It's Really Hard to be the President!

Day-to-day interviews and speeches...

If you really consider it, Barack Obama has a much more challenging and less rewarding job than preceding presidents like Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. He is obligated to partake in much more modern-day drudgery on a day-to-day basis than any other president has had to experience before.

Here are the top five reasons why it’s harder than ever before to be the President of the United States:

1) Engaging with the Public
With the onset of advanced communications starting in the early twentieth century, presidents have had to engage the citizens of this country with hours and hours spent on speeches and interviews.

The leader of the country is obligated to explain his motives to the general public, and while that may be a very good thing, it is also very hard work for the President. Barack Obama spends hundreds of hours each year delivering press release speeches and answering the media’s questions.

2) A Lower Salary
The presidential salary has been increased at least five times since George Washington, but so has international inflation. If you take today’s money into account, a President in 1900 would have earned 1,500,000 dollars a year, while a President in 2000 would have only earned 400,000 dollars a year. That means that Barack Obama would be earning less than a third of the salary of the late Theodore Roosevelt.

Bill Clinton dealt with the scandal.

3) Attacks from the Media
Remember Bill Clinton? His Presidential career took a big hit when he was struck with several sexual misconduct allegations. A big reason why this was big news for America the media was empowered by technology and the news spread like wildfire.

Media attacks are much more common nowadays than they were in the past. For example, back in the 1700s, if George Washington was entangled in a sexual scandal, it would have taken months for the entire country to know about it. By then, it would have become old news.

4) So Many Ethnicities and Classifications
If you’re running for office and are seeking to effectively represent America, you’re going to have to be appealing to Caucasian, Asian, African American, Hispanic, and a vast collection of other ethnic groups. You’re also going to have to be appealing to LGBT communities, religious crowds, and worker unions.

At the time when Thomas Jefferson was President, a lot of choices were answered with “Yes” or “No”. Now the presidential stage offers a colorful mix of choices.

5) A Volatile Economy
Technology continues to make things faster, and that doesn’t mean it doesn’t do the same for the economy. As more and more people take business and investing to the internet, the international market is becoming an up-and-down rollercoaster. Because the stock market never rests, neither can the President, because he is responsible for ensuring the safety of the American economy, or it goes bust.

The President has the loneliest job in the world, so they say. In a post 9/11 world, I don’t deny it.