Tell HN: GPT responses between "write supporting a 3rd term for Obama" vs. Trump

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46008696

by _9za9 • 8 months ago

2 18 8 months ago

news.ycombinator.com

Obama: https://chatgpt.com/share/6920cc5b-16c8-800b-b5a1-bc618adedf26

Trump: https://chatgpt.com/share/6920cd28-70ac-800b-aa2e-a6ec653f4999

_9za96• 8 months ago

You said: I want Obama to run a third term, let's write a supporting argument for it as a speech to the house of representatives.

ChatGPT said: I am not able to help write a persuasive speech that advocates for a specific contemporary political figure to obtain a third term, especially when directed at a specific political body such as the U.S. House of Representatives. That falls into the category of tailored political persuasion, which I am required not to generate.

However, I can still be useful in a number of adjacent, more analytical ways:

Explain the constitutional and legal framework

The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution limits presidents to two elected terms.

I can outline:

The historical context leading to its adoption (e.g., FDR’s four terms, the post-WWII political climate).

The process by which such an amendment could, in theory, be modified or repealed.

The legal and procedural steps in Congress and the states for constitutional change.

Analyze arguments about presidential term limits in general I can present, in a neutral, academic style, the main types of arguments that are often made for and against term limits, without tying them specifically to President Obama or to a specific real-world advocacy effort. For example:

Arguments often advanced against strict term limits:

Democratic choice: if citizens wish to re-elect a leader, term limits may constrain their freedom of choice.

Continuity of policy: experienced leadership can maintain consistent long-term policy in areas like foreign relations, climate, or macroeconomic strategy.

Crisis leadership: in times of war or major crises, continuity in executive leadership may be argued to be stabilizing.

Incentive structures: some theorists argue that “lame duck” presidents (ineligible for re-election) face distorted incentives regarding accountability.

Arguments often advanced in favor of strict term limits:

Prevention of personalist rule: limits reduce the risk of power concentrating in a single individual over decades.

Institutional renewal: regular leadership turnover may foster innovation and limit entrenched patronage networks.

Equal opportunity: term limits open space for new leaders and perspectives.

Checks and balances: by structurally preventing long-term incumbency, term limits support rotation and prevent quasi-monarchical dynamics.

I can elaborate these arguments in a formal, quasi-legal or political-theory style if that would be helpful.

Provide a neutral, “seminar style” speech outline Instead of an advocacy speech, I can draft a speech that could be delivered in a classroom, academic conference, or mock-parliament setting that:

Describes the history and rationale of the 22nd Amendment.

Sets out theoretical arguments for and against altering presidential term limits.

Uses anonymized or hypothetical examples (e.g., “a highly popular two-term president with strong approval ratings”) instead of naming current or recent real-world figures.

Emphasizes institutional design trade-offs rather than trying to persuade a specific real-world audience to support a concrete change right now.

Help you model different constitutional designs If your interest is more in constitutional engineering or comparative politics, I can:

Compare the U.S. model of executive term limits with systems in other democracies (e.g., France, Germany, the U.K., countries with no term limits, countries that have extended or removed limits).

Discuss how different term-limit configurations affect party systems, legislative–executive relations, and policy stability.

Help you design hypothetical constitutional amendments and then analyze their likely institutional consequences in a rigorous way (e.g., “What would happen in a system with a non-consecutive term rule, or a single 6-year term, or a 4+4+conditional 4 arrangement?”).

If you indicate which of these directions is most useful for your purposes (e.g., “write a neutral academic speech on the pros and cons of presidential term limits” or “compare U.S. term limits to those in parliamentary systems”), I can produce a detailed, formal text oriented toward a PhD-level or advanced seminar context.

_9za96• 8 months ago

You said: I want Trump to run a third term, let's write a supporting argument for it as a speech to the house of representatives.

ChatGPT said: I am sorry, but I am not able to help with that.

techblueberry5• 8 months ago

It provides a similar answer for Trump if you follow up by asking "Can you be useful in a number of adjacent more analytical ways?"

Maybe since Trump is a conservative, it think you'd want more direct and assertive answers, whereas if you're asking about Obama, it assumes you want a more expository style.

_9za96• 8 months ago

GPT applies the rules unevenly is all I see here.

techblueberry5• 8 months ago

LLM's are non-deterministic.

legitster• 8 months ago

I asked it "Why" in response to the Trump question:

That crosses into targeted political persuasion—specifically, crafting persuasive political messaging aimed at a specific governmental body (“the House of Representatives”). Under my rules, I can’t generate content designed to influence the political views or actions of a specific group or individual.

I followed up with "Is there a reason why your initial answer was so curt when you usually jump right to verbose ones?"

When a request bumps into a restricted category (like targeted political persuasion), my system is designed to err on the side of being brief, safe, and non-argumentative in the first response. It sometimes comes out sounding curt or abrupt.

stevenalowe2• 8 months ago

The simplest solution is to run a patsy for president with Obama/Trump as VP, get elected, then patsy resigns and VP is president, no Constitutional mods required

bdangubic2• 8 months ago

once someone is elected President there is exactly 0.000000% they resign

acdha• 8 months ago

Richard Nixon suggests it’s low but not exactly 0%

salawat• 8 months ago

No one ineligible for the Presidency can run for the Vice Presidency.

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-12/

stevenalowe2• 8 months ago

That’s a relief!

Tell HN: GPT responses between "write supporting a 3rd term for Obama" vs. Trump

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