To say that our two major party candidates are polar opposites would be an understatement - one is a public servant with a track record in government and the other is a rather unpredictable outsider with bold plans to upend our current structure of government.
Ironically, Donald Trump’s most ostensible gap — his lack of government experience — has been an area that many are pointing to as a strength.
He’s an outsider who will shake things up.
He’s a businessman who knows how to make deals.
He created jobs once, he can create more for America.
Yes, Trump’s career in business, albeit criticized frequently, is viewed with reverence by his most ardent supporters. It’s being used as a vehicle to fill the holes in his policy and lack of confidence among his GOP compatriots. Even as Trump appears to show a general lack of temperament and extreme gullibility, supporters are clinging to his success in making high-level business decisions as evidence that Trump can strike when the time is right.
At the end of the day however, how valuable is it to have a former CEO as the President? In fact, why aren’t Silicon Valley giants like Larry Page and Elon Musk encouraged to use their brains in an effort to create world change in a position that gives them extreme importance?
Risk. As we’ve learned from the past few years, government positions can be often limiting for people with big dreams and visions. The President often has multiple hoops to jump through if he wants to propose a radical idea. Even with executive orders, which allow a very small window of policy change, anything the President does can be checked, assessed, and analyzed against the federal courts and congress. On the other day, any entrepreneurial environment has to be comfortable with failure and iteration. Entrepreneurs inherently have a risk propensity that is juxtaposed strongly with the caution of their public servant counterparts. When Tesla Motors was on the verge of bankruptcy or Musk was forced to step down as CEO of Paypal, this came off as a mere blip in his legend.
Checks and Balances. When Elon Musk or Larry Page have new business developments, they have a lot of freedom to put these ideas into action. They have full control, pending shareholder and board consent, on how money is spent, organization is structured and time is invested. On the flip side, The Executive Branch of our government operates on a balance of powers with almost every action of the President put under scrutiny. As Dan Holliday of Quora beautifully put it: “American government is incredibly byzantine and archaic.”
The President must work with the Legislative branch to get virtually anything done and, in these days, this is largely frustrating due to a bipartisan divide. This certainly limits the progress and freedom of a President.
Elon Musk and Larry Page can’t simply fire anyone who under performs, disagrees or shuts down their ideas as the President has no authority to fire elected representatives, be they Republican or Democrat. Most of these areas in government require a process, including impeachment, that requires cooperation with congress.
Specialization. As we’ve learned this election season, it takes a real policy wonk to understand the ins and outs of legislation. Nobody can come in and create jobs — they just understand how to manage budgets in a highly volatile political climate, understand which bills lead to which outcomes, and constantly pay attention to the pulse of 300 million Americans. They must understand debt, regulation, and navigating gridlock. Elon Musk and Larry Page have a specialty in their respective fields. While I’m sure they both have dealt with policy, especially Musk’s involvement with government subsidies and lobbying efforts, it doesn’t make him an expert on foreign affairs, job growth, or the litany of other issues a President is required to be knowledge about. In fact, a President is almost encouraged against specialization - by nature, they are generally knowledgeable and open-minded enough to entrust recommendations to their specialized advisers.
Effectively, Elon Musk's rash nature, desire for audacious change, and specialized interest in upending industries may not have a place in a government that is pragmatic and slow by nature.
As Trump’s character slowly erodes and he’s left with the brand of his business success as his sole value proposition, it’s important to remember — not all power transfers equally. In Peter Thiel’s speech at the RNC, he said, “I’m not a politician. But neither is Donald Trump. He is a builder, and it’s time to rebuild America.”
There are plenty of reasons not to vote for Trump but Thiel raises a polarizing question: Can we truly rebuild America the same way we build Silicon Valley?
