As one who grew up “Inside the Beltway,” matters of power and authority, and the struggle for them, always were immediate, lurking, and defining in my consciousness. The daily local news reports had less to do with robberies at 7-11stores and more to do with what was happening on The Hill or within The Administration. The Supreme Court also got its share of air time. Neighbors, by and large, either were Federal workers, congressional staffers, or members of the military.
The Saturday Night Massacre occurred on my 19th birthday, as Nixon cleaned out the top leadership of the Department of Justice looking for someone to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox: Attorney General Elliott Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus both said no, and out the door they went. Number three man, Solicitor General Robert Bork caved. (Years later, when I met Elliott Richardson I told him how much I admired him for standing up to Tricky Dick. His broad smile conveyed his appreciation.)
When Reagan was shot in 1981, there were moments of governmental chaos and uncertainty. As the President underwent surgery, a press conference was underway at the White House. Someone asked the fateful question, “Who’s in charge with the President incapacitated?” Secretary of State Alexander Haig stepped up to the mic and erroneously replied, “I am in control.” The order of succession, by the way, is Vice President >Speaker of the House>the president pro tempore of the Senate>Secretary of State>Cabinet Secretaries in the order in which their departments were created. Neither I, nor anyone else, recalls where Vice President George H. W. Bush was when Haig made his declaration.
During the years that Bush the Younger held the keys to the Oval Office it was widely suspected (and observed) that his Vice President, Dick Cheney, was the puppet-master. This was especially the case when it came to the post-9/11 invasions of Iraq, in search of non-existent Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Afghanistan.
On a more mundane level, Washington went through phases a generation or so ago of men wearing Power Ties (basically yellow neckties); people taking Power Naps of 10 to 15 minutes each day in order to enable their striving and achieving; and, Washington doyennes and Georgetown hostesses affecting a hairstyle referred to as a Washington Power Helmet.
Power and authority contentions spiked again following the 2016 elections and continue as the nation endures the Covid-19 pandemic. Trump and his base vie with people who actually know and understand what is happening. Governors try to keep their states’ best interests at heart as those at the presumed Top look for ways to self-promote. The Governor of Florida, for instance, decreed that professional wrestling is an essential business for his state.
Which workers and businesses are essential? How long should current precautions remain in place? When should the country “re-open?” Power, authority, control, and political ambition all play a role in deciding.
As all of these issues are untangled, I simply must protest what I perceive to be an especially egregious, pernicious, deleterious, malevolent, and abusive power-and-authority-grab: Amazon decided that my order of two Party-Sized bags of M & M’s is not essential, and delayed shipment by two days!
How much longer are we going to stand for this?
