By that logic, we should then remove all barriers to run. If a convicted criminal can run, there’s no reason a 28 year old with no criminal background can’t.
(Getting this out of the way first: I’m not a Trump supporter.)
Convicted felons can and have run for President in the past. Some campaigns have even been run from prison. Disqualifying somebody from running for office because of a conviction is extremely easy to weaponize. It’s the next step in removing somebody’s right to vote because of a conviction (a thing we do/have done and shouldn’t).
I agree with you on the age thing, though. If you can vote, you should be able to hold office.
If this actually works, the next step will be abolishing the two-term limit. “Leave it to the will of the people to decide if they want a dictatorship.”
Well, basically, this is the gist of “a republic, if you can keep it”. At the end of the day, my boy Montesquieu’s words hang over all government like a spectre. Governments rule only by the consent of the governed. If everyone woke up tomorrow and decided we wanted Lenin’s mummified goatee to be president, constitution be damned, Biden be damned, it’d be the president.
By that logic, we should then remove all barriers to run. If a convicted criminal can run, there’s no reason a 28 year old with no criminal background can’t.
(Getting this out of the way first: I’m not a Trump supporter.)
Convicted felons can and have run for President in the past. Some campaigns have even been run from prison. Disqualifying somebody from running for office because of a conviction is extremely easy to weaponize. It’s the next step in removing somebody’s right to vote because of a conviction (a thing we do/have done and shouldn’t).
I agree with you on the age thing, though. If you can vote, you should be able to hold office.
The problem is it’s not the felony, it’s the crime; Conspiracy against the government is what disqualifies, not simply a felony
If this actually works, the next step will be abolishing the two-term limit. “Leave it to the will of the people to decide if they want a dictatorship.”
Well, basically, this is the gist of “a republic, if you can keep it”. At the end of the day, my boy Montesquieu’s words hang over all government like a spectre. Governments rule only by the consent of the governed. If everyone woke up tomorrow and decided we wanted Lenin’s mummified goatee to be president, constitution be damned, Biden be damned, it’d be the president.
There’s a good case to be made that the 35 year old restriction is dumb and should be amended out.
Might as well ditch the citizenship requirement while we’re at it.
Elon musk starts sweating
oh god, Elon isn’t running for president, is he?? (edit: genuine question asked out of concern that Elon may be running)
Can’t. He was born in South Africa.
No thank God but he absolutely would if it wasn’t for that pesky “gotta be born here” law.