My Run for Presidency

I'm running for president in 2020.

I decided this years ago, and it shaped the course of my life far more than it ever should have. It was a dumb idea then, and it's a dumb idea now. However, given the way that it affected my life, I don't think I can simply discard it, no matter how ludicrous it may seem.

I made the decision after my first semester of college. I was an art major, and not a very good one. What I learned from being an art major was that, even though I was pretty okay at it, I didn't want to make a career out of it. It seemed unlikely, sure, but most of all I was afraid that by turning art into a job it would ruin something that I enjoyed, since obviously work isn't something you can enjoy.

I disagree with that now, but at the time it made sense to me.

There is a quote from a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novel that states something along the lines of, "those who wish to lead are often the least suited to do so." For some reason, that statement really resonated with me. I most certainly didn't want to lead; giving orders makes me uncomfortable, and that kind of responsibility is frightening. So, I figured I should probably aim for the presidency, since I had no aspirations for the job.

Embracing the oxymoron, I figured I'd take a different approach to the problem than most people who take an interest in politics: rather than studying government, I began to study mass communication, since it seemed to me that learning to communicate to people was a more valuable skill than learning how to be a politician. And although I did end up taking several government courses in college and found that I enjoyed listening to people argue about politics, I almost never felt confident enough in a position to argue it for myself. Moreover, I discovered that I had a strong distaste for politics, particularly the way a politician needs to dance and back-stab and please the most unpleasant people to accomplish anything.

Regardless, a mass communications curriculum was considerably less demanding on my free time than art classes, so I was able to eventually juggle two jobs on top of college, which allowed me to save up enough money to invest in Fangamer when the opportunity came around. The things I learned in college pursuing copywriting, broadcast communications, and law (both business and constitutional) have helped me a lot ever since. I really do believe I owe a lot of what I am to my decision to pursue the presidency in my unique way.

That said, I've never taken that idea seriously, and I almost never think about it. I can't bring myself to completely discard it, though. In 2020 I'll be 34, turning 35 just a few weeks before the inauguration of whoever wins that election. So, that'll be my first opportunity to run. I've never held any public office, and I have no idea of the specific day-to-day duties of the president. If I run, it'll be on a platform of honesty and transparency: I'll be learning the ropes of the position and relaying that information to the public as best I can, so that, finally, people can really understand what powers the president does and doesn't have.

Beyond the basics, I mean. Things like signing or vetoing bills and appointing cabinet members and supreme court judges are commonly known, but are hardly enough to warrant a full-time job.

I'm totally unqualified for the position, and I'm guessing that won't change in the next six years. That said, though, I don't really think anybody is qualified to run a country, especially not one as huge and diverse as the United States of America.

I also have no budget, and no desire to find one.

In short, I'm never going to be president. But I'm still going to run on principle.