# I want to be POTUS. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 10, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344 "2015-04-10T16:35:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/1 "2015-04-10T16:35:03Z")
But I could never survive the campaign trail. As soon as my posts here became public, I would be finished. So, I presume if you want to have a political career, you need to be squeaky clean. Or at least, don’t inhale. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/2 "2015-04-10T16:37:51Z")
Nobody’s squeaky clean. The winners are the ones who manage to spin their dirt the best way. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/3 "2015-04-10T16:47:42Z")
I don’t want to be POTUS, but I woudn’t mind if somehow they (whoever “they” are) thought I used to be POTUS and I was eligible for the pension. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/4 "2015-04-10T16:52:19Z")
I can’t see myself as any sort of politician. I’m too thin-skinned. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/5 "2015-04-10T18:38:29Z")
Clinton said he smoked mj, but never inhaled. When Obama was asked if he inhaled, he replied, well yeah, that’s the point. Taking it further, maybe one could say, I once had a homosexual encounter, but didn’t ejaculate. Would that spin work? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/6 "2015-04-10T22:09:38Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Clinton said he smoked mj, but never inhaled. No he didn’t. He said he [\*“experimented with marijuana, a time or two. And I didn’t like it. And didn’t inhale and never tried it again” \*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeXGnSpjgNM) That’s because it was in brownies. He was eating it. It’s Bill Clinton, people. You have to listen to what he actually says, not what he wants you to hear. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/7 "2015-04-10T22:50:23Z")
Clinton hit the reefer. Homeboy plays jazz sax and parlays his time on [Air Fuck One](http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/06/bill_clinton_acting_like_a_tee.html). ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/8 "2015-04-11T01:10:20Z")
Interesting link. If I were BC, I would do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/9 "2015-04-11T02:38:10Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > But I could never survive the campaign trail. As soon as my posts here became public, I would be finished. > > So, I presume if you want to have a political career, you need to be squeaky clean. Or at least, don’t inhale. You would like to be president. Okay, well let’s take a look at your chances. Do you have a sibling, parent, or spouse who was president? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/10 "2015-04-11T10:33:55Z")
Who needs all that stress? Be a one-term Senator instead. No actual work gets done in the Senate these days and after six years you’re effectively set for life. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/11 "2015-04-13T09:18:34Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > But I could never survive the campaign trail. As soon as my posts here became public, I would be finished. You could go the Nigel Farage route and revel in it. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2015, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/12 "2015-04-13T11:02:49Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > But I could never survive the campaign trail. As soon as my posts here became public, I would be finished. > > So, I presume if you want to have a political career, you need to be squeaky clean. Or at least, don’t inhale. Eh? I don’t think that’s true. Of the recent Presidents, Obama admitted to regular drug use as a youth, Bush was an alcoholic, had a DUI and, while he didn’t exactly admit to it, it seems to be generally accepted he used harder drugs during his (rather extended ) “irresponsible youth”. And Clinton’s romantic foibles were pretty widely known even before the Monica thing. So the public seems pretty willing to overlook minor legal or moral transgressions from candidates pasts. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/13 "2015-04-14T04:42:02Z")
Your skeletons only matter if the media says they matter. Make a good impression with the journalists, and if they like you better than your opponent, they’ll make you President. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/14 "2015-04-14T14:06:27Z")
You misspelled “Kochs or Soroses”. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/15 "2015-04-15T04:45:13Z")
That helps, but media coverage is decisive. They’ve got more money for advocacy than any mere billionaire. And they can hide it under the veil of objectivity. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-potus/717344/16 "2015-04-15T12:18:52Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > That helps, but media coverage is decisive. They’ve got more money for advocacy than any mere billionaire. And they can hide it under the veil of objectivity. Mere billionaires tend to own the media.