Freedom, Opportunity, and Security
was written before the current presidential
campaign began, so nothing in the book
is a response to the campaign. However,
it turns out that one proposal in the book
relates to an issue that has become
significant in this campaign.
There should be a government experience
requirement for presidential candidates.
Any candidate should have at least two
years of experience in congress, or as
governor, or as a general or admiral or
cabinet member, or as mayor of one of
the hundred largest cities. All previous
U.S. presidents have met this relatively
modest experience requirement (see
http://myhome.spu.edu/ddowning/fos/presexp.htm
Maybe sometimes we should elect an unconventional
candidate, but before we elect such a
candidate we need to be able to evaluate
that person’s ability to make decisions
in a government position. Just as you wouldn’t
want to select someone as CEO of a business
if that person has no experience in business,
you shouldn’t select a president that has no
experience in government. I’m not proposing
an experience requirement for other
positions in government, because we don’t
want to limit our choice as voters to professional
politicians. If someone who is not a professional
politician wants to run for office they should start
with some office other than president.
We don’t know if this year will be an aberration,
or if it is the beginning of a new troubling
pattern. If in future years it becomes common
for inexperienced celebrities to become popular
presidential candidates it will be a serious problem.
……………..
–Douglas Downing
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