How do I explain this President or the Presidency in general to my daughters?

It’s always been a legitimate question and probably will come up at some point in all each of our lives. At least it should. Who is this person. What can they actually do? What can’t they do? I told anyone who would listen to me in 2015 that at the very least a President like Donald Trump would, if nothing else, come with a lesson in civics. Not because he wants people to know the limits of Presidential Power but because he himself doesn’t understand them. But in the long run I really think this whole thing is good for US.

So, now that everyone in America at least knows who this guy truly is.

Now What?

Election 2020

Ok, back to thesis. How would you explain the Presidency to you daughters. Ok, maybe you don’t have a daughter but what about a son? If you don’t have children what about a family member? A friend? A neighbor? Another American citizen? What about someone who didn’t grow up here? What if you were out of the country and someone asked you that question.

How would you explain the President or the Presidency?

So, here is basically what I told my eldest daughter.

The President is in charge of our government. The Presidency is important. It’s the biggest seat in our country. One of the most powerful in the land and also in the world. There are a few guidelines.

Technically, anyone is supposed to be able to sit* there. However, there have been some similar characteristics. Lets talk about one. That person has always been associated with multiple groups of large people. That person has always been surrounded by powerful people some with money. During my lifetime that person has always had money. Today, more than when I was your age. But, I’m sure it was pretty close.

There’s kind of a science to getting elected. Most people now get a vote. Not all votes have been or will ever be created equal. Unless things change.

POTUS to some. I first heard this acronym sometimes in the 80’s while watching a Tom Clancy movie/screen adaptation of his books, or another author like him. I’m sure I probably shouldn’t have been watching. I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t get. But by the time the 90’s hit and I was a true teenager I knew it was an abbreviation in reference to the President of The United States. I still think it should only be used by the Secret Service or members of our Government. But, we speak in acronyms now. I still prefer the real code names like,

Mogul

Renegade

Tumbler and/or Trailblazer

Eagle

Timberwolf

Rawhide

Deacon

In reverse chronological order during my lifetime

As far as our current President “Mogul” if you will.

How do present him to my young daughters? I’m going with POTUS when things are normal, and DRUMPF when i’m outraged.

John Oliver on his show Last Week Tonight did a whole episode before Super Tuesday in 2016 on The Drumpfs. If you haven’t seen it and you like Trump. You have to see it.

Or.

If you haven’t seen it and you dislike our current President. You really have to see it. If you already see POTUS as funny. You don’t even know the half of it. Allow me to recommend the entire episode. I doubt either will mind.

It’s embarrassing to admit to my daughters who is calling the shots on Pennsylvania Avenue. Even more so, I think it is sad that I would not feel comfortable as a man if I were to leave my daughters, my wife, or my own mother in a room with either of the current President or Vice President. Why? Simple, out of fear of what might be said to them, about them, or done to them if I wasn’t there.

Daddy, who was the President when I was born?

For my oldest it was a simple answer, President Obama.

My second child ten months later, It’s POTUS or Drumpf.

I think POTUS is fitting to the man currently occupying the office. It has that cartoonish characteristic befitting him and it’s historically accurate. My daughters could say it in an educational setting and people would know what she is referencing. If they use Drumpf that woudl just make their father happy. Either way, I’m just hoping that by the time my youngest starts asking about the office that at least one or both of these nincompoops are out of it. Either way, I voted for Johnson so don’t blame me.

To POTUS’ credit, and to that of our system of checks and balances, I would trade four more years of him if he got rid of Pence all together. Because that guys vision of America, not to mention Indiana, is far different than mine. But, I’d sleep better if they both were out. So, el jefe, the donald, definitely not Don Juan.

Either way, please Mr. Drumpf if you do get the GOP nomination in 2020 could you do me and America a favor and ditch your VP? Other Presidents have done it and it helped. I appreciate Henry Agrid Wallace and wish he would gotten another VP nomination. But he didn’t. FDR won again and here were are.

You won last time. You might win again. I won’t claim, as I did in 2016, that it would be impossible.

Please,

Ken Tucker

A guy from Indiana,

that couldn’t be any different than Mike Pence.