Experience

[enchanted_one1975]

The latest excuse I am hearing, whenever Obama does something wrong, is:

Well he didn't have much experience. He is still learning.

Okay. Why did you vote for him then? By casting your vote, you were saying you wanted him hired for a job for which he was not qualified.

Would you hire a 16 year old that just got their driver's license to drive your limousine?

Would you hire someone that has been working at a fast food joint their whole life to cook in the finest restaurant in Paris?

Would you hire someone that has been changing oil at jiffy lube their whole life to troubleshoot and repair spacecraft for NASA?

Would you hire someone to run your IT department because you like their funny posts on RF?

Would you hire someone that did good at the game Operation to operate on a member of your family?

Please do explain how it is that someone that was unqualified for the job got hired as president of the United States.

 

[Buttercup]

Please do explain how it is that someone that was unqualified for the job got hired as president of the United States.

Because the alternative of a McCain/Palin ticket scared the holy living crap out of A LOT of people.

 

[enchanted_one1975]

Because the alternative of a McCain/Palin ticket scared the holy living crap out of A LOT of people.

But they had experience and were qualified for the job.

Obama scared the living crud out of a lot of people. It's just that we get to live our nightmare now.

 

[Mister_T]

But they had experience and were qualified for the job.

Anyone who claims that they can see Russia from Alaska, is not qualified to be governing anything. Anyone who then takes that quote even further, and then cites that as an example of her foreign policy experience (the "close" proximity to Russia and all) is, well...do I even have to say anything? That speaks for itself.

Anyone who puts the above in a postion where they are a heartbeat away from being the commander in chief of our country, is also not qualified for the job. Apparently the rest of the country thought the same thing.

 

[enchanted_one1975]

Anyone who claims that they can see Russia from Alaska, is not qualified to be governing anything. Anyone who then takes that quote even further, and then cites that as an example of her foreign policy experience (the "close" proximity to Russia and all) is, well...do I even have to say anything? That speaks for itself.

Anyone who puts the above in a postion where they are a heartbeat away from being the commander in chief of our country, is also not qualified for the job. Apparently the rest of the country thought the same thing.

I was taught in school that Native Americans walked here from Russia, through Alaska in something called The Bearing Strait. It seems to me that if the skies were clear one may be able to grab a pair of binoculars or a telescope and see Russia from Alaska.

That still leaves me wondering why you would hire someone that is not qualified to perform the task of running this country. There were candidates available other than Obama and McCain. If you liked neither then why not vote for one that you felt was qualified?

 

[Nova]

Because the alternative of a McCain/Palin ticket scared the holy living crap out of A LOT of people.

This exactly!

I would have loved for Kucinich to have gotten the Democratic nomination, but I knew that was never going to happen. I was very uncomfortable with Obama's lack of a political record to investigate and see how fit he was for the White House, but I believe he was the best option on election day.

 

[Mister_T]

I was taught in school that Native Americans walked here from Russia, through Alaska in something called The Bearing Strait. It seems to me that if the skies were clear one may be able to grab a pair of binoculars or a telescope and see Russia from Alaska.

I'm quite familiar with the Bearing Straight, thanks. Tell you what, you give me some factualy documented evidence that you can see Russia from Alaska and I'll never bring it up again. Not only that, if anyone else brings it up as a talking point against Sara Palin, I will personally refute it in her defense, from here on out.

That being said, let's say that even if she could see Russia from Alaska; That is not foreign policy experience in anyway shape or form, despite what she claims. I've flown to London and South Africa and stayed in Cape Town for almost a month. Guess that makes me a foreign policy expert now. :cover:

That still leaves me wondering why you would hire someone that is not qualified to perform the task of running this country. There were candidates available other than Obama and McCain. If you liked neither then why not vote for one that you felt was qualified?

I've always thought he was qualified and I've personally never made any claim that "he's learning" when he messes something up; In fact I've been quite critical of him at times. I just don't understand how someone could consider someone like Sara Palin as "qualified" to govern anything in this country.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The primary jobs of the president are to: be a figurehead, set a tone/attitude, and not screw things up by too much meddling. As with most presidents, the less policy they implement, the better. Obama would be a great president for fulfilling the role of being a figurehead and setting tone, if it wasn't for the fact that half the government are racist douches who disrespect not only our president, but our country, with their unprecedented lack of class and judgment in dealing with our country's highest office.

 

[Nepenthe]

But they had experience and were qualified for the job.

Not "they"- McCain has more experience but Palin certainly didn't. She had zero foreign policy experience compared to Biden's (his being a negative one in my opinion since Biden has been a notorious hawk). Anyway, experience may not always be the best litmus test as to the presidency: Abraham Lincoln was one of the least qualified presidents with only two years of federal experience under his belt, Washington and Eisenhower had none of course, while Buchanan and Ford had the most at 29 and 25 years. Not exactly two stellar presidents there. Experience may or may not be a positive factor, in, say Buchanan's case it was disastrous, and in Lincoln's case it (arguably) elevated him to an iconic status.
I think this article sums it up well.

 

[Eliot Wild]

But they had experience and were qualified for the job.

I'm not really sure anyone is ever "qualified" to be President of the United States, 'cause there simply isn't any real comparable prior experience.

Granted, based on his former military service and his long, distinguished career in the U.S. Senate, there probably have been fewer people better equipped to take the office than John McCain. But that still doesn't mean he was/is "qualified". And Sarah Palin certainly wasn't qualified or equipped, regardless of her experience as governor of Alaska. She proved her lack of qualifications with every interview she gave.

But that's okay in my mind, because it doesn't seem to me that the presidential elections are about "qualifications". If they were, then we would need a much different process for choosing our Chief Executive. Palin brought freshness, excitement, charisma and partisan fire to the McCain/Palin ticket. This was supposedly meant to be balanced out by McCain's professionalism, experience and moderateness.

However, all that being said, I don't really see what Obama has done that has been that bad. I certainly haven't heard apologizers for him excusing any incompetence he demonstrated due to "lack of experience". The man is a constitutional scholar and legal professor. He probably is as qualified as any of our former presidents when it comes to practical knowledge of how our constitutional government is supposed to work, that is, except for our earliest presidents who actually had a part in creating our Constitution.

Sure, there are certainly partisan attacks one can level at Obama. In other words, I am sure there are those who don't agree with his political positions and they will criticize many, or perhaps all, of his decisions. But it's not like he entrenched us in an unnecessary war that is costing our nation billions upon billions of tax dollars, thousands of lives of our voluntary servicemembers, other limited resources as well, and our country's global reputation before the rest of the world. Personally, I think he has done far too little to get our troops out of Iraq, but maybe that is just his . . . inexperience. Just kidding. Perhaps his failings in this area are due to lack of a better advisory staff.

I suppose it comes down to this, if you voted for the "other guy", then you are most likely going to think the current president is incompetent. Maybe he is, but if so, then it is the process we used to elect him that is to blame as much as anything.