Daenerys as a ruler?

[aly_kat]

Dany could become a a greater queen than Cersei ever inspired to be. The obstacles in her way are her lack of guidance & knowledge because of her young age and the disadvantages of being a woman. No one takes her as a serious threat because she is a woman and they don't give her the respect that she needs in order to be seen as a serious ruler. Her dragons have helped her earn some respect along the way but as of ADWD, she's using them more as a crutch, that support she needs to get people to take her and her ideals seriously. Her lineage is also a problem but not in the way one would think. Since she is a Targaryen, she has the best claim to the throne but the people won't support her because her father was the Mad King (also because she would be potentially landing in Westeros with a foreign army). Westeros is judgmental in the family line, i.e. if one is mad, then they all must be mad. Dany may have some madness to her but she also has greatness, more so than Viserys did. I've heard fans always get down on her because she stayed and freed the slaves and tried to rule them but she had reasons for doing so. When she freed her first slaves, she did it because she was a slave herself, a slave to her brother Viserys who sold her to Khal Drogo. She empathized with them, especially when they called her mother because Mirri Maz Duur had told her that she was barren. She definitely could have done a much better job with that whole situation but if she had moved on the Kings Landing and Westeros, she wouldn't have gotten the knowledge she gained from failing to rule.

[Roadside Rose]

Speculative, but given the amount of commentary from show-only fans on places like TV.com and the AV Club that effectively say things like "boy, I cannot wait until Daenerys gets to Westeros and starts kicking butt", I think her decision to stay in Meereen and get embroiled in a slow moving storyline with weirdly named characters for a couple of seasons is going to take a lot of the shine out of her appeal.

A lot of GoT fans want her to come to Westeros and 'kick butt' as you say...and eventually marry Jon Snow and live happily ever after.

[Max Greyjoy]

Okay, I'm definitely not a Dany fan or a Targaryen supporter, but to call every Targaryen mad is definitely not correct in any sense. There are plenty of Targaryens that weren't mad, and there some who were.

Technically all of them are Usurpers if you look at history. The First Men came in and took over, then the Targaryens took a land that wasn't there's and ruled for some time before Aerys pushed the lords too far and he had to be removed. Now the Baratheons/Lannisters rule.

I see evidence that Daenerys could go mad, but I see nothing that states that she'll be like her father right now. Of course coming to Westeros might be a tipping point for her, but then again it might not.

I love reading the debates and analyzing evidence back and forth, but lets stick with the facts and not act like the Targs were all guilty to their insanity or these complete angels who brought a surpassing amount of peace to the land.

[Maegor the Cuddly]

She's a hormonal teenager. No teenager should be given so much sole responsibility. At least in Westeros she'd be obligated to establish a capable Hand and other positions to help her run it.

[SeanF]

In terms of realpolitik, murdering Elia's children didn't work. It left the Dornish thirsting for vengeance, and the country still erupted into civil war, on Robert's death.

[g.o.d]

Well at least she can be idealistic. Trying to stop slavery is a very noble goal.

it may be noble goal, but it's very stupid. She's destroying system which has been working in Esson for many many years. I know slavery is a bad thing, but in certain primitive societies is probably the best thing which can be there. She caused more suffering when she sacked Slaver bay cities and in the end, her noble goal destroyes more lives than slavery in a same time. Will she abolished Westeros political system as well and create a democracy? Because from a certain perspective, it's not so different than a slavery she hates so much.

[Prince of Dragonstone]

Yes I see what you mean. Trators, kinslayers, slavers and slaves sounds like a great, great administration to me.

Show me one adult character in this story besides the ever pious Brienne, who does not have a sullied name in some fashion? You are just looking at the black and white of it...no context whatsoever. Barristan was not a traitor...the Lannisters tossed him out so he went to who he thought was the true ruler of Westeros. Tyrion might be a kinslayer but that kin was Tywin Lannister. Nuff said. Jorah did indeed sell a couple of poachers as slaves but they were common criminals and that was many years ago and Grey Worm is no slave. Dany freed him and he serves her out of devotion and loyalty.

[Mad Monkey]

Technically all of them are Usurpers if you look at history. The First Men came in and took over, then the Targaryens took a land that wasn't there's and ruled for some time before Aerys pushed the lords too far and he had to be removed. Now the Baratheons/Lannisters rule.

Eh, if you want to be that technical, the Targaryens created the Iron Throne and hammered out that agreements that united the many kingdoms of Westeros into a single realm with one central government. And if you want to get really technical (and more than a little bit silly), Tommen is not a Baratheon or a Lannister -- the proper name for a bastard born in the Crownlands is "Waters".

[Chaircat Meow]

In terms of realpolitik, murdering Elia's children didn't work. It left the Dornish thirsting for vengeance, and the country still erupted into civil war, on Robert's death.

Not over the Targaryens though (and Dorne has done nothing, as yet). Robert/Jaime and Cersei managed to cook up a whole new problem to have a war over. A solution isn't bad in realpolitik terms if it fails to solve a problem it was never intended to solve.

[SeanF]

Not over the Targaryens though (and Dorne has done nothing, as yet). Robert/Jaime and Cersei managed to cook up a whole new problem to have a war over. A solution isn't bad in realpolitik terms if it fails to solve a problem it was never intended to solve.

If one is willing to commit an enimormity like murdering infant children, one had better be damn sure it'll work.

[Leif]

Every current wannabe king/queen is awful and would be a terrible ruler. That's why Howland Reed must become king.

[aly_kat]

it may be noble goal, but it's very stupid. She's destroying system which has been working in Esson for many many years. I know slavery is a bad thing, but in certain primitive societies is probably the best thing which can be there. She caused more suffering when she sacked Slaver bay cities and in the end, her noble goal destroyes more lives than slavery in a same time. Will she abolished Westeros political system as well and create a democracy? Because from a certain perspective, it's not so different than a slavery she hates so much.

She reminds me of Abraham Lincoln in the respect that she freed the slaves. Don't laugh but its true. Did he get shit on for that? Yeah he did but he was also seen as a hero. In ASOIAF, you can't just look at one event as good or bad. You have to take in the perspectives of all sides. Dany freeing the slaves did cause lots of more lives to be lost and that can be a bad thing from that angle but if you think about it from the slaves perspective, its a great thing! She freed them from a life of slavery, gave them the freedom that they never had. There are shades of grey to all things, its just in the perspective.

[The Witch Queen of Angmar]

_{I appreciate Dany as someone who is needed in the book, but alas, she irritates me at the best of times. I feel sorry for her mistakes because of the lack of general guidance in her short life, but her whole demeanor is just aaaaarrrrrggggg. as a leader, I find her less suited for Westeros. I totally can't envision her seated on the IT or being TPTWP. There's a twist no doubt and GRRM will probably deal with her in a randomly awesome and unexpectant way}

[Fauch]

Are her motives really worse than those of Stannis? They both think they should rule because they are the rightful king/queen.

I think Dany would be a great ruler. Of course a lot depends on the people she would surround herself with.

[Faydra]

Why not? She's stil young and the people of westeros are more likely to receive her than the mereenese. Also, she is trying to stop slavery. Robert and Jeofrey were not able to keep their throne as it was let alone install a new motion.

[Whoresbane Umber]

I think Daenerys would be a horrible ruler.

1. She couldn't handle ruling a city, what about an entire nation/continent?
   
   
2. She basically excuses whatever the hell her dragons do, like any mom in the ASOIAF universe would.
   
   
3. In the show, she says she won't let innocents die in her war/reign, which is impossible in any war, and she constantly tried to ignore the innocents suffering during many events. (Dothraki pillage of Lhrazenne [i think that's how you spell it], Astaphor with soilders who probably just do their job, etc.)
   
   
4. She's constantly dealing with love troubles. Enough said.
   
5. She has a lack of knowledge of Westeros.
   

That's all I can think of at the moment.

I agree completely

[repbypop]

The only way Dany can become a effective Queen in Westeros, it's to let Tyrion rule the Kingdom, all she has to do is to keep a good image and act like a queen, and leaving Tyrion with the important matters.

[Nictarion]

The only way Dany can become a effective Queen in Westeros, it's to let Tyrion rule the Kingdom, all she has to do is to keep a good image and act like a queen, and leaving Tyrion with the important matters.

I disagree. She's not some brainless airhead. She is smarter than many give her credit for. She's still very young, of course who she would choose as hand is important, and I agree that it should be Tyrion. But I don't see her being a hands off ruler like Robert, who's screwed up priorities bankrupted the realm, despite having a good hand, in Jon Arryn.

[mrunderhill]

I was rereading the books and I got to the part where Drogo died. From there you can see that she does not listen to advice and thinks she knows better. Drogo's blood riders tell her not to sue Mirri, but she does not listen. She thinks she knows best and does not care about what her people want. Then there comes the situation with the Blood Magic. All the Dothraki are completely against it and say it is forbidden. Dany doesn't care and basically says she has the power to make it legal. Not only does this backfire against her, but she was turning the Dothraki into her enemies. It's interesting that the Drogo's Bloodrider, who had always been kind and gentle to her, spits in her face.

I think Dany is going to be the one to finally turn the people of Westeros away from the Targaryens for good.

[Morienthar]

Westeros deserves better than all the Teens and Brooding Bastards in line for the throne.