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Freakonomics Radio

68. The Power of the President -- and the Thumb

Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.632K Ratings

🗓️ 28 March 2012

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How much does the President of the United States really matter? And: where did all the hitchhikers go? A pair of "attribution errors."

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Oh, the President matters a great deal.

0:04.1

You may recognize that voice.

0:05.8

I'm Don Rumsfeld, and I've just written a book known and unknown in memoir.

0:12.8

He's also a former Navy pilot, Congressman, US Ambassador to NATO, White House Chief

0:18.2

of SAF, and a two-time Secretary of Defense.

0:21.5

Needless to say, our Constitution divides the powers between the legislative and the

0:27.4

judicial and the executive branches.

0:30.4

So no President of the United States has the overwhelming power that dictators do, for

0:37.4

example.

0:38.4

However, a President of the United States has the bully pulpit.

0:41.5

He can talk and be heard and people listen.

0:44.9

And of course, in our society, with a free political system, you lead not by command, but

0:50.0

by persuasion.

0:52.0

And persuasion, my uncle used to tell me, is a two-edged sword, reason and emotion, plunge

0:59.2

it deep.

1:00.6

Today, we're going to plunge deep into a couple of questions.

1:04.3

The first one, the one I asked Rumsfeld.

1:07.2

Now, I have a feeling you're not going to like it.

1:09.9

Most people, if you ask him this question, their heads explode.

1:13.8

They sputter, they swear, they tell you you're a moron for even thinking this question.

1:19.3

But let's ask it anyway.

1:21.9

How much does the President of the United States really matter?

...

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