I didn’t ask if you’d vote for him. I asked if you LIKED him. Because, unlike you (who might put some actual thought into your vote) a lot of people vote for the person the find the most likeable.
Someone asked him that question the other day, and he said that he has absolutely no desire to get into politics. Which actually kind of comforts me.
She could have a State of the Union address every weekday.
I think she could win as long as she doesn’t pick Dr. Phil as a running mate. That guy skeeves me out.
It would be illegal for Gates to fund anybody but himself.
And you thought it was a free country.
We have public financing of presidential elections. It’s one of the factors that makes a third-party candidacy impossible. The major parties get huge cash grants funded by the income tax checkoff, putting outsiders at an instant disadvantage. And because of the concomitant contribution restrictions (see above), unless you’re a self-funding billionaire, it’s all but impossible to raise the money on your own.
For Bill Gates to win the Presidency, he would have to:
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Start setting up committees to organize local support all across the country right now.
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Donate a few tens of billions to worthy charities, to make himself look good. Make sure to get a nice photo-op with each one.
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Spend a lot of money on negative advertising aimed at the two major parties.
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Hire somebody to write self-deprecating jokes about Microsoft products. At least one should be included in every stump speech.
I love the Dope. God help me, I do.
He gave $750 million to an infant vaccination program. I wager this would top any donation by any president.
Of course, if Gates were to become president of the US he’d have to give up his operation of Microsoft. I don’t think he’d want to undergo that big a drop in power.
This is a fun topic. Before getting into specific people, I thought I’d outline what it would take for a person to be able to do this amazing feat.
- Must be very well known and popular.
- Must have little or no negative press.
- Must be able telegenic and able to speak well.
- Must have or be able to raise huge amounts of money.
I agree it is extremely unlikely that anyone has the ability to pull it off because, in addition to fulfilling the four points I’ve listed above, there must also be huge popular discontent with the candidates the Dems and Repubs put forward as well. But for the sake of argument, let’s say this happens. Maybe we have Dick Cheney versus, oh, Jesse Jackson. Then maybe, just maybe, an independent could take it.
Who fulfills all four items? Many have already been listed above.
Oprah Winfrey could make a good run at it. But, as much as I hate to mention it, she is a black woman, and there are unfortunately still voters for whom that sort of thing matters.
I don’t think there ARE any other entertainment figures that even come close. Charlton Heston’s too old and probably too conservative; that is, if he ran at all, he’d be a Republican. Paul McCartney might be popular enough, but of course he’s a naturalized citizen and thus does not qualify.
Beloved sports figures, perhaps? Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods come to mind. They both speak well enough, but could either work up a good “political” voice to wow the crowds with? And again, being black would cost them some voters, although the number of these people shrinks year by year.
Any other sports figures? Lance Armstrong gets a lot of good press, but the bullshit accusations that continue to float around in the French press would eat him alive. Plus, as much as I admire the man, personally he seems to be a royal asshole. Wouldn’t last two weeks on the campaign trail. Roger Staubach would easily take Texas and maybe a few surrounding states, but where else? I don’t know Pennsylvania very well, but if Steeler fans had anything to do with it, they’d elect Satan before they’d vote for an ex-Cowboy.
Other well known figures? Anyone in the billionaire crowd? Bill Gates just has way too much negative press, people. There are enough people who really believe he’s evil that the stink of this highly vocal minority would kill his campaign, even if he were game to give it a go. Paul Allen is somewhat less of a negative figure, but he just ain’t telegenic. Ditto Steve Jobs. Does anyone know enough about the investor William Buffet to say how he’d do? I don’t.
That’s all I can think of right now.
Tom Hanks somehow springs to mind. All American sort, you know? Paired with maybe, McCain, I think he could pull it off.
How about an Oprah Winfrey/Ellen DeGeneres ticket?
Wow, would certain Republican heads explode if they won! Would be fun just to see them meeting with some foreign heads of state as well.
Hmmm…I think I have to go print up a couple thousand bumper stickers…
As much fun as that is to imagine, you must be realistic. That ticket would have to fight the anti-black/anti-woman and anti-lesbian bigots.
If you want Oprah, your veep candidate must provide balance. Perhaps a Winfrey/Gates ticket? While Bill may not be able to pull off a presidential candidacy, as a ticket balancer for Oprah he could be very valuable.
Winfrey/Gates 2008. I like it!
The first name I thought of was President Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis, in TV’s Commander in Chief)… but the show’s been cancelled.
I thought of Tom Hanks, too, or mebbe George Clooney. Actually, I hope they someday do get into politics - as Democrats, I assume, from what I’ve heard of their political views. Both are smart, charming, and well-liked by the great majority of potential voters. Unlikely, I know, but it could happen.
True, but if all women, all blacks and all Gay/Lesbians voted for them, and throw in a few disgruntled Latinos and a dollop of liberal male Democrats, well…won’t that be one hell of an Inaugural Ball!
Hey, whodathunk a B-Hollywood actor from California could ever become Prez…stranger things have happened.
Well, I don’t. When it comes to Bill Cosby, I’m Switzerland.
Just how important is financing? If you’re already well-known, is it possible to get elected without spending a lot of money cmpaigning?
Donald Trump has the money and the ego. That’s a start.
My goofy suggestion is Martin Sheen. I remember seeing a poll (not a political poll, more like an E! poll, but still) during the last election that showed more people could correctly identify President Barlett’s stand on various issues than either Bush’s or Kerry’s. People already see him as “presidential.”
My realistic answer is John McCain, although that might be my answer for the question “who could make the least embarrassing showing in the 2008 election as an independant?” as opposed to the actual question asked in the OP. He probably could have made a better run if he hadn’t spent the last few years getting closer to the Republican party line instead of away from it.
I saw an analysis of Ross Perot’s 92 run recently that concluded he did much better than expected and could have done better yet if he had made some key changes to his campaign – in other words, the problem wasn’t with the voters or his platform, it was with his strategy.
I think the most likely profile for an independant candidate is a former Republican who follows somewhat of a Michael Bloomberg (Mayor of NYC) model as someone who has 1. lots of funding, and 2. credibility with Democrats on many social issues.
Martin Sheen would get about 5% of the vote if he ran. Which might be higher than the votes George Clooney, Alec Baldwin, or any of the other Hollywood liberals would get.
The only one of the bunch I could see as being remotely electable would be Tom Hanks, in about 20 years.
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The biggest problem with Ross Perot’s ticket was that it had Ross Perot on it. His early popularity came before people had a chance to really see who he was. They just liked the idea of a rich, powerful outside with a ‘can-do’ attitude ‘fixing’ Washington. But every time Ross showed his face in public, his popularity dropped. Because he’s bat-shit crazy. He torpedoed what was left of his credibility when he started yammering about government spooks ruining his daughter’s wedding, or whatever that was about. But even before that, his habit of bringing charts and graphs onto interview shows, coupled with his petulant demands to commandeer all the time (“Can I finish? Will you let me finish? Can I finish?”) made him look like a loon. Which he was.
It’s a shame, because he actually is the only 3rd party candidate who had built up an actual party infrastructure that had a chance of evolving into a real competitor to the other two. Until it fractured into opposing camps and imploded.
Yep. John Anderson is a good example, and he had a pretty good showing in 1980, although he didn’t even come close to winning. You need a heavyweight with good credibility to be able to lead a successful third party. Have a look at the members of the most powerful Senate committees for some examples. Joe Biden, Chuck Hagel, Bill Nelson, George Allen, those kinds of people.
From outside politics, you need people that are seen to be centrist, practical, and able to achieve big things. That pretty much leaves captains of industry. The Hollywood left doesn’t have a chance. Maybe someone from the Hollywood right could do it. Fred Thompson, for example. A former senator, highly respected, serious. He’d make a great head for a third party. Fifteen years ago Clint Eastwood would have had a shot, but now he’s too old. Tom Selleck is a longshot, but he’d be much more electable than Martin Sheen.