Who in their right mind would want to be the president of the United States?

Question

Would you? How much stress is involved?

Answer 1

Good question. And the best answer is to look at who it seems to attract: Bill Clintons and George Bushs (and let's not forget a few of the losing candidates: John Kerry? Please!). Honestly, I'm not sure I'd trust these guys to watch my kids. There is a certain publicity-seeking, high-living, power-hungry, people-pleasing type that craves any political position and the one's seeking the president are just more of this. And, of course, what people will vote for and what will make a good president are two different things. The nitty gritty of the dry as sand topics that constitute running the government -- and which the president is responsible for -- have little interest for the voting public so finding someone suited to handling them is not high on the priority list when it comes to selecting a candidate to vote for.

The presidency is not a job as much as its an organization with the President as CEO. Like any organization it does no better than the people picked to run its various wings; the guy on top is more ultimate decision maker and figurehead than doer. The best presidents have had outstanding staffs even if they themselves have not been outstanding. The worst have had cronies and incompetents supporting them. Unfortunately the best man or woman for any of these jobs seems to rarely get picked (again, the worst presidents select yes men or people who are more than willing to agree with the president's own mis-guided ideas so as not to risk their own jobs).

Congress, if anything, is worse top to bottom, but 500 boobs in Congress can't screw things up as much as one lackluster president.

Yeah, I know, this is a rambling answer. Hope it has something useful in it.

Answer 2

The only reason why some people want to be President of the United States is because they want to be the most powerful person in the world.

Answer 3

There may be a lot of stress but there is also a lot of power. The clinton's have made millions from their time in the white house. Some want the job to serve then there are the Clinton's.

Answer 4

Absolutely not - besides Progressive presidents and leaders get shot or mysteriously killed (JFK, RFK, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Paul Wellstone, etc., etc.). God help whoever has to clean up this mess in 2008 and fix all the problems left behind by Bush II and Co. It will not be easy.

Answer 5

Nope.....I'd rather flip burgers. As much as George W. Bush is starting to lose my approval (slowly but surely), it takes a lot of guts to do what he does. Imagine having to declare war on a country.....the pain and the stress, knowing that there will be a small but sizeable amount of men coming home in body bags.

Answer 6

People would run for president especially when you have a team of advisors to fall back on, you can relegate them some of the stress.

Answer 7

Egotistical people want to be president. I would never want to be president. The job is almost always about the same, and no one is actually qualified. That being said, there are many people who might accept being president, if they were asked.

Answer 8

I would want to be president, but I have been told I'm "unstable" also. I guess you are right about only people outside their minds wanting to be president.

Answer 9

its interesting to look at pics of presidents before and after the presidency, look at bush, he looks like he aged 30 years in the last few, so did clinton when he was done.

Answer 10

I sure would. I'd make a great president. But as I'm not wealthy, I'd likely never be elected.