What makes a president
When Europeans “discovered” America, the world changed. At the time, though, Kings and Queens ruled over how the new lands would be divided. One of the kingdoms involved was the Budding British Empire. They made pretty quick work of claiming large swaths of what is now the United States. But, the people who came here, didn’t like the rule of the monarchy. So, they ceded from the empire, and, started their own form of government. Instead of a king, they developed a system of 3 co-equal branches of government to prevent any one person from attaining, and abusing, overwhelming power. Instead of a king, they called the figurehead “president”. Today, we celebrate the men who held that position. Which begs the question, What makes a president?
The original concept was a noble person, who values truth, honesty, and equanimity for all citizens. The founders wanted someone who had leadership ability, humility, and a desire to create a world free from hubris and the type of cavalier abuse of power evidenced by the king of England and others intent on curbing the natural rights of citizens. George Washington, literally, fought for these principles; which is why he was unanimously elected to be the first President of the united states. Of course, elections were done differently then. It was an electoral college vote. And, each elector got 2 votes. So, the second place guy became Vice President (John Adams). Both of these men, and the legislators of the time embodied The spirit of freedom and equality espoused in the constitution. Modern politics do not.
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Integrity is what makes a president
The concept of the president as the leader of the United states was not to endow one person with supreme power. That’s what we fought against England to get away from. Our government was designed to distribute the power, so that no one person or group could control everything. With 2 legislative houses, an executive branch, and a judicial arm, the government self regulates with a system of checks and balances. When Washington entered office, we didn’t have multiple parties vying for control. Today, it’s all about the parties. Modern political parties aren’t geared to work for politic solutions. They coddle the special interests who fund them. This is why a president should be above political rancor. It should be someone with unquestioned integrity.
Unfortunately, party politics enable the worst factions to rise in government without regard to qualifications and demeanor. And, thanks to the internet, AI, and news bubbles, no one is safe from partisan attacks. We haven’t had a president of true integrity since FDR. Integrity comes from moral character, mutual respect, and an ability to discern right from wrong. The job of a president (indeed, all politicians) is to benefit the most people while minimizing harm and suffering to anyone else. At the same time, they have a duty to protect all things living within our borders, as well as promote safety and democracy in the rest of the world, so we can co-exist in peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, today’s politicians are only interested in what’s in it for them. Greed and selfishness is the default.
What happened?
The internet, much like TV, was supposed to offer the most important tool in generations: Knowledge.And easy access to it was supposed to make us better. But, people (being the louses they are) turned it into a propaganda and distraction machine. By flooding the zone with partisan interpretations of events and facts, context and alternative views are lost, muddled, or warped to the point that factions can’t even agree on the day of the week. Since the inception of the United States, disagreements flourished. We had multiple political factions with diverse agendas. But, the founding fathers set up a system to prevent any one party from seizing control. They could have disagreements over the most important issues and how to address them.
Up until recently, that held true. Politicians would fight like hell on the floor. Then, they would sit down with their “friends” on the other side of the aisle, and share food, drink, and their common humanity. They had, what we call “good faith” arguments. But, that faith is long gone. Today, we have 2 parties controlling the government. And, the game is to automatically disparage anything that comes from the other party. Some of you may not remember this. But, the Democrat party used to be very vocal about stopping illegal immigrants. And, republicans protected it because illegals worked cheaper and didn’t have workers’ rights. And, don’t forget, Lincoln was a civil rights champion, and a republican. Now, the parties are totally reverse.
Worse, words like compromise, bi-partisanship, and conciliation are anathema to the modus operandi. The lack of good faith pushed us way past skepticism to total distrust of the motives behind any proposal.
HobGoblins
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quote: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” explains our current situation. He warned that simply following the same orthodoxy without accepting new knowledge leads to a crippling of the mind, soul, and well being of all people. Well, congratulations, our leaders, including the president, are Hobgoblins. Not that they don’t entertain new ideas. But, the new ideas are tainted by subjectivity. They play games with peoples’ lives and livelihood for political gain. What the idea is, doesn’t matter, as long as it’s contrary to the other party.
Parties formed as a shorthand to know where your candidate stands. Democrats stand for liberal, hand out welfare ideals. republicans represent self sufficiency… In theory. But, neither party adheres to the actual tenets of the party. Just like in the online world, it’s a game of contradiction. So, it doesn’t matter what your position is, as long as it contradicts your opponent, you’re part of the gang. That’s the consistency: better red than dead. That used to be an anti-communist sentiment. Now, it means pride of being a republican. WTF? Party affiliation is now a person’s identity? Where is growth, leaning, problem solving?
What makes a president a good learner?
Argument isn’t the automatic nay saying of the other person’s position. What today’s politicians do is try to convince others that their argument is better than the other person’s. What arguments or discourse should be is to learn from each other, not fight. It’s not about convincing. It’s about growing and arriving at solutions. Why do we always fight? Because most believe the object of an argument is to win. That’s where we all get it wrong. In order to win, someone has to lose. No one wants to “lose”, so they twist words, and emphasize things so it sounds like they “won”. And, they follow a path strewn with land minds destined to cause problems in the solution.
If you argue that welfare should be abolished because some people abuse it, then people who need welfare will suffer. If you argue welfare is fail safe, and don’t want any controls on it, it will be abused, and thieves will plunder it to the detriment of worthy recipients. In a good faith argument, Common sense controls to prevent fraud make sense. But, since politicians are hobgoblins, they want to win. So, Democrats become squishy weaklings enabling criminals. republicans are evil haters taking food out of the mouths of babes and the elderly. Who wins? The politicians get 2, 4, 6 more years of scamming the public. But, the general population loses out, because politicians are more interested in their club.
Instead of arguing, and trying to win, having discourse to learn and grow is the best way to approach things. But, most, especially politicians, aren’t interested in that.
Make it great again?
Unfortunately, there never really was a time when America was truly great. We had slavery in the beginning. Along the way, we wiped out entire populations of indigenous people. Meanwhile some people accumulated grotesque amounts of wealth as millions fell into poverty and starvation. With the rise of great wealth came a precarious life, resulting in the catastrophe of the great depression. We had multiple wars. Racism continues with segregation, Jim Crowe, and other civil rights abuses. During WWII, we interred Asian, German, and Italian people because of the way they looked. We had an equal rights amendment that stalled out during the ratification process. And, now we have masked federal agents accosting anyone and everyone in the streets of America. Oh, yeah, and the current president is trying to change the rules for voting because he’s afraid people will call him out on his abuse of power.
The current president made it clear from day one that his aim is to concentrate wealth in the hands of a few ultra rich people. When a minority control the wealth, there’s less to go around for everybody else. We did this in the late 19th and early 20th century, leading to the great depression. All that happens is the rich get richer and everyone else gets poorer (including the middle class). The wealth gap is at it’s widest since they started measuring it in the 1980’s. The top one percent own almost 32% of the wealth. The federal reserve reports:
“Collectively, the wealthiest 1% held about $55 trillion in assets in the third quarter of 2025 — roughly equal to the wealth held by the bottom 90% of Americans combined.”
The job of the President is to guide the country by protecting the weakest among us. That doesn’t mean weak minded.
People differ on What makes a president great
Supporters of the current president feel that a show of force makes a president (and nation) great. This idea probably comes from Teddy Roosevelt’s famous “Speak softly, and carry a big stick” speech. The concept is: show force to scare people into compliance. But, he also said speak softly. Threatening everyone from Greenland to Canada to Venezuela, to your perceived enemies isn’t part of the Roosevelt doctrine. It’s based on the psychology model of sticks and carrots, a system of punishment and rewards. The current use of force, threat, and menace is all stick, and only carrots for obedience to the president, not to the country and the constitution.
Some of their tactics are out of hand. Armed federal officers clashing with protestors violently should have resulted in immediate cessation of activities, lowering of temperatures, and a slew of firings, and accountability. Instead, the activities and the bulking up of force continues despite 2/3 of the country being opposed to the tactics (including his supporters). When Joe Rogan and other podcasters (who helped the president win) broadcast that he’s gaslighting you, that’s a pretty good sign he’s doing the wrong things. Releasing half of the Epstein files after a year of doing who knows what to them, while proclaiming “there’s nothing to see here”, doesn’t exactly garner trust. It’s like serving a slice of pie, saying you’re out, while we can see you have the rest of the pie behind you.
Pies and pork
The metaphor of a pie is apropos here. If we think of the wealth gap in the US, the pie illustrates the problem pretty dramatically. Take this example from a PBS report:
As these charts demonstrate, the ideal wealth distribution is roughly equal across income levels. That’s the chart on the right. The middle one is Sweden, where we can see a comfortable distribution of wealth, although the top earners still have a larger slice of the pie. Embarrassingly, the left chart is the US. The yellow are the top 20%. So, when we say we’re a wealthy country, that’s very misleading. We have a concentration of wealth. But, most of us get crumbs. Ronald Reagan tried to sell the country on “trickle down economics in the 1980’s. The theory is that if our elite and corporations are wealthy, that wealth will “trickle down” to the lower earners. That doesn’t work. When people acquire wealth, they don’t want to share. They want more. Despite Gordon Gekko’s speech in the movie Wall Street “greed” is not good.
Similarly, pork is associated with corrupt governance. The recently passed omnibus bill (BBB) is full of what we, colloquially, call pork. There are little enticements to keep some of the lower classes happy, like no tax on tips or overtime, extended child tax credits, and new born baby savings accounts. These are incentives amounting to a thousand bucks here and there. While a couple thousand bucks feels like a windfall to lower earners, it’s nothing compared to the breaks given to large corporations and the top earners. They get tax carve-outs, rebates, and exemptions of millions of dollars. Many, or most politicians get funding and remuneration from corporate and wealthy people benefiting from these breaks. The Beatles demonstrate this here:
Who were the great Presidents?
There are multiple lists of where presidents rank. While it’s a bit subjective, and some numbers vary wildly, there are a few standouts. Lincoln is #1 or 2 in all polls. Washington comes in between 1 and 4. Jefferson is close behind. FDR also comes in between 1 and 3. Teddy Roosevelt rounds out the top 5. Then we have Truman, Eisenhower, JFK, and LBJ consistently in the upper echelon. Reagan and Obama rank close behind. Wilson breaks the top 10 in some polls, thanks to his involvement in WWI. Even Clinton breaks the top 10 in one poll.
What is it about these guys that separates them from the rest? Clinton and Reagan both brought economic growth and prosperity. But, They also widened the political and wealth divide. LBJ did a lot for civil rights and equality. But, he also had the Vietnam war. JFK was a visionary, propelling us into the space race, and developing pride in civic engagement and duty. Eisenhower Promoted unity and pride in patriotism. And, he gave us the one warning that subsequent presidents have ignored: beware the military industrial complex! Truman Ended the war and brought peace and prosperity in its aftermath (of course, he also dropped nuclear bombs-shame).
As for the top 5:
- Teddy brought us the national parks, adopted anti trust laws, consumer protections, and propelled the US to become an international leader.
- FDR Got us out of the great depression, and into WWII to stop the greatest threat civilization has seen. He also brought us social security and a unity not seen since.
- Jefferson was the architect of our independence. He wrote some of our most important founding documents like the Declaration of independence and a good part of the constitution.
- Washington was seen as a unifying figure. He, literally fought for the independence of our country, and was key in making it happen. He was one of our most honest presidents according to legend. He was a fitting choice to lead this fledgling nation. And, it showed in his decisive victory.
- And, of course: Abraham Lincoln. He put the United into the United States. This was the one case where force was necessary, albeit tragic. He held the country together through a brutal civil war, freed the slaves, and promoted the true equality of ALL men. With the advent of newer, more efficient killing machines, he stands as a pillar of unity and freedom, the things our country is supposed to be.
They were great. The others?
What have the others done? Good question. There are pros and cons to all of them. These top ten, though, stand out for unifying the country and promoting pride in being American. They all had vision, courage, and conviction. And, they worked for consensus transcending party politics. They all promoted peace. And, They spoke in eloquent, measured language. None of our presidents, since Reagan, have used soaring rhetoric competently. Could you imagine Clinton, Bush, or any of their successors giving a speech like the Gettysburg address or Kennedy’s moonshot speech? None of them have the credibility. And, thanks to partisanship, most modern addresses are tainted.
In all fairness, though, you can only have a handful of top performers. People brag that their doctor graduated at the top of his class. Well, there were thousands of others in his class. Does that mean the rest all suck? No. To graduate, you need some competence. Although, if you’re in the lower echelon, you may not really deserve the title. Despite partisan bickering and characterizations, every president has some positive accomplishments. History and time put their works into context. So, any president who claims greatness has to wait. The jury won’t be in during their lifetime. And, with the divided nature of our current politics, no one will break the top 10. Plus, the ratings change with time.
Celebrate the greats.
Originally, this holiday celebrated Washington and Lincoln as both their birthdays are in February. The generic term “presidents’ day” replaced the federal holiday of Washington’s birthday in 1971, after the Uniform holiday act came into effect. The ruling made federal holidays on Mondays to give employees a 3 day weekend. The use of “Presidents’ day” spread during the 1980’s as advertisers found it effective in selling cars, appliances, and all kinds of crap. Washington was the first President. That’s why we celebrated his birthday.
But, some people feel that doesn’t recognize the other greats. But, to celebrate them all? That seems a bit extreme. Mount Rushmore has 4 heads on it. There’s a reason for that. Washington and Jefferson represent the founding and development of the country. Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt represent the preservation and advancement of the country. While other presidents had great accomplishments, and FDR, is certainly one, the monument does encapsulate the zeitgeist of American greatness. And, it was begun before FDR entered office. So, he couldn’t be on the monument.
So, to avoid partisan bickering, it’s best to celebrate the top 5, since time has proven they had What makes a president great. Sure, we can recognize the rest. But, especially in these divided times, remembering what really made the country great requires a true historical evaluation through the lenses of time and context.
Say it with Pie. That’s What makes a president Great.
Washington was famous for cherries. But, apple pie is the “American” pie. Johnny Appleseed helped propagate that. Besides, the myth of Washington chopping down the cherry tree is a fabrication. Regardless, Pies, in general, are a great representation of American greatness. We embraced it as a food. And, as the pie charts above demonstrate, they represent the ideal we should strive for in economic equality for the country, unlike the reverse Robinhood our country is today. And, of course, Politicians are famous for pork. So, a pork pie would be appropriate. But, a pork pie doesn’t really have much pizazz to it. So, despite ICE concerns, here’s a recipe for a pork empanada, essentially, a south American hand pie. Also, we have a boozy apple pie recipe for your dining pleasure.
Let’s celebrate what makes America Great and the leaders who represent that. AND PIE!
Grand marnier Apple Pie with Candied Kumquat
Ingredients
- For Crust
- 3.14 Cups Flour
- 1.5 Cups Butter
- 1/2 to 3/4 Cup Ice Cold water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Sugar (optional)
- For Candied Kumquats
- 1/2 Lb Kumquats
- 3 Cups Water
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 oz Grand Marnier
- For Filling
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- 3 Tbsp Flour
- 1/2 Cup White Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Brandy or cognac
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Ginger
- 3 Lb Peeled, cored, and slice Hearty apples (Granny smiths hold up best)
- To finish:
- Melted butter
- large grain sugar like turbinado
Instructions
- make the dough: Mix flour, salt, and sugar. Cut the butter into pea sized pieces. Keep the butter as cold as possible. Mix together until a loose paste forms. Then add the water a little at a time until it forms a solid dough. You may not need all the water. Dust the dough with flour. Cover it and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Make the candied Kumquats: Quarter the kumquats. Remove seeds and stems. Put all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil, then taper back to a simmer. Allow it to cook down until the fruit softens and the liquid becomes a syrup. Let it cool down
- make the filling: Melt the butter in a pan. Stir in the flour to make a light rough. Cook, stirring, for about a minute. Then add in the sugar and ginger. Stir and cook until the sugars melt to a caramel. Stir in the spices. Then add in the apples. Cook and stir until they begin to soften. Add the brandy and flame the alcohol off.
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Roll out the dough into 2 rounds on a floured surface. Put one round into a sprayed 9 or 10 inch pie pan. Place the apple filling in the crust. Spread the kumquats on top of the apple mix. Then, put the other pie crust on top. Crimp the shells together at the edges. Cut away any excess from the over hang. Then brush the top crust with melted butter, and, sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes at 425. Then drop the temperature in the oven to 350 and cook for another 35 to 45 minutes.
Notes
Spicy Pork and Pumpkin Empanada
Ingredients
- For Dough
- 3 Cups Flour
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- 5 Tbsp Melted coconut oil
- 1 Cup Water
- For Filling:
- 1 Lb Pork loin Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Ground corriander
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/4 Cup Seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Scallion
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- Kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper
- 4 Oz Fresh Pumpkin or squash
- Shredded jack Cheese (optional)
- Oil to fry
- For Salsa:
- 1 Cup Diced Fresh Tomato
- 1/4 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
- 1 tsp Chopped Fresh garlic
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Chili (Jalapeno or other)
- Juice of 2 Key Limes
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- Flaked Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
- make the salsa: Chop and fold all ingredients together. Put in the fridge until service time. If you are making ahead, hold back on the avocado until you are less than an hour from service, then fold it in.
- Make the dough. Put the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse. Add the Oil, Pulse again. Then drizzle in the water until a solid dough forms. It should pull away from the sides easily. Don't make it too wet. Tightly cover the dough and set aside to rest.
- Cook the Pork: make a dry rub using cumin, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper. Reserve a teaspoon to mix in with filling later. Heat a little oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Sear the pork about 2 to 3 minutes per side. You want a nice color on each side. Remove the pork from the pan. Then add the rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Cook this down until the liquid becomes a glaze. Remove from the heat. Dice the pork into small pieces and toss it in the glaze, coating evenly.
- Make the filling: Saute the onion and garlic in a little oil (Avocado preferably). Add the Pumpkin. Cook until tender, stirring as needed. Add a little water to keep moist. Add in the pork and remove from heat. You should have a filling that will stick together.
- Cut the dough into 1 inch Balls. Press them flat in a tortilla press, by hand, or with a rolling pin. You want them very flat. Place a dollop the bean filling in the middle of each dough round. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half moon shape. Crimp the edges by folding them in on each other or use a fork. Make sure they are well sealed so the filling doesn't escape when cooking.
- Heat the oil in a heavy pan or fryer to around 350 degrees. Carefully place the empanadas in the oil. Cook until golden brown. If they are cooking too quickly the dough will brown before cooking through. Turn down the heat a little if needed.
- Serve hot with the salsa