Would You Ever Want to be in Their Shoes

[guywithashovel]

I've thought about this from time to time.

We spend a lot of time talking about the decisions, philosophies, intentions, and policies of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, members of Congress, and other elected leaders. Sometimes we praise what they do. Other times we rip them new ones. Sometimes we just don't care one way or another about something being done.

However, would you ever want to be in their place? Would you want to be the president or, for those of you outside the US, whatever the equivalent is in your country? Would you ever want to be in Congress? Would you want to be a governor, or a mayor, or a state representative?

My uncle and I were talking about this once, and he said that being an elected official, especially a high ranking one like president or even Congress, was one job he wouldn't want under any circumstances because "no matter what you do or how you handle any given situation, someone's going to tear you up for it, and not only that, anything bad that happens under your watch gets pinned on you, even if you really aren't responsible for it."

I can't find much to disagree with there, though I do sometimes have this fantasy of being president, but that's all it is and all it ever will be: a fantasy.

[Cheshire]

That's a difficult question to answer, as there are so many variances in lifestyle that would occur, you wouldn't know how you'd react.

I'm sure the majority would say yes, they would wish to be in their shoes, in order to stop corruption, but the fact is those people wouldn't last long in the politics game. They have to appease the counter-productive wishes of the public, as well as make sure they "play ball" with the big businesses and others of their party so they are not set as an outcast.

As for the President, they are rarely appreciated in their time. It takes a few decades for the public to recognize the good that they did (if any).

[HYHYBT]

Not in any of those positions. Offer me a seat on the Supreme Court, though...

[lordlundar]

Hell No!

I'm a right of center Canadian, which is still further left than your Democrat party. That said, any decision I made would be blasted by BOTH parties for being too "socialist" (god I hate that word with a passion at this point) and nothing would get done.

I'm a big fan of actually getting shit done instead of bickering which seems to be all the american politicians can do at this point, so it wouldn't be long before I go nuts and start using the monuments to reflect exactly how the country is functioning as opposed to an ideal. Would require explosives and a lot of heavy machinery.

[FArchivist]

Would you want to be the president or, for those of you outside the US, whatever the equivalent is in your country?

No.

Would you ever want to be in Congress?

No.

Would you want to be a governor, or a mayor, or a state representative?

No.

And I'll tell you why.
When you are in political office, you quickly realize that your ideals and beliefs and whatnot have absolutely jack-all to do with getting things done. You also find out how bloody, how awful, and and how degrading the mechanics of power really are. You are making decisions that would horrify most people, like:

- Do you drone bomb this village and discount the innocent tribal families killed as 'collateral damage' or do you not and allow Comrade Terrorist to go free?

- Time to cut the budget! But no matter what you cut, even if you think it's wasteful, you have the numbers and data to prove that this will fuck someone up bad. Perhaps even kill them. So who's going to be expendable today?

There are no 'good' decisions. There are no 'right' decisions. There is only "Which group is it acceptable to screw?" decisions.

Now, there are some people in politics who keep their ideals. Pretty much they end up like Ron Paul; perhaps popular in some way, but ultimately ineffective no matter how much they get re-elected. So if you want to actually effect change, to do something in politics, you are going to have to dump the moral/ethical stance and go with what works.

The mechanics of power are never pretty.

[Greenday]

I'm okay with sticking to my opinions while being hated for it. Nothing new. I have strong beliefs and screw anyone who holds that against me.

[Racket_Man]

I'm okay with sticking to my opinions while being hated for it. Nothing new. I have strong beliefs and screw anyone who holds that against me.

and you would NEVER get re-elected

[Greenday]

and you would NEVER get re-elected

Well, the people that voted for me would like it. The people that hate me wouldn't have voted for me anyway.

Bush ran on the same policy and he won both elections.

[Gravekeeper]

President? No, no, no. The level of weight and responsibility that comes with that job.....no way in hell. Obama always looks like he's carrying a Volvo on his back where ever he goes these days. Not just the responsibility of it, but the constant, constant bullshit of trying to deal with people working against their best interests and believing in the most ridiculous things possibile as an excuse to hate you and/or vote against you. The majority of which is fueled by this sound chamber your opponents have set up and prevent you from enacting anything for the general good of the people. Even if its stuff people elected you to do to begin with.

Wouldn't touch that job with a 10 foot pole.

Senate/Congress? Debatable. If you cared, it would be a nightmare. If you didn't care, its one of the easiest, most pampered jobs you could have in the US.

Gov/State/Mayor? Not terribly different from Senate/Congress. Just a lower payscale.

Bush ran on the same policy and he won both elections.

Bush's second term had some rather mitigating factors he could play off. Though Bush is a good example of the one position in the world I would never want to be in. Pushing through a decision you think is right, only to end up having it be horribly, horribly wrong and ending up with thousands and thousands of deaths. While I can't say I have sympathy for the man, I do sometimes wonder if he clings to the belief he was right just because admitting he was wrong would come with too large a psychological / emotional blow to him.

Cheney / Rumsfield however, are the slime that forms on the Devil's taint.

[FArchivist]

Bush's second term had some rather mitigating factors he could play off. Though Bush is a good example of the one position in the world I would never want to be in. Pushing through a decision you think is right, only to end up having it be horribly, horribly wrong and ending up with thousands and thousands of deaths. While I can't say I have sympathy for the man, I do sometimes wonder if he clings to the belief he was right just because admitting he was wrong would come with too large a psychological / emotional blow to him.

If you read his autobiography on the subject, he makes it clear that he believes he did what God told him to do. Literally. That the Iraqi invasion, the WMDs and all that - these were the WILL OF JESUS. And that people who opposed him then and now are allied with....a former member of the angelic hierarchy.

[Boozy]

Oh my.

The only difference between the leader of the free world and an involuntarily-committed individual is money and the right connections.

[Kaylyn]

I've ALWAYS fantasized about becoming President. And I'll be eligible to run election after next. Yes, I still give serious thought to it.

Would I get elected? Probably not. Mainly because I would run as myself, and not what people want me to be. I refuse to cater to the majority simply because they are the majority and I'd want to get elected. As an newfound atheist, I wouldn't have religion to trip me up on major decisions. I'd support stem cell research, a woman's right to choose, and gay marriage. I have also discovered skepticism and would want to work to reform science education and critical thinking in our schools and colleges.

I have no political background whatsoever. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I for one think it would be refreshing to have someone in office who is an American citizen first, and a politician second. It seems everyone in government is so tied up in the politics they forget what it's like to be the little person.

Yes, I'd love to be in their shoes. Who knows, I may actually give it a try. But I know I won't win. And if I DID win...I'd work for the people, NOT for the government.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Two words: Fuck and no.

I don't have the temperament to be involved in the cage-fight-in-a-sewer that is politics.

[Andara Bledin]

I'd never want to be in their shoes. Have you ever looked at before and after pics of presidents? It's not pretty.

I'd much rather have some advisory position, where I was at least a bit shaded from the real nastiness, but could still help make things happen.

^-.-^

[Hyena Dandy]

I would only run for election if I thought I was the best person for the job.

I would like to be a Senator, but only if I didn't think the current Senator was good at his job. I would only be President if I thought I was the most qualified person to be President.

I love my country, and I want to help its people any way I can. If I thought I could help them by being an elected official, I would want to be an elected official.

That said, I don't think I'd be very good at a high-pressure job, what with my anxiety disorder and all. But if I thought I could do a better job than anyone else who was running, I would run.

I might get elected, I might not. I might get re-elected, I might not. And right now, I don't have any plans. :P