A REAL PRESIDENT’S bully pulpit explained, and when it really matters
[Decentralizing Power and The Use of the Bully Pulpit, Part 4]; For starters: he drives at least half the country crazy
(This is Part-4 in the series “Decentralizing Power and The Use of the Bully Pulpit”. For Part-3, click here. For Part-5, click here. Archive page, here.)
A political leader’s bully pulpit matters when he’s going to do something that’ll bring on death threats. Lots of them.
In other words, he’s going up against the system so radically he’ll drive at least half the country crazy.
“Today, I’m giving the order to my HHS Secretary to shut down the CDC, pending an investigation, and if necessary I’ll send unvaccinated Special Ops tough guys to put a perimeter around it…”
That kind of thing.
A REAL PRESIDENT’S bully pulpit is a clear and open channel to all the people. No filters. No intermediaries. He uses it frequently. Possibly every day. At LENGTH. These days, it would be live stream.
The leader talks to the people about anything he wants to. He can spend an hour a day describing how Big Pharma is raping the country and destroying lives.
He goes up against the culture, come hell or high water.
“But…but nobody does that.”
Which is why things are so fucked up.
Which is why I’m writing about the bully pulpit.
And why I’ve done THE REAL PRESIDENT podcasts (the archive of this series is here), to give you the pungent flavor of the pulpit in action.
“Today, as your President, I ordered the arrest of two corporate CEOs who have been polluting the land and water with poisonous chemicals, and we’re taking these motherfuckers to court on criminal, not civil charges, and we’re aiming to put them away for 40 years. I need your support on this, because the pushback is going to be a shit storm. Let me explain exactly what these chemicals do to the body and brain. I’ve got the data. I’ve read the reports. Myself. This has nothing to do with bullshit climate science, which is a front for shutting down the country’s energy supply and driving millions more people to the poor house. No, this is direct chemical poisoning of adults and children. I’m not going to sit in the Oval Office and let these scumbags off the hook.”
That sort of thing. Going out live to a few hundred million people around the world.
This isn’t “and I’m Lesley Stahl talking to the President for four minutes.” This is a President with the balls of Teddy Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson, but minus their crazier ideas.
And if you think I’m satisfied with Ron DeSantis or Donald Trump or Rand Paul, start over from the top and read this piece again.