"power"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Since this isn't a political discussion group, I'll say only  that the
enlargement of executive powers (plural) since 1789 is not just a belief but
a fact.

However, the notion that the American President's increased powers as chief
of state and commander-in-chief somehow justifies an identification with the
unlimited discretionary power of unelected tyrants and dictators like Saddam
Hussein is, to say the very least, a non sequitur. Simplest distinction: the
U.S. still has a functioning Constitution guaranteeing due process, among
other things.  Myanmar, for example, a military dictatorship, does not.


JL

On Mon, Jan 12, 2009 at 5:42 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "power"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I think it's well understood (or at least argued) that the office of
> US president has gradually gained more power since 1789 through a
> variety of means such as the need to declare war, cabinet powers and
> executive [sorry, not sure what they're called: laws, rules,
> regulations--something like that]. BB
>
> On Jan 12, 2009, at 2:27 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
> > CNN has just reported that (and I quote)  "Obama is tightening his
> > grip on
> > power ahead of the inauguration."  The "tightening" is evidenced
> > mainly
> > by Obama's acceptance of  Bush's offer to release remaining "bail-
> > out" money
> > on the day he takes office.
> >
> > Now in the old-time dino days, the only people described as
> > "tightening
> > their grip on power" were newly-minted "Communist Bloc" heads of
> > state and
> > the odd leaders of coup d'etats in Latin America and elsewhere.
> >
> > There's something a little disturbing to me about this extension of
> > the
> > meaning of "power" to include "a term of national office gained
> > through
> > democratic election" as though everyone "knows" there's "really no
> > difference" between a U.S. President and someone who forcibly seizes
> > power
> > with the presumed intention of becoming "President for Life" (or
> > beyond
> > life, as is the case of North Korea's Glorious Leader Kim Il Sung,
> > who,
> > though long dead, is still named right there in the Constitution of
> > the
> > Democratic [sic] People's Republic as the country's "Eternal
> > President.")
>
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