Experience Quote by H. W. Brands

“When a president was elected with foreign policy experience, it was usually less about his foreign policy experience than other things.” quote by H. W. Brands — Download Open image

“When a president was elected with foreign policy experience, it was usually less about his foreign policy experience than other things.”

H. W. Brands

About This Quote

Source Book: The Presidents: A Reference History, 2012

Electing leaders for foreign policy expertise often masks deeper political, personal, or situational factors that drive decisions.

In simple terms: Experience is not the only factor in elections.

Key Takeaway

Look beyond resume when voting.

Themes

politics election leadership

Mood

analytical critical

Type

political observational

When to use this quote

campaign analysis
policy debates
voter education

Key Concepts

foreign policy voter perception media framing

Questions to Reflect On

What hidden factors influence voter choices?
How does media shape perception of expertise?

A Different Perspective

Experience can be overstated; other motives dominate.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.3 out of 5 (4 ratings)

More by H. W. Brands

I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.

H. W. Brands

Image

The Republican Party has moved substantially to the right of where Reagan was.

H. W. Brands

Image

Reagan gave essentially the same speech from the beginning to the end of his political career, which was always, 'The American people are great,…

H. W. Brands

Image

Presidents are evaluated not by what they did by the stroke of their own pen; it's what they persuade Congress to do.

H. W. Brands

Image

In the business arena, the standard rules of morality don't apply. What we're really looking for is efficiency. It doesn't do anyone any good…

H. W. Brands

Image

There is a certain kind of sobering, civilizing effect that being president imposes on people. There is a certain kind of dignity with which…

H. W. Brands

Image

The Founders were anything but demigods to themselves and their contemporaries, who recognized full well that the experiment in self-government had only begun.

H. W. Brands

Image

The American political system is based on the president taking the initiative and Congress responding. With President Trump, it's been the opposite.

H. W. Brands

Image

The president was not the most important political player in the 19th century. Besides Jefferson at the beginning, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, the…

H. W. Brands