When first encountered on a political blog, the acronym was puzzling because the poster obviously attached special value to the described position. A POTUS is eminently more powerful (potent) than a chief executive. Or, that is what the poster seemed to believe. A Barack Obama or Joe Biden would not qualify.

There is actually a logical explanation that rests on the preconceived notion that designating an absolute ruler is good. And it actually has nothing to do with democracy, if democracy is just the mechanism by which the absolute ruler, who has no powers, is selected.

See, that is the secret of Republicans: They have no interest in governing either themselves or anyone else. What they are about is handing out punishments or not. Which Is why the prior list of presidential pardons is totally unimportant to the electorate.

Republicans have recently been defined as “performative” because their stances and utterances are all for show. What we miss is that the performance is about as significant as the cock crowing atop his heap of dung to welcome the rising sun.