freshmen on a Monday at 8AM, and I hear “blah blah blah… Cincinnatus… blah blah blah.” I snap to and pipe up and involuntarily say, loudly, “Cincinnatus!” He looks at me, pleased to be getting some engagement from the class, and says, “Ah! You know about Cincinnatus! Wonderful!” I say, “Oh, well, not really. But I’m from Cincinnati.”
On a day created to honor George Washington, we're now supposed to celebrate every scoundrel, criminal, and creep to occupy the Oval Office. My new book assesses the worst presidents, and the best:
George Washington did not refuse to be king; he refused to be called that. He gladly accepted Article II which gave him way too much power, and through today’s optics that certainly looks like monarchy: commander in chief, power to pardon, executive orders … The U.S. needs to revise executive privileges and arrive at a system that is closer to the original intent, i.e. checks and balances. But with a Congress in deadlock and the SCOTUS asleep at the wheel the U.S. is now closer to a very bad version of monarchy than ever before.
A Cincinnatus story: when I was a freshman in college, I took Latin because it had no language lab. It was unspoken! I thought I had outwitted the system. Boy was I wrong. Not an easy language at all… Anyhow, Day 1, the instructor is droning on to a bunch of sleepy college freshmen on a Monday at 8AM, and I hear “blah blah blah… Cincinnatus… blah blah blah.” I snap to and pipe up and involuntarily say, loudly, “Cincinnatus!” He looks at me, pleased to be getting some engagement from the class, and says, “Ah! You know about Cincinnatus! Wonderful!” I say, “Oh, well, not really. But I’m from Cincinnati.”
Ha ha!! Excellent Latin language origin story!
What Makes a Great President?
On a day created to honor George Washington, we're now supposed to celebrate every scoundrel, criminal, and creep to occupy the Oval Office. My new book assesses the worst presidents, and the best:
https://jdbreen.substack.com/p/what-makes-a-great-president-2f9
Great article. I also love how these articles flesh out the anti American people who can’t stand the thought of American exceptionalism. Go away.