Maybe America Should Have a King

Every four or eight years we Americans catapult a rising star to international prominence—and then stick them in the unenviable position of president. Once election afterglow fades, the politician must navigate the awkward tightrope between being an approachable "beer sharing" everyman and a formal figurehead of a world superpower. Honestly, this might be too much for one person to handle. So, courtesy of Matthew Yglesias, here's a proposal: Why not crown a King of America?

Some cynics may scoff that the age of American royalty has already arrived, but hear the ThinkProgress blogger out. In a constitutional monarchy like Britain, for example, the "mystique of power" is placed on the powerless monarch, while the prime minister—who actually wields political power—is "just another politician." This enables a country to still hold respectful awe of a government figurehead (and devour tabloid gossip about the royal family), while also allowing the public to jeer, mock and otherwise question the person holding the reins of the nation's political process.

Having a figurehead and a prime minister neatly also neatly solves the perpetual "presidential dignity" question (read: hand-wringing about an appearance on The View), while still preserving nearly the same legislative power structure. Queen Palin or King Bloomberg, anyone?