“Experience counts” was the slogan of Richard Nixon, running for president in 1960. Nixon had served eight years as vice president, two as U.S. senator from one of the nation’s largest states and four as congressman — and was, thanks to his role in the Alger Hiss case, a nationally known figure from his first year in Congress. His experience was enough to give him the Republican presidential nomination without serious competition. And after 20 years in which America had won a world war and led the world into postwar prosperity, confidence in institutions and officeholders was high enough that Nixon came within an eyelash of being elected.
Flash forward 55 years: Experience doesn’t count any more. The RealClearPolitics average of recent polls shows candidates without experience in elective office — Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina — with 46.0 percent of the votes and 14 candidates who have served as governor or member of Congress for a total of 141 years — with 44.5 percent.
That represents a big switch over the summer. In 14 national polls conducted after the Fourth of July holiday up to Aug. 10, the three non-officeholders had just 28.6 percent to the 14 officeholders’ 58.3 percent. Most analysts expect one of the 14 officeholders will turn out to be the party’s presidential nominee. That seems likely. But one thing seems certain: He won’t run on the slogan “experience counts.”
