Young Presidents

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:24:06 GMT

Teddy Roosevelt and James K. Polk are two of the youngest presidents we've ever had. They're both also in the top 10 on most scholarly lists of greatest presidents of the United States. Teddy was only 42 when he claimed the office and Polk was 49. Barack Obama? He's 47.

Roosevelt was Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Governor of New York (both for only one year) before he was taken on as McKinley's VP for about 7 months. Then, the anarchists took the president out and left Teddy in charge. Do you think people complained about Roosevelt being "inexperienced" when he was sworn into office? They probably did, but the man got things done and people elected him again four years later. Not least of his accomplishments was winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for keeping the peace in the Russo-Japanese War. He was a hawk when it came to war, but he also knew a thing or two about diplomacy. Also, he shook up big business men like JP Morgan and regulated the drug and food industry. Surprisingly, he was the first president to call for universal health care (what a novel idea!). He did all this despite his lack of experience and young age.

James K. Polk pushed for Manifest Destiny and claimed a lot of land for the United States. He was the one largely responsible for the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, an act that took over a lot of what was formerly Mexico (what a jerk!). Prior to this, he had been governor of Tennessee for two years and the House Speaker for four. He led the charge on the Mexican-American War, but also smoothed over flaring tensions with Britian. Once again, a young guy who got things done.

Now, I'm probably going to come off sounding redundant. Many of you have probably heard this. But old age and lots of experience in the Senate or the House, or some other office, do not qualify you to be the President. Your job resume must include the following: 1) Proof that you're at least 35 years old; 2) Proof of citizenship; 3) Proof of residency; 4) Proof that you haven't been president for more than two terms already (!). I'm not saying we should lower our standards for president, just that the qualifications most Americans are using to guage a candidates' "readiness" for the presidency need to change. I know a lot of Democrats have been saying that Obama's lack of experience is a good thing because he hasn't been tainted by the system. I don't really agree with that assessment, but I will say one other thing. If an African-American can endure the hardships of a presidential campaign and still come off proving his character and tenacity, it should matter more than it does to most Americans, regardless of party affiliation.

The "race card" has been played a lot during this election, so I know I'm probably just adding to the cacophony, but please look at this one last illustration. Jackie Robinson was the first African American baseball player to play in the Major Leagues. He wasn't the best African American player. He arguably wasn't even better than a lot of other white players, but what set him apart was his character. The man who chose him to break the color barrier chose someone who he knew could handle the pressure. Now, I know we aren't picking a shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers, but what I'm asking is not a vote, just a little recognition. Jackie Robinson wasn't the greatest baseball player of all time, but he was a man who had "the guts not to fight back".

At the end of the day, I'm still not sure which direction to cast my ballot. However, I think it's worthwhile to stop perpetuating the lie that a young president is less capable of filling the role. Also, as much as we may not want to figure race into this election, it's inevitable that we will. Why has there never been a black president? Why were the slaves black and not white? Jackie Robinson retired early, aged beyond his years. His hair fell out in clumps because of the abuse he faced in his first year while he was not permitted to fight back. This campaign may ruin Obama's life, but he's bold (or foolish) enough to take on that challenge. Our country ought to take their hats off to him for that fact alone, even if they think he's a baby killer or a Muslim.

Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-01-16-obama-experience-cover_x.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_K._Polk

just_mister_jj

Young Presidents