Presidential background check?

[Flying Pig]

All of this talk about felons and background checks and all makes me wonder.   Do Presidential candidates have to submit to any background checks?  And if so, can they be DQ'd from running?

[BillB]

No need to submit a background check. Every politican and news media will do a background check to the cradle including every speeding ticket when the candidate was a teenager. Plus the Secret Service does it's own check.

[Ricochet13]

All of this talk about felons and background checks and all makes me wonder.   Do Presidential candidates have to submit to any background checks?  And if so, can they be DQ'd from running?

U.S. Constitution only sets three requirements 1) Native-born citizen, 2) minimum of 35-years old, 3) 14 years a resident.

The voters of course, along with the media, often have many additional qualifications which they impose.

[Ford73Diesel]

All of this talk about felons and background checks and all makes me wonder.   Do Presidential candidates have to submit to any background checks?  And if so, can they be DQ'd from running?

U.S. Constitution only sets three requirements 1) Native-born citizen, 2) minimum of 35-years old, 3) 14 years a resident.

The voters of course, along with the media, often have many additional qualifications which they impose.

I was going to say that.....

[LittleIronPilot]

All of this talk about felons and background checks and all makes me wonder.   Do Presidential candidates have to submit to any background checks?  And if so, can they be DQ'd from running?

U.S. Constitution only sets three requirements 1) Native-born citizen, 2) minimum of 35-years old, 3) 14 years a resident.

The voters of course, along with the media, often have many additional qualifications which they impose.

Which is funny...because many of our Presidents would never be hired by the FBI or CIA and barely pass the requirements to get a Secret clearance. Yet do to some mystical "vote" power, they get top-shelf access to all of our secrets. Talk about crazy....

[Short Field]

[ Yet do to some mystical "vote" power, they get top-shelf access to all of our secrets. Talk about crazy....

Yea, it is called "Free Elections & Democracy".  It is a rather new and novel concept in the world.

[Pylon]

Yea, it is called "Free Elections & Democracy".  It is a rather new and novel concept in the world.

Those crazy Greeks!   

[Brad]

What's interesting to know though is that the President's barber does have to have a background check. The reasoning should be obvious, what with all those sharp instruments and also the potential for a quick neck-snapping, heh.

Anyways, to make things easier most Presidents have shown a trend of using the same barber as the previous President.

For reference purposes, I discovered this interesting tidbit from the book called How To Be President, ISBN-10: 0811843165. It's a very nifty book to be quite honest; I just wish I could relocate my copy.

[Falshrmjgr]

What's interesting to know though is that the President's barber does have to have a background check. The reasoning should be obvious, what with all those sharp instruments and also the potential for a quick neck-snapping, heh.

Anyways, to make things easier most Presidents have shown a trend of using the same barber as the previous President.

For reference purposes, I discovered this interesting tidbit from the book called How To Be President, ISBN-10: 0811843165. It's a very nifty book to be quite honest; I just wish I could relocate my copy.

Funny thing is, my wife's uncle used to cut JFK's hair.....

[LittleIronPilot]

[ Yet do to some mystical "vote" power, they get top-shelf access to all of our secrets. Talk about crazy....

Yea, it is called "Free Elections & Democracy".  It is a rather new and novel concept in the world.

Oh please...it is idiotic and simplistic as well. So "Johnny rag-bag" that could not get a state secret if he paid for them suddenly gets enough idiots to vote for him and suddently he is "trustworthy"?

[Short Field]

[ So "Johnny rag-bag" that could not get a state secret if he paid for them suddenly gets enough idiots to vote for him and suddently he is "trustworthy"?

For the people and by the people.  Actually, there are very few elected positions that get an automatic security clearance.  I know the President and Vice-President do but I am unsure what actually happens with Congress.  I seem to remember some congressmen who had very limited security access. 

It would really scare me to think that we have government agencies that could decide if they wanted to tell the President what they were doing or just keep it secret.     

[A.Member]

All of this talk about felons and background checks and all makes me wonder.   Do Presidential candidates have to submit to any background checks?  And if so, can they be DQ'd from running?

Are you running for office?

[AlphaSigOU]

It would really scare me to think that we have government agencies that could decide if they wanted to tell the President what they were doing or just keep it secret.

The operative word is 'plausible deniability' - they can't hang the Man out to dry if he knows nothing about it.

[Short Field]

It would really scare me to think that we have government agencies that could decide if they wanted to tell the President what they were doing or just keep it secret.

The operative word is 'plausible deniability' - they can't hang the Man out to dry if he knows nothing about it.

So we have government groups that operate without any oversight except for career bureaucrats?  Sounded good in the movie "Independence Day" but not in real life.  Oh, wait a sec, the guy keeping the secret in the movie got fired for being a "sniveling coward" didn't he? 

[Cobra1597]

No need to submit a background check. Every politican and news media will do a background check to the cradle including every speeding ticket when the candidate was a teenager. Plus the Secret Service does it's own check.

Exactly. Anyone remember the stink that was made a few months ago over Obama and some unpaid parking tickets from his college days the media dragged up (and somehow tried to make worse than his admitted drug use from the past).

[davedove]

[ Yet do to some mystical "vote" power, they get top-shelf access to all of our secrets. Talk about crazy....

Yea, it is called "Free Elections & Democracy".  It is a rather new and novel concept in the world.

Oh please...it is idiotic and simplistic as well. So "Johnny rag-bag" that could not get a state secret if he paid for them suddenly gets enough idiots to vote for him and suddently he is "trustworthy"?

Theoretically that is possible, but realistically, with all the scrutiny candidates get from the press and other candidates, the possibility is EXTREMELY small.

[A.Member]

[ Yet do to some mystical "vote" power, they get top-shelf access to all of our secrets. Talk about crazy....

Yea, it is called "Free Elections & Democracy".  It is a rather new and novel concept in the world.

Oh please...it is idiotic and simplistic as well. So "Johnny rag-bag" that could not get a state secret if he paid for them suddenly gets enough idiots to vote for him and suddently he is "trustworthy"?

Theoretically that is possible, but realistically, with all the scrutiny candidates get from the press and other candidates, the possibility is EXTREMELY small.

As evidenced by Marion Berry, right?

[davedove]

[ Yet do to some mystical "vote" power, they get top-shelf access to all of our secrets. Talk about crazy....

Yea, it is called "Free Elections & Democracy".  It is a rather new and novel concept in the world.

Oh please...it is idiotic and simplistic as well. So "Johnny rag-bag" that could not get a state secret if he paid for them suddenly gets enough idiots to vote for him and suddently he is "trustworthy"?

Theoretically that is possible, but realistically, with all the scrutiny candidates get from the press and other candidates, the possibility is EXTREMELY small.

As evidenced by Marion Berry, right?

Hey, I live in Maryland and I know that DC is it's own special case.