Who's YOUR ideal next President?

[Kodos]

Regardless of electability, what public figure would be your ideal next President of the U.S.? (Please don't mention yourself or some family member.)

[BillJasper]

I honestly don't think it matters who the next President is. I so full of disappointment in the system right now. :(

[korme]

A gay black woman

[Scarecrow]

A gay black woman

Wanda Sykes????

[Suicane75]

I wonder how far away we are from Joe Nobody starting an internet campaign and garnering enough votes to scare the powers that be.

[SackAttack]

Jim Webb.

[molson]

Kodos.

[Kodos]

Kodos.

A desperate choice for desperate times.

[molson]

It's be fascinating to see a true independent with no connection to either party earn the support of the people and become president. I don't know if it would work out in reality though, because then he'd have BOTH parties trying to neuter him.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Well you stole my answer. Honestly, I really truly don't know if I'd be satisfied with anyone that isn't me.

I'm looking at ballotopedia's list of possibilities (had to start somewhere, right?). There are 14 names listed there, I'll mix & match those with ontheissues.org

Immigration is an eliminator / third rail issue.
Drug policy is another.

At this moment, Ben Carson might be the last man standing for me out of the existing field ... and if I dug deep enough I suspect I might be able to eliminate him too.

[sterlingice]

I wonder how far away we are from Joe Nobody starting an internet campaign and garnering enough votes to scare the powers that be.

It might be possible. But the financial barriers seem really hard to overcome for a "nobody", at least outside of the party structure (arguably Obama was mostly a nobody but he was within the party structure)

SI

[larrymcg421]

Regardless of electability? Me!

[albionmoonlight]

Jim Webb.

Agree

[flere-imsaho]

I wonder how far away we are from Joe Nobody starting an internet campaign and garnering enough votes to scare the powers that be.

Arguably this is was Perot did in 1992, in that he did scare the powers that be.

[Kodos]

Regardless of electability? Me!

Would you really want the job?

[Izulde]

Either the Dalai Lama or Pope Francis.

[Izulde]

Note that my answer would require a change to the Constitution, but you did say regardless of electability.

[Buccaneer]

The party opposite of the party controlling the congress.

[JPhillips]

At this moment, Ben Carson might be the last man standing for me out of the existing field ... and if I dug deep enough I suspect I might be able to eliminate him too.

He was our commencement speaker a few years ago. Outside of his politics, he's one of the most thoroughly unlikable men I've ever met. He makes Clinton's ego look small.

[lungs]

Bernie Sanders

[Blackadar]

Someone with an IQ over 50, which eliminates about 90% of the politicians out there (and 99% of the Republican candidates).

----

Frankly, the best thing that could happen would be for someone to put together a middle ground, 3rd party candidacy and win. Not an idiot like Trump, but someone who actually has more brains than toupees. That might just be the wake up call that each party needs to actually start working together again.

My ideal candidate from the last 15 years has been *gasp!!!!* a Republican - Colin Powell. I'd love a Colin Powell/Bernie Sanders ticket. :)

[JPhillips]

I liked Powell a lot more before his bullshit WMD presentation at the U.N.

[Jas_lov]

Someone not beholden to the 2 parties or Corporations/Special interests. He or she only works for the people.

Congress is an even bigger problem. Make elections publicly financed and put a 2 term limit on Congress like the President. Congress should work for the people.

[ISiddiqui]

I tried ballotpedia too (thanks for the idea, JIMG)...

Um, maybe Mark Warner (Chris Christie on the GOP side)

[cartman]

Congress is an even bigger problem. Make elections publicly financed and put a 2 term limit on Congress like the President. Congress should work for the people.

Unfortunately with a two term limit, Congress would end up working even more for the special interest/lobbyists. They would be the ones that would know how to move things through the system, and be the bridges between transition periods.

[Blackadar]

I liked Powell a lot more before his bullshit WMD presentation at the U.N.

Mind you, I'm one who didn't want to go into Iraq in the first place unlike 80% of this country.

I also think Powell screwed the pooch on that one because he knew he was lying about his own misgivings during that speech but he went out like a dutiful soldier and made the case. With that being said, if you go back and look now, it's clear that some important contrary evidence was never presented to Powell. Others in the administration knew it, but they never gave it to him. Whether that was simply "nudge-nudge" plausible deniability or purposely keeping him in the dark is up to interpretation. Remember that Powell only had a few days to see the info before making the speech. It's known that Powell and Cheney didn't see eye-to-eye. I think Cheney set Powell up because Powell was a real threat to him and the rest of the administration - he had far higher ratings than anyone else in it. In short, I think Cheney and George Tennet withheld much of the contrary evidence and let Powell go out there and make a fool of himself - in short, make him the fall guy. Powell would never come right out and say as much - he's always been the soldier - but it's not hard to read it between the lines in some of his interviews.

[JonInMiddleGA]

He was our commencement speaker a few years ago. Outside of his politics, he's one of the most thoroughly unlikable men I've ever met. He makes Clinton's ego look small.

I don't have to drink beer with the man, nor even have lunch in the same zip code with him.

(not invalidating your observation at all, just offering the notion that I may not actually care if I like a sumbitch if he gets his job done)

[Coffee Warlord]

I still think Mitch Daniels would have been a fantastic president.

[TLK]

Cory Booker

[nol]

"The opposite of whomever is actually elected."

- America

[Coffee Warlord]

I'd like to take this moment to officially place my name as a candidate for King of the United States.

[ColtCrazy]

I still think Mitch Daniels would have been a fantastic president.

:banghead: Just don't ask Hoosier teachers to agree with you. :p

[Dutch]

A gay black woman

http://t.fod4.com/t/23018ada16/c480x270_50.jpg
President Duane Elizondo Mountain Dew Hebert Camacho?

[NobodyHere]

I'm going to go with Jack Nicholson

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[CU Tiger]

Jameis Winston - Eeeeef Weee Goin Do Dis Ets Doo EEEet Beeeg

[chinaski]

Elizabeth Warren all the way.

[Julio Riddols]

Elizabeth Warren all the way.

This was going to be my answer. Ideally, we just need someone with such a silk tongue they can convince those who share power with them to work together. I don't know that Warren could be that person, but she at least has the right mindset in my opinion.

[Julio Riddols]

I mean at this point I no longer care what type of president we have, I just want to see things get done in congress that don't require a bunch of bullshit and workarounds and additions and subtractions and neutering just to get passed.

[ISiddiqui]

I mean at this point I no longer care what type of president we have, I just want to see things get done in congress that don't require a bunch of bullshit and workarounds and additions and subtractions and neutering just to get passed.

Sooo... a dictatorship? ;)

[sabotai]

Sooo... a dictatorship? ;)

It worked in Rome!

Well, except that one time...