Do Americans have an unhealthy worship of the Presidency (read details, please)?

Question

As a Canadian, one of the things that has fascinated and dismayed me about American political culture is this seeming worship that Americans have for the office of the President. It seems to me that the president is expected to be the embodiment of the country's hopes and dreams instead of just another guy holding office. To give an example, the movie "Air Force One," in which Harrison Ford, as president on a hijacked presidential jet, stalks and kills all the hijackers would never have a Canadian counterpart--people would laugh at the idea here. In Canada, as a rule, the Prime Minister, like him (or her) or not, is just another guy (or woman) who holds political power, and any attempts to portray him (or her) as more would generally viewed with suspicion.

Am I right in believing that Americans want their president to be someone heroic, and if so, is that desire leading to making the American electorate, to some degree, more plialble when someone abuses that office? Please discuss.

Answer 1

I think the answer is yes. Look at the funerals for Nixon, Reagan and Ford. Look at our Presidential Libraries and the pseudo shrines they become.

Look at our President landing on an aircraft carrier. And look at the war between our Liberal and Conservative factions with hatred of Clinton and hatred of Bush. It's ridiculous...

Answer 2

You would not understand as your prime minister and the government of Canada is the sole responsibility of your House of Commons! He is not elected by the people!.

Our system, though we have a House and a Senate, the president serves at the behest of the people, not a 308 member House of Commons!

I can see why Air Force one would never happen in Canada! You don't have a leader that answers to the people.

Ans yes, I guess the hopes of many ride on the office of the presidency! Sometimes we get great ones, and sometimes we get people like those currently in power where all we can do is wait until the next election to throw his party out!!

We want someone who represents most of the people, not their chosen few rich people!

We get lied to so often these days we have no idea when the government is telling the truth or lying. It has done a lot of the later!

I am not sure we are more pliable as 80% of America is opposed to Iraq.

Our current president, and the people do rally around him, as he is Commander in Chief of the military, like after 9/11! Unfortunately the one in power took advantage of that for his and his ilks gain, and our loss!

01/20.2009. End of an Error!

Answer 3

Well, we hold our President to a pretty high standard (at least on paper we do) because, as the leader of one of the most powerful nations on Earth, that same President can screw up a lot of things for a lot of people if he's not careful. But it would be an oversimplification to say that Americans overly worship the Office of the President. I have a feeling that this question would never have been asked if Bush were not in office at the moment, but keep in mind that not everyone voted for him; he only won 51% to 49%, so there are as many people who question the Presidency as there are people who "worship" it.

Answer 4

You're right. We expect him to be above average intelligence, of moral standing, truthful and able to make decisions that will benefit our people and our country. That's why half the country is more than disappointed in the man holding the Office of President of the United States. We do get passionate about politics because people are dying on foreign soil for reasons we do not all agree are in the best interest of our people or our country. Bush is no hero and has definitely abused the office!

Answer 5

A couple reasons why we Americans hold our presidency in high regard. The first is that traditionally the presidency has been held by likes of George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Lincoln, etc. These men were revered for their actions in the White House and the battlefield. As such it has been and is a prestigious office. 2nd its an independent branch of our government. 3rd as it is one man wielding an enormous amount of influence and power, we rightfully expect the best of our nation to hold that position. Unlike in parlimentary systems where you vote for the party rather than the candidate, American politics has personal charisma and standing play a critical role in electing our head of state.

Answer 6

Your question is nonsense. As a rule, all our presidents are mercilessly mocked and ridiculed by our mass media; and few have endured more verbal abuse than the current president Bush. We also have a humiliating process called "impeachment," which was employed most recently against Bill Clinton. Does that sound like "worship"?
Obviously, Canadians are free to regard their P.M. merely as their chief bureaucrat. But we expect our presidents to be more "heroic" than pencil pushers. I suggest that your expectations are unreasonably low.

Answer 7

I believe since the Reagan presidency there has been an unhealthy worship of the ideaologies of liberalism and conservativism. If you label yourself one of these two everyone who believes they are the other will hate you.

The hatred that has been created based on these labels, looks beyond the fact that many of these opposites believe in the same basic political premises.

For me, I am a liberal, I say that for two reasons, to show that I can believe we need to finish the war (although it was a huge mistake), which most liberals are against, and to show that many conservatives are going to give me a thumbs down simply because I am a liberal.

Answer 8

I will address only one part of your question: you are suggesting that Canadians want dull, boring PM's? I think back to 'Trudeaumania' - our very own royal family, complete with divorce and dirty linen belatedly aired. Justin in particular IS treated like royalty; he's the subject of much gossip - and some worship. Maggie and Pierre had three sons, two of whom were born on Christmas Day (Justin (b. December 25, 1971), Alexandre (Sacha) (b. December 25, 1973). I remember, we were all like "how did she manage to swing that...???" There was that infamous photo of Maggie partying with the Rolling Stones...a high-school teacher of mine described her stoned out of her mind at Simon Fraser University...in a tree...refusing to get down. Apparently, she thought she was a bird...

we know now she was likely having a manic episode.

Everything since has been deadly dull. Boring. No panache, no style, no joi de vivre. No red roses worn in the lapel.

And yes - Pierre could be downright offensive. He was noted for his fine four-letter word vocabulary, and use of hand-gestures...

Intellectually, he was second-to-none. He was a genius - he knew it, and had an ego to match.

I wept for days at his passing. Justin's touching eulogy will remain burned in our collective memory forever.

I would give ANYTHING for someone like Pierre back Ottawa.

Answer 9

to a certain extent you are right. remember, we are a nation founded by puritans who expected the strictest of morals in themselves and their leaders. that ideal has withstood the test of time as much as anything. so many americans do expect their president to be the moral torch that guides them. many others (like me) are like you and realize the president is just another person with the same foibles as anyone else.
also, many of our past presidents have been military heroes. from george washington to dwight eisenhower ex-military presidents bring with them a certain amount of her worship. after all it was their success on the battlefield that got them elected.
so the combination of lingering puritanical values and hero worship t does give the president a bit of hero status to some people.

Answer 10

Many (if not most) Americans have lost touch with the concept of the citizen President and his role as a public servant, preferring to enter into a cult of personality. Perfect examples of this are F.D.R., Kennedy and Reagan, who are glorified as great presidents by those who, generally, have no understanding of why, other than other sycophants have told them they should.