Ben Carson: the ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals [View all]

[KamaAina]

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/10/29/9639228/ben-carson-noahs-ark

Leading Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has never held elected office and isn't known for his in-depth understanding of public policy issues. Critics have questioned whether it makes sense to elect him president. But Carson has a response to this criticism:
It is important to remember that amateurs built the Ark and it was the professionals that built the Titanic. @my_ccu

This is a common sentiment among Republican voters. Many conservatives believe that professional politicians and other Washington insiders have made a hash of things, resulting in soaring deficits, crony capitalism, and other ills. So there's a lot of appeal to the idea of the citizen politician — someone who makes his or her career in the private sector, spends a few years in government, and then goes back to private life.

Conservatives like to hark back to the early days of the American republic, when this kind of thing was more common. In the 19th century, getting elected to federal office didn't require raising millions of dollars, so it was easier for someone with no prior political experience to get involved in politics. Supporters of Ben Carson see him as the 21st-century embodiment of this ideal....

Today no one would want an amateur doctor to do brain surgery on them — they'd want a highly trained professional like Ben Carson. Most jobs doing scientific research require a PhD, because it takes years of study to master the scientific state of the art. And it's a good thing that, generally speaking, we expect politicians to have some previous experience in government — or related fields — before elevating them to the highest office in the land.