Could a good human being ever be US president?

[Velvet Elvis]

I think a LOT of good, decent people get into politics, but they get chewed up and spit out by the system. Just like any form of government...power corrupts. Look no further than Nancy Pelosi who keeps her state's economy shut down, but SHE gets special treatment to get her hair done. It happens on the Republican side too.

Honestly, I think the #1 reason for the Trump hate is that he wasn't "one of them." Clinton was everything that was stereotypical of an overly-corrupt politician. He beat her...they felt threatened. Big Government has been manipulating Big Media ever since.

 

[RAMOSS]

Thanks for all the perspectives. I believe Carter and Bush Sr. were of a different era of politics that was less hostile to traits like honesty and cooperation. Clinton appeared to be a serial sexual assaulter, plus I think his political machine played a lot of dirty tricks. Bush Jr. I could almost get behind (seems like a decent person at heart, albeit largely incompetent), but I can't forgive unleashing Rove et al. on his opponents (even primary opponents) or being led around on a leash by Cheney -- seems like a good person, even a dumb one, would feel compelled to inquire about the people around him. Trump is perhaps the most vile human imaginable. So that just leaves Obama for me in the modern era. His public persona and conduct were as classy as we'll ever see in the white house, but I still have trouble believing he could advance so far without having some legbreakers working for him behind the scenes, hence my question. Politics is just so dirty and dishonest and (these days) hateful that it's hard for me to understand how anyone could rise to the top without playing the game.

William Henry Harrison was the best president, for the mere fact he died after 10 days in office

 

[iguanaman]

YES, a "good" human being could become President.

But he would not accomplish much.

To accomplish something, one cannot be a "good" human being.

That is to say, an effective President has to learn how to lie convincingly and how to kiss up to enemies and how to reward friends.

Really? What has Trump really done with all that? He has made this nation look like a buffoon is running it for the last 4 years because he is...Our allies hate us, our enemies mock us and we are experiencing the worst and most deadly epidemic in the entire world. No one has more deaths than us.

 

[iguanaman]

I think a LOT of good, decent people get into politics, but they get chewed up and spit out by the system. Just like any form of government...power corrupts. Look no further than Nancy Pelosi who keeps her state's economy shut down, but SHE gets special treatment to get her hair done. It happens on the Republican side too.

Honestly, I think the #1 reason for the Trump hate is that he wasn't "one of them." Clinton was everything that was stereotypical of an overly-corrupt politician. He beat her...they felt threatened. Big Government has been manipulating Big Media ever since.

You will see how deep the "Trump hate" is in about 53 days. It's not just our honest, patriotic and dedicated public servants who despise Trump for his lies, crimes and corruption...over half of America do too.

 

[ReubenSherr]

Just wondering what people think. My (tentative) view is that it takes so much lying and backstabbing to become that prominent, that it's impossible.

A good human being is president.

A horrible human being is in charge of CNN, and has been painting a distorted picture of the president for the past four years.

And apparently, everyone in the Northeast has eaten Zucker's BS up as fact.

 

[Wayne Jr]

Could a good human being ever be US president?

Yes, but you would have to force them into it because good people don't pander to all the special-interest groups required to get enough support to win an election. A good person taking office would necessarily be someone most people hated, didn't want the job, and glad to leave it asap. But what they did while in office would be very good for the country. Most Americans would hate what they did and hate them for having done it, but it would be very good for the country.

“The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.
To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.
To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.”
― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

So then it comes to election time and I'm asked who I would like to vote for. I won't vote for anyone who actually wants the job. If you desire power over others then you are not qualified to hold office.

I would hate being in public office, so I write my own name in each year. Hopefully, this never backfires

 

[Patriotic Voter]

Yes, a good man can, his name is Donald Trump.

Also Calvin Coolidge was of impeccable moral character, which is why the left never talks about him

Name 5 ways Donald Trump is a good, decent, respectful, human being

 

[skeptic llc]

All of the last few presidents were good people, at least they tried to be, despite the compromises of high office. Nixon was a crook. Trump is a deliberate ***hole. But whether we liked or agreed with their policies or not everyone in between at some point meant well. That's the difference with the wholly self-serving scumbag in office now.

I agree that Trump is a whole different beast, in terms of being an irredeemable hate ball masquerading as an orange sort-of-human. I suspect the others did all try to be good people. However, that doesn't mean they actually pulled it off -- obviously they were better than the lowest cretin our species can produce, but that's not the test.

 

[EMNofSeattle]

Name 5 ways Donald Trump is a good, decent, respectful, human being

1) he’s not a leftist
2) not a leftist
3) not on the political left
4) Caudillo no es de la izquierda
5) he rejects leftist politics

 

[Patriotic Voter]

1) he’s not a leftist
2) not a leftist
3) not on the political left
4) Caudillo no es de la izquierda
5) he rejects leftist politics

Can you write #4 in English?

There is no reason to think currently being a Republican (which he wasn't most of his life) makes him a good, decent human being. There also is no reason to give me the same answer five times, one of them in a foreign language.

I demand logic and direct answers at all times. You failed at both by completely dodging the question, which has absolutely nothing to do with politics. Do you know what a good and decent human being is?

 

[jcgriff2]

What is your logic behind calling one of Americans most immoral men a decent and good human being?

I live at the beach in New Jersey, 50 miles south of NYC and 75 mi north of Atlantic City.

Donald Trump and his sarcastic antics for a few decades now have been in every newspaper in NYC and NJ, so I am rather very familiar with him and his businesses and always thought he would make a great President, which he has.

Now Biden is a different story...

 

[gino]

The only "good human being" to be president in my lifetime was Pres Carter. BUT, it got him assassinated by his own party. Supposedly, the top Dem congressmen came to him when he got to the White House and said, "We know the national scene, just follow our lead." Being a good man, Carter said "No, I'll just do the best I can." His own party cut his throat, cause they would rather have a Repub swamp-creature in the Presidency than an outsider that refuses to "play by the rules."

 

[Patriotic Voter]

I live at the beach in New Jersey, 50 miles south of NYC and 75 mi north of Atlantic City.

Donald Trump and his sarcastic antics for a few decades now have been in every newspaper in NYC and NJ, so I am rather very familiar with him and his businesses and always thought he would make a great President, which he has.

Now Biden is a different story...

Did you ever think about the very likely conflict of interest between being the President and a business owner? That happened during a phone call on July 25, 2019. It happened again every time he denied COVID-19 needs to be taken seriously as a major health threat. We have proof of those facts.

Joe Biden has been working in government since he was 28. Unlike Donald Trump, who had zero government jobs prior to 2017, Biden was a Senator when he was only 30 years old and kept that job until 2009, when he took an oath to be the Vice President. He held that job for the maximum 8 years. How in the world is Trump better than Biden as a candidate based on their resumes? I do not think anyone can be a good president without holding offices in politics previously and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2008 partly because she had been a Senator longer than Barack Obama.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Just wondering what people think. My (tentative) view is that it takes so much lying and backstabbing to become that prominent, that it's impossible.

Obama, Both Bushes, and Clinton were good people in my opinion. Before that we had Carter as well.

 

[Aunt Antifa]

Just wondering what people think. My (tentative) view is that it takes so much lying and backstabbing to become that prominent, that it's impossible.

Good is relative. We know politicians lie, spin, whatever. But when the standard is Donald Trump, there are no standards anymore. Will anyone ever again need to listen to a Republican complain about ethics or corruption?

Trump and is base ruined every last norm.

 

[Walt]

Just wondering what people think. My (tentative) view is that it takes so much lying and backstabbing to become that prominent, that it's impossible.

I think almost all presidents think they are doing good for all humanity, and actually do a lot of good. The current orangutan is an exception, but all other Presidents were about building teams, with very little backstabbing.

There is a series of moral compromises that can turn the good intents into bad actions. Each step of the way, a president can make a small compromise to get a large policy that is good, only to have the ends more evil than the means.

 

[Walt]

he’s not a leftist

trump is not really anything. he supported abortion, and single payer healthcare. he changed parties seven times. he will say anything to get the love he craves. he is a Republican, because Democrats will not vote for him, not because of any commitment to the party.

Does being a "leftist" make a person not good? Wanting to change things for the better is what a moral, descent person wants. But a reasonable human being realizes there are dangers in change. We have always done things certain ways for good reasons, they are tried and tested ways of doing things. In other words, I can see good in both leftists and rightists.

It is the catering to hate I can see no good in.

 

[Roadvirus]

Just wondering what people think.

No. Neither will a SANE human being ever run for Prez…

..Only a flaming lunatic would willingly put their lives and the lives of their loved ones under the mother of all microscopes: the media.

 

[skeptic llc]

Good is relative. We know politicians lie, spin, whatever. But when the standard is Donald Trump, there are no standards anymore. Will anyone ever again need to listen to a Republican complain about ethics or corruption?

Trump and is base ruined every last norm.

No, I never need to listen to a Republican pretend they are in good faith again. Trumpism killed that.

 

[Walt]

we elect the politicians we deserve

One of the problems is voters want to hear there are easy answers, when there often are not easy answers.

 

[noonereal]

more statesmen/women and fewer politicians would be nice

but then Obama's inclination toward collaboration undermined his administration's efforts

hoping he will guide joe away from making the same mistake of believing that negotiations can be effective with today's republican incumbents

Did I just write this?

No, but I have said similar many times.