Character matters more than college degree

  • By James McCusker
  • Thursday, February 19, 2015 1:22pm
  • Business

When individuals or ideas are criticized does the source matter? When we read about the perils of mustard in schools does it matter that the author is a chili sauce producer married to the only daughter of a taco shell tycoon?

The answer is yes, the source is important. But criticism also has a life of its own. A valid criticism remains valid despite its source.

Sadly, though, much criticism of individuals is no more than gossip or, worse, unsourced, scurrilous charges dreamed up by rivals and enemies. Even more sadly, sometimes these charges, even when proven false, become unwanted memory tags attached to an individual’s name and they come to mind each time his or her name is mentioned. That is one reason why so-called negative campaigns are so popular with political campaign managers.

Questions about the importance of sources and the validity of charges arose recently when critics of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said that he is not qualified to run for president because he does not have a college degree.

On its face the charge is invalid. The Constitution specifies only three qualifications for the presidency: the person must be a natural born citizen; be at least thirty five years old; and have lived within the United States for at least fourteen years. It says nothing about level of education or any other qualifications.

Higher education still might be a significant issue now that its high cost means it is slipping out of reach for so many Americans. Just how important is a college degree for an American president in today’s world? In our country’s history we have certainly had some impressive presidents who never attended college, including our first one, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, whose formal education overall was pretty sketchy.

Even closer to the present time, of all the successes and failures of presidents since the 1960s it is difficult to see where higher education made a crucial difference.

On the other hand, all of our presidents during this modern period were college graduates so it is difficult to isolate higher education’s impact, if any.

From an economic standpoint, hands-on experience in the modern American workplace, especially having experience as a manager in that environment would be a valuable asset to a president, or, for that matter, even to a presidential candidate. Presidents are always surrounded with an abundant supply of bureaucrats and policy wonks itching to see their ingenious scheme to fix the economy imposed on the rest of us. Management experience and knowing how business really works could save a president, and our economy, from some very costly mistakes.

When we look at modern presidents and their achievements it would seem that the single most important qualification is character. And, to paraphrase basketball coach John Wooden, the presidency doesn’t build character. It reveals it.

Another important qualification is experience in taking responsibility for his or her decisions and actions. It doesn’t absolutely have to be in an elected office, but that kind of public experience strips away a lot of the protective apparatus that surrounds private sector executives.

It would also be a good thing for a president to have a deep, heartfelt appreciation for the truth. One of the key characteristics of our time is that truth has become a scarce commodity, and a president must be able to deal with that without being corrupted by it.

A good president must be able to separate campaigning from governing. Most people’s expectations for truth in campaigns are very low and rarely unmet. Our expectations for truth in governing, though, are unchanged. They remain high, with good reason.

Dark matter occupies a significant portion of space on the Internet, and dense clusters of it are found in social media. Much of it is anonymous to some extent, and often unhindered by considerations of truth or accuracy. It isn’t surprising, then, that modern politics responded to the allure of social media, and using it effectively is now considered a must for a winning campaign strategy. To the extent that campaigning drifts into governing, though, this represents a genuine threat to truth.

Truth, and a government that values it, is more than simply important to democracy, it is a necessity. Certainly our economic system cannot function without a dedication to it. Consider, for example, the contribution that lying made to our most recent financial meltdown.

Rather than concern about academic degrees, a better question would be: can our democracy and our economy survive the combined effects of social media and the everlasting campaign? We ask a lot of our presidents. Would a college degree help? Maybe, but it depends more on the president than on the diploma.

James McCusker is a Bothell economist, educator and consultant. He also writes a column for the monthly Herald Business Journal.

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