Of course, the ultimate risk for any president is assassination. As my father used to say, “You can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but nobody can please all of the people all of the time”. All he really meant was that no matter how hard you try, there will always be some portion of the population, if you are President of the United States, that dislike you for some reason or another. Not being liked by dangerous dissenters is a huge risk. Abraham Lincoln received over 10,000 death threats, but never believed that anyone would ever really try to kill him. Lincoln noted, “I cannot bring myself to believe that any human lives who would do me any harm.” Unfortunately, Lincoln did not understand the psyche of John Wilkes Booth. Although six presidents have survived assassination attempts, Lincoln, and three others James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy did not.
Besides assassination attempts, there is the stress factors of the job of President of the United States. Look at any picture of a president before inauguration and one taken at least 3 years later and the differences are visible. Their hair is gray, or grayer and the lines in their face much more pronounced.
Imagine the uncertainty felt by Abraham Lincoln as he walked into the White House with the country torn asunder in to North vs South, Union vs Confederacy, even brother vs brother in some cases. Imagine the mental suffering Harry Truman went through when placed in his hands was the fate of thousands, as he was forced to decide whether or not to drop atomic bombs on Japan. Herbert Hoover was forced to face, head on, economic disaster when the stock market was gripped by the worse crash in American history, and imagine the anguish George W. Bush must have felt on September 11, 2001. Nothing can prepare a person for such crises.
Even in times of peace and prosperity the day to day duties of the President of the United States are such that it is said that some presidents, such as James Polk worked themselves to death.
It is no wonder that these people and their families receive the best healthcare in the world and the best perks anywhere.
The stress and danger of their jobs demands it. So, when you are thinking to yourselves, that maybe President ? could’ve done a better job, or President ? didn’t do enough for you? Or maybe President ? makes too much $$. Try to put yourselves in their shoes for a minute or two and try to feel what they are feeling. Your opinion may just change.
Next: Surprising Perks of the White House
Coming up…What makes a good President
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