If not, how much would you counteroffer?
(If you aren’t an American, assume for this hypothetical that you were suddenly granted citizenship and all other requirements are waived.)
That’s a seriously low amount of money for this. Most Presidents will make much more than this out of office in just speaking fees and the normal grifting and graft that happens around them. You’d be endangering your ability to make so much more money in the future if that was your goal.
They know it’s a low amount and are trying to see if their potential new puppet is dumb enough to accept it.
So, it’s a decoy snail?
This prompt hurts my brain.
You are the President of the United States.
You are the leader of a nation. Hundreds of millions of people are depending on you.
How many tootsie rolls would it take you to sell out to a rich fuck who has that many tootsie rolls?
Fuck you. I have 4 years. We need to kick our fossil fuel addiction. People deserve privacy. Domestic terrorists need to feel fear again. The government needs to be reminded it serves the people…
Let me drive the bargaining up to 100 million, then let me shove a red hot fire poker up your ass and leave you in a dank cell to die aching.
Then let me live a decent life where I might not feel the excess of being rich, but my diner tabs are paid for, my bar tabs are covered, and I have friends who make sure my home is safe.
Soooo… that’s a “no”, I take it?
if i’m president, didn’t i almost certainly take such a deal already?
Maybe you got a cabinet position for… um idk… Secretary of Agriculture because the president knew you and decided to appoint you for some reason? And then he/she and the VP both got involved in a huge scandal or something and everyone else in the line of succession were fired by the president for snitching on him/her regarding the scandal, then you are now the next in line?
(Don’t think too hard, it’s a hypothetical 😉)
Even Senators are worth like fifteen times that in spite of a 200k/year salary.
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Don’t know if you know this, but most bribes most politicians (not the president) take are really small. Like 2k-maybe 20k to fuck over your country and the people you represent. Shit is wild, I thought it would be so much more.
You assume they’re bribed but I’ll bet it’s both death threats AND bribes.
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Wouldn’t happen
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I’m thinking of like a scenario where Congress doesn’t lean either side, and a good law narrowly passed congress, and they want you to veto it. Also appoint their list of nominees for executive departments, courts. Using your position to push their propaganda, basically selling your self to be their puppet. Would you just ignore morals and get rich being a corrupt politician?
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Bribing a congress person is only 1 of many votes. Bribing the president give you control over 1/3 of government, all nominations to executive departments, judicial nominations, and executive orders. I mean obviously 1 million isn’t even a lot, I’m just trying to see how desparate are Lemmy users for money. I mean you can up the offer to 100 million per year for the president and still cheaper than 1 million per year per congress person for at least 51 senators, and 218 representatives. Even a 200 million offer is still cheaper than bribing congress. And 1 million isn’t gonna be acceptable to some of the congress members who aren’t that in need of money.
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People don’t become president because they want to get rich; most of them are already rich, and could make more money if they were working in the private sector. (Although being an elected national politician has great benefits, like pensions, security details, health benefits that are far better than almost anything you’d get privately, etc.) In most cases, they want power. So you’re going to need to offer some kind of equivalency.
At a certain point, money becomes raw power, but it’s not when it’s just a million here or there, not anymore. After all. the president may not have huge amounts of money, but he has the ability to suggest that the DoJ to start investigating you.
I laugh in their face and tell them it takes waaaaaaaaaay more than that to buy me. Like at least a hundred times that.
In practice, what would stop me from taking the money and not doing what they want? Assassination risk?
Take 1000 million in bribes and distribute it to poor people, lol.
They stop giving you money, spend it on helping your opponent win. Manipulate congress to impeach you. Also they can blackmail you since you technically took a bribe, you just didn’t honor your end of the deal. Realistically, it wouldn’t be the rich person himself/herself talking to you about it, but someone that works for them. They can have one of their goons admit bribing you and they can exchange their testimoney against you for their immunity against prosecution. They might’ve made a secret recording of the conversation, but conviently left out the part of which wealthy billionaire they’re working for. You might not even know the identity of which billionaire, all of the interaction could be through messengers.
No I would not take that. The rich life of being a 4-to-8-millionaire would not be worth the self disgust and guilt I’d feel over knowing I’d sold out my country.
If i became president then the world is already a lost cause and money is worthless.
