Since the beginning of civilization, human beings have followed this pattern of having one person be a leader. Having one man determine the fate and future of countless others. We have groups of educated individuals making decisions, for example, the supreme court. However, we still hold on to this one person figurehead ideology for the executive branch of government.
Why?
Reality is the president does not have as much power as we believe, because of the checks and balances principle. The president can’t even make a decision without it being seen and approved by the legislative or judicial branch. The president’s main job is to be the symbol or the face of the government. While the president does make very important decisions and is most definitely an important part of our government, it would be better carried out by multiple people. Just like congress or the supreme court. The executive branch is filled with people that support and assist the president, but there is only one president that ultimately leads the entire branch.
The issue with the presidency is that it is way too much pressure to put on one individual.
Most sane individuals don’t want the pressure of becoming the president. The presidency is a horrible job. Everything wrong with the country is put on your shoulders. That’s why the only people who run for the presidency are like the candidates we have now.
With the media and no rules towards how you can portray the president your walking into a spotlight that you have no control over. It’s also impossible to make everyone happy, so in a world where everyone has a voice, it’s almost certain that people will disrespect you with the world watching. While I think it’s great anyone can speak their mind about our government a lot of people don’t understand that a president is just a person. In this country, there is so much expectation put on the president that it’s gotten into an inhumane like goal. Unlike a governor or a mayor, the presidency has proven to be too much responsibility to put on a single person. The United States prides itself on being a country where all different kinds of people will be heard and protected. Reality is one person cannot represent all American citizens.
I’m not sure any single human being can live up to the full expectations of the presidency. However, a group of people might be able to do the trick.
If we simply made the executive branch a group of leaders much like the senate we could get different perspectives on issues and solve using different opinions. Obviously there still needs to be a figurehead for citizens and for meeting with foreign countries. So I would propose 3 or 5 generals, be the head of the executive branch and be the figureheads of America. All of them would be voted in just like the president. It would not only be better for the functionality of our government but it would also help citizens feel more represented.
America is home to millions of people looking for the American dream. The United States prides itself on being a country where all different kinds of people will be heard and protected. How could one person possibly accurately function for the greater good of every citizen regardless of race, religion, economic status, sexuality, and etc?
Short answer they can’t!
Rather than setting up our president for certain failure, we must evolve our government just like our country is continuing to evolve. This country is too big and too complex to be lead by one opinion and be represented by one face, the sooner we realize this the sooner we can work on bringing our country together.
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Previously published on medium
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Photo credit: by Marco Oriolesi on Unsplash