What would happen if...

[SoutherDem]

Depending on your age you may remember the TV show The West Wing. In it the president was Josiah Bartlet who was a Nobel Prize winner in Economics before he went into politics.

So, what would happen if in 2016 the Democrats found someone who was an economist, at least prior to being a politician.

Could the Republicans run against someone who was an expert in economics? Could you imagine every time the Republicans put forth an economic idea they are slammed by someone who could talk circles around a "business man" or career politician?

Is it time to stop electing lawyers, businessmen and those who have been in politics so long no one can remember what they were before?

[1StrongBlackMan]

1. Yes ...

Could the Republicans run against someone who was an expert in economics?

Yes, they could BECAUSE for their base facts, proven theory and repeating historical trends are merely leftist opinions promulgated by the liberal media.

[pnwmom]

2. No sane economist would want to be President, which would require him

to make the usual political compromises, and probably in the end destroy his professional reputation.

[PDJane]

3. Ban previous members of the CIA from the presidency.

That would be a better start.

[Warpy]

4. Career politicians know how government works

and lawyers know how to write and interpret laws. I don't have an objection to either of those groups.

However, I do have an objection to putting businessmen into positions of political power. Businessmen hire lawyers to skate as close to the edge of the law as they can to coerce more profit out of the business. They try to bully or bribe politicians into changing laws they find inconvenient. Their whole focus is incompatible with the focus of government.

Academic economists should be in consulting positions. However, most are just smart enough not to want the job.

Look at the Republicans, though. They love putting businessmen into the top slot and have politicians as economic advisors. This is clearly insane and detrimental to the country and its people.