Does Experience or Hope really Effect Change?

As the 2008 presidential election rages on, there is a clamor among the candidates in both parties as well as their surrogates that either experience or hope is what America desperately needs in this time of disillusionment. The issue has been so heavily debated that it takes center stage at most debates, with the Democratic debates being the most contentious on this issue. Even mid stream America has begun to articulate its views on the issue.

Here is what I believe the central issue should be: which candidate can put aside partisanship, nepotism, or special interests to reach across both aisles to pass legislations that would improve the plight of the disenchanted masses and restore dignity to our beloved nation? To get a better sense of how any of these candidates will fare when he or she is president, we need to look at their records on every issue of concern to the American people. For example, what kinds of economic, political, or healthcare battles did they fight, with whom did they align themselves to fight these battles, who suffered, who benefited, and to what extent did they benefit? If they failed to win certain battles that would have moved this nation forward, what were the reasons, and judging from their most recent records, what strides have they made to correct their past mistakes? To put it more bluntly, what substantive evidence from their past and their present can help us not only to “feel good” because they are the most experienced or offer us the most hope, but be confident and optimistic that our hopes and aspirations of a prosperous and better “United States” for all Americans will not be shattered or quenched a few months after they assume the leadership of this great nation? We need to look even deeper at the records of the people within their inner circle who will one day hold important positions in the new government. What is their stance on healthcare for every American, the economy, civil rights, the war in Iraq, our role in the world, and other diehard issues? Also, how do their past and most recent records compare or contrast their stance? I do believe that, as we begin to sift through these issues, we will be more informed in deciding who is the best candidate to lead this nation out of its present desolation.

I personally do not believe that experience trumps hope; nor do I believe that hope trumps experience. Having experience and being in the line of fire does not necessarily make you the best candidate. It only ensures that your resume will be given some attention. But if you cannot put aside your own differences with the team or some members of the team to work for the common good, your experience soon becomes a liability. Things do not get done; the blame game takes root; and well, disenchantment and disillusionment ensue. The squabbles between a Republican president (not including George Bush) and a Democratic majority or a Democratic president and a Republican majority in years past should serve as a constant reminder. On the other hand, you cannot only be a visionary; you also have to be a deliverer. We want to hear that the economy is going to be okay; we want to hear that we will be able to afford healthcare for ourselves and our families; and we want to hear that we will leave our children with an America that is better than the one we have. But hope without action is dead.

What matters to me is not how long a certain candidate has worked at the federal or state level. What matters to me also is not how many times a certain candidate has met with world leaders. What matters to me is how he or she has worked through the years and more recently to improve the lives of all Americans as well as the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world. So, as the debate rages on as to who is the most experienced and who is the rookie, we need to constantly remind ourselves that at this point in our history, we need a leader who has the character and personality to put aside his or her own interests and the interests of his or her party to work with either the Republicans or the Democrats, as well as other groups and the rest of the world, to move this nation forward and restore our moral standing in the world.