My question to you, NSG, is when will the US pass other boundaries? Are there some qualities that will never be present in a US President? Could the US ever elect an atheist president, or even a Muslim president? A Chinese President?
The obvious soonest glass ceiling to destroy is the idea of a woman president. How soon do you think that will happen? Will it be a Republican or Democrat? Even though Democrats are nearly always seen as more progressive, could you see any boundaries being broken by Republicans?
Here's some articles to get you thinking.
http://www.themessenger.info/content/so ... ted-states
Can An Atheist Be President?
If there were to be an atheist candidate for President, the American people would need to be engaged in a national conversation about the fundamentals of the Constitution, and taught how it protects their sectarian survival by protecting against the establishment of any other. Religious fanatics need to be reminded that it is not the privilege of L. Ron Hubbard, Joseph Smith, the Pope, Martin Luther, an Ayatollah, Kryon, Deepak Chopra, or any other “spiritual authority” to mandate what they, and the rest of the people of the United States are to believe or not. People have the right to believe whatever they want, and to adhere to any religion they want, no matter how irrational it might be. And they also have the right not to believe.
Atheism is good for America and good for religion. It pushes back. It challenges religious ignorance, forcing people of faith to consider what they believe, and to affirm it or not. It demands that religion be divorced from its encroachment on the state, for the sake of all the people.
Certainly an atheist can be President. And that is no joke.
http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/c ... ates/42723
Can A Woman Be President?
The reality is, we’re not moved by what happens in other countries. We can call that American exceptionalism, meaning we’re special and we have our own way of doing things. This is certainly a view embraced by our Supreme Court and from time to time Congress too. But, it also seeps into our national consciousness—we weren’t the first nation to abolish slavery—it took us a while … we were special. Equally there isn’t a great record of women’s suffrage prior to the 1800s, only a few states within the U.S. allowed women the right to vote prior to 1920, despite the fact that other nations were moving in that direction (as early as 1718, women were casting votes in Finland).
That brings me to Michele Bachmann. Earlier today, Bachmann pulled out of the Republican race for the presidency. Two years ago, she began campaigning for the POTUS office, hoping to become the first woman to be elected to that post. More adept at answering questions about the literature she reads (i.e. she could name several newspapers without claiming such inquiries were “gotcha” interrogations) than Sarah Palin, she was an early Tea Party favorite. As it turned out, she was more like the flavor of the week, with Herman Cain the follow-up taste. After coming in last in the Iowa Caucus, Bachmann decided to surrender the field to the boys.
http://www.quora.com/U-S-Politics/How-l ... an-descent
Can an Asian-American, Hispanic-American, or Native American be President?
Despite the noble sentiments espoused by the other answerers of this question the fact is that it will likely be at least 12-16 years for a Latino American (unless they are a woman and depending on how the immigration reform situation "shakes out") and the same amount of time or longer for an Asian American to be elected president of the US.
We currently have a president who is biracial (half-White) and yet is receiving the vitriolic attacks that African Americans have become used to since being brought to this country. It's ludicrous to believe that a Latino or person of Asian descent wouldn't receive similar treatment from large sectors of American public and rather naive to believe that race, rather than abilities, wouldn't be a guideline for many when choosing a leader.
There have been MANY non-White Americans that were more than qualified to be president. That they were neither selected nor nominated by either of the major parties in the past can't be seen as anything but for it was: racial bias. To suggest otherwise is either misreading American history or denying reality.
The 12-16 year period that I stated earlier is an arbitrary figure. It comes from the 4 years that the current President will serve after his re-election (killing OBL was good for something) and the time period that a GOP candidate will serve in the White House (no, I don't expect the GOP to be the first party to elect a Latino or Asian president) making it 2020 or 2024 at the earliest that an Asian or Latino makes a serious run for the presidency.
If or when that person wins the office, they will probably be one of the best candidates for the job. They will also be well overdue to the position.
