George Reedy, a former aide and press secretary to President Lyndon B. Johnson (who took a leave of absence over his agreement with Johnson's policies in Vietnam), wrote The Twilight of the Presidencyin 1970. Reedy's critique of the Presidency was that U.S. Presidents had far too much power. Reedy thought that the President's power was not checked sufficiently, even given the checks and balances in the Constitution, so the President's only restraint was his...
George Reedy, a former aide and press secretary to President Lyndon B. Johnson (who took a leave of absence over his agreement with Johnson's policies in Vietnam), wrote The Twilight of the Presidency in 1970. Reedy's critique of the Presidency was that U.S. Presidents had far too much power. Reedy thought that the President's power was not checked sufficiently, even given the checks and balances in the Constitution, so the President's only restraint was his or her character. In fact, the office of the President, in Reedy's view, had become almost regal in nature, and the President's aides and members of Congress were too afraid to challenge the President. The President was surrounded by yes men and women. As a result, the President became distanced from the views of the average person and from the real problems of the country. The President's aides and Congress members only criticized the President once they left the government, giving rise to a sense of paranoia on the part of the President that he or she was being unfairly attacked by people who were formerly his or her supporters.
No comments:
Post a Comment