Sympathy For The CEO

For a supposedly hated class, CEOs have gotten quite a bit of positive press lately, most notably Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina and their California primary wins. The problem with career politicians is they've rarely run anything–a staff, a company, an organization. This is especially true with senators. Besides four home office staff, they might have another six in their Washington office. Make 'em president and suddenly put them in charge of 300 million people, and you're bound to have problems, as we're now seeing. The last time we tried it, in 1960, was inconclusive due to a tenure cut tragically short.

Californians, and much of the nation, realize experience matters. It's something anyone who's ever submitted or reviewed a resume realizes, but forgot in the last election. They're not about to make that same mistake again, which is why, despite Wall Street woes, record bonuses and cringe-inducing separation packages, they're doing so well at the polls. The logical conclusion? Americans recognize it was government that got us into this mess. And it will be the market that gets us out.