How erratic can a politician act in public before getting in trouble?

Question

I'm not talking about their politics, or corruption. I'm talking about acting just plain crazy.

Just to mention presidents and vice presidents, in the US, plenty of people hate/hated Bush, Clinton, Cheney, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, Barkeley, Roosevelt, Hoover... going all the way back to Washington.

But this was mostly based on their POLITICS.

Vice President Andrew Johnson made weird, drunken, rambling speeches in public, was very close to iliterate, once pulled open his pants and urinated on the floor in a crowded room in the White House while visiting Lincoln, was said to have shot a man for disputing his answer to a riddle (no verification of that), had a good, healthy personal hatred of the slaveowners but ALSO hated the slaves...

Yet when he became president and was impeached, it was over POLITICS.

Vice president Spiro Agnew was forced to resign over bribes and other corrupt acts.

How crazy does a politician have to act in public before THAT gets them in trouble?

Pelagius, I was talking about JOHNSON (Andrew, not Lyndon), although by mistake you brought up a good point - Andrew JACKSON acted a little weird too. He is known to have killed men in duels over stupid things, ALSO was often drunk in public, ALSO made strange speeches (disagree or agree with the things he said, he sounded STRANGE), threatened people, talked to himself, and shot out windows of random houses on at least one rampage through town.

So you think the politics trumps any personal behavior?

With your comments, and some of the other people's, it sounds like that is the case.

True, Westhill.

When Baker took over as White House Chief of Staff near the end of Reagan's tenure, some commentators jokingly referred to it as "the Baker regency." On at least one occasion, Baker had a verification arrangement with the Pentagon to have any military orders from Reagan checked out with him first before any action was taken.

White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig went so far ask the Joint Chiefs to deactivate the nuclear launch code system at the end of Nixon's reign, because he was scared Nixon might try something crazy when he was on the way out.

So you are saying that once they are in office, personal (let's be kind like Pelagius - "Eccentricity") is not a factor?

Now that I think about it, this isn't a very unusual thing, historically. Other types of governments have their nuts, too, and I'm not talking about their politics.

The two leaders named Amin, in Afghanistan AND Uganda -- both as crazy as can be. Hitler and Goering. King George in England. Stalin and Beria in the USSR. Yitzak Shamir in Israel. Quadaffi in Libya.

Now that I think about it, it seems to be a pretty common thing.

Anybody got any ideas as to why?

Why is insanity NOT seen as a disqualifying factor for a leader?

Answer 1

Nixon was known to talk to the White House paintings of past presidents and ask for their advice, but that was semi-public behavior. Wilson was incompetent due to a stroke, and his wife covered up the fact that he was unable to speak for awhile. Reagan had short term memory problems his last two or three years in office, especially after he fell off his horse, and had to be guided off the podium in case he forgot the way.

To answer your question -- pretty darn erratic. I think that aides cover for a lot of it, and the public is forgiving. It makes no sense, because almost any tiny thing, such as the so called "Dean scream,"' can knock a candidate out of the running for president. But once ensconced, a president can be a babbling fool and totally get away with it.

Answer 2

Cops pick and choose their battles sometimes. Yes, they could have actually busted you all for underage drinking and added a public nudity charge to your own record, but if they are really on the lookout for people having fights and vandalizing stuff because of the influx of young adults to that area for spring break, they aren't going to necessarily spend the time to take you all to jail. It doesn't mean it can't happen though. If the cops were having a bad day, they could have arrested you for breaking the law, even if every other underage young adult along that stretch of beach was doing it too. Just remember your lesson and count yourself lucky. Edited to add: I just want to remind everyone that not all cops are actually pervs. They could have been looking at the poster and pausing, trying to decide if they wanted to book her or just let her go. Some cops actually have children of their own.

Answer 3

Maybe the voters in Jackson's time wisely cared more about a president not letting them be robbed through high taxes or foreign armies, than about a president's eccentric behaviour.
You can hate slavery without admiring a man for being a slave.
"Elect me and I shall solve all of humanity's problems, here and abroad, plus all those of planet Earth" - how crazy is that?

Answer 4

Dont forget Thurgood Marshall. In two of his speeches in the last few years of his life he peed on the floor. Why should someone like that who can't control themselves in public be allowed to decide on anything.
Don't forget Strom Thurmond who served until he was 100. He had to be wheeled out of his hospital bed. Wheeled into his seat in the Senate, Someone had to place his finger on the button to vote then he pressed it. Then was wheeld back to his hospital bed. All at taxpayer expense.

Answer 5

lets put it this way the bar is set real low , Marion Barry was video taped smoking crack with hookers and won re election

the bar is so low that only pregnant ants would have trouble squeezing under it

Answer 6

It's not specifically how crazy, but when and where it surfaces. Just ask anyone why Howard Dean isn't the President.