The so-called “No Kings” protesters were out again shouting slogans, waving signs, and pretending they’re saving democracy. They claim to be standing up against tyranny, with chants of “Trump is not a king.” Most of these same people, along with the their opponents, are the very reason the presidency has become so bloated and powerful in the first place. They built the “king” they’re now pretending to resist.
For decades they voted for politicians who handed power to the executive branch because Congress was too lazy or too cowardly to do its job. They cheered when presidents bypassed Congress with executive orders that fit their side’s agenda. They looked the other way when federal agencies created thousands of new rules that regulate everything from the air they breathe to the water in their backyards. Now they’re shocked, shocked I tell ya!, that the presidency wields all that power, as if it magically appeared overnight.
If these protesters had even a passing understanding of how government works, they’d be marching on Capitol Hill. But they don’t really care about how the system actually operates. They care about feeling like they’ve “done something”. A day after their massive hissy fit absolutely nothing has changed or will change in the United States of America. Though they probably had a great time accomplishing nothing.
Hypocrites abound
Every president since at least FDR has expanded executive power, and that includes the Democrats’ golden son, Barack Obama. When Obama used his “pen and phone” to go around Congress, the left didn’t call him a king. Instead, they applauded him for “getting things done.” When Trump uses that same authority, suddenly the streets fill with self-righteous mobs shouting about fascism. It’s hypocritical.
Trump is not a king. He’s a president using the same powers Congress handed to the office decades ago. Those powers were granted through legislation, agency creation, and executive orders that have accumulated like bureaucratic plaque in the arteries of liberty. If anyone deserves the blame, it’s the voters who demanded government “do something” every time life got difficult. The same people now marching with their handmade signs are the ones who beg Washington to solve every problem for them.
Voters helped to create their king
The protesters scream about authoritarianism, yet they are willfully unaware of how large the executive branch has become. According to the Federal Register there are 442 federal agencies and they touch every aspect of your life. In 2015, the government employed more than 277,000 federal regulators, and that number doesn’t even include massive departments like the IRS or the Social Security Administration.
The Department of Homeland Security has roughly 80,000 law enforcement officers spread across nine agencies, including Customs and Border Protection, ICE, the Secret Service, and the TSA. Add to that the FBI, the EPA, the FDA, the FTC, and countless others, and you get a tiny part of the real machinery of government. It’s a gigantic bureaucratic blob that enforces, regulates, and punishes. Congress created all of it, and the voters supported it.
Consider these examples, in the Clean Air Act of 1970, Congress vaguely instructed the EPA to set “national ambient air quality standards” without specifics, handing the agency legislative-like power to regulate industries and citizens. The Trade Expansion Act of 1962 allows the president to impose tariffs for “national security” reasons, a broad abdication of power that Trump and others have exploited. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 was meant to be a check on the president but instead lets military actions proceed without real congressional oversight. Immigration laws grant the executive enormous discretion in enforcement and policy-making, leading to executive actions like DACA. Even emergency powers under the National Emergencies Act give presidents sweeping authority with almost no checks.
When these protesters take to the streets yelling about tyranny, they’re protesting the “oppression” they helped create.
Protests have become performance art
Marching in the streets does nothing to change the laws or the structure of government. It’s performance art for people who think noise is action. Waving a sign doesn’t roll back executive authority and chanting slogans doesn’t repeal a single law.
If the “No Kings” protesters actually cared about limiting presidential power, they’d focus on Congress. They’d demand their representatives take back the powers they abdicated to the executive branch. They’d vote for candidates who promise to shrink government rather than expand it. But that would require effort and knowledge of the Constitution. Things sorely lacking among protesters.
These demonstrations serve one purpose, to make the participants feel morally superior. They can pat themselves on the back, post selfies on social media, and go home convinced they “fought fascism.” All the while, the same bloated government they claim to oppose keeps growing. Their outrage is never directed where it matters.
The root of the problem
The presidency didn’t become powerful because of Trump. It became powerful because Congress abdicated its duties and voters rewarded them for it. The protesters are angry at the wrong target.
Every sign, chant, and march just proves how little they understand. If they truly wanted to stop the creation of “kings,” they’d stop electing politicians who feed the executive branch more authority. They’d stop cheering when presidents they like rule by decree. Until then, their protests are meaningless.
The “No Kings” protests are a loud, empty spectacle put on by people too ignorant or too dishonest to admit they are the problem. They handed a crown to the executive and now they’re angry that someone is wearing it.
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