Wrote John Adams, complaining about what it's like to be President of the United States, quoted in "John Adams" by David McCullough (page 638)(commission earned).
I've spent so much time in the last 20 years watching numerous characters seeking the presidency. It's a wholesome respite to read about someone who doesn't like it at all.
ADDED: On the subject of the President's security: "Told there had been an attempt to break into the President’s House and asked if a guard should be posted, Adams said no, lest a sentinel at the door lead people to think the situation worse than they knew" (page 603).
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51 comments:
Presidents should be nominated at random.
Anyone who would want that job should not have it.
Ironically, Achilles has outlined the perfect recipe for the ultimate triumph of the Deep State
Washington gets all the attention, but Adams voluntarily relinquished the presidency to his political opponent, cementing the democratic transfer of power in this country. He's a giant.
@Althouse, but at the end of his first term Adams did run for re-election.
There are many reasons to admire John Adams. This is one. Interesting that initially, we had men who literally founded and fought to create this nation and none of them wanted to lead it. They were smarter than that.
On the other hand, John Adams probably wasn't getting blown a lot in the Oval Office.
The Federal government had a lot less power back then.
You got a lot less rich being President back then…
Imagine someone today who would serve in the job out of a sense of somber duty, without even wanting it, and also actually getting the job. It's impossible!
I once had to escort David McCullough and his wife through a kitchen to a screening of a Ken Burns short film.
Having worked in a kitchen, knowing how slippery it can be, I took hold of his elderly wife’s hand as we crossed the tile floor.
I swear he got a little jealous, giving me a “hey that’s my girl look.”
It was genuinely cute.
Perhaps Adams didn't receive what he expected. Judging by his complaints, perhaps those expectations included easy, inconsequential work, agreeable company, and gratifying ceremony.
Before he was President Adams he was Minister Adams to the Court of St. James where he met George III, someone tasked with easy, inconsequential work, entertained by agreeable company, and lauded by gratifying ceremony.
My comments getting ditched again?
But Adams sought that office because Adams wanted that office. One paragraph can hardly capture the complexity, even of an executive office that had far less to oversee than modern presidents do. But he got France to recognize our sovereignty. And I bet that wasn't a dull "unmeaning ceremony." He was a strong Federalist too, meaning he actually wanted power to remain in the various States as opposed to a behemoth central government.
Definitely a great Man, like most of his contemporaries in early America. Doesn't get nearly the amount of good press like his rival Jefferson.
Howard said...
Ironically, Achilles has outlined the perfect recipe for the ultimate triumph of the Deep State
A constitutionally limited Republic where the President has very little to do other than veto/sign bills and maintain diplomatic relations?
The President of the United States shouldn't be the most powerful man in the world. He should be asking the American people to do things. The Federal Government was never intended to be more than 5% of GDP. If it was 5% GDP then it would be more in line with what we need and people wouldn't really enjoy being president. It would be a duty as intended.
Really the problem for you Howard is you aren't as smart as you think you are.
And yet Adams ran for a 2nd term - and lost. Guess it was a real drag, until it came time to give it up.
It reminds of Bush I, complaining in his diary about how "Tedious" the Presidency was now that the Kuwait war was over, and mulling over whether he really wanted to run again. Of course, he did run again, then showed his contempt for the whole process by looking at his watch and being bored during the debates with Clinton.
He later stated he found it "Humiliating" to take questions from the audience.
If you don't want to be President, leave. But weirdly, once they get in, they almost always want to stay at least 8 years. In the last 100 years, Coolidge is the only won who could have won re-election and simply retired. TR left because he felt under the 8 year rule he should retire. But then was back 4 years later.
FDR literally had be carried out feet first. He would've stayed till 100 if he could've.
Ann Althouse said...
Imagine someone today who would serve in the job out of a sense of somber duty, without even wanting it, and also actually getting the job. It's impossible!
This wasn't the case until the 19th amendment was passed.
Is there any modern President who left office losing money?
Yes there is, and he wants to do it again, and after July 13th the advertised price has risen sharply.
"My comments getting ditched again?"
Yes, it was in spam. I released it.
My own comments have gone in to spam, btw. The spam filter is just wrong a lot of the time.
A peck of prickly peppers pickled on a paper the President picked to purvey and pack for a propaganda play.
I once had to escort David McCullough and his wife through a kitchen to a screening of a Ken Burns short film.
Having worked in a kitchen, knowing how slippery it can be, I took hold of his elderly wife’s hand as we crossed the tile floor.
I swear he got a little jealous, giving me a “hey that’s my girl look” as we rode the elevator down.
It was genuinely cute.
The spam filter is just wrong a lot of the time.
Arbitrary intelligence (AI).
"Judging by his complaints, perhaps those expectations included easy, inconsequential work, agreeable company, and gratifying ceremony."
No. He knew. He saw it first hand. He was actually stepping up to what was a duty. It's not something we see today... unless in the strange case of Donald Trump.
More than a few modern presidents have expressed happiness at no longer being in office.
That's why I never went along with the idea that either Obama or Michelle wanted to be back in the White House. Poke their fingers in the pie now and then, sure, but full-time policy work or puppet masters? No. They have better things to do.
Others - even some running today - really don't want to be president, to do the job of president. They want the prestige, or more accurately, the vindication attained by being elected. Otherwise, they much prefer their stand-up comedy road show.
RCOCEAN II said...
If you don't want to be President, leave. But weirdly, once they get in, they almost always want to stay at least 8 years. In the last 100 years, Coolidge is the only won who could have won re-election and simply retired. TR left because he felt under the 8 year rule he should retire. But then was back 4 years later.
The job should be boring.
The problem is that the federal government morphed from being a facilitator for the exceptionalism of American citizen to America's Mom.
When did the Government decide to become a caretaker rather than a facilitator?
Once the Government became caretaker the transformation into devouring mother became inevitable.
MJBWolf said: "Definitely a great Man, like most of his contemporaries in early America."
Insurrectionist. Tax cheat. Traitor to his country. Seditionist. Murderer of men who wore the uniform. One of the first anonymous bloggers.
His wife was pretty cool too. She wrote of his desire for Independence:
"You cannot be, I know, nor do I wish to see you an inactive Spectator, but if the Sword be drawn I bid adieu to all domestick felicity, and look forward to that Country where there is neither wars nor rumors of War in a firm belief that thro the mercy of its King we shall both rejoice there together."
Definitely a man found only in the arena.
Would that Americans aspired to such heights of freedom today and became much more like their forefathers.
"It's impossible!"
Not necessarily. Harris wins and appoints Quaestor to be her Secretary of State, a job he doesn't want but would duly perform if conscripted. Then she gives a little soirée for Mike Johnson, Patty Murray, and the new Vice President, Tim Walz. Speaker Johnson is promptly bored to death by Kamala's cackling nonsense. Overcome with the guilt of seeking an office far above her abilities, President Harris shoots herself in the head and miraculously does not miss her brain. President pro tempore Murray is fatally mauled by Admiral, Biden's latest rabid cur still wandering the White House unrestrained by an incompetent Secret Service. And Walz throttles himself trying to devour the wax pear in the centerpiece, leaving America in the hands of President Quaestor, unbidden and unwilling.
Within modern memory the only man who didn’t actively seek to be President was Dwight Eisenhower. Too lazy to do the research, I asked the question of ChatGPT:
Dwight D. Eisenhower initially had mixed feelings about running for president. He was primarily a military man and expressed reluctance about entering politics. However, he was eventually persuaded by friends, colleagues, and the growing belief among many that his leadership was needed during the Cold War. He felt a sense of duty to serve his country and accepted the Republican nomination in 1952, subsequently winning the presidency.
Imagine someone today who would serve in the job out of a sense of somber duty, without even wanting it, and also actually getting the job. It's impossible!
Not impossible. I have one in mind whom I believe doesn't so much want to be president as much as he thinks that there is a job that needs to be done and he's the one to do it.
Stephen said...
Within modern memory the only man who didn’t actively seek to be President was Dwight Eisenhower. Too lazy to do the research, I asked the question of ChatGPT:
Bingo.
I was talking with people about this yesterday. Ike was the one who warned us about the Military Industrial Complex.
It started inculcating before Ike. But he was the last one to successfully match it's power.
It is pretty obvious at this point they killed JFK, RFK, and MLK jr. and tried to kill Reagan and Trump.
"No. He knew. He saw it first hand. He was actually stepping up to what was a duty. It's not something we see today... unless in the strange case of Donald Trump."
Don't you mean, "...the WEIRD case of Donald Trump?"
bagoh20 said...
Is there any modern President who left office losing money?
Yes there is, and he wants to do it again, and after July 13th the advertised price has risen sharply.
7/31/24, 9:40 AM
^^^^^^ THIS!!!!! ^^^^^^
Ann Althouse said...
"Judging by his complaints, perhaps those expectations included easy, inconsequential work, agreeable company, and gratifying ceremony."
No. He knew. He saw it first hand. He was actually stepping up to what was a duty. It's not something we see today... unless in the strange case of Donald Trump.
Wow. Ann went there. +1.
It would have been more apropos if you said weird.
Nothing drives the Desantis supporters and democrats more batshit insane than pointing out this obvious truth.
Trump and Vivek are the only people in the political sphere who have a sense of duty. Both would be living a better life without politics.
I am pessimistic about Vance. I hope Trump didn't fuck that up.
John Adams ran for POTUS three times but won just once, and so it seems to me disingenuous that he was really all that soured about the presidency. Did he perhaps make that statement after his failed re-election attempt? IIRC Adams ran for Congress after being POTUS and served there for a few terms, so he couldn't have been all that disillusioned about politics.
From Coolidge's biography, that I'm in the middle of,
"A strange young man had broken in and was going through his clothing. In the morning light, Coolidge could see that the burglar had taken a wallet, a chain, and a charm. “I wish you wouldn’t take that,” Coolidge said. “I don’t mean the watch and chain, only the charm. Read what is engraved on the back of it.” The burglar read the back: “Presented to Calvin Coolidge . . . by the Massachusetts General Court”— and stopped dead in shock. He was robbing the president. It emerged that the burglar was a hotel guest who had found himself short of cash to return home. Coolidge gave the burglar $ 32, what he called a “loan,” and helped him to navigate around the Secret Service as he departed."
Well, this explains why Adam's was such a bad President. Any job is what you make of it. Washington's biggest mistake. Just like Bush was Reagan's.
I would rather have an over inflated sense of my intelligence, Achilles, rather than burdened with a schoolgirl fairy tale theoretical ideological fantasy of the way the world should operate and then lash out like a cunty cat lady at anybody who questions your fanciful rantings.
Assuming that we are talking about a US peck instead of a British peck, a "peck of troubles" would be enough troubles to fill a box that is a little over 8.1 inches on each side.
Howard said...
I would rather have an over inflated sense of my intelligence, Achilles, rather than burdened with a schoolgirl fairy tale theoretical ideological fantasy of the way the world should operate and then lash out like a cunty cat lady at anybody who questions your fanciful rantings.
That's good Howard. A real display of your talents.
They created a country they wanted to live in. You can't run (sic) the country and live in it.
Achilles on the Military-Industrial Complex (10:06am):
"It is pretty obvious at this point they killed JFK, RFK, and MLK jr. and tried to kill Reagan and Trump."
It's like he's not even trying any more. He forgot to blame them for killing JFK Jr. and Congressmen Leo Ryan and Larry McDonald and for trying to kill Gerald Ford (twice), George Wallace, and Larry Flynt. Larry Flynt!
Even in Lincoln's day the White House was accessible to any member of the public. Perret mentions an incident where the inventor of a new firearm strolled in armed--and he and Lincoln went outside to test it.
Ike's original speech draft mentioned 'the military-industrial-congressional complex' but he dropped 'congressional' at the last moment.
J Q Adams was the only ex-prez to serve in lesser office later, unless you count John Tyler's unfortunate dalliance with the Confederates.
@Mike (MJB Wolf): I thought it was the Federalists who were the "big government" types of that time and that it was Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans who were the small government types of the day. Of course, both parties were small government types by today's standards.
A great book about a great man. I appreciate how McCullough helped bring John Adams back to our attention.
Narr said...
J Q Adams was the only ex-prez to serve in lesser office later..
i thought about this for a while.. Then thought about it some more..
I'm Supposing that being appointed to the Supreme Court doesn't count as a 'lesser office'?
You aren't elected.. but you kinda ARE
DIL there are (were) "dry gallons*"
2 dry gallons to a peck.. 4 pecks to a bushel
dry gallon* the volume of 8 pounds of wheat
"John Adams" is one of the best books about America--who the Founders were and how they came to do what they did--ever written. It should be required reading for every high school senior/college freshman in our country.
I have a warm spot in my heart for John Adams. Partly it's because I grew up in New England, and partly it's because of how William Daniels portrayed him in "1776".
But mostly it's because of the kind of USA he wanted to lead and live in. He wanted a federal government with very limited jurisdiction, but dominant within those narrow confines, to prevent excessive "populism" (as we might now call it) in the States. He didn't think that a strong, federal government with wide-ranging jurisdiction would support the liberty he loved. That kind of central power was what was wrong with rule by the British Crown, even if you might agree with its exercise in some particular cases. Do you think he was wrong?
Good catch, gilbar. I forgot about Fatty Taft. I won't quibble about executive vs judicial primacy.
John Adams had his finer qualities, but he also thought up the Alien and Sedition Act.
Adams didn't like the vice presidency either, calling it "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." He was an irritable, dyspeptic little man, but a giant in his own way.
Washington also didn't relish the presidency and possibly told Adams at the end of his term "Ay! I am fairly out and you fairly in! See which of Us will be happiest" (assuming it wasn't Adams putting those words into Washington's mouth in a letter to Abigail).
There was a sense in Washington and Adams that they had only taken on the highest office out of duty. Jefferson claimed to feel that way as well -- people still remember his self-written epitaph that didn't mention the presidency at all -- but I feel like some part of him really wanted the job.
I was looking for a swimming quote today to describe the Olympic swimmer who was sick after swimming in the Seine and found this: "I had passed the Rubicon; swim or sink, live or die, survive or perish with my country, was my unalterable determination." -- John Adams
After I finished Adams, I thought he should have titled it John and Abigail Adams: An American Love Story.
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