Inexperience - Palin Versus Obama

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In summary: His father was an Admiral. That's just a little more stressful than being President.In summary, a recent poll showed that while Democrats have criticized Sarah Palin's lack of experience, a larger percentage of likely voters believe Barack Obama lacks the proper experience compared to Palin. The difference in experience may be attributed to Palin's role as a governor versus Obama's role as a senator. Additionally, electing Obama gives a 100% chance of having an inexperienced President, while electing McCain gives a 33% chance at most. However, experience may not be the most useful measure of a candidate's qualification for office.
  • #1
GCT
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/13422 [Broken]

" While Democrats have continued to hit at Palin’s inexperience, only 36 percent of likely voters believe Palin lacks the proper experience while 47 percent said the same of Obama. "

Edit : Is this attributing to the fact that one is a governor and the other a senator? I noticed a thread here entitled " Palin Is An Insult To Our Intelligence " perhaps Palin was intended by McCain to be an insult to Obama.
 
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  • #2
1) Voters tend to value executive experience more than experience as a Senator. The last person to go from being Senator to President was John Kennedy. (Of course, the big knock on governors running for President is that they usually don't have much foreign relations experience - Bill Richardson being one exception.)

2) Palin has been governor less than 2 years! Palin is a rising star, but she might be at the phase Obama was in 2004 (and that would be generous). Her experience is one legitimate knock against her being VP.

3) Electing Obama gives a 100% chance of having an inexperienced President. Electing McCain gives a 33% chance, at most, of having an even more inexperienced President. The fact that she's running for VP instead of President might factor into the poll.
 
  • #3
GCT said:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/13422 [Broken]

" While Democrats have continued to hit at Palin’s inexperience, only 36 percent of likely voters believe Palin lacks the proper experience while 47 percent said the same of Obama. "

Edit : Is this attributing to the fact that one is a governor and the other a senator? I noticed a thread here entitled " Palin Is An Insult To Our Intelligence " perhaps Palin was intended by McCain to be an insult to Obama.
It probably has more to do with the fact that one is a Presidential candidate and the other is a vicePresidential candidate.
 
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  • #4
BobG said:
3) Electing Obama gives a 100% chance of having an inexperienced President. Electing McCain gives a 33% chance, at most, of having an even more inexperienced President. The fact that she's running for VP instead of President might factor into the poll.
Where does that 33% chance come from? Is that the assumed odds of him dying in his first year in office?
 
  • #5
I think the idea behind Palin was to out celebrity Obama. Celebrity was what Obama had going for him. Now the new girl on the block (Palin) is a whole lot more interesting to the Press than the old hat (Obama). It doesn't matter if the press is bad mouthing Palin. The point is that when she is getting the press, Obama isn't.
 
  • #6
Here's one on her experience:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzhFDQIgGSg
 
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  • #7
What Obama lacks in experience, he makes up for in intelligence and willingness to study the issues. The same cannot be said for McCain (who also has no executive experience) or Palin (who has executive experience comparable to a first-term mayor of a medium-sized city).
 
  • #8
las3rjock said:
The same cannot be said for McCain (who also has no executive experience)...
Implication being that they have equal experience? Really?
or Palin (who has executive experience comparable to a first-term mayor of a medium-sized city).
Structurally, state government is a lot different than city government. Different laws, responsibilities, pools of money, etc.
 
  • #9
Nitpicking my parenthetical arguments only proves my core argument, which is that experience is not a very useful measure of a candidate's qualification for office.
 
  • #10
russ_watters said:
Where does that 33% chance come from? Is that the assumed odds of him dying in his first year in office?

Good point. Chances of a 72-year-old dying within 1 year is about 3.3%. The chances go up each year (http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html). It might not be appropriate of saying she would be extremely inexperienced if she'd been VP for 4 years.

I also have no real idea how years in POW camp affect a person's later life expectancy. He gets better health care than the average person. He's endured more physical abuse than the average person.

It's actually closer to a 32% chance of dying within the next 8 years for the average 72-year-old.
 
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  • #11
Also, as President, you might have to deal with a wee bit more stress than the average, retired, 72-year-old male.

But on the other hand, the trend of having not-old Presidents is only about a century old. The first 20-odd Presidents took office at ages that were almost certainly above the average life expectancy at the time. McCain still has about 3 years to go before he passes that age.
 
  • #12
His father died at age 70. His mother is still alive at 96.
 
  • #13
jimmysnyder said:
His father died at age 70. His mother is still alive at 96.

Except his father, likely died of stress related occupation.

McCain is just running for President.
 

1. Who is more inexperienced, Palin or Obama?

It is difficult to determine who is more inexperienced as it depends on the context. Sarah Palin was the governor of Alaska for two years before being selected as the vice presidential nominee, while Barack Obama was a senator for three years before being elected president. However, both have limited experience in national politics.

2. How does inexperience affect a leader's performance?

Inexperience can affect a leader's performance in various ways. It may lead to a lack of understanding of complex issues, difficulty in making important decisions, and a lack of relationships and connections within the political landscape. However, it can also bring fresh perspectives and ideas.

3. Has either Palin or Obama's inexperience been detrimental to their political careers?

Both Palin and Obama have faced criticism for their inexperience in politics. However, it has not necessarily been detrimental to their careers. Palin's inexperience may have contributed to her unsuccessful vice presidential bid, but she remains a prominent figure in the Republican party. Obama's inexperience did not prevent him from winning two terms as president.

4. Are there any benefits to having an inexperienced leader?

There can be benefits to having an inexperienced leader. They may bring new ideas and perspectives, and may not be as influenced by traditional political ideologies. Inexperience can also lead to a more relatable and approachable leader.

5. Does a leader's inexperience matter if they have a strong team of advisors?

While having a strong team of advisors can help mitigate the effects of inexperience, it is still important for a leader to have a certain level of knowledge and experience in order to make informed decisions. A leader's inexperience may also cause tension or conflicts within their team if they are not able to effectively lead and manage their advisors.

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