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How important is "experience"?

scooterbug44 avatar
SoWal Expert
719 views
Some of our best presidents have had the least amount of (major political office) experience, but obviously you don't want too many on the job learning oopsies as POTUS. :idontno:

Is a candidate's character and leadership more important than how many years they've been in office?

Does being "first lady" count as experience? I am trying to be openminded about that one as I think you do learn something by living in the fishbowl, but all of the things Hillary supposedly helped with/accomplished as first lady have not stood up to fact checking or scrutiny.

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wrobert avatar
Beach Fanatic
#2
Some of our best presidents have had the least amount of (major political office) experience, but obviously you don't want too many on the job learning oopsies as POTUS. :idontno:

Is a candidate's character and leadership more important than how many years they've been in office?

Does being "first lady" count as experience? I am trying to be openminded about that one as I think you do learn something by living in the fishbowl, but all of the things Hillary supposedly helped with/accomplished as first lady have not stood up to fact checking or scrutiny.


I read somewhere that the biggest reason people are giving up on voting is that no matter who they put in office, nothing changes. So maybe someone that is more removed from the system than most is what is needed. Things might change if they are looked at from a totally different perspective.
hnooe avatar
Beach Fanatic
#3
I read somewhere that the biggest reason people are giving up on voting is that no matter who they put in office, nothing changes. So maybe someone that is more removed from the system than most is what is needed. Things might change if they are looked at from a totally different perspective.


Then you look at a Jimmy Carter entering the White House after having only been Governor for one full term. Being a state Governor puts you outside the system of D.C politics--that was Carter's main problem, but then again, former California Governor Reagan managed to do the job with a good amount of consensus from both sides of the aisle....

Thus, I think it really depends on the person/personality as well. Unfortunately, I think it still may take a Senator (a current insider, if you will) to make the neccessary steps to install this new vision and perspective within the existing system.

Edited

Alicia Leonard avatar
SoWal Insider
#4
I read somewhere that the biggest reason people are giving up on voting is that no matter who they put in office, nothing changes. So maybe someone that is more removed from the system than most is what is needed. Things might change if they are looked at from a totally different perspective.


I agree. It not so much experience for me but the ability to cross party lines and get real change to take place. My fear in voting for Hillary is she will be a target for four years and due to being hunted down will not get to focus on anything other than defending herself if elected.
Beach Lover
#5
It would appear that the "experience" factor really has very little to do with the Presidency. Where do you get the experience of being POTUS other than from sitting in the goldfish bowl as you call it. Senators, Governors, etc have no experience comparable to the awesome resonsibilites that accompany the position. None of the current candidiates have "experience". At best they have exposure to the legislative process, how things are done in our capital and know where the "White House" is located.

If exposure is the criteria - John McCain wins hands down.

Pick another quality on which to base your decision.
ASH avatar
Beach Fanatic
#6
I think that regardless of who gets the job, it's kinda like putting a new driver into an existing machine and they get to drive it. It is all pretty much the same as the last person who had it. There are buttons you have to push (people) and pedals you have to press (money) to get the machine to move, but as President, you get to hold the steering wheel and possibly (hopefully) change where the machine goes a bit. Maybe this is why it is so hard to make any big sweeping changes. We need a new machine as well as a new President. Just my opinion. :biggrin:
Teresa avatar
SoWal Guide
#7
scooter - thank you for a very thoughtful and timely thread!!! there was a pretty good article in recent Time Mag about this very question which provided detail and analysis on experience level and performance of every president.

I believe experience is important, but what kind of experience?

the quality we should ultimately seek is leadership.

A good leader will be able to set the tone, provide motivation for people to work together, think long term, do hard work, make real progress, and ultimately, make a real difference in the direction of our country.

experience is also important (now more than ever, imo). but what kind of experience? political? education? military?

time magazine, does experience matter in a president? 2/08 / select quotes.
....The question of experience takes on added bite this year, though, because the next President will inherit a troubled and menacing satchel of problems. From the Iraq tightrope to the stumbling economy, from the China challenge to the health-care mess, from loose nukes to oil dependence to (some things never change) Cuba policy — the next President will be tossed a couple dozen flaming torches at the end of the inaugural parade, and it would be helpful to know that this person has juggled before.....

....Experience, in other words, gets its value from the person who has it. In certain lives, a little goes a long way. Some people grow and ripen through years of government service; others spoil on the vine. At the same time, the value that voters place on r?sum? is constantly shifting....

...An ideal President is both ruthless and compassionate, visionary and pragmatic, cunning and honest, patient and bold, combining the eloquence of a psalmist with the timing of a jungle cat. Not exactly the sort of data you can find on a r?sum?.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1717926,00.html

ash is right.. a new machine is needed along with a good leader.

Edited

Smiling JOe avatar
SoWal Expert
#8
Does experience count? Absolutely. Would you want a newbie surgeon operating on you? Would you want a newbie Realtor handling your real estate transactions? Does being married to a Realtor or a surgeon, make you experienced in real estate contracts or neurosurgery?
Chickpea avatar
Beach Fanatic
#9
Let's please look at the tons of experience Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc... that they had and then fast forward 7+ years forward and look at all the blunders and mistakes (big and small) made (trying very hard not to rant about this).

My vote is to skip all this talk about how important experience is and let's talk about competence and intelligence instead.

Should experience count? Absolutely. Should it be the deciding factor? Absolutely not - otherwises let's just stop this and say only the seasoned may apply.

Again, per an earlier post I made - let's all look at our respective lives - we have all had in our midst at times, so called 'experienced' managers who were pathetic and despite years of training, still remarkably ill equipped to do their jobs - I am also just as sure that we have all had in our midst, some younger, lesser experienced person who showed potential and abilities well beyond their actual training. These people generally have that great and enviable ability to be able to methodically, systematically, logically, with precision and laser like attention be able to dissect a problem, identify key componets and offer sound solutions in such quick succession that others are still left pondering the question when a solution has already been presented. That is the type of person I want!
Chickpea avatar
Beach Fanatic
#10
I read somewhere that the biggest reason people are giving up on voting is that no matter who they put in office, nothing changes. So maybe someone that is more removed from the system than most is what is needed. Things might change if they are looked at from a totally different perspective.

Given the insane amounts of money raised in this campaign from grass roots movements and from actual individuals - this may be the first time in recent history that we actually could get someone in the White House who gets there unencumbered and not indebted to any special interests and corporations - how amazing would that be!
Smiling JOe avatar
SoWal Expert
#11
Sounds like the big question now is, will Obama buy out Hillary's $10 million debt to get her to pull out of the election. Her contributors have maxed out and she isn't likely to pick up new contributors, where as Obama still has some good potential to raise more money. Hillary is reportedly into her own pockets for a net loss of $10 million, and if she goes away, it won't likely be short of any cash. If she backs out now, she cannot recoup the money she lost, but if she stays in, she has the opportunity to keep bringing in money without spending it, repaying herself. By staying in the race, she is hurting the Dems, when they could be working together, as one voice, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a buy out by Obama, so he can get on to business.
Chickpea avatar
Beach Fanatic
#12
Sounds like the big question now is, will Obama buy out Hillary's $10 million debt to get her to pull out of the election. quote]

SJ,
Has anyone even breathed a word about this?? Is this even a remote possibility? Hard for me to imagine.
Smiling JOe avatar
SoWal Expert
#13
Not that I am aware of, but I am sure many under the table deals are cut to get people to exit the Race. Never hear official reports of such, and to my knowledge, it is legal to do.
scooterbug44 avatar
SoWal ExpertAuthor
#14
The Clintons made over $20 million last year and over half of that was from Bill's speaking fees. Hillary isn't going anywhere as long as she's got oxygen in her lungs.
Beach Fanatic
#15
I think Hillary's experience is very important. Thanks for asking, scooterbug. Also, I believe Hillary's initiation of the SCHIP program, and its insuring health care for hundreds of thousands of uninsured American children to this day will stand up to any fact checking you may chose to do. All of this was done years ago while she was first lady as head of a committee assigned to examine health care in this country. That fact does stand up for itself whether some chose to ignore it or not, and many do. Thanks again for asking.

Edited

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