In America, ANY well connected multi-millionaire can be president, & that sucks.

[Philosoraptor]

I remember when my 4th grade teacher taught us about how anyone in America could grow up to be the president, even me. My parents backed the teacher up, they told me that's what was so great about America, and that's why we don't have kings and queens. Any citizen could run for president and get elected, we pick one every four years so we'll always have representative government or some idealistic nonsense.

Would that it were so, but it ain't, you cannot be the president unless you are wealthy beyond any citizen's wildest dreams, and you must know important and influential people.

It'll be fun to watch the bloomberg effect, he doesn't even NEED our donations, just like mitt romney, just like the bush's.

[ixion]

1. I was just thinking the same thing, based on the story about candidates not wanting to

release their tax returns.

It occurred to me that the reason is probably that the don't want everyone to know that they live in a far different world than the rest of us.

[global1]

2. How About A Gates/Oprah Ticket.?........nt

[Philosoraptor]

3. Trump/Turner?

[Zensea]

4. This is not true

In order to be president you must be a well connected multi-millionaire.
That is not the same thing as saying that any well connected multi-millionaire can be president.

Simple elementary logic.

[canetoad]

5. Of course it does

because it automatically means that their priority is wealth creation and not social justice.

That, and my natural distrust of any bastard who wishes to legislate their fellow human beings. I've never consider politicians any more than paid office workers. There is no ISO standard to judge their wisdom, (and ain't that a fine word. Try defining 'wisdom' without actually using the word 'wisdom'), their aptitude for the job, their adaptability, tolerance etc. Nope, just enought cash to buy and effective campaign of quasi-hypnotic sound and visual grabs.

[Lobster Martini]

6. Still waiting for the Bill Gates/Paul Allen ticket

There can't be that much difference between running a large organization that completely disregards inconvenient laws, is distainful of public opinion, and has the clout to get pretty much anything it wants--and running Microsoft.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. There is precedent for millionaire presidents:

Theodore Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
John F. Kennedy
George H.W. Bush

[Philosoraptor]

8. The founding fathers were millionaires by today's standard.

[global1]

9. And As A Kid I Purposely Walked 10 Miles To School And Did My Homework ......

in front of a fire - because I wanted to be President. Wow - my hopes are dashed now.

I have to rethink this and see what I can do now to become a multimillionaire/kabillionaire.

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. There also have been Presidents with humble backgrounds like Truman, LBJ, and Clinton

[Orsino]

11. No. Only VERY well-connected millionaires!

They will squeeze out anyone else.