Free Republic

During a presidential debate in 1984, Ronald Reagan, who was then 73, famously said of his opponent,Walter F. Mondale, who was then 56 and trying to make an issue of Reagan's age: "I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience." The joke turns, of course, on the reasonable assumption that, as a rule, experience is a good thing and inexperience is a bad thing. Mitt Romney started this year's presidential campaign with the same assumption. So did other Republicans. "Inexperienced" was their favorite one-word accusation against President Obama. It is witheringly dismissive without seeming...

In the 13 years since he suffered a string of political setbacks and quit the third most powerful job in Washington, Newt Gingrich has been busily laying the foundation for a comeback to an even grander perch. On any given day, the former Speaker of the House can be found on a chartered jet headed to Iowa to train future GOP candidates through his American Solutions group, or in Phoenix discussing ways to lower health-care costs with drug makers through his for-profit Center for Health Transformation. He might also be in Philadelphia, narrating a film produced by Gingrich Productions, or...

People use many words today without fully knowing what they mean — or should mean. "Tolerance," "gender" and "truth" come to mind. But then there is one that rears its head every campaign season: "experience." We've heard this word a lot lately during discussion of latest GOP frontrunner Herman Cain. Many have warned that while he may be appealing and engaging, he lacks the experience to take the helm of the world's only superpower. Some of these critics say that Cain's supporters are making the same mistake Barack Obama's did in 2008: they're choosing a greenhorn based only on a...

People use many words today without fully knowing what they mean -- or should mean. "Tolerance," "gender" and "truth" come to mind. But then there is one that rears its head every campaign season: "experience." We've heard this word a lot lately during discussion of latest GOP frontrunner Herman Cain. Many have warned that while he may be appealing and engaging, he lacks the experience to take the helm of the world's only superpower. Some of these critics say that Cain's supporters are making the same mistake Barack Obama's did in 2008: they're choosing a greenhorn based only on a...

GOP presidential hopeful and Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann today released the following statement to respond to reports that she experiences “incapacitating” migraines: Like nearly 30 million other Americans, I experience migraines that are easily controlled with medication. I am a wife, a mother, a lawyer who worked her way through law school, a former state senator who achieved the repeal of a harmful piece of education policy in Minnesota, and a congresswoman who has worked tirelessly fighting against the expansion of government and wasteful spending. “Since entering the campaign, I have maintained a full schedule between my duties as...

I was as guilty of it as anyone. Before Herman Cain’s rise as a player in the 2012 GOP primary, the easiest shorthand was to describe him simply as the “ex-Godfather’s Pizza CEO.” This, of course, was overly simplistic. The truth is that Cain experience is much more vast than simply running Godfathers. He has a Master’s degree in computer science, was a mathematician for the Department of Navy, served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and has been a popular talk show host. And after Cain’s success at Godfather’s (he...

You don’t have to look far to find “stupid” or “dumb” remarks about Sarah Palin. Whether it is comments in online editorials or people voicing their “stupid” remarks about her in youtube videos, you can always find some critical voice bewailing her alleged stupidity and lack of education. But is Sarah Palin really as stupid as some people would like to think? Let’s take a look. Governor Palin is the daughter of a school teacher. Of course, that alone would tell most people that having an educator for a parent probably ensures the child will end up with a good...

When Herman Cain announced on Wednesday, January 12, that he was forming an exploratory committee to test the waters for a possible presidential bid, he immediately faced questions about his perceived lack of experience. After all, Cain had only a failed U.S. Senate bid in 2004 on his political resume. When Herman spoke to my AP Government class in December, one of the students asked him the same question: "Are you electable, given your lack of political pedigree?" Cain's answer was one that he has since echoed in subsequent interviews. He asked the class to think about the political background...

I must respond to wll these vocal loosers who don't what America to have the President she deservs...... While Sarah has the experience and abilities far beyond Moogly the mna cub, she has something that matters more to me than that: Common sense, and charcater. She will surround herself with those she needs to make the final decisions, but I trust her final decisions much more than I do the man child, who n ever seems to get it right, unless you concede he is trying t5o destroy America. Cutting taxes would have already brought back the economy, and there...

Governor Sarah Palin’s Record That Gave Her A 90% Approval Rating: Energy Independence, Development, and Environmental Stewardship *Governor Palin’s cornerstone accomplishment is AGIA (Alaska Gasline Inducement Act). During the Palin administration, TransCanada and Exxon formed an alliance to build a natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the Lower 48. Under Governor Palin’s governance, the project was expanded and revised from what previous governors had proposed with an open policy process for the Alaskan people. More progress was made on this effort than in the previous 30 years. This is the largest private sector infrastructure project in North American history and...

"Ideas may be cut loose from experience in two senses: either they have no roots in experience, or they are not submitted to the test of experience. Either way, they are free to be foolish." So wrote Jeane Kirkpatrick in the Introduction to her landmark book, Dictatorships and Double Standards (New York, 1982, p. 10). Kirkpatrick's statement applies perfectly to the band of naïve idealists now in change of our government. The youthful dreamers guiding the Obama administration have almost no private-sector experience. Like Obama himself, the Cabinet and host of czars who direct policy have spent their lives in...

"Ideas may be cut loose from experience in two senses: either they have no roots in experience, or they are not submitted to the test of experience. Either way, they are free to be foolish." So wrote Jeane Kirkpatrick in the Introduction to her landmark book, Dictatorships and Double Standards (New York, 1982, p. 10). Kirkpatrick's statement applies perfectly to the band of naïve idealists now in change of our government. The youthful dreamers guiding the Obama administration have almost no private-sector experience. Like Obama himself, the Cabinet and host of czars who direct policy have spent their lives in...

Last week's flap involving Gen. Stanley McChrystal was notable for many things, but what stands out most in my opinion was how it reflects the declining respect that so many Americans have for those in leadership positions. While decorum can be imposed by fiat, it is genuine respect that prompts teams to achieve in all fields, and which must be earned. I'm not going to defend the general, who clearly overstepped his bounds and had to be dismissed to maintain civilian control over the military. But he was (and I am) clearly frustrated with micromanagement of the Afghan campaign by...

WOW - you've probably seen Pailn's facebook post by now on Obama, BP and the fact that the president has yet to even speak to the CEO of BP about the oil spill. Apparently Palin's head is exploding because she is pimp-slapping President Obama like crazy. Gary P., who writes extensively on Palin has his take on her reaction - and challenge to Obama - plus a great Elvis tune. She really lets the big O have it.

Executive experience was a focus of the 2008 campaign. In the nascent days of my supporting Gov. Palin, I had noted that of the four people on both tickets, she was the only one with any executive experience whatsoever. The man at the top of her ticket – John McCain – has no executive experience. Neither did candidate Biden. Candidate Obama only had for his non-Senatorial (state and federal) resume, community organizing, and an editor’s position on Harvard Law Review – though what he edited there remains a state secret. I have often written that while Obama was a fantastic...

In mid-February 2008, fresh from winning a bunch of Super Tuesday primaries, Barack Obama granted an interview to "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Croft. "When you sit down and you look at [your] resume," Croft said to Obama, "there's no executive experience, and in fact, correct if I'm wrong, the only thing that you've actually run was the Harvard Law Review." "Well, I've run my Senate office, and I've run this campaign," Obama said. (...) snip Obama ignored Palin's experience as governor of Alaska, which was considerably bigger than the Obama campaign. But his point was clear: If you're worried about...

Democrats should be our first line of protection against putting a untested candidate on the Supreme court. You'd think one Democrat would wise up and point out a whole stable of qualified Judges who are ready for the job. Then, point out to those who still would take no experience that this decision may well effect their party for 50 years. And this is the Supreme Court, not some entry level job. They have no idea if this candidate really wants to be a Judge, or gets tired of the jobs and quits. At least with Sotomayer, they could argue...

President Obama has selected Elena Kagan, the solicitor general of the United States, as his nominee to replace the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. From her official bio: Kagan came to Harvard Law School as a visiting professor in 1999 and became Professor of Law in 2001. While on the faculty, Kagan taught administrative law, constitutional law, civil procedure, and seminars on issues involving the separation of powers. She was appointed Dean of the Law School in 2003. Aside from employment as an associate in a law firm, her functions before becoming the solicitor general were primarily academic, and later...

Our American CatharsisWill Obama-time be a transitory experience or an enduring tragedy?  For years conservatives have railed about the creeping welfare state. They have tried to tag liberals with being soft on national security, both for courting those who faulted America and for faulting others who courted it. The parameters of all these fights were well known, as talk radio, the blogs, and cable news hourly took up hammer and tongs against the creeping “liberal agenda.� But for all the furor, there were few unabashed leftist gladiators in the arena who openly fought under the banner of radically transforming the...

Medicare and Medicaid are to be headed by a new Obama appointee, and I smell trouble. Robert Pear of the New York Times reports: President Obama will soon name Dr. Donald M. Berwick, an iconoclastic scholar of health policy, to run Medicare and Medicaid, the programs that serve nearly one-third of all Americans, administration officials said Saturday. This is a crucial appointment: The law, signed Tuesday by Mr. Obama, will expand Medicaid to cover 16 million more people, squeeze nearly a half-trillion dollars out of Medicare in the next 10 years and establish many demonstration projects to test innovative ways...

Watch as Glenn Beck reveals the "real world" experience of past presidents' cabinets and compares them to Dear Leader's appointees.

A friend sends along the following chart from a J.P. Morgan research report. It examines the prior private sector experience of the cabinet officials since 1900 that one might expect a president to turn to in seeking advice about helping the economy. It includes secretaries of State, Commerce, Treasury, Agriculture, Interior, Labor, Transportation, Energy, and Housing & Urban Development, and excludes Postmaster General, Navy, War, Health, Education & Welfare, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security—432 cabinet members in all. When one considers that public sector employment has ranged since the 1950s at between 15 percent and 19 percent of the population,...

So as Obama wants to turn the economy around, less than ten percent of the cabinet officials he would presumably turn to for advice have ever worked in the private sector. Not encouraging.

Barack Obama didn't have a lot of bread-and-butter accomplishments to point to, either. He had, in fact, less governing experience than Palin already has. So experience can be gotten around.

U.S. Muslim service members say they stand out in both their worlds. Among fellow troops, that can mean facing ethnic taunts, awkward questions about spiritual practices and a structure that is not set up to accommodate their worship. Among Muslims, the questions can be more profound: How can a Muslim participate in killing other Muslims in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan? Just 3,557 members of the 1.4 million-member U.S. armed forces describe themselves as Muslim, and followers of Islam said the military is just starting to accommodate them by recruiting Muslim chaplains, creating Muslim prayer spaces and educating other...

This is in response to questions and comments I have received pertaining to this announcement: Just like at the federal level, a state legislature can override a governor's veto. So, if Governor Palin had vetoed, yes it would have been overridden -- the legislature overwhelmingly wanted that money. Of course, since she is the one signing the bill, those who hate Governor Palin are accusing her of being a hypocrite -- this is why we need to be well-informed about this matter. It's complex, and quite frankly -- dry subject matter -- and easy to just "sloganeer". Had the legislature...

"I work as a resident doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in Mexico City and sadly, the situation is far from "under control". As a doctor, I realise that the media does not report the truth. Authorities distributed vaccines among all the medical personnel with no results, because two of my partners who worked in this hospital (interns) were killed by this new virus in less than six days even though they were vaccinated as all of us were. The official number of deaths is 20, nevertheless, the true number of victims are more than 200. I understand that...

Having some interesting bantering with an Obama supporter, who sent me this 'resume' of all that he has accomplished: • Obama has served 12 yrs at the federal and state level (4 yrs US Sen + 8 yrs IL Sen) • Obama sponsored 823 bills and cast over 4000 votes in the IL Senate • Obama co-sponsored 15 bills that became federal law and co-sponsored 570 bills. These bills and laws are an impressive accomplishment spanning foreign policy, public health, openness and accountability in government, national security Of the 570 bills Senator Obama introduced into the Senate during the 109th...

One of the main US banking regulators allowed banks to backdate transactions so as to maintain "well capitalised" status and avoid regulatory restrictions, the Treasury department's watchdog arm has said. The practice came to light as part of a routine federal investigation into the failure of IndyMac, one of five lenders regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision to be wound down this year. IndyMac suffered a run on its $19bn (€13.6bn, £12.8bn) in customer deposits in July after Senator Chuck Schumer, chairman of Congress's joint economic committee, made public a letter he had written to regulators questioning the lender's...

You remember the Orwell novel 1984? There was a vivid description of a "Ministry of Truth" that served the function of rewriting history via rewriting the news in order to make the past jibe with whatever Big Brothers current program happened to be. Well, it turns out that Barack Obama needs a Ministry of Truth of his own. Hillary Clinton - who repeatedly described having come under sniper fire in order to bolster her flimsy foreign policy credentials until it was revealed that no such event occurred - is about to become the Obama administration's Secretary of State. And if...

Obama Recorded "Off The Record" on his Washington Experience!Explosive: Tells the Media to "Stop your complaining!" > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL_43SJ-KJ4 You Tube Video: "Barack Obama Questions Washington Experience" At the conclusion of his meeting with the San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board, Barack Obama challenges the value of Washington experience and explains how to reduce the influence of special interests. (more) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL_43SJ-KJ4

I am truly astonished by the ignorance Obama supporters have displayed in their quest to get someone - anyone - into the White House. Now, wait a minute. I can well understand your dislike or even hatred of George W. Bush, but he is not the root cause of all of our problems. Our Congress is. And a change there would be welcomed by all. You ain't gonna get it done with Obama. You gotta fire the whole damnable crooked Congress. Perhaps I'm looking at all of this from a different perspective than you because my life experiences have been...

National Security: Biden's warning that Obama's lack of experience will prompt tyrants and terrorists to "test" him within the first six months can only be seen one way — as a confirmation of our worst fears."We're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy," Biden said. "He's gonna need help. We're gonna need you to stand with him." In other words, Americans are supposed to be patient and supportive while an obviously unqualified president learns on the job. He's so inexperienced in military and world affairs, in fact, that his presidency is guaranteed...

Let's pretend that you are a shareholder (e.g. a registered voter) in the largest most powerful corporation in the world (e.g. the United States) and your company needs a new CEO (e.g. the president). Do you want your board of directors (e.g. the electoral college) to select a person with 3 years experience (e.g. the esteemed senator from Illinois)? For those of you playing at home, the answer is no. In these tough economic times, if the esteemed senator from Illinois gets elected, raises taxes, and implements his $800+ billion social welfare programs the only "change" you will have will...

While most of us focus on national polls or battleground state polls, Karl Rove always raises one additional poll question. Is Barack Obama qualified to be president? On that question, Obama consistently does poorly, and he is not improving. This week also brought a reminder that Sen. Obama hasn't closed the sale. The Washington Post/ABC poll found 45% of voters still don't think he's qualified to be president, about the same number who doubted his qualifications in March. This is seven points more than George W. Bush's highest reading in 2000 and the worst since Michael Dukakis's 56% unqualified rating...

The campaign this year is eerily reminiscent of the election a few years back. Then, too, we had a Republican president who was unpopular and the media was favoring a relatively unknown Democrat. He was a very smart, articulate man who was a good campaigner. He sounded good and persuasive. He was friendly, likeable and really a decent man. He was a liberal with kind of a naive world view. He had no experience in Washington. The press did everything they could to promote his election. But once he was elected, it wasn’t too long until the country was sorry...

Pick your "new" thingBy Leslie J. SacksBarack Obama is perfectly suited in the running for president. He has the ability to both energize and grow the grassroots base, to motivate voters with his superb eloquence and confidence. As a result, he has broken for all time the racial glass ceiling on viable presidential candidates, an accomplishment for which America should be grateful. Based on many current polls, he might very well succeed in his quest for the presidency. On the other hand, Obama, according to a good portion of the country, is not yet experienced enough, and does not...

In the 2008 election, one of these ruling myths is "Sarah Palin does not have the experience to be vice-president." Well, let's stomp that one flat right away: out of all four candidates, Sarah Palin is the only one with any of the requisite executive experience required for office. She is the sole candidate who has ever run anything larger than a college debating society. If she is not qualified, none of them are, and we'd better dump ‘em all and start over.

As the debate shifted to national security issues, McCain demonstrated why many voters see this as a strong area for him. He's been involved for decades in deciding whether the U.S. engages militarily in hot spots such as Somalia, Lebanon and Bosnia—and it shows. His cautious words about the careful use of power indirectly addressed the fear of some Americans that he'd be a trigger-happy president. Similarly, Obama's pledge to add troops in Afghanistan and his forceful language on terrorist breeding grounds in Pakistan addressed the fear of other Americans that he'd be a weak commander in chief. On Iraq,...

... "It is clear that she doesn't pass the test as a national security candidate," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ... And Palin's predecessor as Alaska governor, Tony Knowles (D), said, "There has been no vice president that is less prepared in modern history." .... And Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said Palin has "as much or more executive experience and leadership experience as Barack Obama does, and he's running for president." ..."Sarah Palin has taken more in federal earmarks per person than any governor in the history of the planet," McCaskill said on ABC's "This Week." Fiorina noted...

Like a needle stuck in the groove, the Democratic chattering class keeps repeating its mantra that Sarah Palin does not have enough experience (whatever this may mean), especially in foreign policy, compared to Joe Biden. The implication is that Gov. Palin is not qualified to assume the role of president should a President McCain be incapacitated. Even after her boffo performance at the convention Wednesday evening, the continuing firestorm is divided along strictly partisan lines: Democrat pundits, blog dwellers and editors in the mainstream media are pushing the not-qualified line; Republicans and right-of-center voices are showing enthusiastic support for Palin,...

How do they stack up? Barack Obama is supposed to be running against John McCain, but with the entrance of Sarah Palin onto the national political stage, it seems as though the race is now between these two political powerhouses. Much has been made of Obama’s judgment to lead in spite of his youth and relative inexperience. Likewise, much has been made of Palin’s unfitness to be first in line to the presidency because of her youth and relative inexperience. Therefore, it might be helpful for voters to take a look at their qualifications on key issues side by side...

"The reality is, governors every day have to make decisions for better or for worse. That's part of the job. It's an executive position. And it's a position that is like what you're going to do when you're president. Legislators, they do different things. They debate and they pass their bills back and forth," he said. "But governors make decisions, and I think it's a tactical mistake for the Democrats to question Gov. Palin's experience when she's been a governor of a state," he said. "I don't think the size of the state is relevant. It's the kinds of decisions...

In Search of Gov. Palin It is well past time for Sarah Palin, Republican running mate, governor of Alaska and self-proclaimed reformer, to fill in for the voting public the gaping blanks about her record and qualifications to be vice president. The best way to do that would be exactly what the campaign of John McCain is avoiding — an honest news conference. Instead, she has been the bell-jar candidate, barnstorming safe crowds with socko punch lines and plans for a single interview on ABC News built around a visit to Fairbanks, Alaska, and her hometown of Wasilla. Just in...

One rap on Sarah Palin's qualifications to be Vice President is that she governs one of our least populated states, with a budget of "only" $12 billion and 16,000 full-time state employees. On the other hand, it turns out that the Governor's office in Alaska is one of the country's most powerful. For more than two decades Thad Beyle, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina, has maintained an index of "institutional powers" in state offices. He rates governorships on potential length of service, budgetary and appointment authority, veto power and other factors. Mr. Beyle's findings for 2008...

“But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed … when the roar of the crowd fades away … when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent’s plan?” –Sarah Palin at the 2008 Republican National Convention When Barack Obama was asked about his executive experience on Anderson Cooper's 360, he claimed that running a Presidential campaign was more "executive" experience than Governor Sarah Palin's tenure as mayor of a town in Alaska. Aside from the fact that Obama deliberately left out Palin's current executive experience...

Youtube Video. What makes him qualified now?

Service Changes People’s CharacterJerry Kellman, Barack Obama's supervisor during the candidate's days as a community organizer, talks about the attacks from the Republican Convention—and the vital role organizers play. Newsweek Web Exclusive Sep 5, 2008 | Updated: 8:17 p.m. ET Sep 5, 2008 **SNIP** NEWSWEEK: Palin questioned what Obama did as an organizer, whether he had responsibilities. What was his job like? KELLMAN: In the beginning he was by himself, he would talk to me and I would support him but that was pretty brief. Mostly, he was on his own on a small budget. Out of those scarce resources,...

BIDEN'S SON IN FUND SUITBy KAJA WHITEHOUSE Posted: 4:35 am August 31, 2008 Hedge fund executive Hunter Biden has had anything but a quiet introduction to his career in finance. The 38-year-old son of Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden is caught up in several lawsuits regarding the acquisition and operation of Paradigm Companies, an investment firm that operates a fund of funds - a hedge fund that invests in other hedge funds. Biden also appears to be feuding with partner James Park, the son-in-law of the Rev. Sun Myoung Moon, Court papers show. Biden, also a Washington lobbyist,...

By Sandy Froman This week’s treatment of Sarah Palin has been an appalling display of sexism and elitism. But the hatchet-men are in for a rude awakening. The attacks over the past few days come down to two things: First, Sarah Palin is supposedly out of her depth. She’s only been in high office for two years, age 44, and has no foreign policy or national security experience. They say she’s not ready for the big game. Second, they imply she’s a bad mother. She has a Down Syndrome baby, and her seventeen-year-old daughter soon will have a baby as...