Lack Of Experience Charge Doesn't Apply To Obama.
'Lack of experience' charge doesn't apply to Obama
By Harry A. Toder
The Republicans, and Sen. John McCain in particular, are alleging that Sen. Barack Obama is too inexperienced to be president, and that this country would be electing him president at its own peril.
But, let's examine the evidence.
First, let's refer to the Constitution. It specifies only a couple of qualifications to be president.
One is that the individual must be at least 35 years old; the second is that the individual must be a natural-born citizen of the United States who has resided in this country for a minimum of 14 years.
Obviously, these general stipulations leave a lot of room for who may become president, and they do include Obama.
But let's also take the analysis to a somewhat deeper level.
It is true that Obama does not have a great deal of experience on the federal level, having served only a partial term in the U.S. Senate, the office he now holds.
However, he does have a great deal of compensatory experience. For example, he worked as a community organizer in Chicago, and he served in the Illinois Senate. His educational qualifications are also excellent, having graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and served as the first African-American editor for the Harvard Law Review.
His background is rich in diversity, a factor of increasing relevance in this country. He is the son of a black African man and a white American woman. While growing up, he lived in Indonesia and Hawaii and attended colleges on both coasts of the United States.
This background is very significant, especially since the majority of the world's population is non-white and the typical American has not nearly had the same range of experiences.
I am not arguing that Obama should be president, only that the "lack of experience" allegation being hurled against him is false.
Harry Toder is a professor of sociology and criminal justice at St. Catharine College.
Editor's comment: This stark reality is NOT going to convince those who suffer from political myopia and self induced ignorance.
And, the charge is NOT solely the work of Republicans, but of some "hard working White" BILLARY Clinton Democrats, too.
The piece appears courtesy of the Herald-Leader.
By Harry A. Toder
The Republicans, and Sen. John McCain in particular, are alleging that Sen. Barack Obama is too inexperienced to be president, and that this country would be electing him president at its own peril.
But, let's examine the evidence.
First, let's refer to the Constitution. It specifies only a couple of qualifications to be president.
One is that the individual must be at least 35 years old; the second is that the individual must be a natural-born citizen of the United States who has resided in this country for a minimum of 14 years.
Obviously, these general stipulations leave a lot of room for who may become president, and they do include Obama.
But let's also take the analysis to a somewhat deeper level.
It is true that Obama does not have a great deal of experience on the federal level, having served only a partial term in the U.S. Senate, the office he now holds.
However, he does have a great deal of compensatory experience. For example, he worked as a community organizer in Chicago, and he served in the Illinois Senate. His educational qualifications are also excellent, having graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and served as the first African-American editor for the Harvard Law Review.
His background is rich in diversity, a factor of increasing relevance in this country. He is the son of a black African man and a white American woman. While growing up, he lived in Indonesia and Hawaii and attended colleges on both coasts of the United States.
This background is very significant, especially since the majority of the world's population is non-white and the typical American has not nearly had the same range of experiences.
I am not arguing that Obama should be president, only that the "lack of experience" allegation being hurled against him is false.
Harry Toder is a professor of sociology and criminal justice at St. Catharine College.
Editor's comment: This stark reality is NOT going to convince those who suffer from political myopia and self induced ignorance.
And, the charge is NOT solely the work of Republicans, but of some "hard working White" BILLARY Clinton Democrats, too.
The piece appears courtesy of the Herald-Leader.
Labels: Keeping them honest
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 10:16 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home