Let's build a U.S. President from scratch

Great Debates
1

Many times have I heard people complain when the presidential nominations are finished, “Is this really the best we’ve got?” It seems that nobody, especially those on this board, is ever happy enough to vote for someone rather than against someone else.

So what would you ideal President look like? If you had the ability to create a candidate from scratch, what would you build? No comparisons to previous presidents please, as that would likely turn this thread into another partisan pissing match. For example, no posts like, “I’d want him to have Gore’s intellect, Clinton’s charisma, and Edwards’ good looks.” I’d prefer this to remain party neutral.

Some questions for you to consider in your answer:

1.) How old would he/she be?
2.) Would he/she have served in the military? If so, which branch and for how long? Does it need to have been infantry, or is any military service good enough?
3.) What kind of prior political experience would you like?
4.) Education - is a Bachelors degree enough? Does he/she need to have a Masters or Doctorate? Does post high school even matter?
5.) What would his/her position on the major issues be (Iraq, abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment, etc.)?
6.) Physical appearance? Does your candidate need to be exceptionally good looking, just average, or is this irrelevant?
7.) Married, single, or irrelevant?

Have at it, Dopers. Create your fantasy presidential candidate.

2

Did they save Paul Wellstone’s brain?

3

I think the ideal range (for me) would be someone in their 40’s to 50’s. Maximum age…55.

I think military experience is definitely a plus. Ideally (again :)), I would like to see someone who is a maverick. I don’t really care which branch of the service as long as it was in one of the combat arms…though my preference would be the Navy of course. :stuck_out_tongue:

None. Lots of real world experience is necessary though. I want someone who is a citizen serving his country…not one of our political caste masters. Which is what we generally get served up. Oh yeah…and not a lawyer or poli-sci major. :wink:

My preference would be a masters or doctorate in one of the hard sciences…engineering, say.

Moderate. :wink: Well, with a heavy dose of fiscal conservatism and social liberalism…but my own preferences are too complex to go into here. If the guy is basically a middle of the road moderate then I’d be happy with that.

Irrelevant…though if they want to get elected, being good looking won’t hurt. :stuck_out_tongue:

Again: Irrelevant…though if they want to get elected, being good looking won’t hurt.

You didn’t ask but: 8) Sex of the candidate?

Irrelevant to me…male or female, makes no never mind.

  1. Race of the candidate?

Hispanic. :wink: Just kidding btw…I’d vote for a white boy/girl if they met my qualifications.

( :wink: )
As I said above, my ‘ideal’ candidate is in the mold that I think the founding fathers intended…a private citizen who is running for the good of the country and not him/her self. Ideally this candidate would stay in office as long as it took to complete the job then walk away and go back to their private lives.

If you hadn’t noticed, I’m a bit of an idealist. :slight_smile:

-XT

4

And we have a rule breaker right off of the bat.

Age - about 60 seems to work.
Military - doesn’t matter. Honorable public service in youth is a big plus, though.
Experience - past governors seem to work best, on either side.
Education - bachelors plus maybe a law degree or an MBA. Doctorate seems too much.
Positions - Iraq - in it till we win it.
Abortion - favor constructionist judges, favor aid to woman who want to keep their kids, no direct assault on Roe v. Wade.
Gay marriage - civil union supporter, favor other measures to strengthen traditional marriages (covenant marriage, end to no-fault divorce, etc.)
Capital punishment - pragmatist. This issue is damaging our relations with the rest of the world and hampering things like extradition. For that reason alone, it might be time to end it.
Physical appearance - not too short or bald. These are bad things in the media age.
Married.

5

Hmmm. Interesting. Keeping us from mentioning the admirable traits of earlier actual candidates is maybe unduly restrictive, but I’ll play along.

1.) How old would he/she be? She would be no more than 60.

*2.) Would he/she have served in the military? If so, which branch and for how long? Does it need to have been infantry, or is any military service good enough? * Any branch would do. But since this is my ideal candidate, dammit, she served in the Navy and rose to the rank of commander, with warship and staff experience, including in the Pentagon.

*3.) What kind of prior political experience would you like? * A former Governor of Ohio, and a long and distinguished career in the General Assembly (state legislature) and local government, with proven skills in finding common ground with those on the other side of hot-button issues. A former prosecutor, like me.

4.) Education - is a Bachelors degree enough? Does he/she need to have a Masters or Doctorate? Does post high school even matter? A bachelor’s is good enough for me, but as a former prosecutor, she’d have her J.D.

5.) What would his/her position on the major issues be (Iraq, abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment, etc.)? A center-left Democrat. She would want to draw down our forces in Iraq as soon as practicable, while continuing to train Iraqi forces. She would back a renewed emphasis on keeping Afghanistan from the clutches of the Taliban. Willing and able to rebuild our alliances abroad. Pro-choice on abortion, but adhering to the dictum of a certain former Democratic president that abortion in the U.S. should be “legal, safe and rare.” Would not block gay marriage if the issue came before her (doubtful that it would), and opposed to an amendment to the U.S. Constitution on that issue. Pro-capital punishment, but would insist on high standards for defense counsel in capital cases, and would reasonably consider any requests for pardons or commutations in Federal death-penalty cases. Strong on defense, pro-environment, pro-middle class, deficit hawk. Respectful of Congress and the courts’ coequal roles, and not hell-bent on expanding executive power. Favors rescinding “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

6.) Physical appearance? Does your candidate need to be exceptionally good looking, just average, or is this irrelevant? Average is fine with me. She has to come across relatively well on TV these days, though, or she’s doomed.

*7.) Married, single, or irrelevant? * Irrelevant to me, but many voters care, so she probably would have to be married - to a quiet, respectable guy who’s not going to embarrass or distract her once she’s in the Oval Office, and would give her the emotional support she’s going to need.

And some personal characteristics: thoughtful, persuasive, patriotic, good-humored, a good manager, and of bedrock integrity.

Now, where can I sign up to volunteer for her campaign?

6

1.) How old would he/she be?
Not so much old, but experienced enough in foreign affairs to have a great deal of perspective & expertise. Young enough to have a relatively nimble mind; not senile.

2.) Would he/she have served in the military? If so, which branch and for how long? Does it need to have been infantry, or is any military service good enough?
I really don’t care, but I would appreciate some sense of what being in the military is like. If I had to choose, my ideal candidate, push come to shove, would have no military experience, instead having been in the Peace Corps or the like, but would have several close friends who served. This would allow a certain personal dissociation from military & veterans’ issues, while still having an awareness of them.

3.) What kind of prior political experience would you like?
Not political, so much as government. State Department (there’s really no substitute).

4.) Education - is a Bachelors degree enough? Does he/she need to have a Masters or Doctorate? Does post high school even matter?
For politics, I think formal schooling is less important than your experiences in the political world. That said, a solid grounding in world history & economics is a plus.
*
5.) What would his/her position on the major issues be (Iraq, abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment, etc.)?*
On Iraq, I’d like to see someone show some actual concern for the Iraqi people while admitting that we screwed them over. The rest, well, an anti-capital-punishment type would get under my skin personally, but I don’t really care that much.

6.) Physical appearance? Does your candidate need to be exceptionally good looking, just average, or is this irrelevant?
Hideous in the extreme. OK, just plain. Pretty people are readily loved, but not taken seriously. Then again, plain people aren’t taken seriously either. …Yeah, I’m going with… one sorry homely fug. (No, really, I don’t care.)

7.) Married, single, or irrelevant?
Um, I’m going with the Pauline qualifier of husband to no more than one wife. I would so vote for a single guy, though, just 'cos it’s different. (Yeah, actually I don’t care, again.)

7

Oh, my ideal candidate is a conservationist sort on the big things: balanced budgets, strong wilderness protection, energy efficiency, stuff like that.

8

Some of my answers may be a little vague.

1.) How old would he/she be?

50-60

2.) Would he/she have served in the military? If so, which branch and for how long? Does it need to have been infantry, or is any military service good enough?
Military service not required, especially for female candidate. However, I don’t want any of this squirrellyness about service during Vietnam to come up, so if candidate is male, he either served honorably, was not drafted for health reasons, or got lucky and his number just didn’t come up.

3.) What kind of prior political experience would you like?
I’d probably lean towards a couple of terms as governor of a major state, a term or two in the Senate wouldn’t hurt.

4.) Education - is a Bachelors degree enough? Does he/she need to have a Masters or Doctorate? Does post high school even matter?

Bachelors is probably not sufficient, Law degree wouldn’t hurt.

5.) What would his/her position on the major issues be (Iraq, abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment, etc.)?
I don’t know on Iraq
Anti-abortion, but opposed to overturning Roe v. Wade
Anti-gay marriage
Anti-capital punishment

6.) Physical appearance? Does your candidate need to be exceptionally good looking, just average, or is this irrelevant?

No need to be exceptionally good looking, but not ugly is a plus. Has enough fashion sense to not get picked at by the media, but not vain. (Should be irrelevant, not sure it actually is).
7.) Married, single, or irrelevant?
Married. I want my ideal candidate to have a partner, a companion, someone to help prop him/her up and support him/her. I’m not convinced that it affects performance as much as electability, but the road to the White House is steep enough without making someone do it alone.

9

He needs a Party to back him: the Frankencrats!

10

Here’s my pick for an ideal fantasy male President:

Age?

In his fifties.

Military Service?

Not essential.

Prior Political Experience?

Several terms as congressman and state governor.

Education?

A degree from the London School of Economics.

Position on Issues?

Democratic Party policies faithfully observed.
Must be totally incorrupt and incorruptible and have the wisdom to unerringly select staff with similar qualities, plus staff who are able to think on their feet, as most policy decisions are made while taking interminable walks along White House corridors.
Turns to God for advice when facing any kind of crisis.

Physical appearance?

Unexceptional appearance. Short stature. Old fashioned backswept haircut. Irritating, sanctimonious voice. Need not be medically fit for the job.

Married?

Be in a long term and stable marriage. If he has three daughters named Liz, Ellie and Zoey that would be a bonus.

11
  1. Between 50 and 60.
  2. Yes; preferably in combat arms, preferably with combat experience.
  3. She would have some political experience, both as a legislator and an executive; however the majority of her career would have been in the private sector.
  4. PhD in something other than law. Hard science or history would be good.
  5. Her positions on all issues would be exactly the same as mine, of course.
  6. Smokin’.
  7. Married.
  8. She also would be a half-black, half-mexican atheist lesbian, shortcircuiting a thousand “is America ready for” debates.
    IOW, something of a cross between Jack Ryan, George H.W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice, Camille Paglia, and xtisme.
12

:stuck_out_tongue:

-XT

13

You’re #6, big guy.

14

:confused: I give up. What’s his name?

15

While I think this is an interesting thread, when will America vote for someone who isn’t all of:

  • male
  • white
  • rich
  • Christian
  • married
  • heterosexual
  • tall
  • good at reading speeches on TV?
16

No worries…you wisely chose Jack Ryan as your first choice. I’m sure I was in there for my hispanic good looks and writing skills. :wink:

-XT

17

Grover Cleveland was a bachelor.
As for rich, well, that’s pretty subjective. Harry Truman had struggled for years to become financially successful enough to marry his childhood sweetheart, and then went bankrupt and spent years paying off his debt. Lincoln was no fat cat. And that’s just the presidents I know something about.
I’m pretty sure some of them weren’t tall, either.

18

1.) How old would he/she be?
At least 45.
2.) least he/she have served in the military? If so, which branch and for how long? Does it need to have been infantry, or is any military service good enough?
Not really an issue.
3.) What kind of prior political experience would you like?
At least one term as a governor, vice-president or cabinet secretary
4.) Education - is a Bachelors degree enough? Does he/she need to have a Masters or Doctorate? Does post high school even matter?
At least a BA or BS, an MA or MS even more desirable. A PhD is too much to hope for, a JD is better for serving in Congress, and an MBA is irrelevant in government.
5.) What would his/her position on the major issues be (Iraq, abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment, etc.)?
Keep out of Iraq (or any other country), pro-choice, pro-gay rights, anti-death penalty, tax-and-spend (rather than borrow-and-spend).
6.) Physical appearance? Does your candidate need to be exceptionally good looking, just average, or is this irrelevant?
Irrelevant.
7.) Married, single, or irrelevant?
Irrelevant.

19

Let’s see here . . .

He’d serve two terms, of course, so he’d start in his mid-50s and end in his early 60s. (I’m thinking 55 at start, 63 at the end). He would be a white male, thus deferring the question of whether or not America is ready for him. He would be ordinary in appearance, but have some kind of highly-visible deformity, such as missing an eye or several fingers, as a result of his military service. He might have a Van Dyck beard, like I have, or he might just have a moustache or be clean-shaven. He might also be a smoker.

As his whole life story, he would have come from a well-off upper-middle class family, possibly his parents divorced when he was a teenager. He would have gotten his bachelor’s from some respectable university, most likely a public one, and it would be in some kind of soft science, like sociology or economics. He also would have been pretty wild in college and would be open about his adventures. After that, he’d join the Navy as an officer - on submarines, if only because they are cool - and would have served for about 8 years, which I think is enough that he definitely did most everything there is to do, but not so hight that you might have heard of him. Then he’d go back to school and get his MBA, and spend some time working as a vice-president in a small company. Getting tired of that, he’d go for the state legislature and from there into the House of Representatives and back to his own state to become governor. From governor, he’d become president as a Republican, at the head of a conflict between the religious right (which would be forever banished by him and other high party members) and the more mainstream, freedom-for-all-and-monetarism-too faction.

On television, he would be a consummate entertainer. He would be unafraid to make jokes or engage his audience, and at times he would even criticise the audience or the country as a whole. At one time during his presidency, he would even call a press conference and scold the country about something. He would also - this is especially important - not demonize the democrats or his political opponents. His ire would be reserved entirely for the religious right and other chickenhawks.

His family life would be normal. He would have a long marriage to a respectable, high-society woman.

As for his platforms?

  • Overall - strongly technocratic. Rather than having an ideological loyalty to a specific way of doing things, he would prefer to do whatever works to improve the general happiness and well-being of the people. “I want to be remembered as a competant public servant who listened to country rather than a zealot who imposed his vision on it, however well-intentioned.”
  • Iraq - He would pull most of our fighting forces out of Iraq and concentrate mostly on aid and advisors, and would leave almost the entirety of the project to the Joint Chiefs - let them be the fall guys if something goes wrong.
  • Military budget - the military budget is to be streamlined. Training budgets are to increase, capital construction will increase, R&D into the newest and most expensive prestige projects is to be severely curtailed to make up the difference. New aircraft carriers and tanks will be ordered, but projects such as the Seawolf, the B-2 bomber, and other extremely ‘next-gen’ developments are to be shut down. He is interested in buying products from GD and Northrop-Grumman, not subsidizing them.
  • Economic Policy - prepared to listen carefully to the Board of Governors and other economic advisors. Generally prepared to pursue a monetarist policy in cooperation with the Fed.
  • Social policy - Socially libertarian. Gay marriage would be left to the various states but the Constitution (which he would occassionally describe as ‘the universal religion of America, for good or ill’) would certainly not be changed. He would be personally pro-life but would leave this to the various states. He would also be anti-death penalty, but that’s not really his hoe to row.
  • Foreign Policy - A generally positive foreign policy, particularly aimed at good relations wth rapidly-developing countries such as the BRIMC, Indonesia, and Eastern Europe. A general removal of interest in Israel and greater support for other governments in the Middle East, such as Turkey, Jordan, and the small gulf states.
  • Social Welfare policy - This would generally be left to the states. Small, individual projects - such as supporting a particular public housing project in a particular city - would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
20

No, I meant you filled the bill of requirement number 6 on my list, meaning I was calling you “smokin.’”

Faux-homoerotic humor isn’t as funny when you have to explain it…