What is the role of the president?

[joseftu]

Joe, if you think Hillary is the person you've been waiting for to really LEAD this country, then I can respect that, even though I heartily disagree.
But, if you simply think she's the most 'electable', then I don't think your values are 'strict' enough. ;)
The person I've been waiting for? Not hardly. But I do think more of her than just most electable. I think she'd be a good leader. I think she'd work to implement policies that we need, that would help make America a better country. I think she'd be worthy of my vote, and I wouldn't have to hold my nose to vote for her. And, yes, she's more electable than other candidates who I might like better.

I don't think our system is set up to produce, or ever was intended to produce, perfect leaders. Democracy doesn't work that way--it really can't. To get perfect leaders, you need divine monarchs...and we've all seen how little success that method produces!

A good president, a good leader, can really lead, probably not with capital letters, though! We've seen presidents who lead this country (not in recent years--not for decades, actually). But presidents who really LEAD this country? I don't think that's what a president can do. Hell, look at the word itself. A president presides--it's a totally different root than "leader" (not that etymology is necessarily destiny). Look at the other term we use for the president, too--she's the chief executive. She executes the will of the people. I think that if we're looking for a capital-letter LEADER of this country, the president is never going to be that person. It's not the nature of that role. (And people who can really do that LEADING--Dr. King springs immediately to mind--generally have no interest in running for president, and couldn't be elected.)

(EDIT--Moderators, I was thinking as I wrote this, and don't have it all worked out. Could we have this post start a separate thread? What is the role of the president?)

[ethics]

Split from Clinton messing up stats thread.

[joseftu]

Thanks, ethics, for the split.

Guys, I'm hoping this can be a thread about the role of the president in general--what should she be like? What should he do? Just how important is that position?...

So please, while I can't hope to dictate the course of the thread ;), I'm asking not to make it about why Hillary would be a terrible president, or Tancredo a fantastic one, or vice versa. Can we keep it on the philosophical level? :)

[Piobaireachd]

- Figure head
- Welcome dignitaries
- Golf
- Fish

Think of Ike...

:P

[ShinyTop]

Our leader, our president, should not be about implementing policies he/she thinks we need, they should be about implementing policies the country thinks we need. If the leader's opinion and the country's are different the leader has the opportunity to change our minds, but they should not be about imposing their will.

[Arc]

First of all you must have the respect of the majority of people—as much as a politician can. No matter how good of president or anything you are if your “troops” are not behind you then your effectiveness is very limited.

The president has to be personally a genuinely likeable and congenial person. By being so they will greatly enhance their working relationship with the opposing party in congress and with certain global leaders. The best things get done on a personal level, even if they are official business.

They must not micro manage. They must pick excellent support staff and cabinet members and freely delegate. They need to be flexible and realistic and open seeing when they are wrong and taking corrective action even if they may have to at times eat some crow. If they are good in the other ways I am talking about they will get by OK. But if they are ineffective or unpopular they will be forced into not being flexible or change.

They should be good at prioritizing and compromise.

The president should be an excellent communicator such as JFK or in his own way Reagan. (There hasn’t been a president since JFK that has even come close to being in his league as an all around communicator. Did you know that JFK was far and away the most popular modern American president around the world by a wide margin?

The nature of our government dictates that his greatest influence and power is in foreign relations, not domestic. His domestic powers are pretty much limited to appointments and off the top of my head judges and SC justices are the only place the president can make big domestic long term impacts. IMO regarding SCOTUS the president should strive for a minimal type of balance on SCOTUS. There should be a lot of 5-4 votes. Certainly it is quite reasonable and fair for him to favor a majority court with justices that share is judicial philosophy whether is left, right, or moderate.

The president should lead by example and where due be generous in their praise. Some might be surprised by the importance of this.

I have worked for or around many powerful and successful leaders. And among the most successful they ALL shared one common trait. They made sure that no matter how much credit they got that they told their “employees” that none of the great or good things they had done or for which they received praise could have been done without the help, work, and dedication of each staff member or worker.

They should have a very positive approach in general to all things.

The president should build strong relationships everywhere. (That personal thing again.)

Sorry forgot something I think is genuinely important. It is an opinion that was strongly shared by JFK. All president's should have as a standing policy and priority--a Star Trek Federation Prime Directive almost, to do everything possible to keep us out of war. That isn't always possible and my opinion is not in reaction to Bush or Iraq--just to be clear.