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Why on earth would anyone want to be president?

Why would anyone want to be president?

  • Money and/or perks

    Votes: 6 27.3%
  • Love for power

    Votes: 13 59.1%
  • Wanting to go down in history

    Votes: 13 59.1%
  • Desire to change something in the country/world

    Votes: 10 45.5%
  • Love of fame

    Votes: 9 40.9%
  • Sense of duty

    Votes: 10 45.5%
  • Other

    Votes: 8 36.4%

  • Total voters
    22

Smeagol

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I've sometimes wondered if being president of the United States is worth the headache. Unimaginable stress. Nowhere near the compensation deserved. Half the country hates your stinkin' guts. Half the world hates your stinkin' guts. On call 24/7. Your descisions will lead to people being killed. Privacy, what's that? Armed men escort you to the potty and stand within a few feet as you take a leak with standing orders to pick up up and carry you to a place of safety in the event of an emergency even if you're not finished. Same is true if you're in the shower or playing doctor with your wife (or husband.)

I've tried to put myself in the shoes of a presidential candidate to figure out why they would want the job. What do you thinK?
 
I've sometimes wondered if being president of the United States is worth the headache. Unimaginable stress. Nowhere near the compensation deserved. Half the country hates your stinkin' guts. Half the world hates your stinkin' guts. On call 24/7. Your descisions will lead to people being killed. Privacy, what's that? Armed men escort you to the potty and stand within a few feet as you take a leak with standing orders to pick up up and carry you to a place of safety in the event of an emergency even if you're not finished. Same is true if you're in the shower or playing doctor with your wife (or husband.)

I've tried to put myself in the shoes of a presidential candidate to figure out why they would want the job. What do you thinK?

in some cases, like GHWB-a sense of duty. Same with IKE, same with HHH and probably McGovern too, Dole as well.

for some-because they were told they should do it-JFK, W.


for some-massive egos Nixon, Carter, Clinton Obama, Trump and HIllery
 
All the above except money.

If you're gunning for that, stick to the private sector. I think Underwood talked about that in House of Cards lol.

Anyway, depends on the person, but I think duty is a factor in most runs for the presidency.
 
All the above except money.

If you're gunning for that, stick to the private sector. I think Underwood talked about that in House of Cards lol.

Anyway, depends on the person, but I think duty is a factor in most runs for the presidency.

actually people like the Gores and the clintons made far more as a result of public office than they ever would have without that.
 
actually people like the Gores and the clintons made far more as a result of public office than they ever would have without that.

So I've heard.

But those are outliers, connections made during the presidential tenure usually don't end up that well.
 
*****. They do it for the *****.
 
I've tried to put myself in the shoes of a presidential candidate to figure out why they would want the job. What do you thinK?

Powah! Unlimited Powah!

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All the above except money.

If you're gunning for that, stick to the private sector. I think Underwood talked about that in House of Cards lol.

Anyway, depends on the person, but I think duty is a factor in most runs for the presidency.
The money may not be the greatest during the years you're in, but that changes when you get out! Ask Bubba! He gets more for an hour, than Obama gets a year!
 
but not trump...

true, when you are a billionaire you get plenty. I don't know who is more a power hungry whore=Trump or Hillary but I suspect its Hillary. Trump's main goal in life seemed to be mega-rich. everything Hillary has done is about power
 
I've sometimes wondered if being president of the United States is worth the headache. Unimaginable stress. Nowhere near the compensation deserved. Half the country hates your stinkin' guts. Half the world hates your stinkin' guts. On call 24/7. Your descisions will lead to people being killed. Privacy, what's that? Armed men escort you to the potty and stand within a few feet as you take a leak with standing orders to pick up up and carry you to a place of safety in the event of an emergency even if you're not finished. Same is true if you're in the shower or playing doctor with your wife (or husband.)

I've tried to put myself in the shoes of a presidential candidate to figure out why they would want the job. What do you thinK?

I think Obama wanted to go down in history and in a few different ways he did. But he has a massive ego and always thinks he's the smartest person in the room.

I think Biden does it for money and perks, he married into that life. Wants to feel important.

I think the Clinton's don't even know why they are doing it anymore except that they are basically programmed to be politicians and that's it. So I guess perks. They have the money already.

I think Trump has a massive ego and thinks he knows what the people want. Funny this is also the reason why I think Gore did it.

I think in some ways Trump really wants to F with all of us!!

I think Bill Clinton was told that he would be a great President and he got the smarts to figure it out on the job.

I think Bush had a sense of duty and a legacy to fulfill.

I think Romney was a combination of all the above. He was told he should run, probably at first by his father and other business people, then he had the ego already. I think he wanted to be President to fulfill a legacy and to be better than his father as well as a little sense of duty. Which is probably the safest/sanest choice out of all of them. It's always better to have well rounded reasons to want to run. Not just one or two.

I think McCain wanted to run because he generally had a sense of duty and wanted to relive his glory days. Maybe he was tired of being senator.
 
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You get to be above the law.

Look at Shrillary. Can't be bad, and it hasn't even won yet.
 
true, when you are a billionaire you get plenty. I don't know who is more a power hungry whore=Trump or Hillary but I suspect its Hillary. Trump's main goal in life seemed to be mega-rich. everything Hillary has done is about power

Trump wanted the power that money brought, and found that he still wasn't all-powerful. Part of me suspects that he thinks the President can fire Congress.
 
true, when you are a billionaire you get plenty. I don't know who is more a power hungry whore=Trump or Hillary but I suspect its Hillary. Trump's main goal in life seemed to be mega-rich. everything Hillary has done is about power

I think Trump is running because he was bored.
 
I've sometimes wondered if being president of the United States is worth the headache. Unimaginable stress. Nowhere near the compensation deserved. Half the country hates your stinkin' guts. Half the world hates your stinkin' guts. On call 24/7. Your descisions will lead to people being killed. Privacy, what's that? Armed men escort you to the potty and stand within a few feet as you take a leak with standing orders to pick up up and carry you to a place of safety in the event of an emergency even if you're not finished. Same is true if you're in the shower or playing doctor with your wife (or husband.)

I've tried to put myself in the shoes of a presidential candidate to figure out why they would want the job. What do you thinK?




WANTING to be President... should immediately disqualify you for the job.



Best thing we could do is find someone highly qualified who doesn't want the job, and only reluctantly agrees to take it when their sense of duty and patriotism is appealed to.



Power tends to attract the corrupt.
 
It's the culture they live in, the people they associate with, the jobs they do, the people they know

it's a lifestyle choice

this one is the top of the mountain for their group

and they all look 15 years older than they are when they leave

a year later they look healthy again
 
in some cases, like GHWB-a sense of duty. Same with IKE, same with HHH and probably McGovern too, Dole as well.

for some-because they were told they should do it-JFK, W.


for some-massive egos Nixon, Carter, Clinton Obama, Trump and HIllery

For Trump I think he wants to start a dynasty.

His sons and daughter look ready to go into politics at any time.
 
You get to be above the law.

Look at Shrillary. Can't be bad, and it hasn't even won yet.

That is a good point with Hillary.

She saw that all cases against her husband stopped dead in their tracks when he became President, so knowing what she has done that hasn't come out yet, I bet she wants to be President to relieve her of any consequences of what she has done.
 
'I am President of the United States' is a heck of a pickup line.
 
All the above except money.

If you're gunning for that, stick to the private sector. I think Underwood talked about that in House of Cards lol.

Anyway, depends on the person, but I think duty is a factor in most runs for the presidency.


It ain't a bad gig as far are money and perks. $400k salary that you really don't need to live on. A six-figure expense account. You get to live in a 55k square foot mansion for free and I'm sure its actually a bigger than that when you include underground areas they don't tell us about. 747 private jumbo jet to use for free. Helicopter to use for free. Chauffeured limousine to use for free. You own private vacation retreat, Camp David. And there's when you're poor and still in office. After you leave office is when you really start raking in the cash. Every living President of the US is a multi-millionaire. Carter is the broke one with $5 million in the bank. Clinton's net worth is $80 million.
 
WANTING to be President... should immediately disqualify you for the job.



Best thing we could do is find someone highly qualified who doesn't want the job, and only reluctantly agrees to take it when their sense of duty and patriotism is appealed to.



Power tends to attract the corrupt.

George Washington was probably that last one that met that standard. Eisenhower maybe? Ross Perot?
 
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