Billionaire T. Boone Pickens Wants to "Fix" The Broken Political System

Apparently dissatisfied with the American electoral process, billionaire T. Boone Pickens has suggested a way to fix it via his LinkedIn account: let the politicians pick who should and shouldn't be appropriate candidates for President. That's right, one of the people responsible for the horrific mess in Washington isn't happy with just pumping millions of dollars into campaigns to ensure people he can control become elected. No, that's not enough. Now he wants the politicians he and his other billionaire buddies control to be the select few who decide who can run for president.

The audacity is mind-boggling. I'm sure this is because his chosen one, Jeb Bush, has failed miserably after T. Boone invested millions in the Bush campaign.

Since some of you may not want to visit LinkedIn, I've included the entire posting below.
LinkedIn: Let’s Find a Better Way to Elect Our President

Growing up in Holdenville, Oklahoma, turned out to be one of my life’s greatest blessings. Never mind that it was the Great Depression. I was taught values and lessons that serve me to this day. I was surrounded by family. And I had a great group of friends.

We called ourselves the Kelker Street Gang. There was my cousin Billy Bob Reed. He and his mom, my Aunt Ethel, lived next door to us along with my grandmother. Both women were widows. Next to Billy Bob’s house lived Bobby Lee, Roy, and J.B. Loftis. Those three were something else.

Gertie Loftis liked to say, “One of my boys could grow up to be President of the United States.” That always made me laugh. But after watching the current presidential race, Gertie Loftis may have had a point: Pretty much anyone can run and be elected President.

We’ve turned our presidential selection process into a reality TV show. Hell, it’s worse than reality TV. Why? Because this reality TV show is about the selecting the leader of the Free World.

Those who know me know I’m a change advocate. You don’t change, you become predictable. And predictability leads to failure.

Do I have “the plan?” No. But I do have a “big idea.” Certainly we can do better than what we’re doing. We now have a presidential election process that penalizes success and accomplishment and rewards those without battle scars from business or politics. You don’t have a record of achievement? Well, then the media shies from tough scrutiny.

My big idea for 2016 is to put together a bipartisan screening committee that vets presidential candidates like we do anyone else applying for a job and recommends the best candidates possible. We have people running for president now who don’t even have experience running a lemonade stand. Qualifications that the committee would factor in include:

Leadership experience
Team-building skills
A rock-solid plan for their administration

Right now we have a process that emphasizes accusation and innuendo. Fact-checking is done… after the fact. And just like reality TV, there is too much of an emphasis on the inconsequential and the irrelevant. Such a vetting process could alleviate much of that.

Let’s have some bold thinking here. We are the greatest nation to ever grace this Earth. We have tough challenges and issues to confront. We need a process that insures we bring the best talent to the table and let’s the people decide.

There are efforts to bring more accountability to our nation’s failed and out-of-control leadership in Washington. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned there, and from the Convention of the States movement that would utilize Article V of the U.S. Constitution. The goal would be to propose amendments to the Constitution that would put limits on federal spending and our debt spree, put limits on the reach of our regulatory system and the courts.

Everyone knows that the system in Washington is broken. Now that you’ve heard my idea, I’m challenging you to come up with something better. What have you got?

Me thinks he got 'schlonged' by George Soros...

Ugh T. Boone, there is a Powers that Be if there ever was one, We defiantly need to not listen to him.

I know replies are suppose to be longer but ugh that says it all...

Wow, this is a solid plan. While we're at it, why don't we start using fire to put out house fires and/or pour water into the boat to keep it from sinking? Brilliant.

a reply to: manuelram16

Shlonged indeed.... ^shaking head^

"Now he wants the politicians he and his other billionaire buddies control to be the select few who decide who can run for president. "

The republican mess down there is scary, for sure. If Trump does get in (CNN stated 39% approval this morning
) I will be looking forward to our great southern wall (or your north, lol).

But this idea of T. Boone's is even scarier than Trump.....

I also really really hate the USA president being called the "leader of the free world" just because of military might. If they're going to stick with that statement, all of the countries of the free world (Canada, UK, Australia, etc) should be included in the voting process.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I think that's a step in the right direction with one caveat, everyone the politicians and billionaires deem "qualified" should immediately be disqualified.

This is why we still have the best government money can buy. T Bone and his Saudi buddies Can have their Bush and eat it too.

Funny if we apply his standard the current president wouldn't ever have made it in, not sure who would fit his standards.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

Wow just wow......

Thats not fixing it! Well it is "fixing" it just not in a good way....

The problem isn't the political system, it's those who are hiding behind it.

Until that problem is dealt with, anything else is just a band-aid.

JFK come to mind...

“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

"Governments do not govern, but merely control the machinery of government, being themselves controlled by the hidden hand." ~ Benjamin Disraeli; Prime Minister of England

har har. This sounds like he is priming the courts for a new twisted version of Citizens United??? Koch Brothers and T. Boone Unite!! Brotherhood of evil Sith Lords.

This isn't a whole lot different than the leftists twits in Hollywood who were opining that Obama should just be a dictator.

Been like that over here in the UK since time in memorial...until recently...the labour party decided to allow their paid up members to vote for who should lead their party. So for £3 people joined the labour party and voted in Jeremy Corbyn....not a happy choice for the said party by all accounts...probably because there was a massive surge in party membership at that time.....probably by the opposition party wanting to put him in power.


Jane

originally posted by: ketsuko
This isn't a whole lot different than the leftists twits in Hollywood who were opining that Obama should just be a dictator.

They actually said that? Wow.......

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

What a creep! I wonder if he's just that arrogant and anti-American that he figures he might as well say such things openly, or if he is actually that out of touch with reality and with what a horrible idea that is, that he actually thinks he doesn't sound like a stark raving mad lunatic. Must be a BIG fan of royalty.

I know we don't get a whole lot of choice as it is, but Good God...he wants politicians to decide who has the right to run for political office in the United States of America? I think we have our winner for the Anti-American of the Year award.

I think it's safe to say, "T." stands for "Terrorist"

originally posted by: ketsuko
This isn't a whole lot different than the leftists twits in Hollywood who were opining that Obama should just be a dictator.

Who actually said that, Woody Allen? I'm thinking a ludicrous, impossible suggestion by that weirdo isn't anything like a billionaire political influencer suggesting we should limit the ability to run for office to those hand-picked by evil scumbags, based on T's opinions on what should matter.

It's not that this demon T. Boone Pickens will get his way, but the suggestion has a great deal more plausability in terms of a potential future reality and destructive potential than a comment by a weasely Hollywood director/actor/whatever he is.

Well the idea that a committee of some sort should review the qualifications of the candidates for president makes sense to me. I can imagine how this may play out:

Candidate walks in and sits down. The committee chairman looks at the person sitting in front of him and opines:
"Mr. Candidate, I see that you are a world renowned brain surgeon. However, in the essay part of your application, you indicate that you believe that the Earth is 6000 years old and the science of evolution and the big bang theory were encouraged by Satan... Thank you for applying for the position of President of the United States. NEXT!"

The next candidate struts in and sits down. The committee chairman looks up and is nearly blinded by the icy cold stare of the candidate sitting before him: "Ms. Candidate, I see that you have been both a Senator and Secretary of State. However, a check of your references indicate that past co-workers wouldn't pee on you if you were on fire. And your background check indicates that you are about to be indicted by the Justice Department... Thank you for applying for the position of President of the United States. NEXT!"


-dex

a reply to: crazyewok

I think someone said something like it being wonderful if we could give him all the power he needed.

This is sort of in the same bone-headed stupid category.

Both were said by people with way more money than sense which is the real scary part.

a reply to: DexterRiley
Since the qualification to run for president, as outlined in the Constitution of the US is fairly simple:

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

I don't see how anyone could be eliminated on the basis of their political or religious views or their popularity or lack of same. In fact, the religious test is strictly prohibited by the last paragraph of Article VI:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Seems to me that your scenario would be a blatant violation of the Constitution. If you want to include a religious test you're going to have to make some real changes in the basic law of the land.