Follow the Precedent—Do the Right Thing

Recently it came to my attention that the vast majority of United States Presidents were nothing but place holders in the office. It is sad to realize that fact, but when seriously considered, that seems to be the case. Who, of all the men who have held that office were truly consequential?

George Washington was surely consequential; after all he set the precedent for every President who followed. He initiated the pattern for the Executive Branch and was instrumental in ratification of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Thomas Jefferson was consequential, if only because with the Louisiana Purchase, he doubles the geographic size of the United States. His pre-presidential activities must also be considered.

Abraham Lincoln was consequential because he managed to hold the Union together during the Civil War and, of course, because he ended formal slavery in the United States of America. President Lincoln did the right things to place the care of America first.

Theodore Roosevelt (TR) was consequential because America became a recognized world power due to his actions such as initiating the construction of the Panama Canal. He was also the first President to recognize and take up the cause of working people who were being abused by the turn of the century “Robber Barons.” TR was the first modern President to fearlessly attack political corruption and do the right thing instead.

Because these four Presidents were recognized as being as consequential as they were, they have had their faces carved into Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, a beloved national monument.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was consequential because he was elected four times and because of his leadership during World War II.

Ronald Reagan was consequential because he was the first true political outsider to gain the White House and break the professional career politicians' hold on that position. Also, Reagan was the second President of the 20^th century to attempt to fight professional politician corruption in Washington DC.

In my humble opinion, President Donald Trump is proving to be the most consequential President since Teddy Roosevelt, in that he did more to improve the lives of Americans in his first term, and he has now exceeded his first term results for Americans while making the whole world safer already in his second term of office. Moreover, everything Trump has done has been in spite of unprecedented unconstitutional efforts by the previous socialist Democrat administrations, unconstitutional attacks by the Legislative Branch of government, and unconstitutional lawfare actions by the Judicial Branch of government.

In my mind, America is on the precipice of the abyss of national suicide because of the enemies within the federal government. More important, there are monied domestic and foreign oligarchs and foreign governments that are funding those wishing to destroy the United States Constitution and the democratic republic known as the United States of America. This danger is as severe as the problems Abraham Lincoln faced at the time of the American Civil War.

Three of the most consequential Presidents—Abraham Lincoln. Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt pushed, and perhaps exceeded the limits of the United States Constitution, in order to do the right things to save America from the serious risks of their times. In my mind, these Presidents set the precedent which President Trump should consider.

Seditions and insurrections are happening in real time in America today. It is time to play hardball and to hold these treasonous individuals accountable. In my opinion, much of the American judicial system has collapsed and cannot be trusted to conduct itself in accordance with the United States Constitution. Trying to operate within the confines of the Constitution was the right thing to do when everyone one played by the Constitutional rules. However, when the judiciary became political, the judiciary, as a system, can no longer be trusted to do the right thing.

On September 17, 1787, Elizabeth Willing Powel asked Ben Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin’s reply, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

As I see it, it is time for President Trump to disregard political considerations and to disregard rogue judges’ opinions and simply do the right things to further Make America Great Again, Make America Healthy Again, and Make America Safe Again. Detractors whined about the things the three previous Presidents did to take care of America, but in retrospect, history has judged those three President as among the greatest of Presidents. Doing what is right will always be accepted by the American people. Doing what is right to defeat the current evil enemies within American borders will be greatly appreciated by our posterity. But most important, doing the right things will ensure that we can keep the republic to which Ben Franklin referred.