The whole point of the United States was that it wasn't supposed to be a country with this massive federal government looming over everyone. That's something that changed a bit during the civil war but really changed in the past century.

It was supposed to be that your local state was where all the action was, and the federal government was just common defense and regulating interstate trade. Unfortunately, the one ring is too attractive for most to leave alone, and so the powers of the government grew and now it matters a whole lot who the president is because they regulate so much of your life.