March 5, 2008
Science Says a Lifetime of Experience Is No Guarantee
Over at the Slog, they've tossed some fresh meat to the slavering Obama and Clinton hounds: video of Clinton repeating three or four times that she and McCain have a lifetime of experience to draw upon, while Obama has "a speech he made in 2002."
Which makes this TIME article about the value of experience especially topical:
[Anders] Ericsson's primary finding is that rather than mere experience or even raw talent, it is dedicated, slogging, generally solitary exertion--repeatedly practicing the most difficult physical tasks for an athlete, repeatedly performing new and highly intricate computations for a mathematician--that leads to first-rate performance.Ericsson, author of the Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, puts it another way: "The number of years of experience in a domain is a poor predictor of attained performance."
TIME keeps all this science mumbo-jumbo on point...and inconclusive:
Which is not to say that, if elected, Clinton or John McCain would drive the country off a cliff--or that Obama, as a comparative novice, would be more cautious and less burdened by his habits. But the study of experience does indicate that the more seasoned candidates wouldn't automatically outperform Obama as President. On the other hand, Ericsson's conclusion that deliberate practice leads to better performance might favor the punctilious, famously diligent Clinton.Thanks for nothing, TIME. Okay, there is one last thing to consider: the research indicates that experience can be a wash if the rules have changed. So, have they?
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my voice teacher used to say "practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect."
which is just another inconclusive coal on this fire.
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Obama has held a public office since 1997.
Hillary has held a public office since 2000.
Obama chose to be a civil rights lawyer, and work with and for the people.
Hillary chose to be a corporate lawyer, and work for Wal-Mart.
Whether through experience (as a community organizer, civil rights lawyer, and a decade as public servant) or inexperience (lack of time in the national public eye, less relationships with influential power figures, lack of corporate and lobbyist relationships), Obama has my vote.
I do not want 'one of the world's most powerful people" elected president, becoming president of the USA will take care of that for Obama. I want change, not corporations. I want a fresh face, that hasn't been bought, that isn't set in its ways, who has made the choices to work with and for the people. I do not believe Obama wants power for himself, I believe he truly does want to enable the people to work through him. Hopefully his ability to inspire our citizens will continue, and it will overcome the old influences that have for so long directed this country.
I considered going on an anti-Hillary rant here, but abandoned it. Unfortunately I have lost a lot of respect for her -- she has done enough negative campaigning for all of us.