# Presidency is offered to you. Do you take it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 18, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169 "2017-02-18T19:35:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/41 "2017-02-19T21:06:47Z")
No. Having binge-watched “The West Wing” several times it’s without question I’m more capable of handling the task but you guys have just elected Beeblebrox and sort of poisoned the well. Who really wants to go down in history with a notation on their Who’s Who reading: “Generally considered to have done a better job than Trump”? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/42 "2017-02-19T21:15:12Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Thanks for the responses. > > Bonus questions: > > 1. When finished, where would you rank, best to worst, among the 46 presidents? > > 2. How many seats would your party have in Congress after 2020? This is why I wouldn’t accept. Not that I’d be worried about how I ranked, but I’d probably cost my party seats in 2018, and leave it worse off in 2020. I’m just as unqualified as Donald Trump, if not more. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/43 "2017-02-19T21:24:27Z")
Yes. Not because I want to be President, but because the nation is in dire need right now. I would first try the Sanders/Warren/Clinton cabinet approach. If that didn’t work out for me, I’d remove Pence from the Vice-Presidency by any means possible, choose one of the holy trinity as VP, and then resign. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/44 "2017-02-19T22:07:19Z")
I’d do it in a heartbeat, if only to get a massive course/test available to all students of all ages on How To Check Reliable Resources and What Makes a Reliable Source Reliable? Plus a mandatory 4 years of Urban Legend History and how to spot one. 😃 Also: - Immigrants in the USA - How we vet the living shit out of them already. - Any bill fueled by religious reasons gets the veto pen. - The EPA and Planned Parenthood will be funded, just as a nyah-nyah. - School vouchers are hereby illegal. - Mental Health test required by all CANDIDATES, not just nominees. - Launch full investigation on Trump, his businesses and fraud history. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/45 "2017-02-19T22:16:40Z")
Yes, I’d accept it. I’d say a polite thank you and put it away somewhere safe for a rainy day when I can take it out and play with it. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/46 "2017-02-19T22:48:50Z")
Of course I’d accept it. I mean I’m not excited about living in Washington for the rest of my term but I’m reasonably confident I could get reelected at the end of my first term. As far as my party goes the libertarians currently have 0 seats so really I couldn’t hurt them in any way. Really I’d be able to curtail military spending dramatically and have the budget balanced by the end of my first year in office. From there it will mainly be about getting people as much freedom as they can handle while keeping the government strong to prevent the excesses that society is prone to. I think I would be able to enact legislation from both parties and govern from the center pretty effectively. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/47 "2017-02-19T22:58:25Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Who really wants to go down in history with a notation on their Who’s Who reading: “Generally considered to have done a better job than Trump”? Maybe it’s too much ego talking but I like to think I’d do a better job than Trump and Buchanan. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/48 "2017-02-19T23:55:47Z")
Fuck. No. You get all the stress, and everyone blames you for everything. Fuck that shit. You know how they always show the before and after photos of how much the president ages at the beginning of their term, and then at the end? It’s like that. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/49 "2017-02-20T06:27:30Z")
Question 1: can I resign on day two? Question 2: do I keep the pension if I do? 😃 I’m not a wise man, but it’s hard to imagine I’d be a worse choice than Trump, merely on the basis of the fact that _I know that I am bad for the job_. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/50 "2017-02-20T06:35:47Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Question 1: can I resign on day two? > Question 2: do I keep the pension if I do? 😃 As specified: > [@Velocity](#): > > If you accept it, you’re not allowed to leave office until January 20, 2021, unless you die or suffer severe physical illness or injury that leaves you incapable of performing your duties. No voluntary resignations. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/51 "2017-02-20T06:43:42Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Sheeit. I’m assuming that I don’t get to see who’s behind me in line if I refuse, right? > > I think I take it. It’d play merry hell with my family, but not taking it is going to play merry hell with thousands of other families, so I think mine would understand. Knowing both myself and the Republican Congress, I’m likely to get impeached anyway. > > Also, the $200,000 annual pension, even ignoring the free office space etc., is more than I earn by actually working each year. It’s worth more than I earn for working in four years. So there’s that. If you’d take the job for only $200,000, you’d be screwing yourself out of serious money. The President’s salary alone is $400,000 a year. That excludes his expense account, travel account, and entertainment account. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/52 "2017-02-20T12:21:23Z")
Of course. Then I hire Hillary Clinton as my Chief of Staff, and turn the reins over to her. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/53 "2017-02-20T12:33:14Z")
Like the current incumbent, I’m not remotely qualified for the job., Unlike the current incumbent, I am aware of this fact. So the only temptation here is the opportunity to remove the current incumbent, which is a strong one, but unless I could basically delegate everything to smarter, more qualified people my presidency would be a disaster for the country and would leave me an emotionally-shattered husk. So no. Plus part of me thinks that the best punishment for electing Trump is letting Trump be president. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/54 "2017-02-20T12:34:45Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Who really wants to go down in history with a notation on their Who’s Who reading: “Generally considered to have done a better job than Trump”? If my primary concern was how I’d go down in history, then “He Turned Down The Chance To Replace Trump” maybe wouldn’t be something I can stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/55 "2017-02-20T12:47:19Z")
I expect I’d probably do better than Trump, Hoover, Buchanan, Jackson, and maybe W. I might show up on some lists of “The Worst Presidents Ever”, but I hope to be the guy they have to think about for a while before including me on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/56 "2017-02-20T13:40:46Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > If you’d take the job for only $200,000, you’d be screwing yourself out of serious money. The President’s salary alone is $400,000 a year. That excludes his expense account, travel account, and entertainment account. Reread what I wrote: that’s the **pension**. Point being, given my current lifestyle, I would never have to work again after I left the Oval Office. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/57 "2017-02-20T13:51:15Z")
No amount of money, power, prestige or public spirit would be sufficient to persuade me to subject myself to the scrutiny given the person in that office. And it’s not just for four years. The Secret Service is in your life forever. Fuck that. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/58 "2017-02-20T16:29:36Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Plus part of me thinks that the best punishment for electing Trump is letting Trump be president. Nice thought, but I prefer not to be punished along with him. Unfortunately, that ain’t gonna happen. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/59 "2017-02-20T17:40:16Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > No amount of money, power, prestige or public spirit would be sufficient to persuade me to subject myself to the scrutiny given the person in that office. And it’s not just for four years. The Secret Service is in your life forever. Fuck that. Only if you want them to be. The ex-president is entitled to lifelong SS protection, but is free to decline it. Former president Richard Nixon dismissed his Secret Service detail in 1985. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169/60 "2017-02-20T18:32:55Z")
No, never [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidency-is-offered-to-you-do-you-take-it/780169.md?page=4)