My public apology if that comment towards Ph offended anyone, especially him. Was intended to be a sarcastic response to a line of questioning that I found rather aggravating and crossed the line of decency.
I thought you were both just being intentionally reductive for effect.
I thought you were both just being intentionally reductive for effect.
I don't think it's reductive to say someone's work experience reflects their values. LK sees those work experiences as attractive because they reflect his values. I think even he agrees that running a small business and military experience don't make someone empirically more qualified to be president. That doesn't mean that person might not be successful at it, but I'd back on a person with a background in academia being better at it.
You aren't seriously suggesting that Obama was an ideologue are you?
It's hard to compare the current climate with previous climates in my opinion. Too different and unquestionably more polarized than at any point over the past 50+ years (at least) according to basically any political scientists. It's basically what Townie said: stick to your guns and you're labeled as not leading, seek to do something vs. congress and now you're ignoring the democratic process.
I think while there are things to be learned from being an executive compared to being president that the two are pretty different. If you ran a country like a business in a capitalistic society you would basically remove all social welfare programs up to the point where it was simply costing too much not to have a safety net.
You aren't seriously suggesting that Obama was an ideologue are you?
As much as people like to blame gridlock on the president, the more successful congresses tend to be less ideological and more willing to compromise a portion of their agenda to achieve the rest of it.
Just as true
That's not a proper representation of my position. I absolutely think running a small business and military service make someone more qualified to be president than someone who lacks those experiences.
Would someone with no background in academia be qualified to chair your sociology department? That doesn't mean that person would not be successful, but I'd bank on someone with a background in academia for the position over the unqualified person.