Will there ever be an ASD President of the USA?

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The way things are in the US, a president on the Spectrum would very quickly end up going the same way as JFK.

All prejudices fade with time. But this one will take many many years, I am certain.

I think blueroses might have something there with Al Gore! I like Al.

An that's true about prejudices, TheMidnightJudge.

When you look at the social climate, I actually think the U.S. is more ready for an Aspie President than a gay one.

Though if you listen to the rumours about Abe Lincoln (from different sources, I'll admit)... Maybe he was a gay Aspie!

I hope not. Do you really want a pres that does not get facial and other social cues and who gets totally fixated on a particular issue. Hang on you've already got that.

It's improbable to the point of being impossible, but rest assured that should an Aspie ever run this country, we will most likely enter a time of peace and prosperity. A good leader is one who can logically decide what is best for the people without letting their own beliefs get in the way. Aspies could very well pull that off. Neither would an Aspie inclined to submit to the pressure of other government officials with hidden agendas, because the majority of us are that lone wolf type of personality: we don't let society or friendship cloud our judgement. I think we would make great world leaders. We're incorruptible. That's how we roll.

Course, the stress of campaigning and public speaking is enough to make most of us snap, which raises the unfortunate problem that, no matter how great of a leader an Aspie can be, we are the least likely to be elected.

Roxas

You'll get your first aspie president in office on Jan 20, 2025...

Then the Enlightened Age shall begin again! MWAHAHAHA!!!111

Are you kidding?! Aspies have a real hard time working in the food-service industry. The office of President of the United States of America is not a realistic goal for most people on the sprectrum. Sorry to say it, but it's true.

Is it about prejudice or actual leadership ability? I don't care that Obama's black- can he actually be president?

I don't think there will be one. This isn't a simple prejudice, like racism. The colour of a person's skin has no impact on their competence to rule a country. Asperger's Syndrome, as much as I wouldn't be without it, does. An aspie president who has executive dysfunction, face blindness, a habit of uninentially causing offence to people, and an obsession with model aeroplanes, as well as a tendency to get completely overwhelmed in a room full of people, isn't a good choice. In any case, it doesn't seem very aspie to want the job in the first place. I certainly wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

Just like Robespierre.

We are not incorruptible. That's like saying we are without sin.

Agreed. There were several other similarly unrealistic descriptions of Aspie virtue. I don't know about the rest of you, but I would be a pretty crappy President, and part of the reason for that is some of my AS traits.

Hmmm, I hate to say it, but me too. Absolutely, me too.

I think I'd be good as part of a governing committee. Maybe the idea of having one superior leader, rather than a group of wise men and women, is where we go wrong. It's the whole alpha dog instinct.

Seeing as I have a very much reduced alpha dog instinct, I tend not to look to a single great, all powerful pack leader. Most of the Aspies I know are the same - it's very hard to pull rank on us and get us to follow without question.

All in all, I think Aspies would be good leaders, perhaps great leaders, but our... focus... means that many things may be overlooked if there's only one person in the top job.

A successful politician has to be VERY good with people. Autism and AS makes that extremely difficult. Most of us don't like having to deal with large amounts of people, which is exactly what a president must do.

The only kind of leadership we'd be suited for is that shadowy conspiracy which nobody knows about but pulls the government's strings.

meh. Now I'm tempted to say "revolutionary" when the people get angry enough

There's no reason why someone who's an aspie or someone who has something on the autism spectrum can't be president; if someone who has autism wanted to be president, they might be able to hire a group of people to help them with their social skills. I'd love to see what a president with some form of autism could improve in the world; maybe we could improve how neurotypical people help aspies or people with other types of autism get diagnosed, get help with social skills, and do well in the society today, or maybe we could improve health care, do more with allowing stem cell research, do more to decrease animal cruelty, or who knows what else.