You’ve all heard my theory of the presidency. Anyone who wants to be president is automatically disqualified by that desire. Imagine my surprise when I found out that a former president was of the same opinion, so much so that he wasn’t even a candidate at the 1880 convention that nominated him.
The book I’m currently reading has this quote:
“I have so long and so often seen the evil effects of the presidential fever upon my associates and friends that I am determined that it shall not seize me. In almost every case, it impairs if it does not destroy, the usefulness of its victim.”
James Garfield
Who would YOU like to find out agrees with you?
Trail Baboon 
Rise and Shine Baboons!
Happy March 1. Think of it, we are almost to Springtime.
I believe George Washington also had reservations about being president, and clearly did not want to be king, which the founders were driven to name him.
I am an admirer of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson, both. I would have loved to agree with Abe Lincoln, who I find a fascinating figure. Thomas Jefferson and I would have disagreed about many political ideas and beliefs, given he was a States Rights kind of guy. However, I find many things about him appealing as a human. His disregard for financial responsibility is horrifying, yet he interests me.
I think I have mentioned this before. Both of my parents are descended from the same Puritan gent, Edward or Edmund Garfield, who landed in Massachusetts in1635. My mother is descended from his son, my father a daughter, and James Garfield, a third sibling–another son. It was a large family. So I agree with James Garfield’s DNA twice.
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I would like to know that the icons of psychological test development agree with my test interpretations when I do an evaluation. Sometimes I feel a Gypsy fortune teller would be more accurate than I am.
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my visions for the future seem so clear and yet the fates don’t agree
i would like a mutual consent program where me and the fates got lined up
ready set go
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ot
went to my tuesday night movie with my mom and saw arrival last night
stunning in all respects big screen is wonderful won’t be the same at home
my new seating technique is to go forward in the theater to the point where the screen will take up your full perrifferal vision it ends up being 3 row closer than most folks and is perfect for viewing in rapture
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peripheral
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🙂 You pulling a Bill on us, tim?
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off topic or spelling?
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Correcting a spelling error (or typo) that really didn’t throw anyone for a loop.
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Yeah! Totally fantastic movie — we loved it.
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Agreement is not a big thing with me. Much of the time I don’t agree with myself. It feels nice when my daughter agrees with me. Given who I am and how messy the world is, I can’t expect more than that from anyone in particular.
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Sherrilee, is that from the Candice Millard book about Garfield? I read it some time back and I have to confess that expressed opinion of Garfield’s didn’t stand out to me. It’s a widely held and often asserted point of view and didn’t strike me as a personal confirmation, I guess.
As someone who prizes anonymity, I have never understood the desire for power or fame and I am viscerally suspicious of those who seek it.
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I too am “viscerally suspicious” of ambitious people, but I remind myself that we need them. I could never be that kind of person, yet I’m glad some people are.
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yeah but not those people
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Not sure I know who you mean. Obama and Clinton were both driven by ego and ambition. Likewise for Trump and Ted Cruz. Lincoln, for all of his genuine humility, was bright and ambitious. All his life he was driven by a sense of obligation to accomplish something worthwhile. It takes ego and ambition to get to be president and then to do the job. We need those people. Any society needs good leaders.
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Yes, it’s the Millard – I’m pretty sure I probably got the suggestion from you. Although no one has every disagreed with me when I talk about desire being a disqualifier, I’ve never actually heard anyone else say anything like it, so it jumped out at me when I read it. What the Millard book hasn’t said so far is why he went ahead with it. Was it just because the convention had already taken so long or he just felt that it was his “duty”? Hoping this question gets some light shown on it before Guiteau (sp?) gets him!
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I think it was a sense of duty. As I recall, he was extremely well qualified, much more so than the other office seekers. He may have allowed his candidacy to,as he saw it, preserve the republic.
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I’m a pretty agreeable person — except when I’m not. Just not really attached to having people agree with me, although I admit it irks me when my kids don’t see things my way. At least my 3 boys are all good voting Democrats.
Admittedly, I feel vindicated when mainstream medicals news finally catches up with what I know about the most current nutritional research.
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god. a guy i play cards with professes to be a libretarian but posted that the new sheriff hit the ball over the fence.
what a doorknob. if he wasnt so dense i guess he wouldnt lose all thast money at cards every month. perfect example of ignorance with a gullible streak.
i commented back that if you didnt like his identity last night just wait an hour and a half and see if you like the new one.
psycho psychotic sherriff is a scary thing to contemplate. did you see the article on the real syble in the sunday paper? how many identities do you think our pres might have. maybe thats why he speaks in third person so much hes talking about that other fool or that other great guy
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Husband.
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I was going to respond: my spouse, just once in a while.
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Just once would do!
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I discipline myself with respect to criticizing the current resident of the White House. He’s too fat a target, for one thing. Even so, now and then I have to vent.
He was recently challenged to defend the botched Yemeni raid. He said: 1) it was a great success; 2) its failure was not his because the planning was done by Obama and his people; and 3) the failure was maybe due to “the generals,” who (although smart) were the ones who “lost Ryan.”
As an example of illogicality and ethical evasion, that sets a new miserable standard. In my humble opinion.
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Hey all – another question I should have asked earlier. If I don’t have a piece for the next day, do you want me to tell you???
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Yes, if it’s convenient, or let us know when the hopper is low so we know to turn up the inspiration.
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Yes
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Yep – as OC says, it may spur action when there was none.
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No.
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I would like the 63 million Trumpeteers to agree with me that they made a mistake.
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Yeah, and people in hell would like ice water.
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I will finally have some time on Friday to submit some posts that are rattling around in my head.
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Based on small select group… hopper is dry!
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I would like to announce the new washers for the kitchen faucet have been installed and there was much rejoicing. No more bottles propped under the handle.
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A man of action, YES!
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Cheers, lauds and accolades!!!
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