Experience ?
Nov 20th, 2009 by Frank Knotts
Experience, what is it really ? Well it can be defined as something that you have lived through. It can be defined as , observation of or participation in events resulting in or tending towards knowledge.
We tend to put a lot of emphasis on a persons experience when talking of their ability to do a job, and rightly so.
If we are looking for people to fill a technical job experience is very important. If we are seeking to fill a skill position, again experience is often preferable.
But in all of these cases at some time these experienced people had to gain that experience. We are not born with experience.
I drove my first truck when I was ten on the farm. My father came home for lunch in it , and had parked it beside the house. While he was eating he told me to take it down to the barns and turn it around. It took me about fifteen minutes of twisting and turning , but I did it and without hitting anything.
I had no experience driving trucks before that and here I was being allowed to drive a ten wheeler. My father evidently saw something in me that told him it was time to give me a shot. He trusted me to take my time and to be careful. He felt that I wouldn’t be careless and reckless. That being said , if I had knocked down the side of a barn I wouldn’t have been driving anything for quite a while.
Now when we discuss choosing candidates for elected offices we often discuss their experience and qualifications.
Let me say that when running for office I believe the most important qualifications are to be motivated to improve the quality of life for those you represent, to have a desire to do the job, and that you are honest with yourself and those you represent , even when it may cost you your position.
As for experience, I happen to think that in some cases , especially politics, experience can be a negative.
I think that we have come to a point , that we must abandon the practice of re-electing people to office simply because they have years of experience in the job.
What do we get from this practice ? Well we get leaders that have experience working the political system to ensure that they get re-elected and little else. We get leaders that have spent decades working so closely with lobbyist that they feel more beholden to the lobbyist than they do to the voters. We get arrogant leaders who feel that they can vote for any piece of legislation that they want , even when it is contrary to the wants and desires of the voters. These leaders begin to take for granted that their re-election is a given, they no longer feel that they are answerable to the citizens.
Is this what we need at a time when this country is being tested to the point of breaking, by an out of control congress and a President that wishes to change the very fabric of this nation? Do we need more of the same old experience, do we need to send back time and time again the people who have gotten us to this point in the first place ?
I say no ! I say what we need , are people with fresh ideas and who have none of the ties to the political machines. People who don’t owe decades of favors to lobbyist and special interest groups. People who are motivated to work to improve the lives of those they represent.
This is why I believe it is time to send Mr. Castle home for a long rest so that he can write his memoirs . Mr. Castle has those years of experience that I have described above. He is also one of those people who has gotten us into the mess we are in today.
I believe Christine O’Donnell is our best bet to elect someone who is motivated to improve the lives of the citizens of Delaware and the nation.
I believe that by electing Christine O’Donnell to be the next U.S. Senator from Delaware we can break the cycle of sending back to Washington someone who’s main interest is to be re-elected. Someone who will speak the truth to the people, even when it is hard to hear.
There are many within the GOP who will say , “Christine O’Donnell ? Oh yes , she is a great candidate, but she needs EXPERIENCE . She should run for dog catcher,or for the town council of some small western Sussex town .”
What they are really saying is that she hasn’t paid her party dues yet. She hasn’t worked the system enough. She hasn’t licked enough party leadership boots.
Christine O’Donnell is about to face a very tough primary. That is unless enough pressure can be brought to bear upon Mr. Castle and or the GOP leadership to demonstrate that the GOP rank and file will not support Mr. Castle and that for the good of the party he should stand down.
It is highly unlikely that Mr. Castle will see this truth, until he is dealt his first defeat in many years, in the GOP primary.
My advice to Ms. O’Donnell is to trust the voters, trust the people who supported her through the write in campaign and her growing support in her last run for the Senate. I would say to her to not listen to the party leadership when they tell her , it’s just not the right time, that she should step aside for someone with more experience.
I say that if Christine O ‘Donnell is true to herself and honest with the voters and holds to her conservative principles , that she can be the person that breaks the strangle hold that the liberals have held for too long on this state.
The question that GOP voters will be asked during the primary is, will we settle for more of the same from Mr. Castle , or will we demand better, and vote for Christine O’Donnell ?
Delaware is a liberal state, thanks primarily to New Castle County. This is a fact. Hence, Castle is about the best you can expect; yet, he did vote i>against the healthcare bill. There’s no point in running a candidate (O’Donnell) who hasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.
I rejected McCain because voting for him would have been sanctioning, as Republican Party policy, the rejection of conservatism in a nation that leans conservative. Delaware’s situation is not analogous; this state leans liberal. Someday, this may change; but under the current dynamic, Castle is the best hope at retaining at least some sort of fiscal sanity and legislative restraint in Washington.
Rick says,”this state leans liberal. Someday, this may change; but under the current dynamic, Castle is the best hope at retaining at least some sort of fiscal sanity and legislative restraint in Washington.”
I ask you Rick in all honesty, how do we enact change by voting for the same people time and time again? At some point we must draw the line in the sand and stand on our principles.
This may not be the final battle, Ms. O’Donnell may not be the one to win. The only real gain that the GOP may get out of this is the purging of a so called Republican . We as conservatives gain nothing , zero from re-electing Mike Castle!! If my leaders are going to be Democrats , then let them call themselves Democrat .
Castle pushed through an amendment the other day to allow GAO to audit the Federal Reserve, something arch-fiscal conservatives have been trying to do for years. And if Castle were in the Senate yesterday, the government takeover of health care would be dead today.
Just so you know what you’re tossing overboard in your purge.
I completely reject the defeatism of this is a liberal state. It is not. I lot of underlying numbers show that is not the case. It may lean Democrat but not too heavily so. If people like Christie, Erlich, and Romney can win in their states, please don’t tell me that a state with registration as close as Delaware’s where even many Democrats have to give in to conservative pressure or our relatively conservative themselves, is unwinnable.
The problem is that we have a visionless Republican party that won’t defend itself. Let alone present a coherent vision.
With that said, if Mr. Castle wins the primary, he would be 4 times better than what we would get. Half a bowl may not be filling, but it is better than getting straps out of the garbage.
“Half a bowl may not be filling, but it is better than getting straps out of the garbage….”
My friend, allow me to take the liberty of adding to that sentence “…for the next 30 years.”
I love this post. Experience counts is so 2008.
Again, it’s let’s throw Castle overboard, so O’Donnell can lose to Biden and we can have 36 more years of Biden. 4 years of a man you don’t like vs. 36 years of a man you will despise. Frank, are you serious?
‘Castle pushed through an amendment the other day to allow GAO to audit the Federal Reserve, something arch-fiscal conservatives have been trying to do for years.’
Barney Fwank gutted that amendment and in the process he verbally bitch slapped Mike Castle, off the cuff mind you, spitting and sputtering maybe but still, while Castle sat there with nothing more than remarks which were obviously prepared for him.
Yeah, ’cause obviously what he should have done is gotten up and smacked Frank in the mouth.
And you have an interesting definition of “gutted,” since the passed amendment overrides the Watt language. We’ll see what ends up in the final bill.
Dave, it amazes me that when Mr. Castle throws a conservative bone during the election cycle, how many little puppies come running to lick his boots. So what if we can audit all of the out of control spending that the stimulus and TARP spends. The audit will actually add to the size of government or do you think a job like that can be done without growing government?. What we need are people who will vote against TARP and Cap and Trade in the first place.
I admit I have the benefit of never having to have made any back room deals, I have never run for office, I have never had to scratch anyone’s back. I am looking at this from the point of view of a father who wants to leave this world better than I found it. I work for a paychech and I don’t like having to give it to the government.I don’t like the idea of my energy cost doubling because of some slobbering leftist environmental case like MIke Castle. I don’t like to think that everything I buy today amy cost twice as much in a year because some fool thinks that man can cause the earth to warm. I didn’t want my money taken so that it could be given to some banker who didn’t know how to run his business, and I don’t want my money to go to disect embryos. But mostly I don’t want Mike Castle to be my next U.S. Senator. Anyone who feels otherwise is free to express their views the same as I am free to express mine.
I will only add for my good friend Dave , that I would hope that he can make his arguements without sinking to threats of physical violence,” Yeah, ’cause obviously what he should have done is gotten up and smacked Frank in the mouth.” ,it really weakens your position. Goodnight all !
I think Dave B. was refering to Barney Frank who tried to gut Castle’s amendment. It was directed sarcastically to Mike O. who said that Mr. Castle just sat there. Dave asked what was he suppose to do–go up and smack Frank (Barney not you)? He was not advocating that action. If I am wrong, Dave is free to correct me.
I think you will see that when you reread it at an hour other than midnight.
David , you may be right, if I mis-understood I apologise. It’s what I get for posting at midnight right after the Bears had lost to the Eggels.
“So what if we can audit all of the out of control spending that the stimulus and TARP spends.”
That’s not what this is. This is an audit of the trillions of dollars the Federal Reserve gave out over the last year. It is critical that oversight be given and that we know where that money went. It is a major success for anyone who wants to stem the tide of tax and taxpayer-backed money flowing freely to Wall Street.
Also, in the process of making your comment, you refer to “little puppies running to lick his boots,” “back room deals,” “scratching backs” and other derogatory terms. I’m going to assume you weren’t referring to me.
Finally, though Castle’s vote on cap & trade was a bad one, do you realize that we already operate under a fully-binding cap & trade scheme in Delaware?
Sat there meaning with no retort, meaning that if it wasn’t written for him in his prepared remarks he didn’t say it. And yes it passed, with no time line, no teeth, because Fwank’s amendment to Castle’s amendment took them out.
For disclosure as if it’s not obvious, I’m no fan of Castle.
Dave my point is that instead of trying to track the money after it has been spent , it would be better to never have spent it. Rather than having someone willing to point a finger after the corruption has happened , wouldn’t it be better to vote down the wasteful spending before it is spent. Audits are great for gotcha moments , but do little to recoup the tax dollars that have been wasted. What we need are leaders with the courage to stand against the waste and corruption of both parties , when it is proposed as legislation . Mr. Castle voted for TARP and now he wants to make sure that huge waste of tax dollars, that many who visit and contribute to this site were against, is being spent correctly. A little too little , and a little too late. This audit scam is just that, it is Mike Castle attempting to flex his “CONSERVATIVE” muscle at election time.
As for my comments, they were not intended for anyone in particular, but rather in general for those within the party more interested in electing “Rs” than in electing strong leadership. Those more interested in how the party fairs in an election , than they are in how the nation fairs. I’m just a poor country boy who happens to be a registered GOP voter. I don’t give a rat’s behind who’s turn it is to run according to party leadership. As a voter I want the best person for the job according to my view point of the issues. You know what they say about opinions and what they are like, well I have a pretty big opinion.
That’s not really accurate, Matt. He did offer a response, but when Grayson, who is the cosponsor of Paul’s “Audit the Fed” bill, backed Frank, that was it for that clause.
There’s still going to be an authorized GAO audit of the Fed emergency funds, and that’s a large step.
Again, Frank, these are Federal Reserve emergency funds. They are not TARP funds, nor are they specifically authorized by the government. Technically, they aren’t even tax dollars.
You’re entitled to your opinion. I just think people ought to be fully informed when they make their decisions.
I may do a post on auditing the Fed. There is an obvious need for information. It is better to invest a small amount in the tune of a few million dollars to stop the misdirection of millions of millions (trillions). You can’t trip over pennies and waste thousands of dollars.
Dave, I am merely sticking to the point of my original post, and that is that “I” believe that it is time that Mr. Castle be sent home and that we as consevatives and citizens would be better served in Washington by just about anyone else. I don’t really care if he proposes to audit Pres. Obama’s personal checkbook. This audit proposal is just the latest attempt at distracting voters away from who Mr. Castle really is . He votes for TARP, he votes for Cap and Trade, he has voted over the years for higher and higher CAFE standards, he votes for federal funding of stem cell research, he makes all of these votes that grow the size and scope of government, and then because he proposes an amendment to audit one small sector of the out of control spending, which he has been a part of creating, we are suppose to forget all of the rest. Give me a break !
All I’m saying Dave is that at some point we must, as voters, stop voting for people like Mike Castle for the sake of political expediency. We must lose this attitutde of voting for someone because political pundits tell us that “he’s the only one who can win”. We must begin to once again hold our elected leaders to a higher standard than just being able to win elections, this is not the Super Bowl ! It is our future and that of our children.
I am not saying that transparency in government isn’t a good thing, I am saying that having elected officials in office who won’t vote for more of the same out of control spending, is a better thing .
Frank, you’re entitled to that opinion, and it’s one that many people share. My frustration with Castle’s voting record has reached a boiling point at times, too, particularly with his cap & trade vote. If there is a primary, I hope you support Christine with all you have. I don’t begrudge her running in a primary. But if, in the end, the choice is Castle and Biden, voting for Castle prevents 30 more years of liberal rule and gives conservatives four years to find a superior candidate.
Frank,
Do you really think that Christine O’Donnell can beat Beau Biden in the General Election?
i think that if you put the two side by side, she can take him. She is better versed in some issues than he is especially monetary policy and energy policy. It would be some debate. I think that she may have a better chance than the Congressman because she will be more agressive. Beau showed that he will agressively address the issues and campaign hard. You just can’t sit back and run a send the best campaign against him. You need an energetic campaign.
Rasmussen showed her polling in the same 40pecentage range. I don’t know Frank’s answer , but I know that if an opponent is only single digits behind an officeholder at this point in the game, historically she has the advantage. She has the potential to move up while he is close to his ceiling. Toss a few million dollars behind her in a targeted race in a Republican tilting environment, and she has it even if they out spend her.
“Toss a few million dollars behind her in a targeted race in a Republican tilting environment, and she has it even if they out spend her.”
You lost me with that one Dave. Just where do you find the money printing press that you can toss a few million dollars at Christine???
I am with Dave on the latter, but the responsibility to win those votes is the Congressman’s. I wish hat he would work 1/3 as hard to get conservative votes as he does Democrat votes. He can no longer take anyone for granted. The Constitution Party is ramping up again in the past it took nearly 2% of the vote fro him with no name candidates. If he makes it to the general, he will need to unite the party or else people like Frank will have somewhere to go. It could be 5% or more this time.
That is why I support getting these concerns out now not then. If Ms. O’donnell wins, she will need to unite her side. The same is true of Mr. Castle. We need to get united. It is not the fault of the voter if that does not happen.
If you build it, they will come. I will email you later on that my friend. I can’t disclose some info this early in public. It is like Nixon’s secret plan to end the war. If you tell it, they know and it may not work. If you don’t, then everyone hazes you about not telling it. I am a big boy, I can take the teasing. LOL
Seriously, there are some exciting developments that you should know. I will email or call you tonight.
“That is why I support getting these concerns out now not then. If Ms. O’donnell wins, she will need to unite her side. The same is true of Mr. Castle. We need to get united. It is not the fault of the voter if that does not happen.”
I agree with DA. Castle has put himself in a position with some of his votes where he has disowned a large enough part of the base as to make a primary challenge virtually certain. But I agree that it needs to be dealt with in-house, in a primary, versus a third-party candidacy. I would never wish for or encourage a primary, but in the case that one can not be avoided, it is far preferable to a third-party challenge.
I will take a page from Eisenhower’s book and two letters ready to go both appealing for unity to the otherside of the winner of the primary. I encourage people who are a lot more important to do the same. If Mr. Castle wins, I will be among the first to say let’s move on and win together. I challenge the establishment folks to make that same pledge if it turns the other way. I know that you believe that it would be some miracle or twist of fate (for you more secular types), but just in case, wouldn’t it go a long way to party unity if everyone so inclined started pledging to support the winner? Why would the O’Donnell supporters jump to support the Congressman if they do not feel it will be recirprocated. Let the primary be the winner take all sweepstake. All of us so inclined will go all in for the winner.
Ready to take my challenge?
If you weren’t, you all should have tried the congressional alternative. That train has left the Wilminton station now and won’t return.
This is the reality that the Congressman created by deciding to challenge in a primary without negotiating to clear the field. Almost every pro-life leader in the state would have signed on to Christine running for the house instead of the senate in a switch ballot position move. I know because they told me so without solicitation. (I got to be the bad guy and float the idea.) If he tried hard to reach out, and was rebuffed that would be a different story. He had people waiting to be approached and some of us openly suggesting it and he did nothing. The fact that the Congressman refused to reach out and make it happen is his problem. Literally, now that the NRSC won’t endorse in primaries. He has given the impression that conservatives are not even enough of a factor to respect. He needs to change that impression or he will find himself retired.
The Congressman choose this primary. I don’t blame Christine for not automatically bowing and scraping with nothing in return, but a pat on the head. Her issue concerns are real and they need to be addressed. She is the best one to do it. I think that she is building support everyday and any alternative strategy is unlikely.
In my ideal world, we wouldn’t have a primary for the seat, but maybe I was too much of a party person in mentality. I say let it be. He wanted it. He can have it. All I am asking is that both sides pledge now to support the winner.
I’m in, 100%. Either one would vote my way more than Beau Biden.
“I’m in, 100%. Either one would vote my way more than Beau Biden”
Ditto
I miss all of the good stuff by having a job with no computer. Hope you all check back in.
Let me try and address some of your questions and statements. To Dave’s point of a primary, if Mr. Castle happens to win , I’m sorry Dave , I will not hold my nose one more time and vote for Mike Castle. I just can’t and still respect myself . I cannot come to this site and my own blog and lay out all of the reasons I feel that Mr. Castle is bad for this nation, and then turn around and cast a vote to send him back. I may be a lot of things but I work very hard to never be a hypocrite. I understand that by casting no vote for that race, it’s the same as casting one for Mr. Biden. That is why I am encouraging as many registered GOP members as possible to contact party leadership and to express their disapproval of Mr. Castle. He could still walk away for the good of the party. I know this is unlikely , especially since there are still those within the party who will tell him he is “the only one”.
cookie asked “Frank,
Do you really think that Christine O’Donnell can beat Beau Biden in the General Election?” Cookie , yes I do. I believe that because the American people have gotten a good dose of liberalism from Pres. Obama, they are trending more and more conservative. I believe that with her conservative message and the fact that it isn’t just the usual lip service to conservatism that Mr. Castle pays, that she can win. Everyone tends to believe that all that Mr. Biden needs is his father’s name to win, well his father’s name is tied directly to Pres. Obama. That name may not be quite as powerful as it once was. I think that many in the GOP got their hats handed to them by that Biden name in the past and that they are suffering from shell shock.
Mr. Castle has over the years taken the base for granted, I think he may be making that mistake still. He has lost a considerable amount of the base and yet he still believes he can win without us. Well let him try, but first he has to get past Christine O’Donnell. I don’t think he can beat her in a GOP primary where conservatism holds court and he is the jester. The party loyalist will stand with him , but rank and file , working people have had enough.