Is it possible to have a nonpartisan President?

[Green_Lantern]

Someone that conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans will get behind?

What would it take?

I think first you have to separate private money from politics.

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. Nope

Not possible to have a "non-partisan" president without doing away with political partisanship. The only "non-partisan" president was George Washington.

[JaneyVee]

2. They would fall into the political spectrum somewhere I'm sure.

[hifiguy]

3. The only one who came even close in the last hundred years was Ike

and he had his partisan moments. But everyone respected him because of his accomplishments in WW II.

[Cleita]

9. I was just gonna say Ike.

He got elected by promising to end the Korean war. I wonder if another candidate comes along perhaps in 2016 and promises to end the wars we are in and bring in peace, if that person could accomplish that.

[demosincebirth]

11. He once said that his worse mistake was appointing Gov Earl Warren (Ca) as Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court.

[DJ13]

4. That was what Obama tried to be after he was sworn in

It not only energized the opposition who saw him as weak for trying, it alienated his own base that worked to get him elected.

I imagine it could be possible sometime in the future, but not in this polarized environment.

[Green_Lantern]

7. on policy he may have tried to work with them but still...

Any success would've been seen as a victory for Democrats.

[Locut0s]

5. I would argue that things are NOT partisan ENOUGH!...

Consider the views of a lot of right winger nut bags. Ban all abortion, huge increase in racist policies, cut social programs for the poor, no healthcare for the poor, no education for the poor, even laxer gun laws, constitutional ban on gar marriage. Are these the kind of views that we really want to be compromising with? IMHO there really needs to be a viable electable LEFT wing counterpart in the US. Obama is centre right/left at best. He still represents big business far too often and compromises accordingly.

The right wing has elected president after president with a "fuck you I'm doing what my base wants and there's shit all you can do about it" attitude. You know what? They have been successful. This is one page I wish the left would take from the rights playbook. The US needs a strong left president that gets shit done for once!

[Green_Lantern]

6. you are basically saying the Right is too partisan then..

Which I agree.

But everything you described is just ideological differences.

The two sides in US politics are ideologically more alike now than when it was Goldwater vs. LBJ yet the parties are very divided.

Even Republicans who normally may like Obama's policies hate him because he's a Democrat.

[Cleita]

10. I agree.

We need a real liberal in the FDR model to save our country. We could have had a person like that in Howard Dean, but the real powers behind the curtain wouldn't have it and made sure that he would be made to look like a looney.

[slackmaster]

8. Partisanship has polluted the process to the point of no-return

It would take a real leader who isn't controlled by special interests. Someone truly inspiring.