10 Comments

I truly wish I could go back in time and kick Reagan in the dick until he died, if only to stop all these idiot celebrities from considering a run for President. You dipshits don't even understand the local politics of your home city, but you're going to run for the highest office in the land.

Please don't. Or if you're serious about serving the people, get involved in local politics, learn what you can do to make life better for your area, and slowly work your way up to President. Learn how politics actually works before you decide you'd make a great President (you won't) and remember, it's about serving your people, not enriching yourself.

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It's not Reagan's fault (to be clear, I'm no fan). he was at least the California governor so he at least had legit Executive experience (in addition to be SAG head for what it was worth) before taking the top job - that's on par with Clinton, Carter, and many others. Previous experience as a governor doesn't make you a good President, but at least there is an understanding of what the job entails.

But beyond that, there is nothing inherently wrong with celebrities running for high office.

The problem , as always, is with voters being shallow and wow'ed by shiny objects which is why these guys think they can win. Once we actually start taking voting seriously we may start getting fewer unserious candidates.

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To build on what Chris said: even before Reagan won California, he had been doing a political radio message thing for General Electric throughout the 1950's. He had serious messaging and ideological chops by 1976. (His policy skills OTOH . . )

Dwayne Johnson has NONE of that.

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Nope. No more celebrity politicians. This isn't a game. These are real people's lives. You don't need to be putting the future of the country at risk for advance your "brand". He seems like a perfectly nice guy. I'm sure he wouldn't do any harm, at least not deliberately. But this isn't about you. I want the smartest, most qualified person in there. Not someone who just wants to "shake things up" because some hillbilly in Bumfuck Nowhere doesn't feel like he's getting enough out of the federal government and blindly believes whatever Fox tells him.

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During the Bush years, Henry Rollins once posed how awesome it would be to vote for your elected officials with the enthusiasm and excitement you have for your favorite musicians and athletes.

When Obama won in '08, I felt like I knew a little bit what he was getting at. But although the original thought was well-intentioned, I now see the folly of it.

Celebrating your favorite politician creates a kind of tribalism that criticism cannot penetrate. We need to remember that politics should not be a popularity contest and that those we elect wield power loaned to them by the consent of the governed.

Celebrity candidates are probably going to have a harder time than most understanding that they are our employees.

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Mencken's sentiment from nearly 100 years ago remains spot on: no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.

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His need to please everyone is not an endearing trait at all.

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Dec 8, 2023·edited Dec 9, 2023

By the very wording, the Strong Man is authoritarian. No matter their political affiliation. Huey Long, George Wallace, to name to two opposites of US Southern history.

For awhile before TFG, American libs kept asking where's the modern Lyndon Baines Johnson? Nevermind that the framing wasn't real; they just wanted a Strong Man to beat the crap out of the do-nothing lumps of flesh in Congress that always said No. Luckily, LBJ wasn't authoritarian. He only got what he wanted when he had a compliant political climate, or some other bastard's nuts in his pocket.

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I need The Rock to stop it. He has zero qualifications outside of being a bland action star with zero chemistry in any movies acting mg against a woman.

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I wish I could only vote for left wing nerds. But I can't.

I'd never vote for a celeb, though. It's just dumb. I mean, I dislike how lawyers are always in politics and dominate it...But I at least get that. Putting celebs in office is a mistake. I mean, Reagan was the devil, FFS.

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