Do you agree with my quote?

[dhinojosa]

Talking this morning to my significant other about the role of president and the difference of views from both parties, so I said to her:

"Conservatives look to their president as their leader. Liberals view the president as their representative."


So, do you think for the most part this is true or not?

[MemphisTiger]

1. I agree. I view the prez as a representative, but the freepers

I work with say he is a leader. If you call stuborness leadership, then okay.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. I'd have to agree.

Conservatives tend to ascribe to the 'great man' theory of history, where individuals following their destiny shaped the world to their will. The Leader arrives, and the people fall into line behind him.

Progressives see the world as a history of movements. A movement builds out of the popular will, and from that movement come those who will lead it. Who the leader is doesn't matter much, because whoever it is can, and will, be replaced by someone else if that person is taken out. The individuals don't matter, the movement matters.

Of course, from the progressive POV, the movement need not be a progressive movement. Taking out Hitler in 1926 would have made no difference in the long run, because the fascist movement was what propelled him to power. If it hadn't been him, it would have been someone else.

That explains why the republicans were so set on destroying Clinton with the personal bullshit -- it didn't matter what took him down, as long as the great man was eliminated.

OTOH, we don't seek to personally destroy the republican leadership but to discredit their ideology, undercutting their movement.

[dhinojosa]

3. I like that last sentence there....nt