Experience, Exschmerience

The experience argument is old and tired, and frankly, just not relevant. It is obvious at this point that the vast majority of supporters of the Republican ticket and apparently many uninformed women in this country seem to be flocking to Sarah Palin, who on the experience scale ranks somewhere between a small city administrator and a parent who shuttles her kids back and forth to the ice hockey rink. The old adage that the longer one serves, the more presidential one appears seems to have gone out the window.

Let’s face facts. If experience was what counts in this country, West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd, at 82, would be the president. He would have just been elected after the death of President Strom Thurmond, who would have died in office at age 101. Vice-president Mickey Rooney, who was selected as Byrd’s vice-president because he’s so doggone cute, is relatively young at 87. We should respect and revere people who have made it to the twilight years of their lives, but these are not criteria and qualification for the office of president and vice-president.

I live here in Silicon Valley, California. The energetic, educated and insightful youth running innovative multi-national companies that reside here in the San Francisco Bay Area set a standard that is unparalleled in this country. Yes, there are still people at these companies who have years of experience and have plenty of years on this earth, but there is a tremendous amount of room made in these companies for the most skilled and the most qualified person, and in many of these companies, the person at the top is the youngest person in the company.

The amount of experience that one has, while a factor in most industries and certainly in politics, is not as high on the list, in my opinion, as intelligence, ability to reach out to others, particular those on the other side of an issue, and their track record; in other words, what they’ve already done and accomplished or not accomplished. For example, if a candidate has worked hard to pass sweeping ethics reform, I would expect that person to set very high ethical standards in their own life and the way they govern. If a candidate has voted against raising the minimum wage dozens of times or eliminating regulations on banks and financial institutions, I wouldn’t suddenly expect that person to crack down on those same companies once he becomes president.

So to get to the bottom line, let’s not waste any more time speaking of experience or comparing who has more experience in office or years on this earth. It is a specious argument, and if that is the criterion we go by, John McCain wins hands down. But does that make him the better choice for president? No way. Does the fact that Sarah Palin has been the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska and is the only candidate with executive experience make one damn bit of difference? Absolutely not. If we simply take a look at what these candidates have done with their time in office, whether they were there for one year, five years or twenty-six, that tells the real story. I will take a less experienced Barack Obama 100 times out of 100 over the very experienced, but highly unqualified John McCain.