There are many factors to Donald Trump’s election as president of the USA but one which has not been discussed at great length is whether career politicians or business execs turned politicians can offer the best balance. There are obvious pros and cons to each but are we really giving business execs turned politicians enough credit for their experience?
Career politicians
The most obvious positive when arguing in favour of career politicians over business execs is the fact they know how to use the system, many have been brought up in the world of politics and know how to extract favours from others. Rightly or wrongly, career politicians always seem to be able to stretch the truth or ignore questions and comments which make them feel uncomfortable. This is not to say career politicians are better at “lying” but they seem to deflect criticism without a second thought.
Business execs
Donald Trump is a multibillionaire having built up a massive business portfolio, lost it and then rekindled his love affair with the world of business. If you strip out his strange characteristics, his unhelpful comments and his obvious bias towards certain areas of the population, Donald Trump is an ultra-successful businessman. Questioned by Hillary Clinton about his tax position, he quite openly confirmed he uses the system to his benefit, a system which was built by the likes of Hillary Clinton.
Refreshing honesty or an overconfident manner – whatever you think, Donald Trump has done nothing wrong in his business dealings, except make money.
Negotiating the best deal
If we strip out all of the emotion, biased opinions and press headlines, there is no doubt that the best type of person to negotiate the best deal is somebody who has worked in business for most of their lives. Career politicians are prone to over compromise, often show their hand before discussions begin and like to milk any result for their own benefit. A business person such as Donald Trump will probably go into negotiations about US policy and US regulations with the same intensity as he does with his own business dealings. Once a business person, always a businessperson!
Making money
If you scour the working records of politicians around the world you will find that many of them have limited if any experience of the “real business world”. While there is a time and a place for making money as opposed to helping people, the gift of making money whether for a company or for a country should not be underestimated. At the end of the day a successful economy would increase tax take, balance budgets and ultimately, if done correctly, should benefit the masses. This is the theory, and while the reality can be very different, surely it offers more potential than career politicians scratching each other’s backs?
Conclusion
In a perfect scenario governments around the world would be made up of a mix of career politicians, fresh blood and those with long experience in the world of business. While perhaps unfair to pigeonhole individuals, relying on career politicians or business execs alone has obvious drawbacks?