Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Is 143 days experience enough...

An article from OneNewsNow.com by James L. Lambert

Help wanted: President - no experience required

As a young college graduate, I began my career as a management trainee in banking some 35 years ago. My first job was working for a large regional bank, where I quickly discovered how much I needed to learn. Just as other young management trainee peers, I was energetic and I wanted to advance. Five years later, I was gratified to be promoted from an operations officer to the consumer lending department. I was on my way.

Such is life. We all have varied professional career goals. We are anxious to succeed in life, whatever our particular venue. We all have different aspirations. Yet when the rubber meets the road, the same formula applies to all of us: it takes time and experience to attain our professional objectives.

However, in American politics today, experience doesn't seem to matter. It appears that, in the eyes of many, experience isn't required for someone vying for the highest position of power in the land: the presidency of the United States.

From the day Barack Obama was sworn into office as a United States senator until the day he announced his formation of an exploratory committee to run for the U.S. presidency, he served 143 days in the U.S. Senate. This figure includes all the days he actually worked in the capacity of a standing senator (not including time off or weekends.)

Is this a strong enough resume for someone who is seeking what some argue is the most powerful position on Earth, no matter how honed their speaking skills and attractive their appearance? Consider these scenarios comparing the presidency with other occupations.

  • Imagine an entry-level lawyer who expects to become head of that legal firm in 143 days.
  • Or perhaps a sales person of a department store such as Nordstroms believing he's earned the right to become CEO in just 143 days?
  • Even in the progressive environment on our college campuses, an untenured college professor would lack the experience required to become college president in just 143 days.
  • How about a postal carrier? Would they believe they are qualified to run the U.S. Postal Service in their city after just 143 days of work without any prior experience? (Even if they went to Harvard).

These examples are telling. Experience matters. It matters in every occupation. It lays the foundation for important decision-making in the future. People gain wisdom from their mistakes, and grow in knowledge as they discern different approaches to a problem.

Yet for some reason that doesn't seem to matter for many people as they compare the two major party candidates running for the highest position in the land -- the office of United States president. They figure that as long as the candidate speaks well and is good looking, that seems to be the major criteria for the job.

The president of the United States is, perhaps singularly, the most powerful office in the world. The person sitting behind the desk of the Oval Office runs the executive branch of government. He sets the tone for the whole country. He is the commander-in-chief of the greatest military in the world. He also has the power to appoint Supreme Court justices who could be in office for a generation. His judgment will determine how the country will navigate the dangerous and treacherous waters of the future.

Everyone needs to seriously ask themselves: Is 143 days in the Senate enough experience for anyone to take over the reigns of the presidency? Especially someone the American people have not been allowed to know. Obama's college and medical records hidden, his associations questionable at best, his voting record the most liberal of any senator (that is, when he wasn't voting "present," as he did 130 times), and his failure to spearhead any legislation whatsoever. Not to mention his close-to-trillion-dollar spending plan. Make no mistake; you will be affected by his decisions if he reaches the Oval Office.

Senator John McCain, in sharp contrast, has an outstanding record of service to America. His military service included commander of a large ship squadron. He has been a U.S. senator for 22 years, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and has a record promoting cutting government waste; spearheaded the line-item veto bill, was pivotal in the change in the Iraq strategy that has been so successful, and was influential in the appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court; spearheaded legislation to stop torture of POWs, as well as legislation regarding HMO reform, gun legislation, reduction of spending, and stopping earmarks. He has voted with his party only 63 percent of the time (as compared to Obama's 97 percent). John McCain has demonstrated time and time again that his country comes first -- before political parties and before his own self interests.

I hope our country doesn't have to suffer for Barack Obama's "on the job training," not to mention his ill-advised spending plans and socialist agenda for the U.S. The world is at a dangerous point in history. We cannot afford to make a mistake when we select the next president of the United States.

James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to OneNewsNow.com and author of Porn in America, is a licensed nationwide real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted through his website.


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3 comments:

mtnchild said...

On top of everything in your post, Obama has never said how he will implement his plans, just that he has plans. Hmmm . . . it really is scary!

Rick said...

you know, this is why I've been a Libertarian forever (not that we ever win much, but it's the principle that counts).

And believe it or not, I had never heard about the 143 days point you bring up. It sounds so.... short when I think about it.

Jen FitzGerald said...

Thanks for stopping by Rick. It does seem short--even first time parents usually have 180 days or so!!

Hi Mom!

Jen