Presidential Qualifications

[TygrBright]

Disclaimer: I am not advocating, nor would I ever advocate, any kind of 'test' for holding public office beyond those required by the Constitution. This post is merely a set of observations and wishful thinking. Feel free to ignore.

Ideal Qualifications
General qualifications: Maturity of temperament, compassionate, history of ethical and effective public service.

Specific qualifications:

Superior multi-axis and multi-medium communications skills. Knowledge of world history, cultures, current and past economic and political concerns, some language proficiency for communicating with other world leaders and sophisticated audiences. Empathy, clarity, and ability to project sincerity, trustworthiness, and understanding at a second-grade level for communicating with the American electorate.

Superior personnel selection, management, and supervision skills. A deep and well-filled contacts file of highly competent, public-service-oriented individuals experienced in all aspects of public service, governmental operations, and political communications. The ability to delegate with confidence and hold the delegated accountable, as well as taking personal and ultimate responsibility for the establishment and achievement of policy and administrative goals.

Superior analytical and integrative intelligence. Ability to understand complex policies and their interrelationships, perceive how they affect operational outcomes. Ability to articulate and frame complex policy-related goals and communicate them in clear and compelling terms. Ability to prioritize many layers of competing policy and operational goals, identify when priorities can and/or should change, and develop consensus and support for priorities among many competing interests.

Superior negotiation and leadership abilities: Excellent listening skills. Ability to promote understanding and build support for challenging policy goals and administrative objectives across a broad array of competing and conflicting interests. Ability to mediate effectively among people with differing understandings, goals, and strongly-held personal interests in carrying out administrative objectives and political initiatives.

Historical Actual Qualifications
Extensive history of Party leadership, increasingly high-level and publicly-visible offices held without excessive bad publicity/scandal, an established pattern of delivering on negotiated agreements, acceptable management of patronage-related appointments, and demonstrated willingness to work effectively with intra-Party factions in promoting Party interests in midterms and other elections.

Recent Past Apparent Actual Qualifications
Some history of visible office-holding, ability to raise funds effectively for general election, ability to effectively trash primary opponents and win primary elections, high public profile with American electorate.

Current and Near-Future Apparent Actual Qualifications
Skeleton-free closet. No history of public service that can be turned against them by primary opponents or opposition parties or Russian media puppets. High public profile and likability. Some effectiveness at communicating on a second-grade level, some ability to raise buttloads of cash.

There has always been a dichotomy in American electoral politics between those who can be elected to the office, versus those who can effectively fulfill the responsibilities and duties of the office. But we have finally reached the point where those two things are entirely mutually exclusive.

wearily,
Bright

[redstatebluegirl]

1. If wishing made it so.

[HopeAgain]

2. Yeah but Oprah seems really nice and smart...

and has even given away some cars!

[TygrBright]

3. It's not just about Oprah, although that's relevant. n/t

[PJMcK]

4. K & R

Excellent post, TygrBright!

I'd like to suggest a couple of additions. First, financial disclosure of income and tax returns. Severing of all business dealings with assets deposited in a truly blind trust.

Second, the president must be able to read!

That's all I got.

[TygrBright]

5. LOL... Until recently I'd have said "basic literacy" was a given.

And I would certainly HOPE that "ethical public service" would include things like transparency and diligently avoiding the appearance of self-enrichment, even to the point of personal financial sacrifice.

sadly,
Bright

[procon]

6. She's a rich and famous celebrity, too, and just look how well that's worked out! nt

[msongs]

7. uses everything they do as an opportunity to increase their wealth and market their brand nt