Thursday Three For All: POTUS, Showing Up, and The Ultimate Infinity War
It’s Thursday, kiddies: the day when I roll out a few things I’ve been reading over the past week. Three of ‘em, to be exact. Enjoy. (Remember: click on the big bold print to read the entire article.)
The Hardest Job in the World
(via @theatlantic) Regardless of your political persuasion, this (incredibly long) article makes some salient points about the role of the man or woman who sits in the Oval.
Many of the responsibilities that vex Trump are ones that were not part of the job’s original design. They have accrued to the presidency over time, most in the recent past. The Framers, fresh from a successful rebellion against a tyrannical king, envisioned an executive who was limited in power and even stature. For a good long while, the design held. James K. Polk’s wife, Sarah, was so concerned that the 11th president might enter a room unnoticed, she asked the Marine Band to play “Hail to the Chief” to get people to turn their head when he arrived.
Today we notice when the president doesn’t show up. We are a president-obsessed nation, so much so that we undermine the very idea of our constitutional democracy. No one man—or woman—can possibly represent the varied, competing interests of 327 million citizens. And it may be that no man—or woman—can perform the ever-expanding duties of office while managing an executive branch of 2 million employees (not including the armed forces) charged with everything from regulating air pollution to x-raying passengers before they board an airplane.
After you raise your hand…
(via @thisissethsblog) Okay kids, I’ll offset the previous mega-article with this micro one. In fact, in true Seth style, this is the whole thing. No need to click through.
Show up.
Show up and keep showing up.
Show up with at least as much enthusiasm as you had when you first raised your hand to volunteer.
The volunteering part is easy. Making promises is a fun way to get someone’s attention.
Keeping those promises is often unsung, but that’s how you build something.
The Ultimate Infinity War
(via @premiumfunny) I don’t understand why this is a bad idea. (Also: a tiny bit of language at the very end.)
photo credit: Jason Mathis
