Mightier Than The Sword?
Photo Credit: Adobe Stock by Jixster
By Ben Everidge for Thomas
Executive Orders v. congressional lawmaking…
Watching Donald Trump reestablish his presence in Washington makes one ask: Is the pen mightier than the sword when it comes to President Trump’s preference to use Executive Orders rather than congressional legislative action to get his political agenda rolling his first 21 days in office?
Your perspective, of course, will depend on the battlefield and how you view the command structure in charge.
Suppose, for example, that we're talking about influence, ideas, and shaping the world in the long run. In that case, the presidential pen – Donald Trump’s pen, symbolizing knowledge, communication, and diplomacy – might have a more lasting impact than the brute force that his congressional leaders might apply.
Words have inspired revolutions. Words have ultimately created laws and changed minds. A sword, on the other hand, figuratively or literally, can take a life. But experience has taught us that a well-crafted idea can shape generations.
However, a sword, or its modern equivalent, often holds the upper hand in moments of immediate conflict. Words alone rarely overturn power structures, especially in an entrenched national capital like Washington, D.C. Words usually need action to back them up.
So, from the perspective of political independents, at the very least, one long ago realized that real power comes when the pen (executive orders) and the sword (congressionally derived laws) work together, when strategy with strength and wisdom with force prevails.
