Respect for the presidency itself-- is it a thing of the past?

[JohnnyLib2]

Child of the 50s here, who still is affected by replays of the Kennedy funeral. I see some continuity and tradition in the Ford services and a time to reflect on many years of U.S. history. My respect for that aspect is alive. How about DUers?

That said, the current occupant just flat doesn't measure up and that painful reality stands out again today.

[Lerkfish]

1. respect for the presidency ended with Nixon.

just to let you know.

[EFerrari]

8. Respect is a bilateral agreement -- and Nixon broke it

when he betrayed our trust.

[lancdem]

2. That's a good question

I still respect the institution greatly, but, like you, I can't get past who occupies the post right now.

[Drum]

3. Depends on the person in that office,

and obviously upon THEIR respect for the office. Sadly, both factors are sorely lacking presently, but I believe this can be redeemed when the current squatters are replaced by people of character and devotion to the people.

[spanone]

4. The current occupant has taken all the class and statesmanship from the Office.

I'm a child of the fifties too, when we respected elders and presidents.
Now that I'm older, I realize that elders are just struggling, old young folks and presidents can be lying shits.

[Sapere aude]

5. I've never understood respect for an office. The office doesn't stand alone.

There is no presidency if there is no president. If the president deserves respect he will get it. If he doesn't he won't.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. as with any office, respect is to be earned.

IT does not mean we have to agree with the person holding office. It does not mean that their policies must be ours, or vice versa. It means that the person holding that office acts in a way the he/she/it EARNS respect for the office and for his/her/itself.

There will be a long time until someone has enough history to remove the blot staining this office at the present.

[bdamomma]

7. I think for some Americans have held their Presidents on a

pedestal, not anymore hopefully, after this idiotic psychopath. No one man should have absolute power to abuse and abuse its' people.

[twilight_sailing]

9. This "respect for the office" thing just doesn't ring true.

I remember how racist rednecks felt about Kennedy. There wasn't any "respect for the office" involved then.

[bowens43]

10. Respect isn't given. it's earned.

'The presidency' is nothing but an office. It is meaningless. It is the man who occupies the office that gives it meaning.

[Faygo Kid]

11. The efforts to expand presidential power have diminished the office

No question that the residents have sometimes (often) besmirched the office, but the greater threat is the Imperial Presidency, which this administration has advanced far beyond anything even Nixon dreamed of. That, in turn, has made the presidency an office to be feared, not the "bully pulpit" for the people it was intended to be.

[Loge23]

12. How about respect for us?

You know, the bosses of the President?
The spectacle I see for Ford seems more like a Pop Culture event than a State Funeral and that's what these things have become.
With all due respect and my sympathy for the genuine grief displayed by Ford's family, many of the people I saw on line at the wake(on TV) couldn't even possibly been alive in the 70's, let alone understand anything about the man on display.
Our current culture seems to be bent on replicating the Kennedy funeral or perhaps that of Princess Di - manufacturing a sense of loss when there really isn't one present (outside of Mr. Ford's family).
But respect for the office or it's occupant?
Not for the office - it is for a public servant after all.
For the occupant? They are politicians elected to serve - 'nuff said.
For the job? Yes. It is a formidable task and if one should perform that task with integrity and leadership, then I respect that - just as I loathe those who abuse that trust. Neither, however, is a king and the office is not a Monarchy - despite what some may believe.
On a related note, I am amused by all the sentiment of Ford as a man who "healed the nation" in a time of crisis.
Funny, I don't recall that and I was alive, well, and mature during his time in office.
His most enduring legacy, IMO, is Betty for her marvelous work with cancer prevention and substance abuse. My most enduring image of President Ford is the comedy.

[Parche]

13. Presidents

I have always respected the office, of most of the occupants, except for GW Bush who has
been the worst of any, and I can name all 43 in row being a history buff!!!

[DeepModem Mom]

14. I regret that Bush will be eligible for the moving dignity of Ford's state funeral. nt

[JohnnyLib2]

16. Thank you for drawing the contrast.

Pretty rough day on DU, and I attribute much of it to the Bush years. Glad I've seen better!

[genie_weenie]

15. presidents don't need your respect.

And in fact it's laughable to even discuss it. The Presidency represents raw naked power. Just think of all the kowtowing and perks a president receives. Medical care beyond every other American citizen. Access to any and all types of classified reports. The power to pardon anyone for anything. 24 hour protection by people.

Do they pay for their clothing? Meals? Flights to any place on earth?

presidents are tyrants. And because maybe 1/5th of the population picked them?

[H2O Man]

17. I nominated this,

because I think it's an interesting and important topic. I've been thinking, since Ford died, that there is probably a pretty significant difference in the way that different generations view the concept of "respect for the office." Reading this thread reinforces that.

I agree with the idea that there has always been some disrespect for the office. One DUer notes that the racists hated JFK. Good point, though we can take it a step further, and note that it was largely the extremists who were from the fringes on the racial issues. There were, of course, other fringe groups that hated him, such as the oilmen and some 544 Camp Streeters.

LBJ was the target of the anti-war forces. We older DUers can remember the young folk chanting, "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many babies did you kill today?" In my own mind, I view those demonstrators as having respect for the office, though not for the policies of the president.

Nixon greatly reduced the respect people had for the office as an institution. I remember my father, a Kennedy democrat, just being stunned at the extent of disrespect the Nixon crew had for the presidency, the Constitution, and this nation.

But I think what really destroyed the concept of "respect for the office" was the nasty, vicious tactics of the Reagan-Bush1 people. I think that they purposely divided this country in ways that it had not been divided in the 1900s.

I never liked Reagan or Ford. I was able to separate my dislike for them as politicians, from the funerals for two elderly men. However, when I have read some of the harsh statements made by DUers I consider sincere (and that certainly isn't all of them), I'm not offended. They strike me as the reaction to the divisive, mean-spirited policies that the republicans have instituted. Many people at the grass-roots level are the victims of these policies, and I do not think it is good to blame the victims of what I think are crimes.

[burythehatchet]

18. Nicely put

for many under 40 there really is very little that they can see as worthy of respect, exactly for he reasons you stated.

[H2O Man]

24. There was a time

when people would not have been as upset by the thought of "no mail" under the circumstance.

[JohnnyLib2]

20. Thank you.

I do wonder about the age (and life experience) factor on this and other matters. My parents were strong Democrats, but I remember their respect for Eisenhower's parting warnings. As you said, subsequent Republican presidents, other than Ford, have magnified those "nasty, vicious tactics,"
and upped the divisiveness greatly. On both sides, alas.

[H2O Man]

21. When I read

people saying that the funeral is a "diversion," I am confident that no matter what the person's age, they are responding to the current acrimony, rather than an understanding of history.

[alcibiades_mystery]

19. I hope so

Respect for the Presidency is nonsense. It is an elected office, and the holder is a public servant.

[WritersBlock]

22. When the office is occupied by the presidential election winner, I'll respect that.

But while the squatter's in there? Naw. There's nothing to respect.

[blues90]

23. My respect ended with Kennedy

Since that time I have had no respect for any president other than Carter . All others including Clinton have gone way past the honest pride this country was supposed to stand for . There is such a criminal element that seems to keep going now that all tradition has been tainted .