Anyone who has multiple siblings knows that a family might have one person who is best if you’re choosing a pick-up basketball team, another if you’re playing Trivial Pursuit and another if you need to assemble some furniture. We each have our unique gifts, and a healthy society requires this kind of diversity of skills. I think that’s generally true of a healthy Congress, too, or a healthy political party.
Still, if you are selecting someone to represent you in Congress, you should have a certain bias in favor of someone who has experience with a wide spectrum of issues, including how Congress works. It’s understandable that traditionally people have tended to choose representatives who have top flight educations. That’s one way to ensure that the person you send to Washington DC will have the knowledge to be effective when they get there. But there can be a downside if Congress as a whole has an elite culture that isn’t reflective of the country as whole. On the positive side, when both political parties were made up primarily of people who attended the best universities, they tended to get along better across party lines. We can see what happens when that breaks down. But on the other hand we also have seen the interests of working class Americans get ignored in a systematic way. These are tradeoffs, but they are not the only possible tradeoffs.
For starters, as the Washington Post reports, things have changed. The Republican Party, particularly in the House, is no longer sending people to Congress who have attended the most prestigious schools. At least, at any rate, they’re no longer doing this in anywhere near the same percentages as the Democrats. This has created a cultural divide that exacerbates partisan tensions, but it also has created a knowledge divide.
The Republicans will argue, with some justification, that they’re a better reflection of the country than the Democrats. Of course, this is only true in the sense of educational attainment. The Democrats are much more diverse in terms or race, gender, religion, and pretty much anything else you might consider. And while there are different kinds of intelligence, the Democrats have a better overall grounding in the wide spectrum of issues that members of Congress have to deal with day-to-day.
Because the Democrats are so diverse, they can compensate somewhat for having a more educationally elite makeup, at least in terms of being in touch with the experiences of everyday folks. But I would argue that they would benefit from more diversity on the education front, just as the Republicans would benefit if they chose people who are better prepared and grounded in facts.
It intrigues me that the Democrats in Maine may soon have to make a choice on who they want to challenge for Susan Collins seat in the U.S. Senate. One option may be the sitting governor Janet Mills, should she opt to run. Another choice will be Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and veteran with no political experience. Mills has a law degree and has served as attorney general of Maine as well as governor for two terms. I don’t think there is any question that she’s well credentialed and qualified to serve effectively in the Senate. She’ll also be 78 years old on Election Day. Platner, who is 41, joined the Marines out of high school and served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He attended some college by dropped out.
Clearly Mills is a safer bet to run against Collins. But that doesn’t mean she is the right bet or a sure thing. Without even looking at their respective biographies or political positions, I favor a 41 year old over a 78 year old. To be truly effective in the Senate, you have to accrue some seniority so that you can chair committees or gain a leadership position, and that’s pretty hard for a septuagenarian to do. I also think the Democrats should seek to be in touch with the values of younger generations.
But I also like the idea of having someone with Platner’s background in the Senate. He did not get a degree from a top university, or any university, but he definitely got an education from the Marines and while serving in foreign countries. He has an education that’s badly lacking in Congress about what it takes to by an oyster farmer.
It’s true that Mills would immediately understand many things upon reaching Washington DC that it might take Platner years to grasp.
What’s best for the Democratic Party? What’s best for Maine?
I can’t tell you the answer to that, but I have a hunch that candidates with Platner’s profile are a better match for our times.
I suspect people will respond to him both as a candidate and, if elected, as a Senator.
