While some presidents faced more condemnation than others, some of our nation's leaders managed to please their supporters but still demonstrated they had room for improvement.
It's not an easy task to simultaneously make the hard decisions from behind the Resolute Desk and be inspirational, but strangers online had their picks of whom would come through for their nation without contempt.
In an effort to imagine more qualified candidates to run the country, Redditor Hungry-Sloth asked:
"Who would you like to see as president?"
People offered their criteria.
Youthful Spirit
"Someone who isn’t a senior citizen. That would be nice."
– Mattyboy0066
The Casual Candidate
"Someone who doesn’t want to be."
– Odd-Goose-8394
"In high school, a student told my American history teacher he should run for President. He was super smart, an overall excellent guy and by far the most liked teacher in our school. His response was: 'People who are smart enough to run for President are smart enough to know they don’t want to be President.'”
– sheddingcat
Too Much To Ask?
"A person who is fair, wise, kind, incorruptible and truly cares about the people."
– EndOfProspect
Time For Change
"Someone young, intelligent and brave enough to admit neither party is doing what they should to help Americans. It’s time for a real change, the two party system has divided us into teams that hate each other instead of a team that works for the betterment of us all."
– ProDiesel
Animal lovers put their faith in furry leaders.
Presidential Pet
"My dog moose he’s a good boy."
– Organic-Cucumber6280
Incumbent Mayor Of Idyllwild, CA
"That Labrador who keeps getting voted in as Mayor."
– hip-hop-anonymous91
In all seriousness...
Blue-Collar Admiration
"Someone who understands the hardship of working class, and has enough compassion to advocate and prioritize it."
– ItsSebjustSeb
Insurmountable Obstacle
"I've come to understand over the years that if a president doesn't have his or her party running a clear majority of the congress and senate then it doesn't matter what they want to enact. The opposition party is likely to stop them with a filibuster. Gridlock is baked into the cake!"
– lovealert911
Redditors started getting very specific.
Personal Endorsement
"My dad, he’s the wisest person I know."
– Nice_Entertainment91
Directly From The Matrix
"Keanu Reeves, they say he's the one."
– cbreeze2121
The Democratic Representative From California
"Katie Porter. She is clear in how she explains things, well researched, and realistic while being a fierce advocate."
– prailock
While many of the responses were sarcastic in nature, it was indicative of the frustrations Americans have had in the past towards administrations representing both political parties.
Based on the high-spirited comments, one Redditor made it clear that users know what they don't want "but people here have absolutely no idea what it is they do want."
To which Redditor leftier_than_thou_2 responded:
"I don't know what challenges the president and country will run into, and the president is only the public face of a very large organization guiding the country."
"I do know some disqualifying features, but I'm not going to say my guy or the highway because it is not going to be any one person doing the whole job by themselves."
Redditor TheCorgiMaster asked:
"Which fictional character would make a great USA President?"
Redditors looked to literature, comics, TV and films for inspiration.
They chose two real life alternate universe Presidents, a TV POTUS and a couple comic book Commanders-in-Chief.
Let's see who they picked, in no particular order.
Jean Luc Picard
"Jean Luc Picard" ~ derpelganger
"This character has informed so much of what I think of as the political ideal that's it's almost absurd." ~ Tacitus_AMP
"Picard has been my moral compass since I was a child." ~ DrRedditPhD
"He:- Listens to the advice of others
- Learns from his mistakes
- Takes responsibility
- Explains his actions/acts as a mentor" ~ SentFromMyAndroid
GiphyChrisjen Avasarala
"Chrissy Avasarala, she's got balls and brains." ~ thermostatgasket
"She saved Earth and Mars, two diametrically opposed factions, from destroying each other."
"I’m sure she could handle one country on one planet with two political parties with ease." ~ broncoblaze
The Expanse Pony GIF by Amazon Prime VideoGiphyOptimus Prime
"Optimus Prime - G1."
He's the perfect balance of introspection, deliberation, decisive action, compassion, toughness, fighting spirit, humility, and inspires others to greatness not because of his ego, but because he sincerely wants the best for everyone."
"He's eloquent enough to work with intellectuals, strong enough to keep corruption out, hard working and honest enough to connect with and inspire the working classes, and an absolute paragon of ethics. When it comes down to it, he puts his own a** on the line without hesitation."
"I'd vote for Optimus Prime. I'd work on his campaign staff. I'd canvas for Optimus. I'd fight his fights."
"He's the heroic leader we need."
"I wish he were here." ~ Cephelopodia
GiphyGandalf
"Gandalf" ~ Gandalfsacidshow
"He would know every Senator and Congressman who mattered since childhood, and the parents, grandparents, and great grandparents of those people."
"He'd never overreach his position, and would constantly be maneuvering behind the scenes to improve people's lives..."
"Weed would also be legal within 5 minutes of him taking the oath." ~ YNot1989
GiphyEllen Ripley
"Ellen Ripley" ~ hestermoffet
"She kicked alien a$$—Congress should be no problem."
"Plus Jonesy for First Feline." ~ LakotaGrl
GiphyKronk
"Kronk. Just Kronk." ~ The_Inky_Boy
"'How did we make it into the White House, Kronk?'”
“'Well you got me. By all accounts it doesn’t make sense'.” ~ steveofthejungle
"I can see him making the US become a diplomatic state, ending wars as a non-belligerent third party while economy is booming for the new markets brought by peace and being like.... 'Oh yeah. It's all coming together'." ~ Frank_the_Vodoochild
"Literally crying in the Oval Office because the Canadian prime minister didn’t compliment his spinach puffs." ~ c_girl_108
GiphyJosiah Bartlett
"Josiah Bartlet" ~ phriedtabs
"During 2020 with all the presidential speeches that sounded non presidential, I kept thinking that we needed a couple of Josiah Barlet speeches during that time." ~ southdakotagirl
"Watching West Wing for the first time over the last few years made politics so much more depressing." ~ Mac1721
GiphyLex Luthor
"Lex Luthor."
"The bastard cured cancer, repeatedly saved the planet from world-busting threats when even the JLA couldn't do it, rebuilt Gotham after the government just abandoned it, and as fictional president, created a globe-spanning post-scarcity utopia."
"Lex's only real failing is his galaxy-class hate boner for Superman. Since our world doesn't include a Superman for Lex to laser-focus on destroying, he'd probably have shit fixed up in no time." ~ candre2
"Lex Luthor basically makes the embattled U.S. a utopia through sheer force of will. He would make an outstanding President, and arguably would be LESS evil than a majority of them." ~ Elgallitorojo
GiphyAbe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
"Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter." ~ TradesSexForFood
"You're not going to believe this, but..." ~ eliasmsv
GiphyLeia Organa
"Princess Leia" ~ silaslovesoliver
"General Leia" ~ crazydaisy8134
"Capable of complex problem solving, with great situational awareness." ~ mutalisken
GiphyHypno Toad
"The Hypno Toad" ~ OldHolly
"I don't know what you could possibly be talking about. Would it even know how to properly legisla—ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNO TOAD!" ~ gmred91
"You were making pretty good points there at first, it definitely doesn’t seem like a toad cou—ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNO TOAD!" ~ fungiinmygarden
GiphySteve Rogers
"Steve Rogers" ~ curiousfurious79
"He’s got America’s a**." ~ Omegaprimus
"He can do this all day." ~ shnigybrendo"
GiphyTeddy Roosevelt as Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt
"That guy on a horse from Night at the Museum." ~ kenj0418
"Teddy Roosevelt or Robin Williams?" ~ OhiobornCAraised
"Robin Williams working as the President while remaining in character as Teddy Roosevelt throughout the entire term." ~ Justalittlesmol
GiphyCount Dooku
"Count Dooku."
"He had vision and the ability to convince people to join him, as in this case there wouldn't be a sidius , he ought to do well and clean america of corruption like he planned." ~ Dinosaurmaid
"Honestly a great choice, he is a very well studied man and strong political leader, and the whole reason he left the Jedi order is because they didn’t send anyone to help protect his people, so he clearly cares for them."
"And he never actually truly fell to the Dark Side he simply studied it and took from both sides making him exceptionally strong." ~ ThatOne_Guy_You_Know
GiphyLeslie Knope
"Where on Earth is Leslie Knope in this discussion?"
"She'd actually be perfect, most importantly because she would want that job." ~ HighlanderSteve
"You just know she's gonna give it her best on every issue." ~ TheDugal
"She truly believes in helping people and constantly goes out of her way to help everyone." ~ Darkfigure145
GiphyKermit the Frog
"Kermit the Frog" ~ Setthescene
"I'm not sure he'd get enough votes. It's not easy being Green." ~ LetterSwapper
"The lovers, the dreamers, and me would vote for him." ~ DrOddcat
Giphy
So, do you agree?
Did your choice make the list?
Let us know in the comments.
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Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
News recently broke that the Trump administration had contacted its embassies around the world and banned them from flying rainbow flags in honor of PRIDE month, prompting swift backlash from LGBTQ individuals and their allies online.
Of all the people to defy the White House's decision, however, YouTuber Elijah Daniel may have made the most dramatic gesture.
Vice President Mike Pence confirmed reports that American embassies had been banned from flying the pride flag on t… https://t.co/AWq9VMdTSb— USA TODAY (@USA TODAY) 1560258900
In response to the President's mandate, Elijah Daniel straight up bought the town of Hell, Michigan and renamed it Gay Hell, Michigan.
ahead of pride month Trump’s administration put a ban on embassy’s flying pride flags. so as of today, I am now t… https://t.co/bcbxos4C2r— elijah daniel (@elijah daniel) 1560801839
Gay Hell, Michigan (formerly Hell, Michigan) is a real town in Michigan occupied by 70 people and taking up about 5 acres of land.
It was listed for purchase for $900,000, which apparently seemed like a great price to Daniel.
@elijahdaniel/Twitter
Don't believe it? Elijah took pictures as evidence of his new purchase.
@elijahdaniel/Twitter
This isn't the first time Elijah has found himself in charge of Hell.
He previously became mayor of the town for a brief period of time.
As of today, August 30th, 2017 I am the legal mayor of Hell, Michigan. This is real. I am the mayor of Hell. https://t.co/J7fuaLnFKV— elijah daniel (@elijah daniel) 1504120643
@MikelleStreet @elijahdaniel He was mayor, then impeached. Now he bought the whole thing.— Alexander Chee (@Alexander Chee) 1560813639
Elijah can't wait to spread the word about Gay Hell.
His first order of business?
Ban all flags EXCEPT for rainbow PRIDE flags.
Gay Hell, Mi has everything. A library, a place to lock your love in Gay Hell, and even a WEDDING CHAPEL TO GET GAY… https://t.co/QtL3KgxfC2— elijah daniel (@elijah daniel) 1560801942
@elijahdaniel @missmayn this guy gets it https://t.co/DFDAOAWXJ0— shauna (@shauna) 1560804398
People were amazed at the lengths Elijah went to to make a point.
@elijahdaniel the absolute power of this wow— Maxx Danziger (@Maxx Danziger) 1560807747
@elijahdaniel Truly in awe of you.— Alexander Chee (@Alexander Chee) 1560812538
A lot of Twitter users were packing their bags and getting ready to move to Gay Hell.
@elijahdaniel suddenly i’m moving— Jessie Paege (@Jessie Paege) 1560831090
@elijahdaniel literally hiring movers as i type out this tweet see u soon— Scott Hoying (@Scott Hoying) 1560809956
Of course, the only person whose opinion of Gay Hell really mattered gave the town his approval!
@elijahdaniel This is going to stroke a real eruption in tourism. People will be coming for days, weeks even.— The Church Of Satan (@The Church Of Satan) 1560816153
The implications of having Gay Hell right here on Earth could be far-reaching and profound...
@elijahdaniel If Mike Pence steps foot in this glorious town he spontaneously combusts.— Adam Best (@Adam Best) 1560809751
If this doesn't send a message to the White House, nothing will.
Someday, we'll all look back on Gay Hell, Michigan and question whether it really happened.
But it did.
It really really did.
@elijahdaniel I can confirm that this actually happened— SAM F (@SAM F) 1560802483
If you want to send your own message, you can display your PRIDE for one low price and get a "3 x 5 Feet Gay Pride Rainbow Flag with 10 Pack Pride mini Flags on sticks," available here.
You can also declare your RESISTance with this t-shirt while also supporting Pride Live! and the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, available here.
RESIST Pride Live! teeHEARSAY/by NIHLO