Who was the best president of the twentieth century? Why?

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Expert Solution

Former President Barack Obama was one of the finest president in US history Presiding over a country – any country – is a complicated affair. Everyone wants change and every two-penny bit of a politico promises change with a capital C. But what Obama managed to underline was the stark reality: there are no teach-it-yourself manuals for the business of government, the science of governance and the art of governing. It is easy to promise and not all that easy to deliver. He was warning not just the Americans but also the voting citizens all over the world: beware of the man who sells a quick-fix. There are no quick-fixes, as we have been discovering for ourselves since May 2014.

Democratic voices and forces all over the world would be grateful to President Obama for reminding us once again that a democracy does not depend upon one person. Instead, the beauty of democracy is that its resilience and resourcefulness empower one and all: “Our power does not come from a self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order. We don’t look to be ruled.” In making this assertion, Obama raised his voice against the ever-present weakness for the megalomaniac and against the shaman and his black bag of magic medicines.

A democratic polity, be it in India, America or England, is an arrangement of institutions and processes and protocols. A democratic system intrinsically frowns upon potential Caesars and other purveyors of personality cult. Authority in democracy can only be an institutionalized exercise of power.

Leadership means not just arousing the passions and animosities of your followers; it means enlisting the support and cooperation of your rivals once the vote is over. We can learn this statement from Barack Obama .

.Obama spoke up against this global current of demagogic sales-pitch. In endorsing Hillary Clinton and indirectly depreciating Donald Trump, Obama sought to wean the Americans and other citizens the world over from the seductive charm of the slogan-mongers. (We in India are not unfamiliar with this phenomenon and its bewitching potential. President Obama has the experience and the credentials to be critical of Donald Trump for “not offering any real solutions” and, instead, “just offering slogans, and offering fear.” Despite being a partisan at a patently partisan show, Obama’s censure does underscore the complexities of the modern-day government.

Rahul Sunny answered 1 year ago

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