open Democracy News Analysis - Employment opportunity: President, USA, Laurie L Putnam - Comments

putnamtc on "Employment opportunity: President, United States of America "

putnamtc — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:52:58 +0000

Given the enormous responsibilities of leading a country, I am generally distrustful of anyone who desires such an office. I imagine the best candidates would have to be dragged “kicking and screaming” into office. Then, after resigning themselves to a period of service by obligation of their rare talents, they would want to flee Washington. The best candidates should be scouted and wooed. I imagine a presidency by invitation only.

163-551-391-780-739 on "Employment opportunity: President, United States of America "

163-551-391-780-739 — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:12:39 +0000

Ms. Putnam's job description device is effective in demonstrating how far from the mark are those who appear to be the "last persons standing" in this current presidential election cycle. It is indeed sobering to consider that we seem incapable of encouraging and doing those things necessary to get truly qualified persons to throw their respective hats in the ring.

Employment opportunity: President, USA, Laurie L Putnam

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:12:07 +0000

In the United States, we teach our children, you can be anything. Even president.

Millions of Americans are eligible to apply for the top federal executive's job, and every four years, hundreds do. Lawyers and doctors, actors and generals, politicians and business executives. One at a time, they opt in. They raise hopes and issues and money, running campaigns until they run out of funds and support. Over time, one at a time, they opt out.

Eventually, in our national search for a president, we're left with just a handful of candidates to choose from. A relatively random few. These aren't finalists who've been scouted and screened by an executive recruiter who filters out the weaker applicants, compares candidates to a job description, and assembles a shortlist of the best and the brightest. Rather, these tend to be the most ambitious and well funded, "electable" candidates promoted by their parties and presented to us by the media, politicians who stay on message and focus on the issues that seem most galvanising to polling surveys or the media buzz. If they're also the best and the brightest, we consider ourselves lucky.

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