Why big-time CEOs make terrible politicians

[n2doc]

Government and business are antithetical. That's not a flaw in the system — government exists to take on precisely those tasks the private sector can't or won't.

By Michael Hiltzik
October 31, 2010

California is poised once again to compete for the crown as the nation's leading graveyard for business superstars trying to make the jump into politics.

With election day yet 48 hours away, it's still possible that Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina will prevail in their campaigns for governor and U.S. senator. But the betting and the opinion polls are pointing the other way. So as we face the likely, if not certain, wreckage of these two lavishly financed campaigns, it's proper to ponder anew the following question: Why do big-time CEOs make such terrible politicians?

Of course, terrible politicians can come from anywhere, and not a few are currently serving in office. But you don't need much more than the fingers of one hand to count the successful business leaders who have morphed into successful politicians — and the political "success" of some is arguable.


"To be a CEO and to be a political leader each demands about 10 important qualities," he told me. "Maybe five of those are the same — you have to know how to read a budget, and delegate authority, and manage people, for example — but the others have absolutely nothing in common with each other."


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http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20101031,0,7983682.column

[Tippy]

1. K&R.......never the train shall meet

[blue sky at night]

2. they tout themselves as some kind of wonderkind....

but the bottom line is what is good for business is NOT always good for the Country. Their idea of regulation is NO regulation and that results in what we have today.

If in doubt check into the BP Oil spill disaster, or the Banking Disaster, or any one of NUMEROUS repuke Disasters.

[laughingliberal]

5. I'll go so far as to say what is good for big business is rarely good for the country.

Nothing I've seen in business tells me there is any room for providing for common purpose.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Silly Blue Sky…

Those weren't DISASTERS. They were OPPORTUNITIES.

Aintcha never heard of Disaster Capitalism?

[blue sky at night]

9. you made me smile...

thanks. and no, i have not heard that but if they can't make money they don't do it, so it has to ring true.

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Check out this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Shock-Doctrine-Rise-Disaster-Capitalism/dp/0312427999/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288544504&sr=8-1

Amazon.com Review
Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine advances a truly unnerving argument: historically, while people were reeling from natural disasters, wars and economic upheavals, savvy politicians and industry leaders nefariously implemented policies that would never have passed during less muddled times. As Klein demonstrates, this reprehensible game of bait-and-switch isn't just some relic from the bad old days. It's alive and well in contemporary society, and coming soon to a disaster area near you.
"At the most chaotic juncture in Iraq'' civil war, a new law is unveiled that will allow Shell and BP to claim the country's vast oil reserves… Immediately following September 11, the Bush Administration quietly outsources the running of the 'War on Terror' to Halliburton and Blackwater… After a tsunami wipes out the coasts of Southeast Asia, the pristine beaches are auctioned off to tourist resorts… New Orleans residents, scattered from Hurricane Katrina, discover that their public housing, hospitals and schools will never be re-opened." Klein not only kicks butt, she names names, notably economist Milton Friedman and his radical Chicago School of the 1950s and 60s which she notes "produced many of the leading neo-conservative and neo-liberal thinkers whose influence is still profound in Washington today." Stand up and take a bow, Donald Rumsfeld.

There's little doubt Klein's book--which arrived to enormous attention and fanfare thanks to her previous missive, the best-selling No Logo, will stir the ire of the right and corporate America. It's also true that Klein's assertions are coherent, comprehensively researched and footnoted, and she makes a very credible case. Even if the world isn't going to hell in a hand-basket just yet, it's nice to know a sharp customer like Klein is bearing witness to the backroom machinations of government and industry in times of turmoil.

[somone]

3. Teabaggers love corporate CEOs

Teabaggers are good slaves.

[napi21]

4. I think it boils down to one thing. CEO's are very used to

issuing an orde and have it done...period. Political leaders must sell their idea and convince others that his/her idea is the right one, and theres always a lot of push back that few if any CEO is used to.

[grilled onions]

6. Their Thinking Is Cold

They think gold,cash,stocks, rather then thinking of people. They are more into greed then voters in need. Every decision they make is decided by profit potential and not the benefit or negative effects on the people. They will not hesitate to harm the financial stability of the population as long as THEIR finances stay in good shape. They would make great slum lords. They are geared for high profit and have little conscience for the suffering going on around them.
I would much rather have someone who has been there and perhaps still there to help make those decisions that will affect us all. Never trust one who, not only cannot look you square in the eye, but cannot even face honest questions and would rather run away (or bar) reporters or voters from getting too close with questions of importance.

[Jackpine Radical]

8. I don't get it.

Given your description, how do they differ from run-of-the-mill Republican politicians?

[grilled onions]

12. Actually Many of Them Are--They Seem Interchangeable

One that was not up to business par was baby bush. Failure seemed to follow him everywhere.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. The smart ones are content to just buy the politicians.

They certainly aren't lacking in candidates who are willing to be bought.