A question of leadership

[unixronin]

Let us skip, for the moment, long arguments about what form of government is best, and consider Robert Anson Heinlein's assertion (via Lazarus Long) that democracy is doomed to fail once its citizens realize they have the power to vote themselves bread and circuses, and that possibly the best and most stable form of government is a benevolent dictatorship.

I will emphasize at this point that this is not a debate on whether he was right.  If you disagree with the assertion, feel free to skip the discussion entirely if you wish, but please don't diverge into arguments about why it's wrong.

The point here is quite simple:  Assume for the moment that Heinlein's, or Long's, assertion is correct.  That stipulated, and under that condition, what I solicit is your opinion as to who might make a good Supreme Leader, and more importantly, why.

Conditions:

• Your candidate may not be fictional.
• Your candidate must be currently alive.
• Your candidate need not be a current public figure.

Beyond those ground rules, it's wide open.  Go for it.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Hell freezes over every winter. Just ask the nice folks from Michigan.

No, there is a very special place in the world where honest politicians are born and bred, roughly within 100 miles of Knoxville, TN. Howard Baker (Oneida). Fred Thompson (Lawrenceburg). Lamar Alexander (Maryville). Phil Bredesen is from a bit further West (Nashville), and a Democrat, but he's one of those very weird animals, a fiscally conservative Democrat, which is almost as unique as the East Tennessee Honest Politician and almost as suitable a candidate for BDFL.

Yes, they're rare as hen's teeth... but they do exist.