False Idols

The United States is born out of a struggle against the autocratic powers of monarchy. The US constitution is intended to counter the ascendancy of preeminent power in any one leader, spreading influence across the three branches; this is a system of balance that, if unduly upset, will unravel the very fabric of liberty upon which the United States is established. Alas, since the founding, executive powers have expanded, and boundaries are continually put to the test. It is vital that we not afford any president so much latitude that, even figuratively, they can “‘stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody’” and not lose voters (Lacapria). This fantasy is the image of a dictator, their power built on fear and personality. It is appropriate to ask: why do we allow this to happen? In many areas of life, there is a tendency to conflate authority and status with righteousness, even infallibility. The most obvious examples are cult leaders. The office of the presidency is no different. We humans seem predisposed to lose ourselves to false idols. The fallacy of associating authority with accuracy-of-opinion leads to an overestimation of ability. By extension, this bias is exasperated when applied within a hierarchical model, attributing increasingly higher rankings with elevated accuracy and value, and lower levels with a subordinate or inferior status. Because of this unfortunate proclivity, it is easy to confuse our republic with a meritocracy. Assuming those who rise to power do so by virtue of talent and capability, rather than ambition, privilege, or popularity, is a misunderstanding. In essence, a democracy is a popularity contest. We can only hope we have made a good choice when voting. A further error is a presumption that because a person has succeeded once, they will succeed every time, or even most of the time. We must be careful to expect leaders to make mistakes and be sure there is ample opportunity to call them out. In short, we must recognize their fallibility. Whomever the president—and especially if their party or ideology is shared with us—it is our duty to hold them to account. No person is beyond critique or censure. We are all flawed and capable of error, even our presidents. Loyalty to the office must come before loyalty to the personality or party. No short term outcome, nor relief from fleeting grievance, is worth the erosion of the dignity and integrity of our democratic republic. No one person is worth complete, unquestioning devotion.

Works Cited
Lacapria, Kim. “Donald Trump ‘Fifth Avenue’ Comment.” Snopes, 24 Jan 2016, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donald-trump-fifth-avenue-comment. Accessed 26 Nov 2019.

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