The President in particular is very much a figurehead — he wields no real power whatsoever. He is apparently chosen by the government, but the qualities he is required to display are not those of leadership but those of finely judged outrage. For this reason the President is always a controversial choice, always an infuriating but fascinating character. His job is not to wield power but to draw attention away from it. On those criteria Zaphod Beeblebrox is one of the most successful Presidents the Galaxy has ever had — he has already spent two of his ten presidential years in prison for fraud.
Shades of Michael Glennon’s “National Security and Double Government,” which I revisited recently to my amusement, not least because thanks to “The Crown” I now know how to pronounce “Bagehot” correctly. It’s fun reading: a former Democratic Senate Foreign Relations Committee counsel (and super lefty; I briefly worked on his abortive Congressional campaign during law school) making the case that the Deep State exists! …because it had blocked Obama’s foreign policy initiatives.
If a person says “I will cause A to happen” and A fails to happen, he might not actually have power. Or it might be bad luck. Or maybe he was just insincere.
If a person says “I will cause A to happen” and A happens, it might be a coincidence, or it might be he has power.
If the same thing happens with B, C, D and E… then we can perhaps make a tentative conclusion as to whether or not he has power.
But the surest test is to look at all that happens and ask: who benefits?
“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. One man thinks himself the master of others, but remains more of a slave than they are.”
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau-
Presidents, often thought as powerful, decisive, and sovereign, can easily be replaced by those with the true power (the BIG money people).
Alas, Presidents must do as they are expected by those with the power & money to destroy their careers.
Propaganda is only effective when it’s not recognized as such.
By presenting political “outsiders” as candidates and subsequently office holders, manipulators (those truly weilding power) can exploit the “Myth of the Good King”, the messiah there to save the people.
The “Deep state” buster, the “swamp drainer”.
“Us” vs. “them”.
Hundreds, thousands of years of political uprising has taught those with the true power to manipulate systems and people, to prevent their loss of power (the British, French, and American Revolutions just resulted in better management of strategies to prevent future revolutions).
“Dichotomous Thought” is one of the oldest traits known of humankind. It is the habit of grouping things into mere polar opposites. It is akin to “tribalism”.
Another example of “us” vs. “them”.
“Dichotomous Thinking” is also one of the easiest traits to exploit.
It is used in war, to gain legitimacy for warring actions. By identifying a common enemy, sides can garner support for their efforts (note how each opposing side will portray “their” side as the “good”, versus the “other” side, the “bad”.
It is also often used in partisan politics.
Humans are generally highly insecure, and thus need groups to identify with (groupthink).
George Orwell, in his “Notes on Nationalism”, recognized how people adamantly defend those groups they most closely identify/associate with:
“Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage — torture, the use of hostages, forced labour, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians — which does not change its moral colour when it is committed by ‘our’ side.”
The two-party system, by presenting supposed polar, opposing sides, can likely garner at least approval of half the population. Further, by iedntifying and constantly calling out the “other” side, they strengthen support from their members for “their” side.
Frequent shifts of the party in “power” (just observe the constant shifting of “Democrat” and “Republican” politicians in office), prevents popular violent uprising.
Trump is angering half the nation now, but that half holds hope of “their” side regaining power in the near future, which will happen. Ditto for those angered with Obama in the past. They are now happy, and thus unwilling to revolt against the system. They are currently empowered, via “Groupthink”, Tribalism.
Whilst relatively insignificant policy changes may take effect with a change in party (universal insurance, aka Obamacare; immigration, etc.), the larger policies/issues remain intact (a principle espoused in “National Security and Double Government).
Real ID is an example. Formerly spurred by “Republicans”/”Conservatives”, now embraced by such, yet now spurred by “Democrats”/”Liberals”, whom once embraced the same.
National Security and Double Government, while interesting, ignores the impact of others seeking special interest legislation, for their benefit.
What is the “Deep State”?. Burcaucrats are hardly all-powerful. There are people with BIG money whom seek to influence the Bureaucrats too, just as they do members of Congress and Presidents, exploiting their knowledge and power of governmental agencies.
If one digs deep enough, they’ll find the same ultra-wealthy continue to gain ever more wealth regardless whether “Democrats” or “Republicans” are in control.
The same ultra-powerful continue to gain ever more power regardless whether “Democrats” or “Republicans” are in control.
Political “leaders” (Presidents) exist to direct their followers, and try to garner as much support from others as possible for pre-conceived policies.
The WEC at Davos is an example of pre-conceived policies, devised by the BIG money people. The goal is to sell those policies.
The Council on Foreign Relations (Ford & Reckefeller) is another example of the same.
Presidents are the people to sell those policies to the people.
Thus partisan politics has become mere amusement. Like sports, the fans (party members) are mere passive spectators.
They get angry when “their” side loses, but happy again with the next game when “their” side wins.
Regardless, the NFL wins.
Ditto for the “league” that controls BOTH political parties, and all politicians.
Their job, in maintaining that power & control, is “to draw attention away from it.”
Bottom line – Governments in the U.S. have way too much control over both money and power.
As such, every shyster looking for control of that power & money come crawling out of the woodworks.
Yet they always remain slaves of other masters.