Surrogate Angels of Death

[kpete]

https://www.thecut.com/2019/08/trump-baby-photo-el-paso-shooting.html

[MadDAsHell]

1. I think people started moving on from "President as hero" several decades ago.

I long ago started realizing that given the massive ego it must take to assume you are qualified to run a country of 350 million people, none of these folks who've occupied the Oval Office in my lifetime are particularly good people.

Some are definitely better politicians than others, and some are relatively more moral than others (Drumpf being the worst and Jimmy Carter probably the best), but I think it's silly to assume we have ever had saints in the White House.

You have to walk over a lot of people to climb the mountain that is the US Presidency. To pretend otherwise is naieve, no matter how much we like the individual personality that is shown to the public.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Nobody's speaking about hero presidents. We're talking about

having a president who exhibits normal human emotions, including empathy.

I think all the Democratic presidents in my life time were decent human beings. Despite some of their murderous actions, I also think the Bushes were capable of human interactions and loved their families. I believe Nixon and Reagan were lesser monsters than Kremlin Don.

[Fla Dem]

3. You don't have to be an uncaring, evil person to have a big ego.

Last edited Sun Aug 11, 2019, 01:17 PM - Edit history (1)

If a big ego is defined as self-worth, self confidence, self image, that is not a bad thing to have. I want a leader to have all of these attributes. It will make them a much more effective leader. But one can also have these attributes and still value other people, care for others, support others, make decisions that benefit all. Having a big ego and also being compassionate, empathetic, sympathetic, and supportive are not exclusionary human attributes.

[uponit7771]

4. They are ghoulish