Finding the most qualified presidential candidate?

One needs a strong interest in politics and a great deal of patience to sit through the recent CNN New York Times Democratic debate. The term debate doesn’t actually fit the event. What actually happens in these question and answer sessions comes closer to a period of frequent bursts of ideas followed by criticisms by other candidates. Any semblance of a debate is accidental.

We have a choice to endure these question and answer events, because we are not under any government mandate to be informed about the candidates or their promises — also called platforms. What many of us would like to find, however, is a potential Democrat who might be really capable of handling the responsibility of the office if they actually got elected. So far the front-runners seem to be sharing their grandiose dreams with an enthusiastic but partisan audience. What no one seems concerned about is how they would actually provide leadership to pass legislation for their promises.

So this is not misunderstood, as an avowed independent voter (note that is not capital ‘I’), it is my desire to have the very best, most capable, and sane president available leading our nation. Mr. Trump, also known as ‘Thumbs’ at our house, because of his too frequent use of Tweets, is rapidly destroying the hope he provided when he ran for the White House. Please do not jump to conclusions. He might still be the best we can elect under the circumstances. When I hear so many Democratic candidates talk about paying for “health care for all” by taxing the billionaires, it is hard to believe they are being honest. Do they really believe all those million dollar donations come from the blue collar worker on a factory assembly line?

If Donald Trump ever releases his income tax returns, we might find he isn’t really as rich as he wants us to think, but that does not require the Gates family start giving money to the government to pay for some politicians’ promises. How many of our U.S. senators would get elected without the support of the very wealthy Americans? Can you imagine actually electing plain ordinary people to the boards of large American Corporations such as AT&T, General Motors and Amazon? Most ordinary, concerned people would be overwhelmed by the responsibility of the board’s decisions.

These sessions where the potential Democrat candidates are showcased for our evaluation are informative, but one hard to accept as reality. As I get older and actually accept the fact we do not make meaningful change in our government quickly, it is a national challenge selecting a future leader. Donald Trump brought a different concept to the White House and it has nothing to do with all the accusations about his personal life. He actually changed, and some say for the worse, our concept of how Washington is seen. He may make decisions based on mood rather than good sound judgment, but the news media must love him because he is forever in the news. And, the media is frequently biased against Trump.

It is likely Arkansas will continue as a “red” Republican state. This means our individual vote has little effect by the time we consider the actual vote counting structure through the Electoral College. However, there are probably many voters who share the desire for our next leader to be a bit more humble and provide some degree of confidence in his or her judgment. My choice would not be a television show host, a rock star or even a billionaire, just a low profile person who gets things done without a lot of fanfare. A person who understands people and the real political world would certainly be a refreshing change.

Could a Mike Beebe or an Asa Hutchinson survive in the office of president?

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Editor’s note: Leo Lynch, an award-winning columnist, is a native of Benton County and has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. The opinions expressed are those of the author. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace.