In My Opinion Caroline
Porter
Our continued quest for presidential mediocrity.
Eight years ago, one of the most
qualified men to ever run for president, Al Gore, was taunted and criticized
for being Òelite,Ó pompous, stiff, not an Òeveryday guy.Ó The question was
asked by television talking heads, many elitists themselves, ÒWho would you
rather have a beer with? Al Gore or George Bush?Ó As if that was an important
qualification for being president of the country that is supposedly the Òleader
of the free world.Ó What weÕve proven, of course, is that a good, oleÕ average
guy like President George W. Bush, who might have been a good college
fraternity president, has not the stuff needed to be president of the United
States.
Frankly,
after eight years of leadership by Òan average guy,Ó we are no longer leader of
the free world. We have lost our way and our clout and while trying to bring
democracy into the Middle East, weÕve practically lost it here in America.
Now
the political pundits are directing our thoughts to the same stupid question,
ÒWho is the most average person
running for president? Can anyone who is well educated and rich make a
connection to the working person?Ó Democratic Primary candidate for president,
Illinois Senator Barack Obama, is accused of appealing to the latte and
wine-drinking crowd, as if that is a bad thing. Theresa Kerry, the wife of
former presidential candidate John Kerry, was vilified because she was a
wealthy heiress who was outspoken. I thought she was terrific. She obviously
didnÕt just inherit money, but a far more important characteristic -
intelligence. Who cares if Obama can bowl? Who cares what he or his followers
drink? The president in modern history who accomplished the most for average
and poor working families was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who emerged from a
rich, elite and well educated family. The Rockefeller and Kennedy families have
provided many good men and women in public service who have extreme empathy for
the average and disadvantaged among us and have contributed leadership and
money to charitable causes.
The fact is that ordinary people
donÕt reach the level of running for president of the United States, or at
least they shouldnÕt. We should want those who achieve that plateau of success
to be extraordinary, and among other traits, have the ability to influence
Congress in a positive and productive way and provide enlightened world
leadership.
No, we ought not to be looking for
the average person for this job. Forget nominating and electing a president in
our own image. We arenÕt qualified.
Caroline Porter is a freelance writer from Galesburg and can be reached
at caroline.porter@insightbb.com.
04/24/08