Should Presidential Candidates and their VP's Have To Pass a Psych Screening?

[QueenOfCalifornia]

Police have to pass one.
Some private sector jobs require it.
Why do we allow insane people to literally have the power of life or death over us and we do not ask for a simple psychiatric evaluation prior to becoming a candidate?

No, I do not believe that Dubya would pass a psych screening test because after watching him for the last 7+ years that man has no conscience - That goes for Cheney too.

[Avalon6]

1. Are we going to ask them to take a lie detector test also?

There are only three requirements for being president under the constitution. Any other requirement would be unconstitutional.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

2. That's what amendments are for

when Jefferson was writing the Constitution, psych screening was not available.

Lie detectors are not good at catching sociopaths -

[ashling]

19. Jefferson didn't write the constitution

:)

[QueenOfCalifornia]

22. oops

Madison.

Sorry. I knew that.

[ashling]

28. Your getting warmer

Madison had a major inflence, but he didn't "write" the constitution.

[guidod]

12. So electing someone with Alzheimers

disease is OK with you?

[BlooInBloo]

3. The people's power to vote for whomever they choose is one of the few near-absolute powers...

they have. I wouldn't be in favor of limiting that power further.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

4. So...

a person who would not be given a gun and a badge because they are considered dangerous would be okay?

[BlooInBloo]

5. Of course not. The people have the power to vote for all sorts of non-okay folks....

I'm just not in favor of taking away their power in order to solve the problem.

[bluedawg12]

6. No! it would be fraught with misuse and is subjective

Psych evals are largely subjective-- once you get past frank psyhcosis.

Come on---big brother screening candidates on behalf of the people?

[QueenOfCalifornia]

15. frank psychosis

I went to school with that guy!
:rofl:

[bluedawg12]

31. Isn't he the boyking now? ooops. Maybe we should screen? n/t

[hisownpetard]

7. In order to be in the running, Repubs have to *fail* a Psych test.

[ashling]

8. Just how would that work?

[QueenOfCalifornia]

14. How do they

screen police?

I had to have one years ago. It is generally how one responds to questions and reacts to situations.

(yes... I passed. Amazing huh?)

[cloudythescribbler]

9. Who is doing the screening? A "screening" only as good as the objectivity & standards of appliers

Obviously, this sort of thing merely puts psychiatrists in a role in politics that they really have no business exercising. Their power is grossly misused as it is -- and I don't see how screening would likely screen OUT the folk like the Bush dynasty, McCain, or Reagan, if the prevailing standards of the profession are applied in an arm-length way.

[weezy2736]

10. No love for the first other? Shame...

I'd say that it should be an active tool, kind of like a debate or town hall meeting, where it's not required, but it happens anyway. I think putting it into law shouldn't be necessary, but if a politician were to not submit, we would learn still learn a lot from that.

[Lerkfish]

11. speaking realistically, though, any doctor can be bought/intimidated.

into giving a "clean" bill of mental health.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

17. You sound like

you know something.... personal.

Just kidding lerkfish.

I imagine voting machines can be made to do weird stuff too.

[Lerkfish]

24. ?

you're going to have to spell that out a bit more I guess.

"something personal"?

:shrug:

If a yellow cake document can be faked, so can a doctor's report, frankly.

[BklynChick]

13. I think it's a reasonable expectation that a psych evaluation is part of your overall health

screening, so yes.

[Milo_Bloom]

16. Take one yes, passing is subjective.

However, allow the public to interpret the results.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. Those Evaluations Can Be Gamed By A Reasonably Intelligent Person

~

[QueenOfCalifornia]

20. So that

means Dumbya would have flunked.

hands down.

[karynnj]

21. No - consider how it could be manipulated

Who chooses the tester? Consider what a Republican could have done in 2000 or 2004. Both Obama and Kerry, seem to be very stable, emotionally healthy people, who have long histories of working well with others. Both have an unusual ability to remain calm. But (and the reason I included Kerry) imagine a jaundiced evaluator.

In 2004, NYT writer, Jorie Wilgorin, called Kerry a "social loner". When forced to defend it - she said that was her impression after speaing to 20 life long friends. Social loner is NOT a psychological term, but it sounds like one and that was why it was used. (I know I don't have 20 life long friends - and that is the minimum Kerry has - as maybe Wilgorin did not speak to all of them. Kerry was part of rock band and was elected as the head of the Yale political Union for his Junior and Senior years - even though Seniors always won and he was a Democrat in a school with a Republican majority. Not to mention many Navy reports commented on how loyal his crews were.) Meanwhile the frog killer, Freshman brander was not described in negative terms - he was bizarrely described as likable by NYT reporter, Brumiller (who seemed almost a Bush groupie) - which might be true if you are masochistic and like bullies.

Now, I am citing reporters, but it would be worse if it were politically biased Psychologists.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

23. I think I am

a social loner.

I think you make very valid points.

Much appreciated!

[cliffordu]

25. Man those photos are creepy.

:scared:

[harun]

26. No, gives too much power to the tester (n/t)

[seasat]

27. You have to be a little psychotic to subject yourself to what they go through.

You have to have a huge ego so that you don't get beaten down by all the crap thrown at you. You have to have multiple personalities so that you can appeal to several different types of people. You have to be paranoid so that you don't get caught by a Tim Russert in a slip of the tongue. I'd screen them and if they weren't a little off, I'd reject them.

[greguganus]

29. Their star chart should be studied first. n/t

[demokatgurrl]

30. No, I don't want to go down that slippery slope...

before you know it, regular folks like me will have to go through psych screening.

Unfortunatley I am only half kidding. I see it coming, thanks to the "Health" big brothers, along with BMI and cholesterol screenign and nicotine testing.