Brian Gongol Show on WHO Radio
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Please note: These show notes may be in various stages of completion -- ranging from brainstormed notes through to well-polished monologues. Please excuse anything that may seem rough around the edges, as it may only be a first draft of a thought and not be fully representative of what was said on the air.
Having a plan at the caucuses
- We are obligated to leave behind a better system for our kids
- You have to be sure your preferred candidate is sophisticated enough to understand the complex issues ahead
- You have to be sure your preferred candidate is humble enough to know when to ask for help and advice
- You have to be sure your preferred candidate is curious enough to want to understand the deeper problems -- almost no problem is as simple as it first appears, or it would have been solved already
- You have to be sure that your preferred candidate is going to be competent in an executive role, which is utterly different from most any other responsibility. This isn't a job for training wheels or for someone who isn't used to assembling a professional team of advisers and associates.
- There is no Oval Office simulator. There is no real practice run for being President -- other than serving as a governor. The key is that the President needs to be practiced in executing laws not of his or her own choosing -- including legislation with which he or she may disagree. Only an elected executive has experience doing that. (It might be argued that big-city mayors come close, since some have populations larger than that of entire states. It might also be argued that a flag officer in the military has a similar test, since they have to implement the orders of others over large groups of people. These are probably the only reliable exceptions to the governor rule.)
- Moreover, the Presidency is a role chock-full of crisis management. Governors get that chance, and we can judge them on their performance. For all their other responsibilities, Senators, Representatives, and others don't have to do that. Until we get that Oval Office simulator, the only even halfway-reliable test we have is how someone performs in that role as a governor. You wouldn't so much as trust your teenager to drive without some kind of driver's education...so it would take an unbelievably talented person to be able to undertake the highest elected-executive role in the world without practice.
This week
Tin Foil Hat Award
Yay Capitalism Prize
Quote of the Week
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