Wiston Papers

How to fix the presidential campaign

       There are several fundamental flaws in how we select our presidential candidates.  These problems explain why we have the two candidates this year who are either the source of much of our nation’s troubles (Barack Obama) or the unclear, unpersuasive  promise of change (Mitt Romney).   

We need to fix how we choose those who run for the White House and how the media cover them.

    Here’s what I propose:

1--PRIVATE PRACTICE

Any presidential aspirant must have worked in the private sector for at least ten years before entering public service.   Career politicians are ineligible.  This would have avoided the debacle of 2008 of an inexperienced Barack Obama running against an out-of-touch career politician John McCain.

2--BACK HOME

No former member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives can run for president unless he or she has been out of Congress for five years and spent that period back in their home state.  This would eliminate people like Richard Lugar who hasn’t lived in Indiana for more than 20 years and even needs a GPS to find the state.  

3--NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

On January 1 of the election year, all presidential hopefuls have to declare their official candidacy..  Anyone who hasn’t decided by then to run for the White House is not prepared to lead the United States.  This would have avoided the tiresome handwringing expectancy and seemingly interminable media speculation about whether Sarah Palin would ever jump into the race.  We spent more time waiting for her announcement than the length of time she was governor of Alaska.

4--FINANCIAL AND PERSONAL RECORDS

All candidates must release all financial and personal records stretching back at least a decade on the day they announce their candidacy.  This would avoid the stupidity of the Romney campaign’s refusal to disclose his tax returns that has only fueled suspicion that he’s hiding something.  Other personal records--including birth certificates--would avoid the meaningless debate of whether Barack Obama was born in the United States or whether John McCain’s birth in Panama counts as American citizenship.  And let’s find out early who has employed illegal immigrants as nannies.

5--MY 10 COMMANDMENTS

On January 1 of the election year every presidential candidate must publish a list of ten specific policy plans that he/she will pursue during the campaign and presidency.  These must be detailed, unambiguous proposals that cover the issues for which the 15 Executive Departments (Cabinet) are responsible:  

Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veteran Affairs and Attorney General.

6--CABINET DISCLOSURE

Also on January 1, presidential aspirants must release the names of five proposed heads for each of the 15 cabinet offices. Two of the persons for each office must not be from the candidate’s same political party.  And all potential cabinet heads must have had a minimum of ten years private-sector high-level administrative experience in an enterprise related to their cabinet responsibility.

This list would allow the media ample time to find any skeletons in closets  months before embarrassing details emerge at the last minute.  Such transparency by the presidential hopeful would accomplish three things:  demonstrate seriousness of consideration by the candidate, indicate the type of executive counsel the future president wants working with him, and avoid mistakes like appointing the impotent, tax-dodger Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary.

7--NO CHERRY PICKING

If you want to be president, you have to campaign in every presidential caucus and every primary.  Not to do so signals to the electorate that you do not represent all Americans or care about regional concerns.  We’ve had too many candidates this year who tried to invest their time and money strategically.  Fortunately, we’ve scraped most of them off our windshields.

8--All 50 STATES

The office is President of the United States of America...not President of Some of the States.  Candidates must physically visit every state of the union prior to the national political conventions of election year.  Heavy travel schedule but necessary.

9--THE G-20 AND BUILDING BRICS

Every presidential aspirant must visit the heads of state of the leading world economic powers...the so-called G-20 nations, which include the five emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS).  This can be done either physically or via videoconference.  But the conversations must take place prior to the candidate’s nomination and the specifics of those conversations must be made public.  Heavy travel schedule but necessary...part two.

10--MEDIA MAVENS

These requirements of our presidential contenders would enable the news media ample time to assemble their resources to do a better job of covering the candidates and issues than we do now.  The hope, of course, is that journalists would dig deeper into significant issues, analyze and explain policy proposals better, and give American voters a more intelligent, sophisticated and clearer picture of the next occupant of the Oval Office.  

It’s too late for this year, but maybe in 2016.

Steve Coon

August 11, 2012