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How depressing that a country of 300+ million individuals has candidates from the same families again and again.

by vixen99 11y ago

jahnu 11y ago
Well, with democracy at least it doesn't take a war to change them.... ... um....
uptown 11y ago
Quora: "Are all the U.S. Presidents related to each other?" https://www.quora.com/Are-all-the-U-S-Presidents-related-to-each-other https://www.quora.com/Are-all-the-U-S-Presidents-related-to-...
- jerf 11y ago
  Followed link, turns out all but one President can be traced to... King John, the one in the Robin Hood story, born December 24, 1166. Which in practical terms translates to "no", they are not related.
  - pcl 11y ago
    Per the link, the exception is Martin Van Buren.
    - CyberDildonics 11y ago
      I would have guessed Obama
matwood 11y ago
Actually the rise of Trump, Carson, and to a lesser extend Fiorina shows that people are tired of the professional politician. Even if Bush or Clinton were the best candidates (I don't think they are), they look to be facing a huge headwind of people tired of the Bushs and Clintons.
- ck2 11y ago
  The rise of Trump and the others simply means people want entertainment, that's all, the usa is turning into idiocracy.
  - jgrowl 11y ago
    I think it could be both. The smart are getting smarter and the dumb are getting dumber.
  - marincounty 11y ago
    I don't know why this comment is being downvotes? I sometimes feel the average voter actually thinks the president has all the power? He/she is just the spoke, maybe a few bearings of the hub, on a big wheel? It kills me when I hear, "Obama hasn't done anything?". Yea, the legislature put on the brakes on everything? (Sorry about the mechanical metaphors--spent the weekend under a truck.) A few years ago someone/group did a study, and concluded most voters literally don't know who's the best candidate? (Basically saying, the average voter is to--simple--to vote for the best person.) I think about that study often? I'll admit, I don't know who's the best candidate for this country. It's basically a craps shoot? What I really take seriously is, "What kind of judges will this presidential candidate put in office, if elected?" And I know, history has shown that liberal/conservative candidates can go in opposite directions once they get into office. I just hope for the best?
    - matwood 11y ago
      How can a study say voters do not know who the best candidate is when best is subjective? The problem is politics is a lot like religion where logic leaves the room in favor of polarizing opinions. You mention that Obama does not have all the power so it is not his fault that some things were not done, yet there are people still blaming Bush for everything under the sun 7-8 years later. The difference I have from who you replied to is that I think yes people are smarter and tired of career politicians. They know DC is screwed up and that no side is any better than the other (anyone who thinks Bush/Cheney had all sorts of back door dealings for their friends can in no way support Hillary). They all just want to consolidate power and help our their friends. That is where someone like Trump comes in. He's out there, but he's not them.
happyscrappy 11y ago
I hope it is Bernie Sanders vs. Donald Trump. Not because I like Trump but because it would make Sanders more likely to win.
JustSomeNobody 11y ago
Ah, but the pool isn't really 300+ million. It takes a person with the qualities of a lawyer, used car salesperson, con artist and book maker to even consider running. I guess this is why many (even intelligent) people think that their favorite candidate is honest.
ck2 11y ago
Right because two sons of a president being a president is exactly the same as a non-blood relation of a president becoming president. The entire Bush family (and it's rather big) is in politics, except the women. How many Clintons are in politics?
- Lawtonfogle 11y ago
  Pretty close when you compare the odds and consider the total pool of who could be president. As in 'so close without a microscope I would call them identical'.
zxcvcxz 11y ago
That's why I think we should elect officials on a local level, then send the winner to state to compete against the other local winners in the state, then on to the national level. After the local level everything is funded by taxes and highly regulated to attempt to give everyone a fair chance. I think it would highly diversify the elections and give the people more of a sense of power. A local election is a lot easier to run than a national one.
protomyth 11y ago
Its not exactly a new thing. The 2nd and 6th US Presidents were a father-son combo. The 23rd President was the grandson of the 9th. Multiple Presidents were cousins of other Presidents. But for assassination, a tragic accident, and the moral judgement of a hyena[1], there might have been three President Kennedy brothers and one son. 1) leaving a girl to suffocate in a car underwater didn't end his political career but probably cost him the Presidency - that is what's sad in American politics

How depressing that a country of 300+ million individuals has candidates from the same families again and again.

by vixen99 11y ago

How depressing that a country of 300+ million individuals has candidates from the same families again and again.

jahnu 11y ago

Well, with democracy at least it doesn't take a war to change them.... ... um....

uptown 11y ago

Quora: "Are all the U.S. Presidents related to each other?" https://www.quora.com/Are-all-the-U-S-Presidents-related-to-each-other https://www.quora.com/Are-all-the-U-S-Presidents-related-to-...

jerf 11y ago
Followed link, turns out all but one President can be traced to... King John, the one in the Robin Hood story, born December 24, 1166. Which in practical terms translates to "no", they are not related.
- pcl 11y ago
  Per the link, the exception is Martin Van Buren.
  - CyberDildonics 11y ago
    I would have guessed Obama

matwood 11y ago

Actually the rise of Trump, Carson, and to a lesser extend Fiorina shows that people are tired of the professional politician. Even if Bush or Clinton were the best candidates (I don't think they are), they look to be facing a huge headwind of people tired of the Bushs and Clintons.

ck2 11y ago
The rise of Trump and the others simply means people want entertainment, that's all, the usa is turning into idiocracy.
- jgrowl 11y ago
  I think it could be both. The smart are getting smarter and the dumb are getting dumber.
- marincounty 11y ago
  I don't know why this comment is being downvotes? I sometimes feel the average voter actually thinks the president has all the power? He/she is just the spoke, maybe a few bearings of the hub, on a big wheel? It kills me when I hear, "Obama hasn't done anything?". Yea, the legislature put on the brakes on everything? (Sorry about the mechanical metaphors--spent the weekend under a truck.) A few years ago someone/group did a study, and concluded most voters literally don't know who's the best candidate? (Basically saying, the average voter is to--simple--to vote for the best person.) I think about that study often? I'll admit, I don't know who's the best candidate for this country. It's basically a craps shoot? What I really take seriously is, "What kind of judges will this presidential candidate put in office, if elected?" And I know, history has shown that liberal/conservative candidates can go in opposite directions once they get into office. I just hope for the best?
  - matwood 11y ago
    How can a study say voters do not know who the best candidate is when best is subjective? The problem is politics is a lot like religion where logic leaves the room in favor of polarizing opinions. You mention that Obama does not have all the power so it is not his fault that some things were not done, yet there are people still blaming Bush for everything under the sun 7-8 years later. The difference I have from who you replied to is that I think yes people are smarter and tired of career politicians. They know DC is screwed up and that no side is any better than the other (anyone who thinks Bush/Cheney had all sorts of back door dealings for their friends can in no way support Hillary). They all just want to consolidate power and help our their friends. That is where someone like Trump comes in. He's out there, but he's not them.

happyscrappy 11y ago

I hope it is Bernie Sanders vs. Donald Trump. Not because I like Trump but because it would make Sanders more likely to win.

JustSomeNobody 11y ago

Ah, but the pool isn't really 300+ million. It takes a person with the qualities of a lawyer, used car salesperson, con artist and book maker to even consider running. I guess this is why many (even intelligent) people think that their favorite candidate is honest.

ck2 11y ago

Right because two sons of a president being a president is exactly the same as a non-blood relation of a president becoming president. The entire Bush family (and it's rather big) is in politics, except the women. How many Clintons are in politics?

Lawtonfogle 11y ago
Pretty close when you compare the odds and consider the total pool of who could be president. As in 'so close without a microscope I would call them identical'.

zxcvcxz 11y ago

That's why I think we should elect officials on a local level, then send the winner to state to compete against the other local winners in the state, then on to the national level. After the local level everything is funded by taxes and highly regulated to attempt to give everyone a fair chance. I think it would highly diversify the elections and give the people more of a sense of power. A local election is a lot easier to run than a national one.

protomyth 11y ago

Its not exactly a new thing. The 2nd and 6th US Presidents were a father-son combo. The 23rd President was the grandson of the 9th. Multiple Presidents were cousins of other Presidents. But for assassination, a tragic accident, and the moral judgement of a hyena[1], there might have been three President Kennedy brothers and one son. 1) leaving a girl to suffocate in a car underwater didn't end his political career but probably cost him the Presidency - that is what's sad in American politics