We've come to a point where every four years this national fever rises up - this hunger for the Saviour, the White Knight, the Man on Horseback - and whoever wins becomes so immensely powerful, like Nixon is now, that when you vote for President today you're talking about giving a man dictatorial power for four years. I think it might be better to have the President sort of like the King of England - or the Queen - and have the real business of the presidency conducted by... a City Manager-type, a Prime Minister, somebody who's directly answerable to Congress, rather than a person who moves all his friends into the White House and does whatever he wants for four years. The whole framework of the presidency is getting out of hand. It's come to the point where you almost can't run unless you can cause people to salivate and whip each other with big sticks. You almost have to be a rock star to get the kind of fever you need to survive in American politics.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Presidential elections create a desire for saviors but concentrate dangerous power, suggesting a shift to parliamentary systems.
- In plain terms
- We want a hero leader but that gives too much power; maybe we need a prime minister instead.
- What can you take from it?
- Concentrated power in one leader is risky.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a leader accountable?
- Is more power better?
Another view
Parliamentary systems also face challenges with leadership.
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