I don’t think so but…On Politics: Lautenschlager endorses Roys

Lautenschlager’s endorsement was influenced, she said, by Pocan’s recent comments about Roys’ experience level…

“Tragically, we live in a political climate where it is commonplace for men to belittle the accomplishments of women who run for office,” Lautenschlager said. “Nonetheless, I was dumbfounded by the sexist remarks of Rep. Pocan about his opponent….”

The torrent of negativity from Kelda Roys’ campaign continues and I really don’t think it’s going to really stick to Mark Pocan because the charges are ridiculous.

See, when a candidate runs for office they often talk about how their experiences qualify them for the elected office they want. If one candidate feels they have an advantage in this area, they’ll naturally point it out. It’s common and has nothing to do with gender. It’s so common in fact that Peg Lautenschlager’s campaign, during the 2006 Democratic primary, even used this argument:

Meantime, Lautenschlager’s campaign is lambasting Falk’s lack of experience as a criminal prosecutor, saying this “would make anyone question why she would feel qualified for the job of attorney general.”

Is that sexist?

Or this example, Hilary Clinton’s famous “3am phone call ad”

The ominous ring ring continues throughout the ad as the announcer tells viewers they live in a “dangerous world.” They’re reminded that their vote determines whether they choose a leader who already has national security experience — or not.

I personally do not care about a candidate’s experience except for certain highly technical elected offices. I can’t think of a race in which I ever decided to support one candidate over another because of experience. However, some people might take experience into account, so it makes sense for a campaign to try to turn a solid record of experience into an electoral advantage. There’s nothing wrong with this. It wasn’t wrong when Peg Lautenschlager did it, it wasn’t wrong when Hilary Clinton did it, and it isn’t wrong for Mark Pocan to compare experience in this race.