What's so bad about being an insider?

[absyntheNsugar]

Every insider prez we've had has been able to cash in on their favors and get things done. LBJ and JFK were both insiders, and both were able to accomplish alot.

The two prez's who weren't insiders, Clinton and Carter, had a Democratic congress fight them tooth and nail on everything. And then both got their backs stabbed.

[quinnox]

1. Nothing

Even Dean, outsider extraordinaire, hired a consummate insider to manage his campaign.

[RobertSeattle]

2. Sound like Politics 101

If you are an insider, stress your experience
If you are an outsider, stress your new ideas
When the issues are against you, argue that character matters.
When character is against you, argue that the issues are most important.
When character and the issues are against you, sling mud. :)

[D G]

3. Apparently, experience getting things done in DC

is a strike against a candidate for some people. :shrug:

The advantage of candidates who call themselves "outsiders" is that they can criticize the "insiders" for their failure to get things done. But this type of outsider rhetoric always strikes me as armchair quarterbacking. Outsiders score points off insiders, but these points never come from actually accomplishing anything -- just from picking on the insiders.

[dogman]

5. Getting things done is important.

Getting things done for Bush sucks. Being absent over 70% of the time gets nothing done. Getting things done for your own political self is a strike out.

[Bombtrack]

4. Carter was on the trilateral commision

I'm sure there were alot of senators back then who were less part of the establishment or the inside

It's not about where your mailbox is, it's what fights you've taken and with whom, and the things you champion. And who owe alleigances to.

For instance this time around it's really silly to say that Clark or Dean are bigger "outsiders" than Edwards(I'm a Clark supporter by the way). Just because he's lived in DC for 5 and half years.

And Kerry came to the Senate with the same suspicions and biases that were given to Wellstone by the old establishment. A hippy who was never supposed to get this far