It seems that with any job, you only get hired unless you have experience, especially for those big jobs running companies or agencies. So why is it that the American public is so turned off by politicians who have been in Congress, or state legislatures, for extended periods of time?
The recent announcement of Cynthia Nixon running for governor of New York has raised questions about whether or not actors—from Sex in the City or reality TV—like our now president Donald Trump, belong in positions of power.
Having learned my way around the democratic process for nearly 15 years, I can tell you that experience matters.
Knowing How Government Works is Paramount
If you’re working with a state legislator, or a Member of Congress, those that have been in government for a while are usually more effective at getting things done. They know how the process works: which committees do bills go through, what are the unique processes for each committee, what type of bill can you pass via a continuing resolution, what is the difference between how policy and spending bills are handled? All of this matters.
You could argue that actors or anyone could learn the process, but then they should start in local government rather than running for a governorship or president of the United States.
Respect for the Institution
Regardless of the current administration’s politics, it’s clear they don’t know and respect the institution of government. What I mean by this is important precedents are set when a president makes unilateral decisions, like through executive orders. Historically speaking executive orders were to be used by the president during extenuating circumstances like war or with non-controversial topics. The reason executive orders were meant to be used in this way is because passing major policies through this mechanism do not require Congress to weigh in, which is the backbone of our democracy. When this is broken, the process (and most importantly our voices) are cut out of the process.
Congress and state legislatures were designed to have policy go through the houses, passing through people elected by us, rather than abdicating all the power to one person. The institution of government must be respected.
Sure, Some Crusty Old Politicians Need to Go
I’ll be the first to admit that some politicians, from both political parties, who have been in office for a long time need to go. Times change and so do communities and so their impression of their state or district can be out of touch with what’s happening today. But then it should be up to people like us, to know when to vote them out.
Just because someone has been in office forever, doesn’t automatically make them corrupt or out of touch. Some of the best elected officials I’ve worked with during my time as an advocate, have been around for a long time.
And yes, there are amazing new candidates that should be considered, I’m just not sure that more celebrity is the thing that we need right now.
The Old Timers Believe in Compromise
We live in hyper-partisan times and I personally like working with older elected officials because they can be less polarized and still understand the art of compromise. People critique the “old days” when politicians would go behind closed doors to make a deal, but I long for those times. Right now leaders are so split, they can’t see each other as human, let alone sit down to make a deal.
Understanding Democracy Is Important
Moving a bill through a legislative body is a difficult, time intensive feat. But it’s the ultimate expression of democracy. So to know this process is to be able to fully understand how a representative democracy works.
Public Service vs. Servicing the Bottom Line
As Mark Shields recently noted on PBS’s News Hour, shifting from a corporate career (or any career really) to public service requires a fundamental mental shift. Your new job as a public servant is about serving people, making their lives better, restoring and protecting democracy, and working for the greater good. “Bureaucrats” get a bad rap, but many of these people are working for agencies that do very important work we mostly take for granted. Working on health insurance coverage, keeping lead out of our drinking water, ensuring neighbors aren’t using too much fertilizer thereby killing off fish in your local pond, employing fire fighters, hiring teachers, and so much more.
So this not-so-new trend of Americans voting for actors (Ronald Reagan/Arnold Schwartzeneger) just doesn’t really work for me. I think anyone who is inspired to run for office should, but they should also learn the process the way most do, by starting at the bottom and work their way up. Politicians aren’t all cheesy stump speech robots, many truly care about making this country and your town, the best place it can be.
When I head to the polls this fall, I’ll be asking candidates tough questions on where they stand on the issues I care about, who funds their political campaigns, and what they will do when their constituents want them to vote differently than their beliefs. It’s the answers to these questions, not the size of someone’s TV persona, that will win over my vote.
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How did Obama work for you? He signed plenty of Executive Orders. And thank God, corrupt Hilary didn’t get in. We would never have known the extent of the corruption if she was elected. It would all have been buried. Thank God we have a Congress that is investigating all the corruption issues with Hilary, the FBI and can’t leave out the CIA.
Elizabeth, my post wasn’t partisan, harping on one party or the other. I was simply stating that it’s important for people to know and respect how the political process works.