Experience, Potential and Incumbency

Thu, 31JAN

the potential of an individual is not considered often enough whenselecting leaders. This applies
both in the NFL context and the political one. In a league where at least two-thirds of the players are African-American,their percentages in the coaching ranks are quite small. Why? In large partbecause of the idea of experience. This has meant seeing the same faces in thecoaching ranks of different teams, whether they duplicate their originalsuccesses or not.

Human nature being what it is, we act no differently when it comes to ourgovernment. The number of African-American governors in American history? Small. Senators? Also small. The reasons are no different. Incumbency andexperience are the overriding concern. Preferences play here too. This may bepart of the reason Ike Leggett got passed over as a lieutenant governor choicewhen Kathleen Townsend ran for governor here. It may also be part of thereason why the Democratic party backed Cardin over Mfume in the Senate racehere.

We've spoken at length about the problems that our country finds itself in. Itshould not go unremarked that we find ourselves in this place in large partbecause very, very experienced people have put us here. A secretary ofdefense, Donald Rumsfeld who goes back to the Nixon administration. A vicepresident, Dick Cheney, who while not on your list of those most prepared to bepresident, meets or exceeds the qualifications of each and every person on thatlist. These presumably wise and experienced men are the ones who helped leadthis nation into ill-advised war with Iraq, the use of torture, and thedestruction of our civil liberties. The past 7 years tell me that experienceis a two-edged sword.

-Scott