A foreign leader as US President

[Zioneer]

Kim Jong-Un.

Seriously though, I think that you'd have to import ideological majorities along with the foreign leader (especially if the leader is a lefty), otherwise nothing will get done.  But if you get the majorities, I'd say the Prime Minister of Italy wouldn't be too bad. Or Hollande from France.

[Simfan34]

I just thought of something. We could even have a Thaksin. We already have one, in fact. We call him Donald Trump.

I like this comparison the more I think about it. A Prime Minister Trump in the process of monopolising power would probably enough for urban liberals to take to the streets "in the defence of the monarchy".

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Are you kidding? Maduro is a fool and an oaf.

Which is why he is preferable to a more handsome, well-spoken authoritarian.

[SATW]

Netanyahu, Harper or Cameron.

[PJ]

99% of world leaders are worse than Obama (normal).

The only Latin American leftists I don't find completely insufferable are Vazquez, who is incredibly mediocre compared to his predecessor, and Morales, who isn't perfect either. Almost all European leaders are terrible austericrats, with Tsipras being the obvious exception. Tsipras is largely the product of his environment though, and I have no idea what he would do in an American context. I also like Stefan Lofven, but he seems rather inconsequential. My knowledge of politics in the developing world is extremely limited, but I doubt I'm going to find anyone I like there.

Or Hollande from France.

No, a thousand times no.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Putin, because despite his lack of respect for free speech he would restore our national sovereignty and end our interference in other's affairs.

[Higgs]

Pope Francis

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Stephen Harper, Tony Abbott or Benjamin Netanyahu.

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

Probably Ian Khama

[Cory]

Angela Merkel

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Merkel is a good choice, primarily because she is so aimless and poll-driven she could immediately adapt to American norms with no difficulty.

[sparkey]

Mark Rutte

[DavidB.]

Mark Rutte

Why...? I'm honestly curious as to why a libertarian from California would pick Mark Rutte of all leaders to lead the U.S.

Anyway, yeah, Rutte would obviously be better than Obama but so would many right-wing European PMs (Merkel, Solberg...).

Harper, Abbott and Netanyahu seem to be the obvious choices, with Cameron as a good number four.

[sparkey]

Mark Rutte

Why...? I'm honestly curious as to why a libertarian from California would pick Mark Rutte of all leaders to lead the U.S.

Anyway, yeah, Rutte would obviously be better than Obama but so would many right-wing European PMs.

Harper, Abbott and Netanyahu seem to be the obvious choices, with Cameron as a good number four.

I like Rutte in particular. In addition to general quality leadership on fiscal policy (along the lines of a Merkel or a Cameron), his social policy stands out, like I recall him taking stands against smoking bans and against making Holocaust denial illegal.

[DavidB.]

Mark Rutte

Why...? I'm honestly curious as to why a libertarian from California would pick Mark Rutte of all leaders to lead the U.S.

Anyway, yeah, Rutte would obviously be better than Obama but so would many right-wing European PMs.

Harper, Abbott and Netanyahu seem to be the obvious choices, with Cameron as a good number four.

I like Rutte in particular. In addition to general quality leadership on fiscal policy (along the lines of a Merkel or a Cameron), his social policy stands out, like I recall him taking stands against smoking bans and against making Holocaust denial illegal.

That was when he actually stood (or seemed to stand) for something, far before his first term as PM  Sadly, his Rutte-I cabinet pushed for making it much harder to buy marijuana (while not criminalizing it completely), something his supposedly "liberal" VVD supported as well because muh law and order (ignoring the fact that this proposal would actually lead to a big increase of street dealing and drug-related violence). Fortunately, however, these efforts failed when the cabinet fell, leaving the situation as it was.

I used to like him very much, but while I still like his "style" and I see what you mean, he and his party have pretty much of a mixed record right now, also coming out against (!) new budget cuts because that "hurts the economy" :')

Oh, and to people who are saying Maduro/Morales: seriously?! Seriously....?!

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I should emphasise I don't particularly like Correa/Chavez/Morales - I find them populist and somewhat authoritarian - but I find it hard to deny they have left their countries in a better state than when they came to power (unlike, say, Maduro/Ortega/Kirchner). I will give the same credit to a few rightists (although precious few) - Sirleaf, maybe even begrudgingly Key and possibly even the DA if they ever take South Africa. I like a few floppy centrists like Benigno Aquino III and (maybe with future judgement) Joko Widodo. However too many contempary rightists are sticks in the mud (Harper), laughably incompetent wrecks (Abbott) or slimy opportunists (Merkel).

* seriously, Abbott is a moron. I find the prospect of a POTUS Harper terrifying, but a POTUS Abbott would kill conservatism for generations.

[Simfan34]

Why does Harper inspire such vitriol in left-wingers, anyway?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Well many reasons, but perhaps most disturbing is he is very good as what he does. I cannot deny the man is (and I use this phrase in as neutral a sense as I can) a very capable politician.

[Hnv1]

Probably Merkel, but to be frank I think Obama's presidency was excellent and the American people will learn to appreciate it only n retrospect. My only disappointment with his tenure was his unwillingness to put that demagogue Netanyahu on the spot.

[Simfan34]

Well many reasons, but perhaps most disturbing is he is very good as what he does. I cannot deny the man is (and I use this phrase in as neutral a sense as I can) a very capable politician.

Yes, but this requires his political programme to be fear-inducing. I have no reason to believe that it is. Why is it?

[Clark Kent]

Harper or Abbott, since Canada and Australia are probably the closest to America culturally, and they're conservative relative to the rest of their countries.

[Donald Trump 2016 !]

David Cameron.

[Хahar 🤔]

Well many reasons, but perhaps most disturbing is he is very good as what he does. I cannot deny the man is (and I use this phrase in as neutral a sense as I can) a very capable politician.

Yes, but this requires his political programme to be fear-inducing. I have no reason to believe that it is. Why is it?

How do you feel about gutting the census?

[Simfan34]

Well many reasons, but perhaps most disturbing is he is very good as what he does. I cannot deny the man is (and I use this phrase in as neutral a sense as I can) a very capable politician.

Yes, but this requires his political programme to be fear-inducing. I have no reason to believe that it is. Why is it?

How do you feel about gutting the census?

Considerably short of mortified.

[politicus]

Well many reasons, but perhaps most disturbing is he is very good as what he does. I cannot deny the man is (and I use this phrase in as neutral a sense as I can) a very capable politician.

Yes, but this requires his political programme to be fear-inducing. I have no reason to believe that it is. Why is it?

For one his environmental policy is pitch black.