I've been waiting months for some intelligent person to comment that being President of the US and being a business CEO are two different animals. But I must confess my surprise to read Republican George Will's column this morning and finding the insight for all to read. And with some clarity.
Today’s Republican contest has become a binary choice between two similarly miscast candidates. Mitt Romney cannot convince voters that he understands the difference between business and politics, between being a CEO and the president. To bring economic rationality to an underperforming economic entity requires understanding a market segment. To bring confidence to a discouraged nation requires celebrating its history and sketching an inspiring destiny this history has presaged.
Will assumes a lot in his statement. Namely that voters understand the difference between business and politics. Voter credibility is a big leap for me when I'm unconvinced that most journalists understand the distinction, much less the public.
I'm the last person anyone could label a Luddite, but the removal of civics courses from most school systems has left much of the population unaware of political processes. The distinction between president and CEO is a strategic case in point. The differences and demands are made clear by the processes the founding fathers built into the body politic. I'm quite certain that some sort of schooling would be of value to the populace, even in this technological age. Otherwise, politics and government will be demagogued by the media and the irresponsible forever.