Ms. Rubin lists several reforms, including "elimination of all “side hustles” for the president and vice president"
I think ALL Cabinet members and ALL members of Congress and ALL members of the Judiciary should be limited or prohibited from "side-hustles" - any second "job" more involved than the occasional opinion article or video interview on news or podcast channels.
I think running any regular podcast or running any company is too much of a "side hustle" for any person drawing any full-time Federal paycheck.
Writing books is typically what you do when you leave office, although virtually ALL presidential candidates have written a "campaign book," showcasing who they are and what they believe.
That depends on the president. Clinton and Obama gave their vice presidents portfolios. Dick Cheney was the real president. HW Bush just told Quayle to stand there and look pretty.
Whoever it is, it might be both a doomed presidency as well as something critical for the country's future as a republic.. S/he won't just be cleaning up the mess on Aisle 4 -- because the entire supermarket has been wrecked -- repeatedly -- and in ways no one really ever thought possible before. At best, the scouring of the presidency will be a difficult, painful, dirty enterprise. At worst, it might create a reverse scenario, where millions of brain-dead, self-lobotomized voters with absolutely no long-term memory whatever will once again demand something easy, something stupid, something fascistic, something cruel -- to address the nation's mounting challenges.
This comment captures the root problem: the electorate. Misinformation, ignorance, scapegoating are rampant. If many people's only complaint is that their gas and groceries are too expensive, we are in big trouble.
We can be guilty too. One of the things driving me crazy right now is how many of US are really passionate about a candidate with no real credentials to tackle this job, just because they speak well.
While you didn’t highlight it in “So you want to run for POTUS”, the precarious global security situation including more active conflict zones and threats to stability from climate change impacts, not to mention AI threats, will require imagination and leadership. It’s not just about repairing our relationships, although that’s table stakes, it’s about global solutions.
This is such important advice. Given the fact that if Democrats can't deliver on a huge set of necessary legislative fixes a fickle and poorly informed electorate will predictably swing back to the corrupt GOP in the next election, we need an extraordinary leader. Charisma and ability to create little clippable video wins for social media is not the most important thing. What is important is someone who has the knowledge and wisdom as well as the proven ability to work within Congress to get things done. I hope there is such a leader . . . . . Among those who seem to be in the early running, I like Mark Kelly. But we will see.
Your thoughts echo my post in response to Jen's article especially the need for a strong leader to arise from the firmament. I agree that we need a generational leader with the stature and vision such as FDR, a POTUS who inherited a nation on its knees caused by the Great Depression and the failed policies of his predecessor, Herbert Hoover. FDR offered the people a vision of hope for the future. Most importantly, he proposed programs that Congress passed and he signed that still benefit millions of us today such as Social Security to name just one.
I like him too, and I like Andy Beshear-- both are politicians who have won in purple (Kelly) and deep red (Beshear) states. But my post about the marathon campaign will come in here. If they want the office, they'll need to have the imagination, charisma, and temperament to withstand a withering spotlight for 4 years. Both will need to survive the trial by fire.
We should stop anointing candidates based solely on charisma though. And we do this way way too much. And we're just as guilty of the swing back. I can't tell you how many people I see who expect "Medicare for All," whatever that is, to be passed immediately when Democrats take power — or else they're going to attack them ceaselessly. And I still see a lot of presumably intelligent, informed people still talking about how "both parties" are terrible, corrupt, evil, one just somewhat less so. at this time in our history, it takes a massive degree of ignorance to assert that.
This should be taped on the mirror or otherwise displayed on every candidate for any elective office. America once had thousands of true public servants, and Elon Musk and Donald Trump fired many of them. These bureaucrats, the”deep state “ formed the backbone of government and the civil service needs to be rebuilt. In addition to all listed here (and maybe just missed it) is serious campaign funding reform. Many European nations have safeguards to prevent this. I have said before that we get to vote for the candidate of our choice after they have already been narrowed down to two that many of us might not choose. Public service is noble and in the heart of all our elected representatives. Looking at some Senate races, many Democrats are neck and neck with Republican candidates who clearly should not even be considered. Wild shot in the dark. Once the midterms are over, we should send Pete Buttigieg to all of our allies to speak of America and acknowledge the betrayal of the international nations and alliances by Donald Trump and lend his voice to a better vision. Elected Congressmen could do the same before they take office to reestablish our international relationships. A real party platform is the job of all Democratic elected representatives before the presidential campaign. Campaign ads are an abomination!! Just another aside tossed in.
Pete Buttigieg? That encapsulates everything that's wrong with our thinking. Send the somewhat failed mayor of a tiny city and secretary of a minor cabinet post — because he speaks well? He 100% lacks foreign policy experience. I know this isn't a popular opinion with those swept away by his charm and erudition, but he is not qualified. And please: do not throw in that he "speaks languages." Let him be a college linguistics professor then.
Follow someone like Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) was is actually beyond qualified to do such international outreach. In fact, I just read yesterday another of his long emails about his latest overseas trip. (He always sends these out and I'm guessing few besides me read them.) He was just in the Middle East, meeting with government leaders and diplomats in Arab countries, trying to see the damage done to U.S. bases and being illegally forbidden by the Hegsethians. He even met with MBS in Saudi Arabia and was candid about their conversation. I'm not saying "Chris Murphy for President!!!!" (although he wouldn't be a bad choice). But we need to be more aware of the actual work our elected are doing.
I think all the suggestion listed to move forward in the next six years are excellent. Disbanding ICE as it currently operates, processing all those in detention centers fairly, closing down these centers once the that is finished, also needs to be undertaken. Also, guardrails need to be shored up for an independent DOJ and more oversight established for all departments and agencies. Never again should a president have such free rein to destroy our Constitution.
I can think of so much more since Trump stuck his fist in everything imaginable. No president should be allowed to take away funding already appropriated by Congress. That would have saved many of our agencies, grants for research, and the like. Also, why does a president have any standing to impose his will on agencies like the Kennedy Center or the Smithsonian. These should be under Congress and not the executive branch. Shoring up the Pentagon and our military and its academies from any attempt at redesigning it away from our Constitutional norms and values is needed.
There should also be standards and qualifications established for any nominees for cabinet positions and offices to protect us from the least qualified sycophants being nominated.
I love your suggestions about ICE. I also think we need to work to find any immigrants who have been “lost” in the system—particularly family members who were separated from each other, so they can be reunited—and also to provide anyone wrongfully deported with an option of return (funded by the government, preferably). In addition, I think we should make laws that prohibit or severely restrict the deportation of anyone whose home country is not a safe place to be, and we should require that everyone gets a lawyer in their immigration cases
The requirement not to deport people to unsafe countries? Maybe so—but then did SCOTUS just entirely misinterpret the law when they said that TPS could be terminated for all of these people whose countries were unsafe for them? I suppose that wouldn’t be new…
There should be consequences for the destruction, which will require some very precise thinking and action to not look like more of the "retribution"Trump has pursued. We can't do what Ford did but we have to be clear what the grounds for accountability are.
All great points, particularly about national security. For many years, all Presidents were military veterans, although some sacrificed a lot more than others. People such as Senator Kelly have an advantage here; he is also painfully familiar with gun violence and the need to assist people with disabilities.
That was because of WW II. More recent wars don't have the same moral cache. At this point, I don't find military service an automatic plus and am in fact a little mystified by all the enthusiasm for the bland, centrist Kelly. Not that he'd be terrible, but I'm curious about where this outburst came from.
Seems doable. Hah! Everything is a priority and nothing can be ignored. So much so that one of the most important decisions is who will be on the team? Heads of staff, potential VPs, congressional partners, delegates and ambassadors, etc. are almost more important than the central standard bearer. The rebuilding of our nation and government is a generational task. Anyone stepping up must be younger and fitter than recent leaders. And none of this happens in a vacuum. Republicans and MAGAts will be relentless in their opposition. Plus international politics will be just as demanding and maybe more consequential or complex. A politician without a deep political background and affiliation with highly competent people will get nowhere.
Everyone is younger and fitter than our current leader! Your last sentence is so true and I wish more people on our side would take it to heart instead of letting the pendulum swing to a candidate who isn't just too young but way too inexperienced.
I have been wondering though if Congress could pass a law barring accepting pay for pardons. Would that pass constitutional muster? The president could still pardon anyone he liked but not accept pay of any kind.
Apparently ol’ “Pizzagate Kate” never met a right wing, Qanon conspiracy she didn’t love! Propaganda seems to be her stock in trade, but Trump isn’t going to care as long as there is enough jiggle to her wiggle!
Good advice! May some smart, courageous and energetic Dems heed it!
Ms. Rubin lists several reforms, including "elimination of all “side hustles” for the president and vice president"
I think ALL Cabinet members and ALL members of Congress and ALL members of the Judiciary should be limited or prohibited from "side-hustles" - any second "job" more involved than the occasional opinion article or video interview on news or podcast channels.
I think running any regular podcast or running any company is too much of a "side hustle" for any person drawing any full-time Federal paycheck.
Totally agree. How many books has the current VP written since entering office?
Writing books is typically what you do when you leave office, although virtually ALL presidential candidates have written a "campaign book," showcasing who they are and what they believe.
Just one, I think.
Traditionally there's not much else for a Veep to do ;)
A veep dedicated to public service would find something, Ivan.
That depends on the president. Clinton and Obama gave their vice presidents portfolios. Dick Cheney was the real president. HW Bush just told Quayle to stand there and look pretty.
True-- Mondale was Carter's mentor, Agnew was Nixon's attack dog, etc.
OTOH, Truman and FDR never even met when he was veep, and Johnson mostly abused treated Humphrey as a servant.
Whoever it is, it might be both a doomed presidency as well as something critical for the country's future as a republic.. S/he won't just be cleaning up the mess on Aisle 4 -- because the entire supermarket has been wrecked -- repeatedly -- and in ways no one really ever thought possible before. At best, the scouring of the presidency will be a difficult, painful, dirty enterprise. At worst, it might create a reverse scenario, where millions of brain-dead, self-lobotomized voters with absolutely no long-term memory whatever will once again demand something easy, something stupid, something fascistic, something cruel -- to address the nation's mounting challenges.
This comment captures the root problem: the electorate. Misinformation, ignorance, scapegoating are rampant. If many people's only complaint is that their gas and groceries are too expensive, we are in big trouble.
We can be guilty too. One of the things driving me crazy right now is how many of US are really passionate about a candidate with no real credentials to tackle this job, just because they speak well.
Jennifer. This makes me proud to be an American!!!
While you didn’t highlight it in “So you want to run for POTUS”, the precarious global security situation including more active conflict zones and threats to stability from climate change impacts, not to mention AI threats, will require imagination and leadership. It’s not just about repairing our relationships, although that’s table stakes, it’s about global solutions.
This is such important advice. Given the fact that if Democrats can't deliver on a huge set of necessary legislative fixes a fickle and poorly informed electorate will predictably swing back to the corrupt GOP in the next election, we need an extraordinary leader. Charisma and ability to create little clippable video wins for social media is not the most important thing. What is important is someone who has the knowledge and wisdom as well as the proven ability to work within Congress to get things done. I hope there is such a leader . . . . . Among those who seem to be in the early running, I like Mark Kelly. But we will see.
Your thoughts echo my post in response to Jen's article especially the need for a strong leader to arise from the firmament. I agree that we need a generational leader with the stature and vision such as FDR, a POTUS who inherited a nation on its knees caused by the Great Depression and the failed policies of his predecessor, Herbert Hoover. FDR offered the people a vision of hope for the future. Most importantly, he proposed programs that Congress passed and he signed that still benefit millions of us today such as Social Security to name just one.
I like him too, and I like Andy Beshear-- both are politicians who have won in purple (Kelly) and deep red (Beshear) states. But my post about the marathon campaign will come in here. If they want the office, they'll need to have the imagination, charisma, and temperament to withstand a withering spotlight for 4 years. Both will need to survive the trial by fire.
We should stop anointing candidates based solely on charisma though. And we do this way way too much. And we're just as guilty of the swing back. I can't tell you how many people I see who expect "Medicare for All," whatever that is, to be passed immediately when Democrats take power — or else they're going to attack them ceaselessly. And I still see a lot of presumably intelligent, informed people still talking about how "both parties" are terrible, corrupt, evil, one just somewhat less so. at this time in our history, it takes a massive degree of ignorance to assert that.
I agree Dawn- Mark Kelly has the character experience and leadership Jennifer Rubin is describing.
This should be taped on the mirror or otherwise displayed on every candidate for any elective office. America once had thousands of true public servants, and Elon Musk and Donald Trump fired many of them. These bureaucrats, the”deep state “ formed the backbone of government and the civil service needs to be rebuilt. In addition to all listed here (and maybe just missed it) is serious campaign funding reform. Many European nations have safeguards to prevent this. I have said before that we get to vote for the candidate of our choice after they have already been narrowed down to two that many of us might not choose. Public service is noble and in the heart of all our elected representatives. Looking at some Senate races, many Democrats are neck and neck with Republican candidates who clearly should not even be considered. Wild shot in the dark. Once the midterms are over, we should send Pete Buttigieg to all of our allies to speak of America and acknowledge the betrayal of the international nations and alliances by Donald Trump and lend his voice to a better vision. Elected Congressmen could do the same before they take office to reestablish our international relationships. A real party platform is the job of all Democratic elected representatives before the presidential campaign. Campaign ads are an abomination!! Just another aside tossed in.
Pete Buttigieg? That encapsulates everything that's wrong with our thinking. Send the somewhat failed mayor of a tiny city and secretary of a minor cabinet post — because he speaks well? He 100% lacks foreign policy experience. I know this isn't a popular opinion with those swept away by his charm and erudition, but he is not qualified. And please: do not throw in that he "speaks languages." Let him be a college linguistics professor then.
Follow someone like Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) was is actually beyond qualified to do such international outreach. In fact, I just read yesterday another of his long emails about his latest overseas trip. (He always sends these out and I'm guessing few besides me read them.) He was just in the Middle East, meeting with government leaders and diplomats in Arab countries, trying to see the damage done to U.S. bases and being illegally forbidden by the Hegsethians. He even met with MBS in Saudi Arabia and was candid about their conversation. I'm not saying "Chris Murphy for President!!!!" (although he wouldn't be a bad choice). But we need to be more aware of the actual work our elected are doing.
I think all the suggestion listed to move forward in the next six years are excellent. Disbanding ICE as it currently operates, processing all those in detention centers fairly, closing down these centers once the that is finished, also needs to be undertaken. Also, guardrails need to be shored up for an independent DOJ and more oversight established for all departments and agencies. Never again should a president have such free rein to destroy our Constitution.
I can think of so much more since Trump stuck his fist in everything imaginable. No president should be allowed to take away funding already appropriated by Congress. That would have saved many of our agencies, grants for research, and the like. Also, why does a president have any standing to impose his will on agencies like the Kennedy Center or the Smithsonian. These should be under Congress and not the executive branch. Shoring up the Pentagon and our military and its academies from any attempt at redesigning it away from our Constitutional norms and values is needed.
There should also be standards and qualifications established for any nominees for cabinet positions and offices to protect us from the least qualified sycophants being nominated.
I love your suggestions about ICE. I also think we need to work to find any immigrants who have been “lost” in the system—particularly family members who were separated from each other, so they can be reunited—and also to provide anyone wrongfully deported with an option of return (funded by the government, preferably). In addition, I think we should make laws that prohibit or severely restrict the deportation of anyone whose home country is not a safe place to be, and we should require that everyone gets a lawyer in their immigration cases
I think the legal requirement already exists, it was just ignored by Trump and his gestapo.
The requirement not to deport people to unsafe countries? Maybe so—but then did SCOTUS just entirely misinterpret the law when they said that TPS could be terminated for all of these people whose countries were unsafe for them? I suppose that wouldn’t be new…
There should be consequences for the destruction, which will require some very precise thinking and action to not look like more of the "retribution"Trump has pursued. We can't do what Ford did but we have to be clear what the grounds for accountability are.
It would be so nice if the oath of office taken by public servants actually meant something and if you violated it, you were thrown out of office.
I so agree. I think this standard should apply to all elected officials as well as judges and justices.,
All great points, particularly about national security. For many years, all Presidents were military veterans, although some sacrificed a lot more than others. People such as Senator Kelly have an advantage here; he is also painfully familiar with gun violence and the need to assist people with disabilities.
That was because of WW II. More recent wars don't have the same moral cache. At this point, I don't find military service an automatic plus and am in fact a little mystified by all the enthusiasm for the bland, centrist Kelly. Not that he'd be terrible, but I'm curious about where this outburst came from.
Seems doable. Hah! Everything is a priority and nothing can be ignored. So much so that one of the most important decisions is who will be on the team? Heads of staff, potential VPs, congressional partners, delegates and ambassadors, etc. are almost more important than the central standard bearer. The rebuilding of our nation and government is a generational task. Anyone stepping up must be younger and fitter than recent leaders. And none of this happens in a vacuum. Republicans and MAGAts will be relentless in their opposition. Plus international politics will be just as demanding and maybe more consequential or complex. A politician without a deep political background and affiliation with highly competent people will get nowhere.
Everyone is younger and fitter than our current leader! Your last sentence is so true and I wish more people on our side would take it to heart instead of letting the pendulum swing to a candidate who isn't just too young but way too inexperienced.
Run to SERVE THE PEOPLE AND THE REPUBLIC. Not to get rich, not to anticipate post-presidency book deals and celebrity.
Also some limitations on the pardon power, altough I acknowledge it's in the Constitution.
I have been wondering though if Congress could pass a law barring accepting pay for pardons. Would that pass constitutional muster? The president could still pardon anyone he liked but not accept pay of any kind.
Thank you. So thoughtful, well explained, and precisely correct. Your intelligence and level headedness are exactly what we need to read.
Bring on a BlueTsunami!
How much grifting, fraud & extortion is too much?
Only the best? Katy Z's Tenure Will Be Measured in Scaramuccis. Before the lettuce turns brown...
https://www.uncensoredobjection.com/p/her-tenure-will-be-measured-in-scaramuccis
#VoteBlue!
Apparently ol’ “Pizzagate Kate” never met a right wing, Qanon conspiracy she didn’t love! Propaganda seems to be her stock in trade, but Trump isn’t going to care as long as there is enough jiggle to her wiggle!
Wow. Nicely written Jen!