By The End of 2020, If HRC Were Elected President..

[Jim Lane]

11. The problem isn't dynasties, but the superficial nature of our politics

It's not exactly a dynasty when the later candidates still have to run. They may face serious opponents for the nomination (as in the cases of George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton) or even get totally stomped (Jeb!). It's still up to the voters.

The problem I see is that, in our celebrity-oriented culture, people with high name recognition, for whatever reason, are much more likely to be taken seriously as candidates. Of the three candidates I named above, each was greatly helped by his or her family relationship to a President. Now you can add a candidate who hosted a reality TV show but who's never held government office or even been notable in public affairs (in the way that, say, Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan were). Then, of course, there was Ronald Reagan.