The Legacy of the Presidency and How it Has Changed America
Have you ever wondered how the legacy of the Presidency has changed America? Our Founding Fathers had no intention of creating a system where politicians would make life long careers of serving in congress and make policy decisions based on special interest groups. The system was set up for each man to serve his country and then return to his family and home when he had served his four or eight years.
Today I relaxed a watched a few political commentaries and some very bad commercials. I then started thinking about the next 90 days and the frustrating political arena we will all endure until the election had passed.
I began to think about the Presidency and how the office had evolved since its inception. A few Presidents came to mind.
George Washington was our very first. A man who set the precedent for serving just two terms in office and degree the term, “Mr. President” as his title of choice which has stuck to this day
Andrew Jackson formed the Democratic Party and brought into play the two party system we have today. Abraham Lincoln led the country through the Civil War which started us on the path to have true equally and is decidedly our greatest American President.
Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest President at age 42 and Warren Harding was the first president to be elected once women had the right to vote nationwide.
Calvin Coolidge was born on the 4th of July, much like the song from the epic musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. He was a staunch advocate of civil rights and fought avidly against the Ku Klux Clan. He signed the Indian Citizenship Act that authorized citizenship for all Native Americans.
Franklin D Roosevelt led us through World War II and was the only President to be elected to a third term in office due to the critical state of the country. It was after his service that Congress added the amendment stating the President shall serve only two terms in office.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the armed forces in Europe during World War II and as President promoted the end of segregation in the schools and the military.
John F Kennedy was the first Catholic elected to the Presidency by his charisma and charm but his womanizing ways did not overshadow his determination and devotion to the office he held. His assassination is one that still draws speculation as to the real perpetrators and the ramifications that followed his death. People were entranced with his beautiful wife and their young family and referred to his time in office as Camelot. His death marked a stark decline of the political arena. Much speculation has arisen as to the direction of the country had John F Kennedy remained as President for a full eight years.
Lyndon B. Johnson was Vice President when Kennedy was assassinated and was placed in the office and elected again for another term. He resigned after his first term in office because of health issues. Johnson was a strong advocate of the Viet Nam War and his ascension to office of President allowed him free access to catapult the nation into a conflict that John Kennedy fought against. Johnson was, however a strong advocate for civil rights and signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which did away with most forms of segregation in America. His Voting Rights Act ended discrimination in voting and he also nominated Thurgood Marshal as the first black Supreme Court Judge.
Richard Nixon followed Johnson into office and his Presidency brought about the end of the Viet Nam War but also ushered in the era of Watergate and the resignation of both a Vice President and President. Today the events of Watergate would probably be pushed under the rug just as the Clinton emails of today have been virtually downplayed and excused. Nixon was elected to his second term in a landslide election, but sadly he is remembered more for his crimes than his devotion to ending the war in Viet Nam and stabilizing the country.
Gerald Ford was appointed as President following the resignation of Nixon and Agnew and served the remainder of Nixon’s term in office. He was the only President to sit in the Oval Office without being elected and his bid for election failed following his completion of Nixon’s term.
Jimmy Carter’s Presidency was one of confusion and misrepresentation. A simple peanut farmer could not play ball with the political establishment and its agenda was overwhelming for him. When Iran held numerous Americans as prisoners, Carter was unsuccessful in their release and this plus a stumbling economy brought about the election of Ronald Reagan.
Reagan was by far the most popular President since John F. Kennedy and his peace through strength stance led the country out of the cold war seeing the end of the Soviet Union and the destruction of the Berlin Wall.
George H. W. Bush followed Reagan by leading the country into the Gulf War Operation Desert Storm, a 100 hour conflict which pushed Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. When he broke his promise not to raise taxes, his adversaries pounced on the premise and he was defeated for his second term in office. Clinton’s bid for the White House was surprisingly aided by the advent of a third party candidate, Ross Perot, who garnered just enough of the vote to constitute a victory for Clinton.
William Jefferson Clinton was elected to office in 1992 and America saw eight years of seemingly prosperous economy some of which was prompted into existence by a Republican House which Clinton worked with to successfully balance the budget.
Clinton’s Presidency was not without conflict as scandals abounded and he was eventually impeached by a Republican Congress but acquitted by a Democratic Senate in 1999. How soon the American people forgot his indiscretions when he went on to become one of the most popular living Presidents.
When George W. Bush was elected to office in 2000 and took his oath in 2001, little could he even imagine what a catastrophe he would face during his term. The events of 9/11 catapulted the nation into a state of panic as radical Islamic terrorism was finally brought to forefront. It has since come to light that many mistakes were made during the Clinton years and the man responsible for 9/11, Osama Bin Laden, was ignored as imminent threat at that time.
We know that Bush took the country into the current conflict in the Middle East and when Barack Obama was elected he vowed to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He did just that, however, he announced his plans to the world so far in advance that the terrorists only had to be patient until they could expand their outreach.
The United States pulled out of Iraq leaving behind a small contingent not able to defend the country against the on-slot of ISIS. Yes, leaving the country unprotected gave ISIS the opportunity they needed to move into Iraq.
Although the United States eventually captured and killed Osama Bin Laden for his crimes against America, events in the Middle East continued to destabilize the area. Muammar Gaddafi was removed as dictator in Libya and Egypt’s Muhammad Mubarak imprisonment gave rise to governments although touted as Democratic but increased radical Islam. The year of 2011 also brought in the ascent of Bashar al-Assad as the Syrian dictator succeeding to the office after the death of his father. Civil war erupted in the country and is still prevalent today, with over 400,000 deaths ensuing in the conflict. Assad’s evil knows no bounds, yet he is allowed to continue. We have to ask why.
President Barack Obama will be remembered as the first African American President but what else will be his legacy? Right now he appears to have turned a blind eye to the conflicts and cannot even utter the words “Radical Islamic Terrorism”. His only alternative to the current suffering in Syria is to usher in 10,000 refugees to the United States. Unfortunately, without proper vetting these refuges could easily bring numerous terrorists into America.
Hillary Clinton if elected President will continue Obama’s policies and more refugees will come to the United States. The unfortunate part of all this is that the refugees allowed into Europe thus far have been infiltrated with terrorists carrying out the commands of ISIS and killing innocent people in the process.
Of course not all Muslims are jihadist terrorists but all Muslim people do await the return their Al Mahdi to earth. Muslims equate the Al Mahdi to their Messiah while Christians believe in the return of Jesus Christ who is their Messiah. Israel, on the other hand, is still awaiting their Messiah.
The Quran is interpreted by radical Muslims as actually teaching the killing of infidels to hasten the Al Mahdi’s return. On the other spectrum, most Muslims believe the Al Mahdi is good and righteous and will only bring peace to the world. The jihadist reasoning is barbaric and wrong to our thinking but it is what they feel is right for the caliphate to take place and usher in the return of the Al Mahdi.
So where does all this put us today and how do we live our lives knowing these elements persist to destroy us? Ultimately, it is understandable that the Muslims feel strongly about their faith. The war between Jew and Muslim has existed since Abraham sent Ishmael and his mother out into the desert. God promised Ishmael that his descendants would become a great nation.
Today the Muslim faith has grown by leaps and bounds with their growth four times that of Christianity. Muslims are a part of every nation and even hold political office in the United States and numerous other countries. The majority of these people are non-threatening and have no intention of bringing harm to others. They do, however, have an underlying purpose in seeing the someday return of their Messiah – Al Mahdi, just as Christians believe and anticipate the return of Jesus Christ. The difference here is that the Al Mahdi bears a stark resemblance to the Anti-Christ of the Bible.
As Christians today we have watched our nation become transformed just as Barack Obama promised he would do when he took office. There are numerous conspiracy theories floating about enough to fill an entire book. To name a few, some people believe Hillary will be elected but never take office because she is critically ill or will face criminal prosecution. In that case Barack Obama would stay in office. Some believe Biden will run at the last moment instead of Hillary; others believe Trump will be shot by an over-zealous Hillary supporter. You can laugh at this speculation, however, in spite of all the rumors, we need to examine what is really happening to our own nation.
We have become complacent with the state of our government and the state of our nation. We see our officials cry racism when it does not exist yet they ignore the hundreds of African American citizens that are killed daily in the inner city and live in unbelievable poverty.
We watch the political controversy ensuing in our nation and shake our heads in frustration. The Democratic Party today is not the same as my mother’s Democrat Party or the one of John F. Kennedy. The Republican Party no longer resembles the principles of Abraham Lincoln, one of our greatest Presidents.
Our country is in political turmoil and Mother Nature has been allowed to unleash her fury upon us in the worst possible ways. We cry out to God for answers but it seems our prayers land on deaf ears. God will not mocked. He is a loving God who will chasten his children now just as he did the children of Israel when they lost the promise land after God gave to them. It’s unthinkable that they wandered in the desert for forty years and only ended up a short distance from the Egypt they left behind. Then they continued to disobey God and they lost everything until they returned in 1948.
The Bible teaches us that when the Jewish people return to their land, the generation that sees it will not pass away until Christ returns. That would put the time frame somewhere between 2018 and 2048.
Many people today laugh when reading the story of Noah and the ark. Seeing the devastation which occurred from a foot of rain in Louisiana just imagine what forty days and forty nights of pounding rain would do.
Yes, God can be a God of anger when he corrects his children but he is also a God of love who makes a way of escape for those who put their trust in him.
Perhaps it’s time for America to awake from its slumber and smell the coffee. We are very easily living in the last days on earth yet we know not the hour or moment Jesus Christ will return.
This is the first time in my life I have not wanted to vote in a Presidential election. We have two candidates, neither of whom is ready or capable of filling the office. Every day we read a story about one of them and how wrong they are for the office. We must ask ourselves: how did it ever come to this?
I saw a picture of a nude statue of Donald Trump being flashed about the internet. It depicted him as fat and pompous with just a tiny penis and no balls to go along with it. The disgusting figure was removed as quickly as it was erected (no pun intended), however, the damage had already been done. Most Americans were laughing about it, but I thought the only justification for the statue would be if another one of Hillary Clinton was standing next to it with an jaw dropping laugh and fire protruding from her butt.
The other day I saw a picture of a shirtless Trump sharing a horse along with a shirtless Putin. The sight was hilarious to see that’s for sure, but I wonder if the opposite emotion of sadness was experienced when seeing the picture of small child covered in blood decimated by a war that no one seems to care about.
It’s time for all of us to look at ourselves and look within our hearts. Only God knows who will be the next President of the United States and only God knows why he will allow it. His plan for the world and for our country will go forth regardless. He will have the last word because one thing is certain amidst all the uncertainty: God is still on the throne.
Ecclesiastes 3: 11 He made everything appropriate in its time. He also placed eternity within them—yet, no person can fully comprehend what God is doing from beginning to end.
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Tags: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, presidency, white house