Why are presidents elected?

Most other positions of leadership: military, judicial, corporate, etc, are all promoted or appointed.
What sets the president apart from those leadership roles? Why should we not "elect" our military commanders? Is it that the head of armed forces needs specific skills honed through years of experience while the head of a government ... can be Joe Blow?

This just ran through my head, and I figured it'd spark an interesting discussion.

The next president can't be Joe Blow. There are credentials and restrictions to run for the presidency.

And, exactly, military officials are promoted based on experience and proven track records. Why should everyday people be the judge of how well they command troops? It's a different situation from the presidency...since the president doesn't necessarily make the contributions to doctrine (experts do, regardless of who the figurehead is. At least one would hope so)

Originally Posted by deadally

The next president can't be Joe Blow. There are credentials and restrictions to run for the presidency.

If Joe Blow is a natural born citizen, at least 35 years old and has been a resident in the United States for 14 years, Joe Blow can be president.

Originally Posted by Lord Styphon

If Joe Blow is a natural born citizen, at least 35 years old and has been a resident in the United States for 14 years, Joe Blow can be president.

So long as he's Christian and doesn't support gay marriage.

Originally Posted by Lord Styphon

If Joe Blow is a natural born citizen, at least 35 years old and has been a resident in the United States for 14 years, Joe Blow can be president.

What kind of things does a president do? Is there any kind of specialized training necessary to perform those duties?

Because if there are duties, then those who put him to do that job ought to be aware and knowledgeable of those duties so that they can place the best possible candidate.

I'm trying to say, the average person doesn't know the president's job, and hence can't choose a proper candidate for the job. And since it's such an important position, it shouldn't be left around willy-nilly like that.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

So long as he's Christian and doesn't support gay marriage.

He can be black, though.

Hmmm why don't we vote on military officials maybe it's because the average voter doesn't know shit about the military especially with regard to the qualities of every piece of shit general and colonel in the forces.

This would've been a better thread if you asked why we don't appoint a president like parliamentary governments appoint a prime minister.

Quote:

I'm trying to say, the average person doesn't know the president's job, and hence can't choose a proper candidate for the job. And since it's such an important position, it shouldn't be left around willy-nilly like that.

And that is why the president is ulimately not chosen by the hundreds of millions of voters in the country, but by 538 electors.

You're asking why a republic elects its head of state. It's just how the system works. Someone has to decide who does the job, and since there's no higher office, you don't have a higher-up appoint one.

I dunno. "Blow" sounds like one'a them dern Jew names. Won't vote for them types.

This is a Christian nation.

In God We Trust. It don't say Moses or whoever it is you believe in. This is America

Originally Posted by Capo

This is a Christian nation.

In God We Trust. It don't say Moses or whoever it is you believe in. This is America

Killed Christ.

I (depending on the day) have the somewhat cynical belief that the founding cornerstone of America is not democracy, but capitalism. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who has noticed that recently, not long before the economic crisis began, Americans began to notice that they were too far in debt and started saving money and reigning in their spending to avoid going broke. However, when the country's economy is based on people spending money they do not have, you will run into problems.

Democracy exists to allow people to feel that they are a part of running their country. But what happens to those in the minority? They are often left behind, run over by their own neighbors. Democracy is by nature the rule of the majority. What about the over 40% of Americans who voted for McCain? They certainly have a right to more seats in the house than the republicans got.

But after all of this I admit that was quite a rant. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel about the American electoral system.

(Just for the record, I am not American, I am Canadian. And in feel much the same way about all of this here, our electoral system is quite similar)

I find that the military is a chain of command that in order to prove your worth to become a leader, you need be a follower, There is a stringent set of rules and standards within the military that requires experience in order to lead. In the military, respect is earned in a more direct sense than that of becoming a President (In the U.S.) The roles are different as well. In the military, civil issues are not the issue, while in politics, it is civil.

I think that the military has to be this way because it isn't trying to make people think, it is instead trying to show how the strong and the brave can lead. It promotes this to create strong soldiers because it gives them the belief that they will be rewarded for being a hero and giving it your all.