# What is the highest elected office you would want?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [October 15, 2008, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010 "2008-10-15T06:06:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/1 "2008-10-15T06:06:48Z")
Congratulations, you’ve just won the lottery, and hired your own personal Karl Rove. Elections are coming up, and your victory is assured in whichever race you choose to enter. The only question is - what position do you want? And why?
I’ll go first:
United States Senator. You’d have to drag me kicking and screaming into the White House - I’d be scared of what the job would do to me, and terrified of what I’d do to the world if I screwed up. No, thank you. And the House of Representatives is a never-ending re-election campaign, writ large. I’ll pass.
The Senate, though - that, I would love. The chance to have a real voice in national policy. A tradition of strong rhetoric and deep thought. For that matter, who wouldn’t want to serve in a legislative body that can trace its heritage to Rome herself?
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### Author:  [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/2 "2008-10-15T07:20:36Z")
Beloved lifelong mayor of a smaller city.
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### Author:  [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/3 "2008-10-15T07:38:18Z")
I wouldn’t even want to be elected jury foreman- I _despise_ the very notion of running for office. I’d spend every moment of office looting the treasury (not easy to do these days since it’s filled with IOUs) and stockpiling a mountainous island somewhere for my luxurious exile.
Now Imperator Americana, that I might consider.
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### Author:  [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/4 "2008-10-15T07:41:04Z")
President of the USA. I’m pretty sure I’d do a good job, especially if I didn’t owe anyone any favors. I would do everything I could to permanently reduce the power of the presidency, in sort of a reverse Jackson/Bush II move. I don’t think anything else I could do would have a better long term impact.
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### Author:  [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/5 "2008-10-15T07:45:13Z")
I’d be fine with President, as long as it didn’t involve me getting assassinated.
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### Author:  [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/6 "2008-10-15T09:28:57Z")
Minister of Defense in some Banana Republic (you didn’t specify the US). That way, I could control who’d be President.
Bar that, President of Iceland. No real powers, but a good pay, good food and lots of time off 🙂
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### Author:  [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/7 "2008-10-15T09:44:48Z")
None, no desire for any political office at all.
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/8 "2008-10-15T10:05:32Z")
…
my school had all kinds of delegates. The class delegates (2) would get chosen first; a child could not hold two offices. In 8th grade I was chosen class delegate and explained that I couldn’t be, as I was library delegate already. The teacher said “we haven’t chosen the library delegate yet,” I said “want to bring it up with Mother Garcia? She said if we chose anybody else she’d place your head on a platter herself.”
Mother Garcia was about one head shorter than the teacher, but for some reason he went and decided to have a second round for class delegate.
The highest thing to being elected I’m willling to have is something like that library delegate job: get to spend lots of time in a place I like, surrounded by stuff I enjoy, and only have to work for someone else once in a blue moon.
Can we create a Ministry of Nerd Movies and make it an elected position?
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/9 "2008-10-15T13:41:20Z")
El Presidente of a relatively small, prosperous, relatively stable 2nd or 3rd World country- somewhere like Belize, Namibia, or Tunisia; Those sort of places.
Failing that, Governor of a British Overseas Territory. That’d be pretty sweet, I reckon. 😃
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### Author:  [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/10 "2008-10-15T13:58:32Z")
President of Ireland. Largely symbolic, looks like fun.
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### Author:  [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/11 "2008-10-15T14:03:36Z")
City council member or similar. Issues where your constituents can truly understand that these things do effect them, minimal if any public speaking, no massive responsibilities.
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### Author:  [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/12 "2008-10-15T14:07:42Z")
I have no desire to run for or serve in public office. However, if I could be guaranteed a victory without draining my lottery winnings, I might run against whomever is pissing me off the most at any given moment. I don’t have anyone in particular in mind at the moment, though, since my main choices are now lame ducks.
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### Author:  [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/13 "2008-10-15T14:07:57Z")
Governor of some California city, where medical marijuana is widely available.
I´d fight for the right to feel high and not sick.
😃
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/14 "2008-10-15T14:18:58Z")
Governor of Texas. I don’t mind visiting D.C., heck I’ll be there next week, but I’d rather live here in my state and remain surrounded by my people. Can’t ask for a better office and home than one in Austin. I’ve spent most of my life here, know what works and what doesn’t, what needs to be done and what’s bullshit and would absolutely relish the challenge of working to improve policies regarding immigration, education, transportation, conservation, etc.
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/15 "2008-10-15T14:31:38Z")
Dog catcher.
What can I say? I like dogs.
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### Author:  [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/16 "2008-10-15T15:24:50Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#):
>
> City council member or similar. Issues where your constituents can truly understand that these things do effect them, minimal if any public speaking, no massive responsibilities.
Likewise. I’d like to be involved at a level where I can make a visible difference to my community without being overburdened or pulled in so many different directions that I feel compromised.
I would also consider small-town mayor, as suggested by **drastic\_quench**.
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### Author:  [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/17 "2008-10-15T15:33:29Z")
Emporer of the world! So I can yell, “I’m King of the World Ma!”
Not available? Oh, Then Vice President of the U.S.
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### Author:  [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/18 "2008-10-15T15:57:58Z")
Judge, trial or appellate. If you include appointed offices, federal judge.
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/19 "2008-10-15T15:59:01Z")
Senator could be fun.
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### Author:  [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-elected-office-you-would-want/468010/20 "2008-10-15T16:23:36Z")
Screw political office, who needs the agravation and all the cameras all the time.
Sign me up for Puppet-master controlling the strings of government behind the scenes, while still going out to the bar like a normal person.
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