I was an impressionable 19 years old at the time when President Carter delivered his “Crisis of Confidence” speech. He read 18 quotations from letters that citizens had written to him offering advice. He concludes “Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy”. He talked about “growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media, and other institutions”. He also talked about how Americans used to respect the Office of the President until its image was marred by criminal actions. He concludes that “the strength we need will not come from the White House, but from every house in America.”
I believed that. I lived that.
This past weekend I heard from several people that they expect that leadership will come from the White House in the month ahead. This is not the first time that public opinion has been influenced by this type of White House superhero syndrome. Woody Guthrie wrote about it years ago. It just seems more sad to me now in the current moment. That belief can only disempower us.