Lawyers and Politics

[Sam Or I]

Why are Politicians usually Lawyers? Look at the 2008 candidates:

Democrats

Clinton-Lawyer
Obama-Lawyer
Edwards-Lawyer
Biden-Lawyer
Kucinich-Public Speaker/Politician/Radio Host
Richardson-Politician
Dodd-Lawyer
Gravel-Real Estate/Author

Republicans

Giuliani-Lawyer
Huckabee-Politician/Public Speaker/Minister
McCain-Naval Aviator
Romney-Businessman
Thompson-Lawyer/Actor
Paul-Doctor
Hunter-Marine/Lawyer
Tancredo-Politician
Keyes-Politician

[Teebs]

I don't know about the US, but in the UK IIRC teacher was the most common former profession for MPs. Admittedly law was a fairly close second.

I'd imagine the need for less money to stand in the UK would make it more viable for teachers as opposed to lawyers though.

[Phantasee]

Lawyers have a more thorough understanding of how a country's legal system works, from legislation to enforcement. Law school teaches you a lot about how your country's government functions, way past what you'd learn in high school or even a generic B.A.


Also, being lawyers, they're already slippery, snake sonsofbitches, so they've got that qualification as well.

[General Zod]

Sam Or I

I don't see what the problem is. Would you rather have someone in the office who wasn't familiar with the ins and outs of the legal system at all?

[Darth Wong]

Sam Or I

I don't see what the problem is. Would you rather have someone in the office who wasn't familiar with the ins and outs of the legal system at all?

I would rather have a political body which is representative of the mix of professions in the actual citizenry. Unless you live in a country which is 90% composed of lawyers, the current mix of political backgrounds is not appropriate.

[Flagg]

Sam Or I

I don't see what the problem is. Would you rather have someone in the office who wasn't familiar with the ins and outs of the legal system at all?

Yes. That's what their legal advisors are for.

[Enigma]

From the OP list, it looks like the Republicans are more varied in their professions than the Democrats.

[Ma Deuce]

Many of Canada's Prime Ministers were lawyers as well: Off the top of my head I can think of Jean Chretien, Brian Mulroney, John Turner, Joe Clark (dropped out of law school to pursue politics), Pierre Trudeau, John Diefenbaker, Louis St. Laurent, R.B. Bennett... It'd probably be much easier to list Prime Ministers who weren't lawyers.

[Havok]

I think you can be a lawyer and not have to really do anything. I'm not saying that the people you listed didn't practice their law, just that it is a degree/profession you can enter into, and take huge amounts of time off from it for politicking.
If you want to be a politician, you aren't going to go to medical school to be a doctor, or get your engineering degree. Those jobs demand far more time than being a "laywer", and if you take years or even decades off from them, I believe they pass you by. I don't believe being a lawyer has those problems.

[Havok]

GE: Also, being a politician can help a lawyer coming back into the field. Other jobs, like I listed, not so much.

[Zwinmar]

Lawyers know all the loop holes for getting whatever their slimy hands wish. They also get paid alot to go against their personal ethics, which is why I will not be a lawyer.

Sorry I dont want to screw people over for the sake of a paycheck. Nor let murderers go free just because of a technicality.

[General Zod]

Lawyers know all the loop holes for getting whatever their slimy hands wish. They also get paid alot to go against their personal ethics, which is why I will not be a lawyer.

Sorry I dont want to screw people over for the sake of a paycheck. Nor let murderers go free just because of a technicality.

You do realize there are more kinds of lawyers than just defense attorneys, yes?

[Civil War Man]

Calling most of those candidates lawyers is like calling Neil Armstrong an astronaut. Yes, he walked on the moon, but when was the last time he was launched into space?

Or, an even better example, listing McCain as a Naval Aviator. When was the last time he flew a sortie?

[Darth Wong]

Calling most of those candidates lawyers is like calling Neil Armstrong an astronaut. Yes, he walked on the moon, but when was the last time he was launched into space?

Or, an even better example, listing McCain as a Naval Aviator. When was the last time he flew a sortie?

Who cares? The point is that they have experience from those occupations, and those experiences not only potentially inform their decisions today, but they helped shape their personalities. That's what bothers me about the lack of "regular job" people in politics; there are only certain occupations which tend to produce politicians, and people outside of those occupations effectively have reduced representation.

[Androsphinx]

Why are Politicians usually Lawyers?

Because politicians in the United States are elected to the legislature. One of their primary duties is to create, revise and approve laws - which are often highly detailed and complex. A working knowledge of the law is somewhat essential to adequately carry out this role. Hence, lawyers.

[Darth Wong]

Why are Politicians usually Lawyers?

Because politicians in the United States are elected to the legislature. One of their primary duties is to create, revise and approve laws - which are often highly detailed and complex. A working knowledge of the law is somewhat essential to adequately carry out this role. Hence, lawyers.

The problem is that politicians aren't just lawmakers. They are also managers: executives of what can be thought of as a giant employee-owned corporation, with millions of worker/shareholders.

If you got rid of every manager and executive in every business who actually understood anything about the business or the employees or their job functions and replaced them all with lawyers, you'd probably get a corporation that is about as well-run as the government.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Why are Politicians usually Lawyers?

Because politicians in the United States are elected to the legislature. One of their primary duties is to create, revise and approve laws - which are often highly detailed and complex. A working knowledge of the law is somewhat essential to adequately carry out this role. Hence, lawyers.

You do realise that legislature deal with more than approving laws right? Like, Science policy, environmental policy and so forth?

[Androsphinx]

Why are Politicians usually Lawyers?

Because politicians in the United States are elected to the legislature. One of their primary duties is to create, revise and approve laws - which are often highly detailed and complex. A working knowledge of the law is somewhat essential to adequately carry out this role. Hence, lawyers.

You do realise that legislature deal with more than approving laws right? Like, Science policy, environmental policy and so forth?

Yes. You did notice that I said "one of their primary duties"? But how do they implement these things? Legislation and committee reports. Speeches and debates. The sort of things which lawyers train for and are experinced at.

[Havok]

Touching on what Mike said about "real" people taking political positions, there was a time long ago that this was the case. The local Doctor, or blacksmith or who ever would run for an office if they thought the could do a better job than the barber who's term just ended, and when their term was up they would return to their jobs.

So does any one know when the "Career Politician" came into being? The person who does everything from the time they enter high school just to be a politician?

[Sam Or I]

Note, on the list I posted, I tried to find the careers before they got into politics. Some have been in and out of politics thier whole lives, so I simpley put "politician". I tried to be fair, leaving out military service unless it was a major part of their career before running.


I don't particularly have anything against lawyers, (Actually I do, but that does not mean I would not elect one if I believed in what he/she stood for) but I would like to see a more diverse back ground in the election.

There should be more engineers, doctors, economist, and even artists in an election. The Law is only one aspect of a country.

[Androsphinx]

Ironically, our previous PM got the job because he was less good at Law than his wife (now a Queen's Council). If he had done better, she would have gone into politics instead. Oh, the possibilties...

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

I recall somewhere that a Physicist here tried to run for Senate, only to run into a break wall of anti-intellectualism. Apparently no one wanted to be told they were stupid.

[Zwinmar]

Lawyers know all the loop holes for getting whatever their slimy hands wish. They also get paid alot to go against their personal ethics, which is why I will not be a lawyer.

Sorry I dont want to screw people over for the sake of a paycheck. Nor let murderers go free just because of a technicality.

You do realize there are more kinds of lawyers than just defense attorneys, yes?

Yep, and I'm going to stereotype and say they are all slimy bastards, no matter what. They are true sophists who twist peoples words to say what they wish, rather than what was said in truth.

[Mlenk]

I recall somewhere that a Physicist here tried to run for Senate, only to run into a break wall of anti-intellectualism. Apparently no one wanted to be told they were stupid.

Yes, while I am sure that that Physicist is undoubtedly well-versed in physics, does that give him the background and knowledge to be a Senate member? Just because one is knowledgeable in the field of physics doesn't necessarily mean that he would be good at functioning as a manager, lawmaker, policy formulator, and all the other aspects that that position would entail.

With that said, I agree with what has been said that law, while an essential part of government, is only just one aspect of it. Formulating and implementing policies for science, education, health care, etc, goes beyond the scope of the legal field. Like what Mike has said, a more balanced approach seems to be in order, and a Physicist (or a doctor, engineer, teacher, some other scientist, or whatever else) in the Senate might indeed be good for government.

[Boyish-Tigerlilly]

Would it make sense to have logicians as part of government policy committees? For instance, what if there were congressional policy committees wherein the members themselves competed for membership, stemming from from germane occupations related to the policy to be made?


I could see scientists being on the committee making decisions related to science policy, logicians as overseers, streamlining policy logic, lawyers for legal wrangling, educators for education policy, etc.