Opinion

Governors can bring fresh thinking for presidency

  • Courier Newsroom
robert traynam
Robert Traynam
It’s not even a presidential year and I’m already getting worried about the potential candidates that are running for that office. I’m afraid that we may see the same names running on both sides of the aisle, which in turns means the same tired ideas. If this is the case, it’s not fair to the process, and it’s also not fair to the American people.
Elections are about the future, never the past and I fear that the current crop of candidates are people that are not only dedicated to public service, but also to their own ambitions. New candidates have always been the generators of fresh ideas, new energy and passion on the campaign trail and given the dire straits that we find ourselves in, American’s deserve no less.

 This isn’t to say that we don’t need experience in our next president, based on our shared past experiences, I think it’s obvious that we do and this is the reason why we should look to some of our governors around the country. Historically, serving as a governor has proven to be an excellent training ground for being a president. Governors have been executives of their states, have had to work with a legislature, manage a complex budget and in many cases manage a cabinet with various departments. In a sense, governors are mini presidents with their own set of priorities. But governors also go one step further: They’re not a creature of Washington and have the added benefit of having the experience that is needed to run the country, but can honestly say they’re coming to Washington to change the status quo.

Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Franklin Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush are all modern day president’s who have served as governor and ironically they all ran against Washington and according to the polling data at the time, one of the main reasons why they won the presidency, was because of their previous executive experience.
Governors have something that we need to look at as we carefully study the next field of presidential candidates. We cannot have someone that needs on the job training and we need fresh thinking. In short, I am bored with the current group of possible contenders. Not because they do not have their experience of being on the national stage, because in fact, many are well known figures but because there is no fresh thinking. Stop and think about this for a moment: Are any of the current candidates who are thinking about the presidency out in front of a particular issue? Are they leading the conversation about any potential topic? On marriage equality? Tax reform? Immigration? Fixing the crumbling social security system and our highways? These are all real and pressing problems that need to be addressed now. For far to long these problems have been kicked down the road and the sense of urgency to fix them for the American people is now.
Now is the time for new leadership and now is the time for fresh thinking. Governors, are you reading this column?
Robert Traynham is a political veteran and communications expert, advisor, consultant, as well as analyst and contributor to cable TV, radio, and print media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @roberttraynham.
https://www.phillytrib.com/commentary/article_8db7f078-ddea-5687-8002-ccd304b7713d.html

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