Americans are dissatisfied with their democracy, according to numerous polls. Consider a YouGov poll from last year in which three in five adults–that's 59 percent–which is in line with a global trend that has shown that democracies are in decline.
Naturally, a lot of this dissatisfaction comes down to a belief that the leaders of the country do not have the interests of the average American at heart.
So who should run for President of the United States? It's a divisive topic, especially since 2016, when then-candidate Donald Trump emerged victorious and sparked fears that the country would see a rightward shift in policymaking that would endanger the rights of women and minority groups.
However, neither political party has done a good job of inspiring much of the American electorate to vote for them, as evidenced in some of the comments below.
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor Left-End9148 asked the online community,
"Who would you like to see run for President of the United States in 2024?"
"Someone in their 40s who has the mental capacity to surround themselves with the right talent and actually has the common people in mind."
Julian_c_1989
Following the trend of electing older candidates they would have to exhume someone from their grave. They can’t get much older, do they?
"This is really nothing..."
"I think it’s quite telling of how bad the current political landscape is that most people responding in this thread can only give conditions of things they wouldn’t want to see anymore rather than actual candidates."
"This is really nothing against the people in this thread though because honestly I can’t think of a truly good candidate I’d want to see running either. It just shows how sh*tty our options are."
MadScrambler
It really is one of my main criteria. I would like to retire someday. These ancient politicians who apparently want to work until they die do not represent people like me.
"If you are or will pass..."
"If you are or will pass average life expectancy in your term I don’t want you to run."
EpsteinPeninsula
Sounds like this is a common complaint. In case you didn't know, Dianne Feinstein is 88.
Yes, you read that correctly. 88.
"Senator Palpatine seems like a good, honest and well intentioned man who loves our country."
[deleted]
He's not Valorum, and that's enough for me!
"I think nobody..."
"I think nobody should be able to officially run for President till August 2024. No campaign ads till then. Campaign season should be 3 months long, not 2 years."
RagingAnemone
They also need to pass a much more difficult cognitive exam.
"Anyone touting..."
"Anyone touting single transferable vote / ranked voting. I'm sick of a strictly two-party system."
[deleted]
Thanks, first past the post voting system! You're exhausting.
"Anyone not owned..."
"Anyone not owned by corporations."
[deleted]
With how much power and influence they have over influencing campaigns I imagine this would be the biggest hurdle to overcome.
"Somebody who isn't accepting..."
"Somebody who isn't accepting money from billionaires and corporate interests."
kingjuicebox
These people usually have to bow out of the primaries after like 2 weeks because they ran out of money for advertising.
3--1415926535
"Moreover, he's managed to be..."
"I'm just going to say Andy Beshear, the current governor of Kentucky. He had only been in office for 3 or so months when the pandemic hit and for the most part he handled it very well, while also bringing a lot of transparency to the office, doing a great job working to unify the state as best as he can, and he seems like a genuinely good person."
"Like any politician or person there are things to criticize no doubt, but he seems very legitimately humble and interested in doing what's best for people rather than what's popular."
"Moreover, he's managed to be a democrat governor in a primarily republican state, and while there are plenty who dislike him for his politics, I think he's done a very good job trying to make sure every Kentuckian feels they matter."
ZacPensol
Congrats on being the first person to actually answer the damn prompt and identify a real person.
"Someone who makes me feel like I did in 2008 when I felt like I was voting for someone and not against someone else."
stolenfires
The dream, huh?
It's hard to imagine any single candidate (especially a realistic candidate) who could possibly fix the system or even remotely represent the interests of the average American. I think what you see in this thread is a symptom of that exasperation.
Have some thoughts of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
@lpeterp/Bluesky
@FPWellman/X
@bobsbeatgmail.com5/Threads