How important is "experience" as a deciding factor in who you support in '08?

[WI_DEM]

[loudsue]

1. Experience is crucial to me.

If we get one more naive or stupid dingbat in the oval office, we're toast.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Warpy]

2. What kind of experience?

Growing up upper middle class or wealthy, experiencing prep school and the legacy branch of the Ivy league and never being at all curious about anyone outside your class?

How about growing up in a military family where unquestioning loyalty to a leader was stressed?

How about growing up in the lower middle class, working hard in school and becoming one of the most successful civil tort lawyers out there, taking cases that forced corporations to do the right thing? (Edwards)

How about growing up never really knowing where your place in the world was going to be, fighting your way through school, getting into the Ivy League on the strength of your brains, and going into politics so that other kids wouldn't have the fight like you did? (Obama)

How about growing up with a Repug family, working your ass off in school because everybody said women couldn't manage men's work like government law, changing parties when you married a guy who'd worked his ass off like you did because he started off behind the 8 ball, and working your ass off for liberal causes in a hostile environment for years? (Hillary)

These are only a few examples of the types of experience out there. Asking for someone to climb a political career ladder is asking for only one type of experience and it's the least important one.

What are your life experiences? What have they taught you about policy? Who are you working for in office?

Those questions are at least as important as "What jobs have you held?"

I want to know how people are going to run the government. I don't give a rip about how many jobs they've held.

[Rosemary2205]

6. you put it so much better than I did.

Next time "experience" comes up I'll have to come back and read your post again to help me phrase it like I mean it. Wish I had your language skills. Thanks.

[mnhtnbb]

3. VALUES first. Leadership skills. Ability to inspire. Vision for the country.

All of utmost importance. Experience in government? Way down the list.

[Deep13]

4. It was important before Sept. 11, too.

Running and even winning does not mean much if one can't govern. Governing is about managing people. The Federal government is composed of many, many people including elected and appointed officials who have their on turf loyalties, egos and goals. Getting that monster to do what you want is never easy.

[Rosemary2205]

5. I think experiences are important but not just JOB experience.

probably the MOST qualified people to run this country have never had an elected federal government job.

My criteria is, in no particular order.

1. Do I percieve them as genuinely caring about "the little people".

2. Do they have enough "worldly" life experience to negotiate with governments around the world.

3. What experiences do they have that specific relate to solving the biggest problems I see need addressed at this moment in history (currently IMHO, healthcare, wealth distribution and decent relations/communication with the rest of the world is what I see as most important)

4. Is he/she a leader or a manager by personal style.

5. Is he/she a bitcher or a solver or some of each?

6. What big money interests is he/she beholden to?

7. What is thier basic intelligence level - book smart? street smart? relationship smart?


There's probably more but these are the main ones.