Should the criteria of who can run for US president be changed?

Clearly the current system is not the problem. The people have the right to want a bad candidate. They got the worst I could imagine. But that’s their right.

If they want to vote in a terrible candidate, they can.

Therefore, I can only conclude that the masses who voted for him were either wealthy, racist,sexist, or ill informed-dumbasses.

Criteria change won’t change the fact there are many idiots here.

I’d say no.

Although, if your rules were in place maybe I wold have had Hillary as my president 8 years ago.

The problem with that is it automatically creates a ruling class. Those without degrees will always be ruled by those with degrees.

America is, theoretically, a place where anyone could be elected into office, and for good reason. Unfortunately, it’s also a place where anyone could be elected into office.

America is great because anyone could be elected President. Thanks to this possibility there are now millions of young Americans that do believe that even they too could be President whose only obstacle for running for President is turning 35 years old.

Yes.

Foreign born people should be eligible.

So Jeremy Clarkson may run here.

No. It’s the people’s choice so they can decide who they want and who they don’t want. I do wish so many candidates/presidents were not politicians, were that possible.

Marketing?

@SecondHandStoke If foreign born people were eligible, we’d be talking about President-elect Schwarzenegger today.

@JLeslie You would still have been blessed by having President Obama.

Hell no. Economics is a form of mental illness, and marketing helps them lie.

They should however be required to know basic geography, civics, diplomacy, literacy, and current events. Oh, and some ecology and climate science.

@zenvelo My mistake. I wasn’t adding in his time in politics on a more local level in IL.

Education does not help you become a good person. One can be an academic and still be a bigot, a racist, lyric chain breaker, or any type of a bad person in general.

That’s exactly the establishment the voters were directly rebelling against.
Fuck knows what candidates will line up next, rule no one out & shudder as you think on it.

I really can’t agree that this mentality that anyone can be president is a good idea. You don’t have this mentality for any other occupation. It seems to me the criteria for running a country ought to be higher not lower.

No but with one exception: Their campaigns must only be funded from a pool set aside and paid for with taxes. No outside funding is allowed under any circumstance and each candidate has the same budget to work with.

@NerdyKeith . I don’t agree with it either. But that’s the system. The voters are supposed to be informed enough to weed out unqualified candidates.

Isn’t that class discrimination?
The current president, if he had not jumped from Occidental to Columbia his junior year, might not have fit your criteria.
Shame on you.

@Josie, I completely disagree with you. My criteria that I suggest is not based on class it is based on educational qualifications. The same as every other high paying job. If you want to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher etc, you need qualifications relevant to the job. There is no reason why the same high standard cannot be enforced for the position of president of the United States of America.

At the very least there ought to be some level of political experience, an education in law, some understanding of economics. If you are the head of a country, you should have to know how the law works. This shouldn’t even be a point that is necessary to make. Its so blatantly obvious that this should be a requirement.

If you want to make an argument that third level educational institutions are too elitist and classist, I’m completely with you there. I would fully support a reduction of college fees and easier access to scholarships. But just simply because the education system is designed for the rich is not a justification to have little or no significant requirements to run for president. It is the most important role a person can fill in your country and there is such little criteria in order to apply for it. It boggles the mind.

And yes, Trump would not be applicable to run for president if such criteria were in place. That is exactly the point. There is no need to entertain the unqualified. If you you can’t apply for a job as a waiter without experience, why should it be different when running for president? Makes zero sense and is simple irresponsible to allow such madness in my view.

@NerdyKeith Our requirements to be President are simple…be at least 35 years old, a natural born citizen and lived here at least 14 years. Been that was since the constitution was written. Seems to have worked out pretty well for us….richest most powerful country in the world.

@NerdyKeith Do you have those requirements to be Prime Minister? Does any country?

@Cruiser . We’re also the most hated country in the world. Will Trump change that? I’m guessing no….

@MrGrimm888 and what fact(s) do you base your comment on?? Can you substantiate your own thoughts there in anyway? I get it you are upset Hillary lost, but get a grip. World leaders around the world are recognizing the significance of Trumps election…perhaps in time so will you.

^Trump really pulled the wool over some people’s eyes. Wow…

It’s a significant election alright.

I wasn’t a hillary fan. I think my biggest surprise was that the Republicans have the majority.

But if you don’t think Trump will stir the shit, I can’t imagine you’ve heard him talk…

I don’t have a poll to show who the most hated country is. Who do you think is hated more than the US?

@MrGrimm888 Of course I have heard Trump talk…I consider myself smart enough to be able to determine what is functional discourse from Donald and what is pure hubris to keep the cameras focused on him as opposed to his opponent. If you missed that nuance during the campaign then you missed out on a lot of knee slapping chuckles at the expense of the ratings hungry media and gullible voters. If you took Trump for his word during the campaign then I say shame on you….if he then pulls the same stunts as President…then the shame will all be on him. Time to get real, get serious is now. Like Hillary said give Trump a chance… a noose whatever suits you and see what he does.

^You keep bringing up what Obama, Hillary, and other world leaders are saying in concession.

Those are examples of people with dignity, trying to be respectful and unifying, in such dire times. The streets are choked with protesters. They’re trying to keep things from getting worse. Trying to stop riots everywhere. That’s the origin of their rhetoric. Not their respect for Trump.

Do you think if Hillary won Trump would man up like that?

He pretty much came out and said he wouldn’t accept a loss. Said he would sue everyone. Called out voter fraud before the first votes were cast.

He would still be kicking and screaming if he didn’t win. Not being a man,and telling everyone else to give Hillary a chance.

Your odd interpretation of Trump’s rhetoric as some ingenious scheme is alarming to me. He’s no genius. His words were in context .

His stated agendas are lunacy, and he never once gave a remotely clear answer of how he planned to implement any of them.

The fact that you were led onto the rocks by his song is disturbing at best. At least I have a small glimmer of hope that the deception you fell for is the reason many others voted for him. And that the country isn’t simply half racist.

I’m a pessimist , but I’m rarely wrong about people. Hopefully, in this case ,I’m VERY wrong.

@MrGrimm888 With all due respect, you must not be reading what I write because if you did, you would be acutely aware of my views on Trump. I never wanted Trump to be our President….I simply did not want Hillary or Bernie to be our President and NOT because they are Democrats. They were simply not of the right caliber to run our country the way I feel felt it needed to be under the circumstances our country is now facing. It is crazy beyond crazy to think Trump is a better choice but that is just how I feel about how lousy of a job Obama and the Democrats have run our country the last 8 years that yes…even a Trump could and should do a better job.

^Obama was hamstrung by an obstructionist congress. The majority of which were reelected.

The Democrats didn’t ‘run’ anything.

The Republicans almost destroyed the world with GW in office. Obama had the unfortunate task of putting out his fires without the help of any Republicans. Republicans dragged their feet on every issue. That hindrance has been largely ignored for some reason.

Obama could have been our nation’s greatest leader,if he wasn’t dragging the Republican party like a stubborn anchor…

What ,in your opinion, was Obama’s greatest failure?

Did the Republicans have anything to do with it?

Ok @MrGrimm888 then please explain to me how on earth Obamacare got passed. Plus I will add no President since H.W. Bush has passed more legislation than Obama.

Obama’s greatest failure was two fold. Doubling the National Debt when he campaigned over the massive debt left behind by Bush and second, as a black leader failing to heal the racial divide in this country when, just my opinion, he made that divide much greater and at a level we have not seen since 1964. The list of unfulfilled campaign promises Obama made is long and so will Trumps list when he leaves office.

^I’m going to forget that you conveniently neglected to mention the Republicans role in any of this,and focus on one thing.

You’re essentially blaming Obama for racial tensions in America? !!!!!

What was he supposed to do, jump in front of Police bullets, when they shoot unarmed black people? Personally stop a white guy from shooting 9 people in a black church with the intention of starting a race war?

Should he have lied, and told America there is nothing to be mad about?

You can’t be serious!

If your kid gets shot by a black cop for no reason, are you going to blame Trump?

@MrGrimm888 Having been mugged twice by black thugs for simply being white and an easy target, I held hope that our first black President would lead the way to healing the wounds of racism in our country. Let me ask you…is racism better or worse today in the US today than it was 8 years ago when Barack took office? Why?

A big part might be expecting the victims of institutional racism to cure society. It’s not the responsibility of black people to end racism.

You get mugged, and blame the President because he’s the same color as the people who mugged you.

Congrats, you’re racist.

I really never understood why anyone thought Obama would heal racism and “fix” race problems, or more specifically help the black community more than a white president.

I understand he represents for black people that they too can be president, or anything they want. I also understand why people thought or hoped he would spend time or maybe have a special task force addressing black America or monitoring issues, but honestly, I don’t remember him ever really talking or promising that. It was an assumption a lot of Americans made I think.

See, Obama is simply a successful American in my mind. Not black, or white, or male or female. He got a law degree from Harvard! He has had a strong work ethic. He seems to be a good, committed, responsible father and husband. His success is what brings most Americans success, Commitment and hard work, regardless of race. That’s what he is an example of. He puts on a suit, conforms, is polite, and is prepared.

What should he have done for the black community? How? The most I can see is education in black neighborhoods, K-12, vocational and college level, and offering help with birth control, parenting programs, and also keeping a watch for racism in the country. That can be done by a white president too.

Obama did an assload of community development work on the south side of Chicago when he was working there. Community development is just that – a community issue. You can’t have the President of the country put in charge of fixing the projects everywhere. He had shit to do, like catching Bin Laden and fixing the unemployment crisis and working on getting more Americans necessary healthcare in the face of an obstructionist Congress.

He’s the President, he’s not Albus goddamn Dumbledore with a magic anti-racist wand.

I will give Obama credit where credit is due, I think he opened a door that will not be shut again. I blame the media for the regression into a larger racial divide. That one is on them and we should be furious about it.

^^I think the American people themselves showed the door is open. I think it still is.

I agree the media fucks up a lot of things including this recent election. Including saying the people who called Obama Muslim were using that as a code to mean blackman (bullshit!). They are so out of touch with people it’s stunning. This morning Bernie Dandwrs said most Trump supporters aren’t racist awful people. Too bad democrats weren’t saying that the last 6 months. Instead all they did was offend and distance themselves from a large portion of the population.

@Cruiser . Race issues are worse now. Because of police shooting unarmed black people on camera mainly. And people like yourself want Obama to tell black people to not be mad. Guess what, there’s plenty to be mad about.

Sorry to tell you that you weren’t mugged because you were white. Desperate poor people do desperate things .

By your logic black people should hate white people. You can’t hate a race of people for the actions of a minority of their people.

You’ve been claiming that you and Trump’s supporters aren’t racist. But everything you say suggests otherwise.

I suggest you take a LONG look at your views, because your comments, and those of Trump’s supporters ARE racist.