Commentary: Last thing we need now is a great leader

[Bob Hubbard]

By Penn Jillette
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/02/jillette.presidency/index.html

Some highlights:

Everyone I talk to seems to think the president of the United States right now is stupid. The Bush presidency is stupid speeches, stupid high gas prices, stupid bad economy, stupid war on terrorism, stupid war on drugs, stupid hurricane fixing, stupid global warming, stupid war -- stupid, stupid, stupid.
They all seem to think we need to get a smarter guy in the White House fast, and Bush is so stupid, that task shouldn't be too hard.

The idea, especially from the Democrats that I know, is, we just get a smarter guy in the White House, and all the problems will go away. We'll have smart speeches, smart high gas prices, smart bad economy, smart war on terrorism, smart war on drugs, smart hurricanes, smart global warming, smart war in Georgia -- smart, smart, smart.

We need someone stupid enough to understand that the president of the United States can't solve many problems without taking away freedom and therefore shouldn't try. The only reason John McCain scares me a little less is because I think he's a little less likely to win. They both promise a government that will watch over us, and I don't like that.
I don't want anyone as president who promises to take care of me. I may be stupid, but I want a chance to try to be a grown-up and take care of my family. Freedom means the freedom to be stupid, and that's what I want. I don't want anyone to feel my pain or tell me to ask what we can do for our country, or give us all money and take care of us.

I think Ron Paul and Bob Barr mean it when they say they want much smaller government. But the government is already big enough, powerful enough and bipartisan enough (and "bi" means exactly two and no more) that Ron and/or Bob won't even be in the debates. People won't even hear someone suggesting that our president should do less and individual citizens should do more for themselves.

So remember, the only way to waste your vote is to vote!

 

[celtic_crippler]

I wish Pen & Teller would run....then I might vote! I love those guys.

 

[Flying Crane]

The problem with this logic is that there are many problems that only a president working with congress can get us into, and only a president working with congress can get us out of. We need a president willing to deal with these problems in a reasonable way.

 

[celtic_crippler]

The problem with this logic is that there are many problems that only a president working with congress can get us into, and only a president working with congress can get us out of. We need a president willing to deal with these problems in a reasonable way.

You're assuming that there are actually two parties that dominate our political system and that they actually oppose each other.

 

[Makalakumu]

You're assuming that there are actually two parties that dominate our political system and that they actually oppose each other.

Yup, but what does this actually look like? How does it actually affect Americans? Stay tuned for my next essay!

 

[Andrew Green]

I wish Pen & Teller would run....then I might vote! I love those guys.

I want to see them in a debate against the other candidates, that would actually be entertaining