Smartest Guys in the Room

For the past few decades the term "elitist" has become almost as dirty as "liberal." Americans don't want some pompus, know-it-all to lead this country. Rather they want men and women to whom they can relate, empathize, and even enjoy a cold brew. W won with the good ole' boy image that Kerry was out of touch with the average voter and didn't understand middle America. The current presidential election is taking on the same form. (Nevermind that the candidate being accused of being "elitist" was raised in humble conditions with a single parent and worked on the south side of Chicago, while McCain married into one of the richest families in the country).

The current financial crisis has fully demonstrated that this trend has extended beyond the presidency into congressional elections. During the house vote on the government bailout plan, congressional members repeatedly said on CNBC that they had the least information they had regarding any bill since the decision to go to war with Iraq in 2003. So while Fed Chair Bernanke and Secretary Paulson were working out the final details of the bailout plan, what exactly were members of congress doing? Having a beer with their constituents?

Now some members of congress will argue that they were actually listening to their constituents, which in reality is their job, to not vote for the bill. But these government leaders have so much more information than Joe Smith, that they should be making the case for why they did or did not vote for the bill using qualified economic reasoning...not simply to ensure they get re-elected. Unfortunately, there are most likely very few congressmen and women capable of making such a strong argument due to their innate lack of financial and economic expertise. The Jim Bunning questioning during the senate hearing epitomizes this lack of understanding.

Further, Rep. John Boehner (from my esteemed state of Ohio), said that at least a dozen Republicans may have voted for the bill if it wasn't for the partisan speech by Nancy Pelosi. So you're telling me that these government "leaders" believed it was best for the country to inject the money for a bailout, but decided not to because they didn't like the way it was becoming partisan?? Now, I'm not condoning Pelosi for playing politics here, which is the exact reason Americans distrust and dislike the government. However, when representatives change their vote based on a single speech (a political speech, not informative policy speech), then it demonstrates either their true lack of understanding of the importance of this measure, or god forbid their personal ethics.

Now, I'm not even advocating here for the bailout. I do believe the injection of the funds is necessary to re-open the credit markets between banks and instill confidence around the world to prevent further market deterioration and potential runs on regional banks in the U.S. But regardless of how you feel (after the biggest one day point loss in the market's history), don't want your congressman or woman to lean on experts, data, and economic analysis, instead of phone calls from Bob or getting back at the girl in the sandbox?

Now I like to enjoy an ice, cold beer as much as anyone (being in b-school, probably more than most), but I already have people to share that beer (hopefully while watching the Cubs win a few playoff games). I don't need to have a beer with the president or my representative. I don't want to hear about the best economic solutions from my classmates or my professors. I want to hear them from my leaders. I want to be in awe of their innate intelligence, their ability to digest hordes of information, their way to communicate their objectives, and their ability to deliver the right results for the country.

Regardless of your political views or your party affiliation, it is time to change the debate on elitism and bring back the need to elect and appoint the most qualified candidates. This doesn't mean academics with the inability to connect with constituents, or Richy-rich who really doesn't understand the trials of the middle and lower class. No, it means those people who have lived through these trials and lived the American dream through a world-class education and are now driven to give back to the system that allowed them to succeed. We need the best and brightest leading us right now.

Otherwise we'll be paying $10 a gallon for gas-powered cars, investing our entire IRA in foreign markets, hoping to one day send our kids to India to get a decent college education. But at least everyone will have someone to have beer with when they visit Washington.