[Rumor]

I was thinking about this a little bit. What if perhaps we had someone from the middle class or lower class work thier way to becoming the president? Would they not be more in tune with real social issues? We've always had upper class white males hold this posistion that aren't really a part of what most of us know as reality. Perhaps we need a president that didn't come from an Ivy League school, but from the School of Hard Luck. Someone who actually had to work to achieve thier goals.

[Kevin]

The thing is Rumor, by the time they reach such ability, they are no longer middle class.

[Rumor]

Point taken. Don't you think that someone that was born into poverty and worked thier way up would have a different view on things than someone who was born into money?

[lpkmckenna]

It is a false assertion that most American presidents were born rich. In fact, few were.

Certainly FDR, Kennedy, and Bush were born wealthy. But Reagan, Ford, Johnson, Hoover, Eisenhower, and Carter were not.

By the way, I didn't vote in your poll, because the question was based on false information.

[Kerrigan]

Ronald Reagan was from a lower-middle class background (father was a drunk, etc).

(I was beaten to it)

[Busemann]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

Ronald Reagan was from a lower-middle class background (father was a drunk, etc).

(I was beaten to it)

Clinton too, no?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by Busemann

Clinton too, no?

Yes, I believe he grew up somewhere in the south in a less-than-wealthy family.

[darth-vader000]

Being rich is not a sin, many rich people have worked hard for their fortunes. Also it takes a lot of money to get into congress or the presidency. Political office is for the most part a position atained by the powerful and the powerful are rich. Besides how will you stop it, seems kind of silly to have a net worth constraint.

[Kerrigan]

Presidents from rich families tend to Think Big: New Deal, Moon Mission, End Tyranny in the World, etc.

I suppose Reagan and Bush 1 would be exceptions to this. The former definitely spoke in grand terms while the latter didn't have a legacy apart from saving Kuwait (very respectable of course). But by and large, presidents with middle class sensibilities are happier to live with the status quo, as did Clinton, Carter, Ford, Nixon, etc.

The lofty dreams of rich presidents rub some people the wrong way but history is generally kind to them.

[Eug Wanker]

How about rich white women?



Personally, I like the big yellow bird...

[davesimondotcom]

I don't vote based on the age or skin color of a candidate. Period.