TJP

The Experience Claim

Byron A. Ellis

November 20, 2007

Hillary Clinton claims that she has the experience to be president of the United States and that Obama does not. However, the term experience is difficult to quantify. What does it really means? Does it mean that the nation would be better off reelecting an experienced Republican administration? They have had eight years of governing experience.

The concept of experience is nebulous, particularly if it is decoupled from knowledge. That is, experience can exist without knowledge, but experience without knowledge is worthless.

Most of us do not need to experience being a criminal or a murderer to reject such behaviors. We learn from parents and teachers right and wrong behaviors. We become good chess players not by experiencing the game, but rather by studying the masters of the game.

Donald Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense in 1975 and during the 2003 Iraq invasion. However, his accumulated years in the job and in business and government (experiences) did not translate into effective management of the war. Thus, time spent in a job or doing a given task should not be equated to knowledge or effectiveness.

Hillary, however, wants the public to believe that time spent as a presidential spouse is an asset. However, the recent retirement and dismissal of experienced CEOs that mismanaged their companies’ sub prime mortgage proved that time in job does not guarantee foresight.

Furthermore, experiences are not always positive. Negative experiences can create paralysis of action. Additionally, experiences are subjective; two individuals can look at the same forest from the same coordinates and have different experiences and conclusions.

Kenneth Gergen views knowledge as a generative force capable of creating new potentials. He notes that insights and knowledge that challenge taken for granted assumptions are what is required to expand human potential and create new possibilities. Therefore, voters should assess presidential candidates based on their knowledge and insights.

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