Rock Star President

When someone dies, it is easy to point out some nice things about a guy, which I did below in bringing up Gerald Ford's fiscal restraint. It can also be pointed out that Ford, as a veteran Congressional leader, was probably better-informed on the pressing issues than any President in my lifetime; he was certainly more well-qualified than the governers who took the office. One can go overboard in their praise, however, and whether Ford was a "good" President or a mediocrity is a matter of one's values and perspective. So I have no intention of over-rating the guy. That said, this is a great comment from "Qj" at Freedom Democrats:

After hearing and reading a number of respectful and favorable commentary on the Ford presidency, it seems to me that his tenure as the President should be the model to emulate. And, it is my hope that more documentaries and literature will be made about it for our learning. However, I have concluded that most American voters and the political aristocratic class do not want a Ford kind of president. Its too boring. We want scandal, drama, power moves, and soap opera like climaxes. We want a president that we can fill the media air with praise and chastisement.

In my observation, most Americans, and the world at large, want a popular or icon president. Even on this blog, I find it puzzling that political informed bloggers advocate support for 2008 candidates based on the candidate's rock star status, instead of platform. It is expected for partisans to be awe struck by candidates such as H.Clinton, B. Obama, R. Guliani, and the others, because these candidates have a LMN TV story to tell. These candidates are not supported for their principle or platform, they are supported for their fame and fairy tale moments to power.

The talk about how Americans now want our politicians to be less contentious, more civil, and not swayed by special interest is nothing more than lip-service. The same scoundrels are getting voted back in. As I see it, the people that are running for 2008 do not fit the decsription as I mentioned. I don't see any Ford like candidate. In my opinion, the US will have a rerun of a LBJ or Nixon administration in 2008. The era of American's desire to have a decent and a humbled nation leader who for the people and not the power died.