Free People Do Not Have A President

But their government does.

Comment:

Obama will not be my President. Neither will McCain. Neither will Biden, Palin, or Barr. As a citizen of the United States, I have never had a President. Unless the Constitution changes, I will never have a President.

Will the winner of today’s election be the legitimate head of the executive branch of the US Government? Yes. Will he be the commander-in-chief of the US Military? Yes. Does he have the power to walk up to me, as a civilian, and start barking orders? No, unless he usurps that power using armed force. The fact that citizens are free from such an obligation is part of what makes this place special.

So, no. Obama will not be my president.

Comment:

This whole “my President” thing is a really unfortunate new coinage. There is no such thing as “my President” as there is for “my God” or “my King.” As far as I can tell, the phrase was invented solely by left-wingers seeking to demonstrate that “George Bush will never be ‘my President’.”

Americans are governed by laws, not men. Our loyalty to our country should never depend on who is President, but he can never be more than head of state and head of government or, for a person in the military, commander in chief. But the President of the United States is never the head of me.

That said, I hope Obama does genuine good for the country as the President. I am quite unlike his supporters, since I cannot be disappointed by him.