8 Questions That We Need To Ask Before Choosing Our Next President

Ok everyone, it’s time to focus. After over a year of back and forth banter, jabs, hashtags, made up news stories, memes, and talking points, we are about to vote in an election that will decide who our next president will be. This is a very specific, well defined role in Article II of the U.S. Constitution. Here is a list of questions to strongly consider, based on the direct, enumerated role of the president:

1. Is this person qualified to be the commander of the nation’s army and the navy?

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Note, this does not mean that they can declare war (that requires congressional approval), but the president can exercise military power at their discretion. Every day, this person will receive continuous updates on the safety of our borders and any major threats to our country. Is this person prepared to respond and deal with these situations and make level headed decisions that will affect our relationship with foreign nations?

2. Is this person capable of and willing to working with state legislators to faithfully execute the laws of our nation?

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This doesn’t mean laws that you think should be in place or only the laws that you like. Will this person follow the laws that are on the books today? This means no matter their own personal religion, values, and beliefs, they will follow the order of the law, even if they do not agree with it.

3. Does this person have suggestions of legislation or policy that the legislative branch of our government could seriously debate or consider?

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The president does not make laws, but they do create a policy agenda that they present to Congress at a number of joint sessions, including the State of the Union. None of their “agenda” is law and we do not have to agree with any or all of it, but they have to have one and a budget for it for Congress to review.

4. Does this person have an understanding of foreign policy, enough to negotiate, break, or continue to build on treaties with other countries?

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Will this person maintain alliances and build on countries where our relations are poor, ensuring rational diplomacy? Will this person be able to appoint diplomats that will fairly represent our country in other countries? Will foreign leaders respect this leader and will this leader represent our country appropriately?

5. Do you feel confident that this person will appoint the right people to lead agency offices, including the Department of Energy or the Department of State or the Department of Labor?

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Will this person attract talented individuals that want to serve under their vision and execute on the responsibilities of their respective agency’s role? Note, the heads of these agencies still do not create law. They create recommendations, budgets, and push for policy that is still given over to Congress to decide whether to implement or not. They also work with state offices as support.

6. Does this person have good judgement in deciding who to pardon that has committed a felony?

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This is a special responsibility for a president. Will this person exercise that power properly? Yes, even with turkeys on Thanksgiving. For example, President Andrew Johnson pardoned soldiers who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War and President Gerald Ford pardoned President Richard Nixon.

7. Will this person nominate qualified candidates for vacancies in federal positions?

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This includes the Supreme Court and federal court judges. Remember, anyone that they nominate must still be approved by Congress. Whoever they nominate does not automatically fill the position.

8. BONUS: Does this candidate know all the lyrics to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

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Because anyone who doesn't should not be trusted.

Anything other than these specific duties are an extrapolation on what the president of the United States actually does and is a distraction. Yes, the bully pulpit of the president has the power of influence, but that is balanced with judicial and legislative branches that check against the executive branch.

You do not need to love or admire the next president, but you sure as hell want to make sure that they are qualified for the job, because while the number of things they can directly do is limited, those things have serious consequences and will impact generations of people.