Artwork by Michael DiMilo
Article by Geoffrey Carter
On September 19th, 1796, against the wishes of the Federalist Party, President George Washington announced he would not be seeking a third term as president of the United States. At a time when world leaders rarely relinquished power voluntarily, Washington’s action became the template for the peaceful transfer of power in a democracy, permanently refuting the notion that the office of POTUS was a lifetime appointment.
It was rumored that at the end of the Revolutionary War, Washington was “offered the crown” by a group of his officers. This is only a myth, but as myths have a habit of doing, it endures.
Americans have a weird, almost perverse fascination with royalty. Our system of government is anathema to monarchy, yet we seem to dote on all things noble. We only have to look across the Atlantic for evidence of this. In 1936, Edward VIII abdicated the English throne to be with Wallis Simpson, the love of his life. This love story captured the American imagination. So did the royal weddings of Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, and the interminable dramatic saga of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. And of course, the media finds every royal scandal fascinating. The Netflix series The Crown, an award-winning dramatization of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, has been immensely popular for four seasons.
While America is not a monarchy, the electorate does seem to enjoy flirting with the idea of homegrown royalty. The Kennedy administration, noted for its youth and dash, was popularly known as “Camelot”. That entire family seemed destined for greatness. Jack was president, Bobby very likely could have been, and Ted held one of the most powerful Senate seats for years. Even the Kennedy grandchildren seem to have the stars aligned in their favor.
The Bush dynasty has boasted two presidencies, three governorships, and one Senate seat. The Roosevelts gave us two very notable presidencies (one of which was hyper-extended). The Clintons were elected to one—and very nearly two—presidencies, and also earned a governorship and one Senate seat. There have been other, less illustrious bloodlines in American politics such as the Cuomos, the Adams, and the Rockefellers. So why do we keep electing members of the same families? Are they our version of royalty? Perhaps. Apparently, some of our representatives think so, too.
In a true monarchy, the nobility enjoys a status known as “sovereign immunity” which means—to put it simply—not being answerable to the law. Even though they are not of royal blood, sometimes our politicians seem to believe they are entitled to these same privileges.
Governor Cuomo of New York has been recently and repeatedly accused of sexual harassment by a number of staffers and acquaintances. He has denied those allegations and refuses to resign—he has not been charged.
Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida has been implicated in a sex trafficking scam involving underage women; he is also under investigation for conspiring to have sex with minors. He denies everything—he has not been charged.
Newly elected Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene led far-right extremists through a tour of the Capitol Building only a day before they participated in the rioting there—she has not yet been charged.
Ted Kennedy walked away from a car accident at Chappaquiddick that cost a young woman her life—he was acquitted of any wrongdoing.
Former President Trump is currently being investigated for everything from tax evasion to fraud to conspiracy to sedition, and finally, attempting to coerce Georgia officials into overturning election results. Allegations that he used campaign funds to pay off a porn star are also pending—but he has not been charged. Yet.
Who do these people they think are, and—more importantly—who do we think they are? Why do we give them a pass? Do we look the other way because of a fascination with this homegrown “royalty”? Do we believe holding office absolves them from all crimes and misdemeanors? Are we the people—by looking the other way—granting our representatives royal immunity? Why don’t we hold our politicians liable?
There are instances of politicians taking responsibility for their actions. After being accused of sexual harassment by a member of the media, Senator Al Franken resigned. After lurid sex scandals, Gary Hart dropped out of the presidential race in 1988. And they’ve been held responsible, too. After the Lewinsky Scandal, Bill Clinton got impeached—but not charged. Governor Rob Blagojevich went to prison but was pardoned by Trump.
There should be no immunity for the American “nobility”. The privilege of their offices, their money, and their family names should not entitle them to special treatment. We work under the premise of popular sovereignty, not royal sovereignty. We decide who governs; we determine the ruling class.
The American misguided fascination with royalty needs to stop the moment we step into the voting booth. To grant our politicians and statesmen a mystical sort of status is to only enable their bad behavior. They aren’t any better than the rest of us, and—apparently—they need to be reminded of that. We are equal under the law. Let’s make sure that everyone understands this.
And then, finally, it is imperative that in order to preserve our democracy, that we do not allow ourselves to be seduced by charmers, charlatans, scammers, or thieves. Or pretenders. We’ve seen what happens when a political figure takes on a cultlike status.
We have men and women of integrity in our government, right under our noses. Barack Obama, Lisa Murkowski, Bernie Sanders, AOC, Katie Porter, and Mitt Romney have all shown courage and integrity in their endeavors. They are carrying on George Washington’s tradition. They don’t represent themselves and serve their own privilege, but at the privilege of the people. They’re the ones who deserve the royal treatment.