this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2025
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politics

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(page 2) 50 comments
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[–] mrmanager@lemmy.today 9 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

Americans dont really know how to judge a persons character... Look at the choices for the last few decades... They have all been horrible people, except maybe Joe Biden who was unable to function instead.

Yes, Jon seems like a good person but I dont think good people are attracted to career politics. Its for the snakes and the lizards.

But yeah, he would be a good fit if he wanted to sacrifice his happiness for that role. I think he is way too smart for that.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

In many ways you NEED a snake or lizard to navigate actual politics. Actual politics is dealing and wheeling and backroom negotiations. It's exerting will and influence and collecting power in the form of favors, voting blocs, coalitions and all manner of social complexity that shrewd, even narcissistic people absolutely exceed at.

This doesn't mean they have to be evil but you have to have someone who naturally enjoys playing dirty or skirting the rules and is capable of self-promotion. Of course Trump is all of these things and why he's been effective at passing policy... stupid, shitty policy, but he has enough political capital that the GOP falls over themselves to suckle at his saggy teets. He's been setting this up for decades.

But what a lot of people who aren't following politics don't realize is Obama and every other president was the same. They were all self-important, hubristic and "scummy" in their own regards.

For example, I don't like Gavin Newsom at all, but he would probably be a highly effective president when it comes to pushing and passing policy. John Stewart might go in with ideals and goals, and get immediately sidelined and made into a lame-duck by not being able to leverage votes in house and senate or being unwilling to play ball and make sacrifices to get gains later. This is what it means to be an effective president and I don't see anyone really who has both the will and the sauce.

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[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Just an interesting observation I've had about the comments here: everyone against this is misspelling his name

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 7 points 15 hours ago

Nothing scares the right more than Jon Stewart. He made Tucker Carlson quit his job and stop wearing bow ties, lol.

[–] ZombieMantis@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago
[–] ToadOfHypnosis@lemmy.world 35 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (7 children)

I don’t think Stewart has any desire to run for President honestly.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 10 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

"The major problem, one of the major problems, for there are several, with governing people is that of who you get to do it. Or, rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well known and much lamented fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made president should on no account be allowed to do the job."

If we must have leaders, then, the corollary to Adams' Law must follow: presidents should be drafted.

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[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 13 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”

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[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 5 points 17 hours ago

No sane capable person would. That's why all the people that make it there are there for the power or the money.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 7 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Nor should he. He's also too smart to want to trade his retirement years for becoming by default one of the most hated people in the world. This is more celebrity cult worship but from the other side.

Can we please start trying to elect qualified people instead of popular faces.

[–] obsoleteacct@lemmy.zip 4 points 16 hours ago

There is no such thing as a qualified US presidential candidate. There's no job, or training, or comparable experience that can ready a person for that role. Anyone who honestly thinks they are the most capable person in the world to assume control of the largest military and the largest economy that has ever existed should immediately be disqualified from the role. You'd have to be a madman to think that. But that's all we ever get.

There's no indication that a senator, governor, or vice president makes a better president than someone with no political experience (of which there have been 6). In fact, coming through that system seems to teach people to make peace with corruption, bribery, complacence, and protecting the status quo at it's worst.

As much as I hate Donald Trump's policy, and flagrant disregard for the law, it would be hard to argue that his experience as a narcissistic game show host hasn't proven more effective at the day to day politics of implementing his policy than almost any other president of the last 40 years. It's hard to keep up with how fast he's getting disastrous shit (that we voted for) done.

And he's only in office today because 50 years of "qualified" stuffed shirts have wrung all the money, opportunity, and hope out of the middle class. Then the "qualified" people told America to vote for a clearly senile "qualified" candidate.

[–] ebolapie@lemmy.world 21 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

That's what would make him good at the job

[–] korazail@lemmy.myserv.one 12 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah. The real problem with power is that the people best suited to wield it don't seek it out.

Running for president should automatically disqualify you...

[–] ebolapie@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.

Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

[–] 5too@lemmy.world 4 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

He's always expressed an active disinterest... but in the interview the article's talking about, he brought up the possibility of "the right reality host" taking over the Democratic party on his own. Then didn't deny it or push back when the interviewer asked if he meant himself.

That's the most positive I've heard him be about the possibility.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 5 points 17 hours ago

Colbert. I'm pretty sure he meant Colbert.

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[–] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 16 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

So finaly, you will get Stewart instead of King

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[–] DontRedditMyLemmy@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Just have him be White House Spokesperson. Perfect role for him.

[–] GreenShimada@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Exactly this.

The Dems are so bereft of charismatic folks in their ranks because their own internal power-squabbling and pressure between dusty old skeletons to keep themselves in office, that anyone who HAS the skill set has had to spend that time in the entertainment industry at best. They're so dogmatic about internal "it's your time" protocols that they would rather sink AOC and Bernie forever so that the political equivalent of Assistant Regional Managers can get promoted to Regional Manager.

Both parties are broken to shit, and this is why Dems aren't doing a single thing to fight anything, they expect to just sit back and have it handed to them later. It'll be too late by then. We need an entire wave of new blood. Fuck this 2-party system.

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