Would you want to be President?

[Robb Stark]

President obviously doesn't apply to every country, but the question is more centered around whether or not you would want to be your head of state. Would you want to be a leader of men in that way?

I'm throwing aside all the political, left wing/right wing partisan crap right now. I know there are a million things the President does that we don't even know about, but just in theory and principle, would you want to be President?

 

[Steven123]

Yes. It would be Prime Minister for me (England). But yes i would. I feel that there are a lot of things that could be better that aren't being changed and probably aren't even being considered for change, and i imagine many people will think the same about a variety of things.

Obviously i don't think anyone will know the in's and out's of the job as a whole, not imagine the demand you are under, but it would be good in my opinion. Not many can say that they were the leader of their country and (hopefully lol) did something to change it for the better.

 

[white avenger]

President?Absolutely not. The President gets the blame for everything from he economy to gun control to states' rights to rising taxes to just about everything else except the weather, when he (or she) can do little more than suggest issues that Congress should address. The Congress gets to actually make the decisions as to what the President can either sign into law or veto, and they can even override his veto with enough votes from their membership.

It must also be remembered that, even though the President is the nation's military's Supreme Commander, Congress can even override his authority there, either directly or bu cutting off funding for military oprations.

And, let's not forget that the President is the prime target for every lunatic, nut case, and dedicated fanatic in the world who wants to make a name for themselves or a political statement by attempting to assassinate him or her, whether or not they are successful.

And any sort of normal family life? Forget it. Their spouce, children, and immediate family can't go anywhere or do anything without Secret Service protection and total coverage by the press.

The bottom line is, though I'm certain that I could, within my firsy 6 months in office, solve every problem that our government has gotten us into in the last 200 plus years and turn the U S of A into the absolute Utopia that it should be, it's just not worth putting up with the all of the problems associated with the job.

 

[Kean]

Irish Presidents are nothing more than figure heads and hand shakers. Though the two presidents (Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese) that proceeded our current president left powerful legacies behind them.

The leader of my country is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and while I often do ponder going into politics, ultimately I don't think it is for me. At least not in the current Irish political climate. I have a very clear idea in my mind about what I want for my country and dream (if you will) of the nation I'd like to help mold but I don't see how I could make that happen. In politics your either play the game or the game plays you, and I'm pretty certain I'd be played.

 

[brinkster130]

I have this fantasy version of being the President in my head that includes all of the positives with very little of the negatives....if that were reality then yes. Sign me up, I'd love the job.

But the reality is just like [MENTION=6758]white avenger[/MENTION] said, the President is essentially the nations punching bag; getting blamed for everything whether deserved or not. Not to mention we live in a time where every action and word is closely looked at and scrutinized harshly and publicly. I have tremendous respect for the US president, as that has to one of the most stressful, emotionally draining, and time consuming jobs in the world; not only for themselves but for their families too. It certainly isn't a job I would choose for myself.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Anyone who becomes president knows that he has to deal with the real equivalent of the senior partners. Problems cannot be fixed unless there is a buck to be made doing it, and the US has a healthcare "system" that costs double what the best system (the French healthcare system) does and is rated as 37th in performance in the world, just ahead of Cameroon. But everybody has to get their cut.

There are 20,000 paid lobbyists and quasi-government groups like the Federal Reserve Bank (which is not Federal, does not use reserves and is not a bank) who make all the decisions and get all the lawmakers' attention and have siphoned off all the wealth. And underneath it all, Goldman-Sachs runs everything - their man is the treasurer (same as here in Canada) and it becomes quite tempting to compare them to Wolfram & Hart.

You want to be president, living in a goldfish bowl? You are welcome to it. I prefer to remain as anonymous as Whistler's Father.

 

[sisterofmercy]

No. If you're at the top you just get the blame for everything that goes wrong (even though you can't control everything all the time). Even if it's the fault of someone in your party, it's still your fault.

It's a very high stressed job and as much as I like having power, I think I'd pass on that one.

 

[kittenpoker]

NO!!!! Absolutely and emphatically NOT! I would not want that much power (albeit, how much power a leader has is debatable given the nature of our current political structure - I say this speaking as someone who lives in the U.S)

I read a book once which had a line that said basically - anyone who wants to be president, shouldn't be

I like that.

 

[white avenger]

There is one good thing about being President. No matter how bad things get with the economy, the war in the Middle East, unemployment, inflation, taxes that are sucking the few people lucky enough to still have a job as dry as a starving vampire...

No matter how bad things get, you can always blame it on the previous administration.