Could someone with no political experience still be a good congressman?

[skipos]

Lets say there is a candidate running who you agree with on almost all of the issues. You are sure s/he is 100% honest, genuine and hard working. Absoluely no skeletons in the closet. While s/he has volunteered for causes and candidates s/he believes in, s/he has no experience in politics, never held political office.

Do you think someone like this could be elected? If s/he was elected, could s/he be still be a good congressman even though s/he has no experience in politics? Why or why not?

[William769]

1. Of cocurse!

[Mz Pip]

2. Look at Jerry McNerney

No political experience at all, yet he knocked off Pombo, one of the most powerful Repugs in Congress.

He won because he was smart and was a quick study in the lessons of campaigning. He'll do fine in congress.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[skipos]

8. I don't know anything about McNerney

did he have military experience or anything that gave him an "edge?"

[Mz Pip]

12. Not that I know of.

He's kind of a geek. He has a PhD in mathmatics and owns a wind energy company. Here's a recent article about him.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/14/MNG5JMCADL1.DTL&hw=McNerney&sn=001&sc=1000

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Renew Deal]

3. Carolyn McCarthy

Is a geat congresswoman. She came in with no political experience.

[skipos]

9. She got into politics with a gun control campaign, right?

I remember hearing somethin about that.

[sui generis]

4. it's not the experience in office that counts

it's the ability to understand the complexities and realities of getting things done in a political environment.

I think you can go a very long way on idealism, drive, and focus, but at some point in the card game your candidate is going to need to understand and be able to use the more subtle art forms of the bluff and the poker face, know when to raise and know when to fold.

If they don't have those skills, or if they can be awed by anyone or anything, or if they make decisions based on appeals to sentiment and emotion instead of dry reasoning, they might get elected but they wouldn't make a good politician. A good politician is someone who understands the political dynamic and how to prod, inspire, cajole, unite, smack down, and overall, lead, using every skill and trick in the book.

[ComerPerro]

5. Gotta start somewhere.

[Wetzelbill]

6. yeah I would say so

If someone is reasonably intelligent, hard working and is willing to be fair, just and equitable in their decisions sure. No reason why not.

[BuyingThyme]

7. Hell yes.

CONGRESSWOMAN LYNN WOOLSEY

Lynn Woolsey, an unapologetic progressive and the first former welfare mother to serve in Congress, is in her seventh term as the representative from California’s 6th District, just north of San Francisco (including all of Marin and most of Sonoma Counties).

As co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep. Woolsey is one of the Democrats’ most vocal and visible leaders in the House. A passionately outspoken opponent of the Iraq war, she has helped move public opinion against President Bush’s Iraq policy. She introduced the first resolution calling for our troops to be brought home and convened the first congressional hearing on military exit strategies. The San Jose Mercury News recently called her “the unofficial matriarch of the movement in Congress.”
Rep. Woolsey believes that ending the Iraq war must be the beginning of a complete re-evaluation of U.S. national security policy. She has proposed the Sensible Multilateral American Response to Terrorism (SMART Security), which puts an emphasis on peaceful resolution of international conflict. SMART would keep Americans safe through stronger global alliances and improved intelligence capabilities, as opposed to pre-emptive military strikes. SMART also calls for the United States to live up to its nonproliferation obligations, and it includes an ambitious humanitarian development agenda to address the hopelessness and oppression that give rise to terrorism in the first place.

more:

http://www.woolseyforcongress.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=57

[satya]

10. I'd recommend s/he attend a Wellstone Camp first.

http://www.wellstone.org/camp/index.aspx

Darcy Burner's lack of "experience" came into play here in her (apparent) loss to incumbent Reichert, but the race was far closer than anyone would have predicted, especially running against a guy with great name recognition around here.

When the GOPers lack experience, they call it "outside the beltway" and play it up as an advantage.

[Fierce]

14. Why?

People got elected before Camp Wellstone came along.

[satya]

18. True dat, but why not take advantage of every resource available?

The incumbent has an advantage since s/he's already survived (and won) a campaign. I figure it's worth the small investment of time and money for the challenger, to avoid some of the pitfalls rather than simply learning thru trial and error.

But that's just me...

[Fierce]

19. I'd rather see someone run for school board

or soil & water conservation district. I'd rather see them TRY. I don't see CW as a resource, is what I'm saying.

[dkofos]

11. As long as they are willing to represent the people I don't know

why anyone couldn't do it.

[Alexander]

13. Congressman? Yes. Senator? Possibly. President? Unlikely.

Thousands of congresscritters throughout history had no political experience beforehand. Fortunately for them, districts are not particularly large and don't require a huge amount of elective skill to win.

Sens. Wellstone and Edwards were notable exceptions in the Senate - but even Edwards pissed off his constituents by focusing more on a Presidential run than on North Carolina's needs.

That being said, every single President we've had has had some kind of political experience and been elected to a significant office first.

[Big Sky Boy]

15. Take a look at Hillary

Although obviously not a novice to politics -- she had never been elected to any public position before she ran for the New York Senate seat.

I was living in NYC during the run-up to the campaign and did not plan to support her for that reason. I have to admit I was also a little peeved that someone who had never lived in New York could move there for the sole purpose of running for office and claim to try to represent us.

Even some of her sharpest critics admit she has been a pleasant surprise. She works amazingly hard at acquainting herself with some of the most boring details regarding the issues that concern her constituents. I repeat: issues that concern her constituents. She represents them very well.

I moved out of the city and the state before it was time to vote, so I don't feel too guilty about not supporting her initial run.

[genie_weenie]

16. What I find funny is you used Congressman

and then used the s/he... :rofl:

[niyad]

17. good representative, you mean? although you were most meticulous in your use of s/he

throughout the poll, I wonder why you said "congressMAN" in the title. wouldn't representative have been a somewhat better, more gender-neutral term?