1/ A brief thread (and there will be something more long-form -- on the contagion of rage -- to come).

A few words on the cultural power of presidents.

2/ When the new U.S. government was launched under the Constitution, the Founding folk assumed -- worried -- that the President's behavior would have an enormous influence on the American people, the tone of governance, the temper of the nation, and national character.

3/ They worried that if the President adopted aristocratic manners or lived a lavish lifestyle, that the American people would grow to admire those standards and endorse them, and the nation would suffer for it.

4/ For that reason, they closely watched the president's habits and manners. How did he dress? What kinds of dishes did he use on his table? How did he interact with the American people? Did he interact with them?

5/ As trivial as these things seem, people assumed that the national executive--a person of power w/the endorsement of being voted into office--would shape the nation w/his example. They assumed that everyday actions mattered. Words mattered. The visuals of leadership mattered.