I’ve seen that term “qualified” thrown around a lot of late. As discussions of possible 2020 candidates heat up, some are looking for the most “qualified” candidate.
Every single person that has been mentioned as a possible 2020 contender is qualified to be President of the United States.
There are only a few qualifications relevant today:
1) A natural born citizen;
2) Thirty-Five years old at the time of assuming office;
3) A resident of the U.S for 14 years;
4) Not having been elected twice before to the office (or served more than two years of a term to which some other person had been elected.
That’s it. Those are the only qualifications in the rule book.
Well, that’s just a bit too cute. So, what are we really saying when we ask who is “qualified?”
I believe most people are really asking who has the experience to be President. Or, perhaps, who has the most potential to step into office on day one? Who will make the most seamless transition? This differs, in my mind, from who has the best policies or who is the most “electable.” While all three categories are subjective, experience is the least subjective.
That may beg the question. If experience is important to you, what type of experience? Once that is answered, how important is “experience”? Full disclosure: I’ve always been a resume person. This has proven to be less than satisfactory. The person who has, ostensibly, the best CV, is not usually the candidate and when they are, they often lose.
In purely bureaucratic terms, experience may mean first-hand experience at governing, be it in a legislative capacity or an executive capacity. Would you rather be treated by the most brilliant individual who happens to be a surgeon who has never performed the procedure you need, or a very good surgeon who has successfully performed the procedure 50 times? You will make that choice based upon qualities important to you. If experience is important to you, these things matter.
I am a firm believer that the best policy in the hands of someone with no real comprehension of process is as bad as someone who knows process but has no real idea what to do.
A first-hand knowledge of how to craft, gain support for and pass legislation is a valuable experience. A member of Congress, if there long enough, will also gain an understanding of foreign policy, perhaps meet world players and grasp the chain reactions that can result in foreign policy decisions.
The closest thing to being a President in the United States may be being a governor. The chief executive of a state performs many of the same duties as the President and requires many of the same skills. It’s a difference in degree, not kind.
Mayors, are like governors but not really. They are executives to be sure but the scope is limited. People often forget that even governors of the most notorious blue states, such as California and New York, have a huge agricultural sector. They deal with urban, suburban and rural needs every day.
Cabinet level positions will give you executive experience but you are accountable to one person. Still, it is a valuable experience.
It would seem to me that if experience is important to you, then the person who has the most legislative and executive experience would be high on your list. So, who among the vast cast of characters can lay claim to the most experience or, at least, very experienced.
So we have (L) and (E) types ofexperience.
Joe Biden — Joe knows the Senate, for sure. Up until his election as Vice President, Biden had been in the Senate since the Tea Pot Dome Scandal. High Scores here on the (L) front. Joe really has no executive experience per se as the VP’s role is not really executive in nature. However, he gets points for being part of the administration and knowing how the White House works.
Sherrod Brown — Legislative guy, both chambers. No executive experience. Gets high marks on the legislative end but really 0 on the other.
Amy Klobuchar — We know the Minnesota Senator has legislative experience. She was also Hennepin County Attorney. I have no idea what that means. Here in NY, the County attorney is the attorney for the county, drafts legislation when asked to by the county legislature, represents the county in court proceedings etc. Not sure if its the same in Minnesota. This is some executive experience but so far from something like a governor, it doesn’t count for much.
Bernie Sanders — Bernie has been a legislator for decades, in both the House and Senate. He scores high on the (L). Sanders also has authored legislation rather than casting votes. He was mayor of Burlington VT (great city) for eight years. That’s actual executive experience, if he can remember it. It was a long time ago. During his time in office Sanders was instrumental in revitalizing Burlington’s waterfront and did balance the budget. Again, not the same as a governor, but it is executive experience.
Kirsten Gillibrand — Legislative 100% (she’ll pass on the race)
Andrew Cuomo — All Executive, Cabinet Secretary, Governor. Won’t run. ‘nuff said.
Elizabeth Warren — The Mass. Senator’s experience is mainly in academia and the Senate. She was also spent two years as the Chair of the Congressional Oversight Committee and almost a year as Special Advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection bureau. She’s a legislative policy wonk.
John Hickenlooper — About fifteen years of executive experience as Denver mayor and CO governor. That’s not nothin’.
Terry McAuliffe — Pass.
Eric Holder — Good Executive experience as AG. Nominated for judge by Ronald Reagan. Served as acting AG for George W. Bush for 12 days in 2001. Knows DC. The last time a person went from Attorney General to Presidential candidate? Never.
Steven Bullock — Four years as Montana’s Attorney General and eight as governor. He’s executive experience all the way.
Corey Booker — Booker was Newark NJ mayor for two terms and will have ben in the Senate 7 years by 2020. Like Sanders, Booker has run a city as well as served in DC. Sanders has him beat in DC but running Burlington does not create the headaches that Newark does, in all fairness.
Kamala Harris — If she run (who are we kidding) she will have been in DC for four years as of 2020. A good chunk of that time will be on the campaign trail. So, she'll have a taste of DC and the legislative process. Harris was also California Attorney General. Harris was also the District Attorney of San Francisco and San Francisco County. She was then elected CA Attorney General. In terms of executive experience, this is no small thing. Harris ran a large office, close to 5,000 employees spread out over our most populous state. No, it not a governor, but its a serious job and must be discussed when we talk experience.
I do not have the energy to list all 45 possible people that might consider running. I believe that the most uniquely qualified person in my lifetime was HRC. Senator, Secretary of State and the experience of living in the cauldron that is the White House for eight years. Few people have that breadth of DC experience. She will not be a candidate and that is for the best.
One last dark horse. If you are looking for experience, there is someone out there that might have the best resume of all. With nearly two decades in the House of Representatives, you can’t say he does not understand how Congress works. He has also been the chief executive of medium-size state for eight years. I speak of Washington Governor, Jay Inslee.
The older I get I am less certain of many things. The things I am certain of are 1) I will never date Kate Beckinsale 2) The 1998 Yankees were the greatest baseball team ever 3) Tom Cruz has never been drunk 4) No one gives a shit about what you had for lunch so stop texting photos of your f---ing lunch 5) Jay Inslee will not be the 2020 Democratic nominee for the Office of the President.
He deserves a serious look as a running mate.
I have one more qualification for the presidency. It aint in the Constitution but it ranks high with me and I believe with many of you. Empathy. Without empathy, all the experience in the world won’t make you a great leader.