1. The Oath. Washington second inaugural. The idea that the office is not the person. Washington asks to be subject to "constitutional punishment," The idea that the president is not about the law. The notion that a president must go beyond courts to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution.
2. Adams attack on the oath. Signs the alien and sedition act. Shuts down criticism of the president. The most direct assault on speech and democracy. The key idea is it shows why the right to criticise the president isn't just constitutionally required but key to democracy itself.
3. The bully pulpit and the obligation to uphold the oath. Wilson expands the presidency, gives a constitutional argument for the notion that the president is first among equals. But he uses the new power of the bully pulpit to advance racism, showing the birth of a nation at the white house.
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The Oath and the Office Roifield talks to Corey Brettschneider