Want Real Change? Quit Nominating Lawyers!

This year the media seem to think change means race and sex -- and it's certainly true that either the next president or next vice president will not be a white male. But does that mean de facto that the country will be run any differently?

There is, however, one area where we might have seen real change. The Democrats could have not nominated another lawyer. This may partly explain why former military officer John McCain and working-mom Sarah Palin are polling near even with Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, in a year that otherwise favors the Democrats. [snip]

In fact, every Democratic presidential nominee for president and vice president in the last seven elections [13 of 14 nominees over 28 years]-- except Gore who dropped out of law school to run for Congress -- has been a lawyer. [snip]

The problem is that lawyers usually do not run companies, defend the country, lead people, build things, grow food or create capital...

[they sue people (and companies), or defend them criminally regardless of their guilt. I.e., all adversarial, all the time, take no prisoners. Great collaborative leadership, that.

BTW: the republican lawyer count for that same period is 3; Nixon, Ford & Dole]

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