Politicians Are Only Experts at Being Politicians

We are winding down to the finale of the American presidential campaign. By this time the candidates and voters are approaching a feeling of exhaustion. There are very few undecided voters left and unfortunately some will just “hold their noses and vote.”

Former President Trump is focused on looking back to the future; “Make America Great Again”. It seems like the days of a “New Frontier” and “Great Society” are long gone. Vice President Harris is more of a dreamer. Some of the dreams may not be realistic like promising new benefits for the government to provide, when it is not clear who will pay for them. One proposal is for $25,000 in down payment assistance for first time homebuyers; another is a tax credit for a family with a new baby. One of the funding sources she suggests is a tax affecting high income individuals on unrealized gains of assets,  which means an increase in the value of assets held but not sold such as stocks or a home. This is impractical since values change daily and who would value a home and how would it be enforced? It’s still good to be a dreamer.

Former President Trump wants to cut income taxes further by raising tariffs on imported goods. Many economists predict that tariffs will increase inflation. A popular method to fund government programs is to get someone else to pay for it, so the individual taxpayer will not directly notice. For example, much of the discussion about raising taxes in the last few years is to not raise taxes on people who earn less than $400,000 per year. That covers the vast majority of voters, which eliminates the possibility of mass protests against an increase. The same is true with tariffs. The individual will not directly feel it but will eventually see it in higher prices. The political trick is to show that someone else is always paying the bill for additional benefits.

With so many complex issues, it is key that candidates choose competent experts in each specific area; economists on the economy, military personnel on defense, etc. We hope they choose qualified people to rely upon. In my own experience I have seen bright people knowledgeable in their own professions believe that they are experts in other fields; doctors thinking they are great stock pickers, lawyers acting like historians, university presidents pretending they know how a bullied student feels, and others thinking they hold the magic formula to cure world problems. This is where candidates get into trouble when they veer off into a solution to a problem that they don’t fully understand. Both candidates say they are best for Israel, but each have given conflicting statements about key middle east issues depending on who is asking the question. Again, it is more important to have confidence in their ability to choose the right advisors.

Sometimes not giving an opinion, because of a lack of knowledge could also backfire. An example; a few weeks ago, I watched a video of Governor Walz at the Minnesota state fair where he was asked for his reaction to the recent murder of six hostages held in Gaza. He ignored the question and walked away and just said “thanks everybody”. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he didn’t hear the question. I did not see any follow up answer although he did issue a general statement of condolence. Even if not fully informed on a topic, a candidate must always have the ability to feel and exhibit empathy.

As we head into the final days of the campaign, candidates will probably play more defense and try not to sound as if they don’t know what they are talking about. They want to avoid at all costs producing a video that goes viral. Whoever wins, I hope they draw on the expertise of the best and brightest minds to solve the massive issues that we face as a nation. The American people and the rest of the world will then be the winners.