Voters Say To Heck With Experience

At the heart of every aspect of life we want experience.  Bright minds and able hands.

Last year when I sought out a tree removal business one of the considerations I took into account was the years of experience they had.    When needing the rain gutters cleaned this summer I again looked for the experienced team that could do the work and not cause any damage to the house.

I bristle at those who want to downsize government, knowing that talented long-term employees are going to just retire and get away, creating a great loss of institutional memory.  Memory that is synonymous with experience.    This bodes ill for many programs that impact the daily lives of my fellow citizens.

But this year the electorate seems ready to throw the baby out with the bath water.  They are about to, if the polls are correct, elect a whole bunch of inexperienced people to government.  And do it gleefully.

This just runs counter to logic.  At the foundation of this vote is lack of education and understanding that is central, it seems to me, of being a responsible voter.

I worry about my country.

Even more important in understanding the dynamics of 2010 is the broader backdrop. That broader dynamic became clear when voters were asked in the poll how they would vote if their choice for electing a member of Congress came down to a candidate who had served 10 years in Congress or one who was running for political office for the first time.

Given that choice, 48% said they’d vote for the political novice, while just 23% said they’d pick the candidate with experience.

That finding captures the throw-’em-out, break-some-crockery mood that produced the tea-party movement, which in turn has done much to define and animate the campaign. Indeed, a striking 68% of those who identify themselves as tea-party supporters said they’d back the political novice, while just 10% would pick the candidate with experience.