Lynn Swann For Governor?

OK.. Lynn Swann is my #1 all time favorite football player. I even had a crush on him in high school, but governor?

What are his qualifications? Poly-sci Major at USC 35 years ago? Has he been running a major corporation as well as being a sportscaster?


I mean, I'd love to see the guy succeed, but is he qualified or is this just another let's put someone in with a recoginizable name and who contributes to the party?

I'd say Lynn Swann is as qualified as the next man (or woman) to be elected to any office he choices to run for.

What qualifies a "Career Politician" to be elected to any political office (for example Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania)? From my viewpoint one of the major problems with government (local, state, federal) in the United States is the "Career Politician". Many of the Founding Fathers thought of politics, political parties, and "Career Politicians" to be as bad, if not worse, as the monarchy they had just rid themselves of. In order for a representative system of government to work properly citizens must be represented by their fellow citizens, not some uber-class of political hacks who think themselves superior to the masses.

I have no love for career politicians.

But being a governor is like being a CEO of a major corporation.

I wouldn't put someone off the street in as CEO of MacDonald Douglas just because I liked the guy.

So, I wonder is Lynn qualified for the responsibilites? What is his background other than being the most amazing wide receiver to play the game?

Does he have any financial or administrative experience?

Politics is about ideas. Picking a candidate for an elected position based on their experience at a job may get you a highly qualified whatever, but will he/she follow the will of the people or always do what's best for those he/she represents? In the example of a Governor, that position, in most State governments, is involved in far more than just fiscal matters (as can be demonstrated by the recent news coming out of South Dakota). If you are worried about things fiscal you should be concerned more about who the candidate has selected as his/her advisor in such matters, not their personal qualifications.

Does/did being an actor disqualify Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger from being Governor of California (did not being an actor make Gray "Grayout" Davis a good governor?)? What qualified professional wrestler Jesse Ventura to be the Governor of Minnesota (both Democrat and Republican political hacks in Minnesota would say nothing, but Minnesota seemed to survive four years of Ventura)?

President George Bush has an MBA from Harvard, but if you were to ask any of the lefties and Democrats on this site about his qualifications to be Governor of Texas or President of the United States they’d tell you that there's nothing the man ever did or knows that qualifies him to even be elected dogcatcher in a town with no dogs.

When considering any candidate for political office one should be looking at the whole person, and their positions on issues that you are concerned about, not just on their experience at doing some portion of the job. (most governments have more than enough bureaucrats imbedded in financial positions of authority to prevent any one politician from screwing things up too badly).

Being a politician may take no more than a strong presentation and popularity, like a figurehead, but being an elected official with a complex plate of jobs to do, all of which are for the public well-being, is another matter. We've had good mayors and bad mayors in New York, and the effective ones don't tend to be the flashy ones on average.