Arafat Calls for Democratic Elections in the United States

[Boris Godunov]

How wealthy was Schröder when he became Chancellor?

We're not talking about birth origins, we're talking about wealth upon becoming national leaders. RJ seems to think the United States somehow suffers disproportionately from having leaders who are in the upper strata of wealth. I will contend this is true for any Western nation, and most non-Western ones as well.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Victor Galis
Kennedy didn't do anything



-Yeah, but Republicans back then were more different from today's Republicans than today's Democrats are.

Lincoln was a religious zealot that viewed slavery as "evil."

Is this more Republican or Democrat?

[Boris Godunov]

Lincoln was hardly a religious zealot, even by today's standards.

[Victor Galis]

Does that mean the Shrub is the american nightmare ?

-Na klar.

[Victor Galis]

Lincoln was a religious zealot that viewed slavery as "evil."

-He was quite content to allow it to exist. And he seemed to believe in heavy-handed government intervention in some areas.

[Roland]

"How wealthy was Schröder when he became Chancellor?"

Not very. He worked, managed to study law, but was pretty much a professional politician then.
Our chancellor Schüssel is far from rich AFAIK, though there are a couple fatsos in our politics.

"I will contend this is true for any Western nation, and most non-Western ones as well."

I'd have to check bios for this, cause we usually don't care about it. The thing that we have in common is the lawyer thingie. Couple years ago I looked at the EU prime ministers' bios and IIRC I found 12 lawyers, 2 econ guys and one entrepreneur. The thing that really sets us apart are your dynasties.

[Boris Godunov]

Roland:

I'm pretty sure that, going by the average incomes of Germans, Schroder was much wealthier than the average German resident when he came to power.

The fact is, in order to be in a position to assume leadership in any Western democracy, you will just naturally have a good deal of money as compared to the majority of the population. Since you have to either have a load of political experience to ascend to party leadership, or enough money to finance an independent run, having money is just par for the course.

The only times when poor and lower-class folks come to power is, usually, revolutions. But even in the French Revolution, leadership positions were held by the wealthy bourgeousie like Robespierre and Danton, not peasants. The leaders of the American Revolution were wealthy planters themselves.

Hmm...I'm teetering dangerously close to a tangent of a tangent...

[Rogan Josh]

So what lowest level of wealth that a US President has had on becoming President, in say the last 50 years.

I suspect it is still in the multi-millionaire bracket. This is most definitely not true for European countries.

[Pythagoras]

All I have to say is thank GOD we dont live in a pure democracy. Of course there are times when I have to roll my eyes at the tyranny of the majority.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The obvious reason is because they were pressured not to be Jeb.

Sikander, well put.

I just want to voice my opinion that Vesayen is an utter ****** who has read too many comic books .

[Imran Siddiqui]

Every recent US President has been a (multi) millionaire before becoming President.

I don't think Nixon was a millionare when he was President. Eisenhower as well, I don't think was that rich. Reagan became rich through the movies .

And I think it is fair to look at European PMs. Of course most of them come through the party, so as a good counter in the American system, one should look at the leaders of both parties in the House and Senate. Tom Delay (Majority Whip) was an exterminator before being elected. Speaker of the House, Denny Hastert, was a high school gym teacher! I don't know if Tom Dasche was rich or not, but Bob Dole didn't come from a rich background at all. I think Dole's story is one of the best stories in American politics of a poor kid making it good.

[Victor Galis]

I have trouble believing that Nixon was not rich, after having been VP for so long, especially with all the "gifts" he recieved.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well, I don't think Nixon was rich . I know for a fact he wasn't when elected to Congress. He was one of those rare Presidents that came up through the system. Today, he'd be a Chief of Staff or head of the RNC, but not a Prez.

[Victor Galis]

I know for a fact he wasn't when elected to Congress.

-Which was many, many years before being Prez. He was VP, then nobody for 8 years, then Prez.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Which was many, many years before being Prez. He was VP, then nobody for 8 years, then Prez.

The point was he wasn't rich when he started. Pay attention .