A while back I wrote about 4 simple ideas to live by (rules isn’t the right word) and suggested that if you lived your life with these things in mind the world would seem much more predictable.  I was reading the recent email newsletter from John Mauldin and came across this bit he borrowed from George Friedman.  Here he’s talking about the power of the presidency and broken campaign promises. Emphasis mine:

The power often ascribed to the U.S. presidency is overblown. But even so, people — including leaders — all over the world still take that power very seriously. They want to believe that someone is in control of what is happening. The thought that no one can control something as vast and complex as a country or the world is a frightening thought. Conspiracy theories offer this comfort, too, since they assume that while evil may govern the world, at least the world is governed. There is, of course, an alternative viewpoint, namely that while no one actually is in charge, the world is still predictable as long as you understand the impersonal forces guiding it. This is an uncomfortable and unacceptable notion to those who would make a difference in the world. For such people, the presidential race — like political disputes the world over — is of great significance.

I define being ‘In Charge’ as having the authority and the ability to successfully impose your will on those you are in charge of.  That is.. if you have some idea for a great new thing.. you talk about it.. everyone agrees that it’s a great new thing.. but in the end it doesn’t get implemented or it does but it’s no longer what you had in mind.. are you really in charge?  I’d say no. You may have the appearance of being in charge.. but if you can’t execute your grand ideas then you are little more than a figurehead. We don’t elect anyone to the position of “Influencer in Chief” but that’s exactly what we have.

I think this is why politicians will often fall back on living at the whim of the polls.  All they have to do is align their ‘grand ideas’ with the direction of the prevailing winds of opinion and they can appear to be more in control than they actually are… or can be.  Of course.. most grand plans never turn out the way they are supposed to.. and opinions can change on a whim.. so this is a politically dangerous way to live. That gets back to my number one idea to live by.

Here they are again:

1. People are stupid
2. There are no authorities
3. No one knows what’s going on
4. No one is really in charge

So when I see the stunning pace of the changes in our national priorities over the last 3.5 years… I do NOT ascribe all this to being the whims of the sitting president.  The scary truth is that his views are only aligned with the shared views of those running the bureaucracy that is the federal government.  His presence was only the catalyst for putting those changes into practice… a justification for changes that, not long ago, would have been seen as impossible.