# Who would you REALLY like to be president **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 16, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054 "2012-02-16T19:28:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mnemnosyne](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mnemnosyne/32/3347_2.png) [@Mnemnosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mnemnosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/61 "2012-04-21T00:27:19Z")
I second both Otto von Bismarck and Augustus Caesar, but the former seems more practical since he would be easier to ‘get up to speed’. I’m not sure \*\*any \*\*length of time would be sufficient to catch Caesar up on the last two thousand years. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/62 "2012-04-21T15:51:11Z")
F. A. Hayak. He seemed to be the most moderate of the Austrian School of economics, and as such might be able to unify Republicans and Democrats around a reasonable plan for deficit reduction before disaster hits. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/63 "2012-04-21T19:13:21Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > You’d have a monarchist that opposed the American revolution be the president of the Union? 😕 [He is mainly remembered for his support of the cause of the American Revolutionaries […]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke) ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/64 "2012-04-21T19:46:55Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > You’d have a monarchist that opposed the American revolution be the president of the Union? > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > 😕 [He is mainly remembered for his support of the cause of the American Revolutionaries […]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke) This and even if he were a monarchist, he was a constitutional monarchist. I believe you are confusing his opposition to the French Revolution due to its mobocratic and proto-totalitarian nature. > [@ITR\_champion](#): > > F. A. Hayak. He seemed to be the most moderate of the Austrian School of economics, and as such might be able to unify Republicans and Democrats around a reasonable plan for deficit reduction before disaster hits. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Road\_to\_Serfdom#Criticism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Serfdom#Criticism) Hayeks supported some regulations and social welfare-so was he really an Austrian considering that school is fanatically laissez-faire?: > [@](#): > > In the book, Hayek writes that the government has a role to play in the economy through the monetary system (a view that he later withdrew),[49] work-hours regulation, social welfare, and institutions for the flow of proper information. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/65 "2012-04-21T19:49:28Z")
I’m comfortable with the alleged Kenyan Muslim Socialist who’s in office now. I’m not happy that he’s a Chicago White Sox fan but then nobody’s perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/66 "2012-04-21T19:56:49Z")
Me. I sure couldn’t screw it up any worse than some of the others who have held the office in my lifetime. And the government would be a damn sight smaller when I got finished. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/67 "2012-04-21T20:07:24Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > He is mainly remembered for his support of the cause of the American Revolutionaries. Derp, ignorance fought. I assumed based on what I read in the Rights of Man that he’d oppose it (inferring from his opposition to the French revolution). ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/68 "2012-04-21T22:10:51Z")
I didn’t vote for him, but I am reasonably happy with Obama. Actually, I would love a go at the presidency. I would absolutely LOVE to make speeches about the powers that the president has and hasn’t got as a response to people whinging about how the president isn’t performing miracles. [I keep trying to tell the moron stoners over on Grasscity exactly \*why\* Ron Paul \*can’t\* legalize weed … \*sigh\*] I just wish more people would realize that the president is more of a figurehead, designed to go out and give speeches and shake hands and veto as a bit of a control on lawmaking … they really do not have much power to do more than sort of hint where the ship of state wanders. And they don’t get to keep any of the spiffy presents the other countries present them with ☹ [I think if it is under a certain price they might, I would have to go check it out - but there is a warehouse of presents lurking in DC from what I remember hearing on a White House tour.] ---
**Author:** ![Enlightening\_Meditation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@Enlightening\_Meditation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enlightening_Meditation)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/69 "2012-04-22T04:05:42Z")
Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett are the first two I pondered. Teddy Roosevelt might be a kick ass 21st century. I picture him trustbusting the too big to fail oligopoly. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/70 "2012-04-22T11:45:16Z")
Elliot Spitzer. He has a whore problem, but no doubt he would work to clean up corruption. He’d put the fear of God in all those f\*\*\*ers. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/71 "2012-04-22T17:03:41Z")
Elizabeth II. Leads in executive experience, knows how to delegate and manage a political circus, strong sense of duty, used to dealing with idiots (cf. Prince Ph.). Not influenced by trends in US history or politics. Reasonably likely to live another four years, but just in case I’d give her a youngish, enegetic VP: Perhaps B. Obama. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/72 "2012-04-22T17:57:15Z")
Teddy Kennedy 2nd choice- Dennis Kucinich just so we have the First MILF. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/73 "2012-04-22T19:24:03Z")
1. Barack Obama 2. Howard Dean (it would be nice to see someone with a little more fight in him) 3. Russ Feingold 4. Bill Clinton 5. Theodore Roosevelt (just to watch House Republicans’ heads asplode when he pushes a progressive agenda) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/74 "2012-04-22T19:47:03Z")
Golly, what happened to all of John Edwards’ fans? ---
**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 22, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/75 "2012-04-22T20:43:47Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Elizabeth II. Leads in executive experience, knows how to delegate and manage a political circus, strong sense of duty, used to dealing with idiots (cf. Prince Ph.). As an aside, I think Philip is far from an idiot - he certainly doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Indeed, I’m quite sure that a good many of his gaffes are deliberate, to make Brenda look better. I’ve actually met him - _very_ briefly. He didn’t insult me; I was gutted. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/76 "2012-04-22T20:57:57Z")
Paul Wellstone would have made an amazing one, I think. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/77 "2012-04-22T21:16:36Z")
Aldous Huxley ---
**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 22, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/78 "2012-04-22T21:27:24Z")
It’d be tricky to prop him up in the chair. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/79 "2012-04-22T23:41:13Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Teddy Kennedy He’s just the liberal version of Newt Gingrich albeit responsible for negligent manslaughter and a terrorist apologist. I’d take practically any liberal (Jerry Brown, Howard Dean, George McGovern, Eugene McCarthy etc. over him) ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054/80 "2012-04-23T00:01:09Z")
George W. Bush, for sure, just for the laughs. With Dan Quayle as his VP. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-really-like-to-be-president/613054.md?page=5)