There is precedent for this, as Cape Canaveral was renamed “Cape Kennedy” in honor of another assassinated President in 1963, but because of objections raised by Floridians who lamented the loss of the original name (sound familiar?), the name reverted to Cape Canaveral in 1973. The Space Center there retained the name of President Kennedy to honor him. It was an elegant solution, and the dual use of McKinley and Denali in 1980 also was an fine compromise. Alas, in the present highly-partisan, politically correct atmosphere, the days when elected officials searched for compromise seem long behind.
The name change continues the present trend of obliterating the names of those who have fallen out of favor. The Democrat Parties of Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Iowa recently changed the name of their traditional "Jefferson-Jackson Dinners." It seems Mr. Jefferson was a slave holder and Mr. Jackson was cruel to Native Americans. Odd that those state parties just discovered those facts. We don't dispute their historical truth, although we think there is value in judging people not by present-mindedness but by the standards of their time; and not by one aspect but by their entire life.
Anyway, President Obama later said he hopes to work with Ohio to find a way to honor President McKinley – and that is a nice gesture, although having the highest mountain in North America bear his name was a pretty good way to honor President McKinley. It is very unfortunate that the President did not make that gesture as he announced the name change. We guess he took a look at the number of electoral votes Ohio possesses, and scrambled to find a way out.
If Congress votes to change the name to Denali (as it did in 1980), that’s fine. But we must be governed by laws, not by men, and only Congress has the power to change that name. The President believes that if Congress does not act on an issue, it gives him a free hand to do so. The Constitution does not grant that power.
The administration has unilaterally changed the definition of the word “marriage.” It has unilaterally changed the definition of “navigable water” to mean any body of water – even those that never were “navigable.” And now it unilaterally changes the name of North America's highest peak. The issue of what folks decide to call something is not as important as the way the decision was made. Decisions that are the prerogative of Congress must be made by Congress, not by the President acting alone.