Running for President

So you want to run for president?

Running for president begins the day the current president takes his seat in the Oval Office. Party heads gather and begin to think, who is their best choice for president, or who can deliver the most to the people?

Am I dreaming? Since when do we think the people come before the lobbyists or better yet if you are rich enough to donate the maximum to a campaign you may get attention? I am sure everyone understands from day one the phones begin to ring, emails begin to come into your inbox, and if you don’t answer they are there the next day. Imagine the people who work as volunteers around the clock for a future candidate.

Running for president is not like it was 20 to 30 years ago. Today we find more talk shows focusing on politics and we recognize which one leans to the right, or leans to the left. We even have late-night shows that introduce a would-be candidate or even entertain people by requesting the president of the United States be their nightly guest.

How things have changed and will continue to change; what would a world be if it remained stagnant? The people in our country love to hear everything there is about a candidate, unfortunately, they get a kick out of someone who tells us, “I have to lose some weight before I run.” Does this have anything to do with the issues? I suppose it’s a private issue and all privacy issues are now public. And the candidate could possibly believe coming from his lips are better than from the talking heads.

When it comes to the candidate, how much he weighs, where he plays golf, who he is friends with should not be the main issue; the most important thing are the issues pertaining to the people. Oh sure, it is never good to be overweight, especially if you’re running around the country wearing yourself down: good health is important. The term talking heads will be on the prowl and one wrong word can mean your candidacy. People all over the world are digging up your past; trying to find something they can write to grab the attention so their story is the focus of the major networks. So is it fun to run for president?

Think of all the begging that goes on when it comes to campaigning, even if it’s one dollar. I suppose one of the top issues discussed before choosing a candidate is, will this candidate be capable of raising funds? Does he or she, have the ability to raise the interest in the campaign? Speaking of he or she, in my lifetime I would love to see a woman president – it doesn’t have to be the boys club. We fought equal rights years ago; but more about why you would want to run for president.

We have heard and seen many boring people run for president – and now the Internet has changed the way a candidate must campaign can remove the old fashion telltale sign of good looks; more about that later. When you have a person of interest you have an audience; but what makes someone interesting? Some say you have to be a good speaker; well, that’s not the case with all the past presidents.  I recall a few who spoke only 3 to 4 words per sentence. Then we had some that never spoke at all, and then we had the best. Those are the people who knew how to draw us into their conversation and focus on the topic. In my own mind I feel the way a candidate handles himself or herself, through presentation including stage presence and their voice, can determine how the people view them.   Remember the web carries every stop a presidential candidate makes around the world.

Did you ever watch the convention? There is always the main speaker and the party usually puts a solid contender in front of the public at this time – think of the past, most of the speakers during the convention have at one time or another then the candidate of choice.  The main speaker, who introduces the candidate, could very well be, in four years, their next choice for president – kind of a preview so for the future. So I guess speaking has a great deal to do with who’s running for president.

People are impressed by what they hear, see, and if they have the opportunity to shake a candidate’s hand: which is becoming rarer and rarer because of the Internet. So my advice, to anyone on the ticket; don’t forget the human touch means so much to the people. I feel the hardest work is done behind the scenes.

Campaign advisers have to be on the lookout; in every newspaper around the country, on billions of sites pertaining to the web, including web newspapers, magazines online, regular blogs online, political advisers playing the role of a talking head, and so much that is flashed in an instant on the screen of your computer; not to leave out your smartphone, tablet, reader, and so forth. This triples the amount of people needed to investigate what is being said and where. There was a time when the daily newspapers and three major networks on television where the only press, but remember we love the freedom of speech. You will notice papers online who distribute blog material or material from other news agencies of their choice, so one article today goes a long way. This also includes the many programs on hundreds of channels on your television. All of this triples the cost of running for president. And importantly, the fact – one negative comment goes a long way.

For me, I enjoy listening to what could be our future, although it is difficult to see the future until the entire Congress is elected; compromise is not an easy thing to grasp in Washington. So all the promises in the world can’t be completed without parties blending together to help the people; when this happens there may be a chance for change. This is why voting for the Senate and Congressperson in your district may make a big difference when it comes to the issue close to your heart.

If you want to run for president you have to give up all your privacy, which I believe is fine, because a job such as president is a public job, and one that needs to be addressed. The people love to see children in the White House, and so does the press. The public watches everything the first family is doing from morning to night. And, is it true that every president had a dog? I do remember a few cats in the White House. All in all, once you choose to be a candidate and you pass all the stipulations, regulations and so forth – you’re in for the ride of your life. I believe the only thing they could go wrong, even with the successful ending, is fighting your own battle when Congress remains partisan.

Once they choose you as their candidate, you are no longer your own person – it’s as if you are owned by the handlers, Secret Service, and the press – not too forget talking heads. When it comes down to this, it is how well you handle questions and if the people react in a positive way.  A candidate must know to turn a negative into a positive. A candidate will always face those from the other side; on the street, during a debate, even a town hall meeting and during interviews.  The fastest way of traveling news these days are via the internet.  Yes, running for president has changed, and anything revealed on the Internet, true or false, is seen by the world.

In this day and age, a simple sentence becomes a debate but not among the candidates but the people. I think of it like the debate team in college or better yet, running for class president, there is always a reason why you must watch every word you say. Remember, the majority of people who are online are not the seniors since the majority of seniors today are not computer savvy, not to say the baby boomers in the future will gobble up technology; we are still in the middle regarding usage. Perhaps this is why more people are voting at a younger age, it once was difficult to bring out the youth, but today the Internet has accomplished this and given the youth of voice.

So you want to run for president? Remember it must be in your blood, it has to be in your heart, and most of all you have to know not one day in your life will remain as it was but isn’t that the case when we speak of many fields; so go get on the road – the time has arrived and the issues are the most important thing to the American people.