Many Americans seem to have adopted the notion that what ails our federal government can only be cured by "political outsiders." This quaint notion seems to be based on the premise that all career politicians (the "insiders") are inept at best, corrupt at worst — and that only non-politicians who are "above the fray" can save us.
As a 20-year volunteer citizen lobbyist, my experience is that the election of "outsiders" and political novices (from any party) results in little more than elected officials who don't know how to do their jobs, and who must attempt to quickly learn what the insiders know, or rely heavily on hired or appointed staff who do.
When paired with the self-image that they have been elected to change Washington and save our nation, the neo-politician's resulting combination of arrogance and incompetence can be embarrassing at best, dangerous at worst.
As an employee of two Fortune 500 companies, I've seen hiring managers and boards go to great lengths to find the most qualified leaders and employees — or suffer sometimes disastrous consequences when they failed to do so. In these businesses, it would generally be considered ludicrous to insist on filling an open job with an "outsider" who has never done the work in question or has no expertise in that business sector.
Why, then, is this approach considered any less ludicrous in the race for the White House and the "most powerful job in the world"?
Vote for who you will, but let's at least find out what our presidential candidates actually know about the responsibilities in their job descriptions. We can start by skipping the upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates. I suggest a different approach.
Let's replace these pointless, prime-time squabbles with a one-hour quiz show. It could be moderated by Alex Trebek, our senior statesmen of American game shows, who could ask the candidates job-related questions like:
• Name the Cabinet-level positions that will report to you as president.
