It takes an enormous amount of chutzpah to run for President

[MineralMan]

Most people, even most Senators, Governors, House members, etc. feel as though they have accomplished an enormous thing by being elected to those positions in government. Running for President puts a person in the unenviable position of being microscopically examined by everyone, from the media to opponents. You are certain to have everything you have ever done discovered and revealed to the public during the process of trying to win the highest office in the country.

It doesn't necessarily take vast amounts of ego, even though very often the people who run do have a very high opinion of themselves. What it does demand is the ability to withstand endless shots in your direction and to encounter massive criticism and even hatred. It also requires vast confidence in yourself, something most people don't have in sufficient quantity.

It doesn't necessarily require hard core principles of fairness nor endless dedication to the public good. We've certainly seen plenty of evidence in some of our Presidents, even very recently. It needn't demand a soul that craves power, either. Jimmy Carter is an excellent example of a President who did not seek unlimited power during his all too brief time in office.

The enormously huge numbers of people who don't have what it takes to carry out a presidential campaign is evidence that is not something most individuals strive for. From the lowly school board member and the city councilman to the Attorney General of some flyover state or the member of any state's legislature, people hold elected offices without ever even entertaining the idea of running for President ever in their lives.

When I look at presidential candidates, I think about all those people who will never run, despite perhaps having the potential to do an outstanding job of it if they did. Then, I look for a candidate who is running out of a sense of duty or purpose or ideals, and who will not use the job as a means of advancing their own personal wealth or fame.

In Barack Obama, I remember seeing such a candidate. He succeeded in winning that office, possibly because others were looking for the same combination of character and strength that I am looking for. In 2020, I see Joe Biden as a similar candidate. Somewhat self-effacing but confident. A student of our unusual history and principles. A man with a keen sense of fairness, justice, and a tendency toward cooperative decision making.

I hope Joe Biden becomes our 46th President. I think he'd do a good job and become a President we remember with satisfaction and pleasure.

[msongs]

1. everyone is wrong but me is good for ego but not for winning nt

[MineralMan]

2. That's true, and I think the electorate agrees, usually.

I'd like to think that 2016 was an aberration in our history. I certainly hope so.