The New York Times Sunday Magazine ran a feature toward the end of 2009 on Joe Biden, who was then Vice President of the United States. Besides his experience and knowledge from having been a seasoned U.S. senator, Joe Biden is a man genuinely content in his own skin, and, it might be said, genuinely happy. This, perhaps more than anything else, is vital to high level public official because sound judgment is important in those jobs. Ruling is not simply about how much one knows, or even how much experience one has; it is fundamentally about feeling at ease in who one is. Ultimately, a positive vision springs from one’s state of mind and innate values. One need only contrast Joe Biden with Richard Nixon, for example. Foreign policy comes up for both, but their mentalities could not be different. My question is this: to what extent is our “Electoral College as popular election” geared to selecting the best candidate for president?
The full essay is at "Flavor of the Month."
The full essay is at "Flavor of the Month."
