I have read enough history to be convinced we don’t really have any idea what the founding fathers would think about anything going on today. They clearly would be amazed that the country they created has lasted for 230 years.
And I think that it is pretty clear that Joe Schwarz is the kind of man they hoped the voters would send to Congress. Not because of where he stands on the issues – the signers of the Constitution themselves had monumental disagreements. But they would have approved of his background.
The founders didn’t want professional politicians, and would have been appalled at candidates whose platform was based on a single issue. Nor would they have thought much of career politicians who never did anything other than run for office.
Schwartz had at least three full-fledged careers before the voters sent him to Washington. He served in Indochina while the Vietnam war was raging. When his hitch was up, he went back to Laos as a member of the CIA. He also is a medical doctor, an ear, nose and throat specialist who still practices in Battle Creek.
He was mayor, and then served in the Michigan State Senate for 16 years, where he was seen as the most knowledgeable legislator on higher education issues on either side of the aisle. He’s been married, a father, been widowed and divorced. He has, in other words, what is known as life, and real world, experience.
I do not live in Schwarz’s district, and on some issues, I deeply disagree with him. Nevertheless, he is exactly the kind of man I would want to represent me in Congress. Why? Having observed him for years, I know him to be an intelligent, well-educated grownup. What is just as important is that he prefers common sense to ideology and recognizes that human beings make mistakes.
That’s the kind of woman or man who I want making decisions for me about matters I don’t know enough about, whether it is at the state or federal level. Representative government should mean that we don’t have to try and figure out how to institute complicated tax reform or try and choose among school funding schemes.
That’s what we pay our legislators to do for us. Their job is to try and come up with what’s best for everyone they represent, or on certain issues, what is best for everyone in the state or our nation.
Citizens will always disagree as to what our nation’s priorities should be. But democracy dies behind closed doors. And representative democracy is in trouble the day we turn things over to leaders who base decisions on blind faith.
On the other hand, government isn’t American Idol. We can’t ask everybody to vote on what our trade policy with Mongolia should be. We have to trust someone to do that for us. And when it’s my neck -- or wallet -- common sense trumps ideology, every time.
As much as I love Joe Schwarz, I find it absolutely hilarious that you think he's not a career politician. So it's ok to have a career and then become a career politician, but not ok if that is only what you’ve done. Why? I just don't get the logic. Bob Gosselin had a career before he became a career politician, so did Leon Drolet. Your theory only works because Schwartz is a good guy. The bottom line in politics, is that good people; thoughtful, sincere, intelligent hard working people, regardless of where they come from make good Congresspeople..
Posted by: Dan Smith | July 06, 2006 at 10:06 AM
Jack,
Considering that Congressman Schwarz just voted in favor of the line-tem veto, giving the President unprecedented power over the budget, which the constitution reserves for Congress, I'm not sure that the "common sense" approach is the best. How about following the constitution and doing the job. The GOP just can't control themselves and want GW to take charge.
Posted by: Scott Brodie | July 06, 2006 at 12:14 PM
Schwartz may be a nice guy, but where it counts--the votes--his record does not differ substantially from that of other Republicans. His is a reliable party-line vote for whatever the leadership wants. If, as you say, he "prefers common sense to ideology," wouldn't you expect him to oppose the Republican leadership more often?
Posted by: W. Petty | July 14, 2006 at 05:46 PM