|
|
Article: The cult of the Presidency: who can we blame for the radical expansion of executive power? Look no further than you and me.
- Article from:
- Reason
- Article date:
- June 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Reason Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
"I AIN'T RUNNING FOR preacher," Republican presidential candidate Phil Gramm snarled to religious right activists in 1995 when they urged him to run a campaign stressing moral themes. Several months later, despite Gramm's fund raising prowess, the Texas conservative finished a desultory fifth place in the Iowa caucuses and quickly dropped out of the race. Since then, few candidates have made Gramm's mistake. Serious contenders for the office recognize that the role and scope of the modern presidency cannot be so narrowly confined. Today's candidates are running enthusiastically for national preacher--and much else besides.
In the ...