Obama is a Caudillo

Caudillo is a Spanish word that describes a leader who attempts to lead his state in an authoritarian way. Sometimes it is translated as strongman, and it refers primarily to charismatic populist leaders 'of the people' who keeps power by relying on personality cults, securing support from key power blocs in society, and controlling the structure of the government through the distribution of government jobs. A few examples of powerful Caudillos include Juan Manuel de Rosas of Argentina, Antonio López de Santa Anna of Mexico, José Rafael Carrera of Guatemala, Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic, or even the Spanish ruler Francisco Franco, who used from 1936 the title "Caudillo de España" (echoing other titles for charismatic strongmen who rule a nation like "Führer" and "Il Duce").

Democratic President of the United States of America Barack Obama is attempting to be a caudillo.

Ben Stein in his article Our Caudillo President wrote (this is only part of the article):

We live in a Constitutional Republic. The President's job under the Constitution is to enforce the laws made by the elected Congress. His job is not to create new laws and enforce them all by himself. His job is as magistrate under the Constitution, not as Caudillo. He is not the law. He is supposed to enforce what Congress decides.

The BP behavior is reminiscent of how, immediately after assuming office, Mr. Obama, with no Congressional authority or administrative allowance, simply made a phone call to fire the head of GM. When I called the White House press office to ask under what law or regulation Mr. Obama was acting, I was told he did not need a law. If the government put a lot of money into GM, it could call the shots at GM, I was told. But under what authority, I asked. "None needed," was the final answer.

Without any new legislation, President Obama has used returned TARP money as a political slush fund to prop up favorite industries. This is the same problem: serious executive action without legislative authority.

The same goes for Mr. Obama's demand that BP pay the lost wages of oil and gas workers suspended from work because of the moratorium on Gulf of Mexico underseas drilling. There simply was no legislation allowing this kind of specific demand. Mr. Obama's demand was in the nature of a threat, more than a Constitutional act.

These are the acts of a big city boss or a third world dictator.

Ben Stein has picked up on Obama's style of leadership, which was on full display recently- Obama sits up all high and mighty and judges us, threatening people and companies he doesn't like, wags his finger at you, and then just does things, regardless of whether they are legal. And the Congress that is supposed to be providing oversight for him, supposed to be supervising his slush funds and unconstitutional grabs for power, is doing nothing to stop him or rein him in. Obama might be called a new type of Democrat, different from 'moderates' or 'blue dogs', but the moderates and blue dogs are doing nothing to restrain or restrict him, so what use are they.

The only solution that presents itself to prevent our nation from continuing down this strongman path to dictatorship and tyranny is to vote every single person out of office who is a Democrat, and to elect Republicans to replace them. Then, at least we have a shot of keeping this the nation of the free and the home of the brave.