Obama's theory of government versus that of Hobbes and Locke

Obama & Authority – Or, How to Analyze Barack’s Theory of Power

By Kelly O'Connell
Sunday, March 7, 2010

In the midst of our nonstop Obamacare passage marathon, whose cyclical return resembles the plot of the film Groundhog Day more than anything else, it’s time to ask: Upon what does Barack Obama’s theory of government rest? The answer here will, more than that to any other question, help predict what the next three-years of his term will resemble. So far, Obama’s administration and public policy doesn’t seem like any other President’s in US history. But why is this? Does he seek to repudiate our supposed recent failures? Or is his aim much broader, to obliterate our entire way of life, replacing it with something more exotic or sinister?

More to the point, does Barack believe simply being elected to the US Presidency means he has the authority and power, or the right, to do whatever he likes to America? The answer is—it increasingly looks that way from outside DC. To analyze Obama’s theories in action, we must review some basic models of government, aided by a few important thinkers, being Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. But our central question to ask and answer is whether Barack Obama, or any other US president, has the right to repeatedly make decisions that defy the clear will of the American people? The answer is a simple, “Noâ€