Marcus' blog

As elected officials, the public chose them to lead the country with the public’s best interest in mind. When they choose not to do that, the government, in my opinion, continues to function but not always in the ways the public or even other members of government want it to. Referring back to our ex-president George Bush, a huge percent of the population did not agree with the war in Iraq or many decisions he made, including the patriot act, Afghanistan, etc. But of course this did not stop the government from functioning. The government still governs the country, yet does not do what they were elected to do. Because the American public is always divided on politics and party lines, it is almost impossible for 100% of the country to be dissatisfied, and that is why even when the government fails to keep the majority of the country happy, it still somehow pleases a minority. For a government to stop functioning all together would basically bring the country into anarchy. At one point in time at least one of the many branches and sections of government is always working, even if the legislative or executive is not. The second part of the question is one that could be argued over and over. As I stated before the country is almost always split along party lines, beyond that by racial, economic, and locational lines. This causes the idea of a “perfect” president to differ from person to person. A president generally has ot be able to communicate with the public in a way that will grab the attention, in other words, he must be eloquent. No matter what decisions a president makes, it will of course anger some portion of the country. A president, never being able to please the whole, should look out for the best interest of the country in the present and in the future. They must make decisions that in their opinion will please the majority. This requires good decision making skills, which can kill or save a presidents reputation. To be a good leader is to speak for the people you lead, and because with a large country like the US, it is almost impossible to do that. Looking back on the great presidents of our time, all have made decisions that in their mind would benefit our country in the long run, and that is what a great president must do.