The Presidency: Job description, the people's version.

To remove political loyalties and the inevitable myopia, I ask you for specific traits that YOUR President should both possess and remain steadfast to.

A few 'givens' to avoid those with too idyllic demands.

There is no perfect Candidate, never was, never will be. Next, even be it 'the people's' description, the list is too long to fill fully and likely contradictory in some aspects.

Obviously, the 'machine' has a different set of job descriptions despite protestations otherwise. Those are already in 'play' and don't need articulation in this thread except in pointing out or stressing our 'version' of a President.

Comparison of traits of previous Presidents also are valid.

Areas that are obvious, personal character, previous achievements or the lack thereof, Issues and the most important part, IMO, prioritizing of those issues and traits. As no President will ever get everything done he desires, and perhaps shouldn't, the 'priority factor' is perhaps the most important of all.

Here's a couple off the top. Morals, honesty is huge. Honest in his campaign, in enacting his campaign promises. Honest enough to admit mistakes, is huge. Honest enough to change his stance, explaining the reasoning publically for that change.

Issues? First and foremost, for me, is the economy. Simple. Jobs, revenue both for the people and the gov't. So many secondary issues are much easier to address when the economy is, IN FACT, legitimately growing.

In both these examples, one can see political position isn't necessarily an issue. With a sufficiently agreed upon list, some clarity might be forthcoming on which candidate best fills that job description. As every candidate has been described a liar, or merely slick in avoiding issues or solutions to those issues, 'honesty' becomes a hard one to sort out. We are then reduced to the more honest of the candidates, rather than 'honest'.LOL

Thoughts?

a reply to: nwtrucker

The real job of the presider is to preside over the three tiered checks and balances of the gubment process. To veto s*** that gets out of hand. If the legislative body gets greedy or intolerant, the executive branch is supposed to veto it and if they all don't or won't then the judicial makes a determination.

That way you see, no one organization or group within an organization gets too much power and control. Check it and balance it, one, two, three, wash, rinse, repeat.

And throw the bums out every two to four years so they don't become embedded and learn how to cheat.

a reply to: intrptr

A fine commentary of the president's 'role'.

That 'role' seems to have been less than fully applied. Hence the morals aspect? Next, the President, whether intended or not by the founding fathers, receives a mandate for overall direction the nation moves.

He really doesn't preside over the three, he IS one of the 'three'. That's the one up for election. Hence, the thread....

a reply to: nwtrucker

I want an asshole as president. I want a right bastard that will be myopic in the safety and security of the US. I don't want a one-world global harmony president who will kiss the asses of foreign leaders.

I want a president who will ease up on all the idiotic laws and make government simpler.

Just 2 cents from a cranky old man.

originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: intrptr

A fine commentary of the president's 'role'.

That 'role' seems to have been less than fully applied. Hence the morals aspect? Next, the President, whether intended or not by the founding fathers, receives a mandate for overall direction the nation moves.

He really doesn't preside over the three, he IS one of the 'three'. That's the one up for election. Hence, the thread....

Further, unlike a whole congress and senate the president is one man, supposedly balancing the mob rule mentality of the whole legislative arm. He can kick back any legislation that doesn't follow reason as it were. He is the one man perspective in government, beholden to the constitution as it were (supposedly). he can do that until it goes to the "Supreme" (decision making) court.

Now its a mess, run by cronyism all in league together to block legislation that benefits the people and ram through defense expenditures.

a reply to: intrptr


No argument from me.

originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: intrptr


No argument from me.

Get ready for the next crony.

grrr…

I see the office of the President as a Figurehead who really does not have much power in and of himself, any control of budget comes from the house, any control of foreign relations really comes from the senate. The budget controls the way things happen in the various departments and each department is its own entrenched bureaucracy.

The main Job of the President is to take the Credit or the Blame for the Bureaucracy working or not. The only real power the president has is the "Bully" pulpit of public opinion. Sure they can issue Executive Orders but even those need House and Senate approval to be followed though. The Bully Pulpit is the ability to talk to the American Public and Strongly suggest someone is or is not doing their Job. Thus putting fear into the Congressmen to do their job or be voted out.

This is why we need someone who RUBS congress the wrong way, we need someone who is not Part of or has been part of Congress because they will not be the needed sandpaper to do the job.

The other Job of the President is they are the one who takes the Blame and Credit for the Government, the Sacrifice so to say. If everything Runs Smooth and prosperous even if it was the Congress doing a good job it is the President who is thought of as having been a good president. When the Crap hits the fan though, it is the Sitting President's Fault... Hence why Jimmy carter ,Both bushes, and Obama were fail presidents and Reagan and Clinton were looked at as Successful.

The office needs someone in there that the World who do not really know it is all a Dancing Chicken Act believes is a Crazy Mother Sucker. The More Outrageous and Crazy the better show they can put on.

a reply to: CoBaZ


We do love our perception of 'winners' and cannot abide the very idea of 'losers' , media spun or not...