Litmus Tests for high office

I want to explore issues, connections, networks, implications that stem from current events. Is there a teachable moment?

It’s the first week of September 2023 and candidate for the Republican Nomination for President in 2024, Nikki Haley, suggested there could be a case for establishing a cognitive competency test for Senators. This is in response to Senator Mitch McConnell’s recent ‘seizures’. This is a fairly veiled attempt to point out Haley herself is age 51, younger than other candidates in the field.

Personally, I am in favour of competency tests for those seeking high office, at state, regional, municipal and national level. But a cognitive test based on age, I believe she suggested 70, seems unreasonably narrow in scope. Surely every candidate for office, in state and national legislators should be tested for their sociopathic and psychopathic tendencies, their narcissistic tendencies, their emotional intelligence and other evaluations to ensure they are of ‘good character’. They should also be forced, regardless of age, gender, or other characteristic to sit (and to re-sit periodically) a full civics examination. This should follow most recent good practice models for assessment, most likely a combination of written examination, oral examination and diverse assessment types. I’d love to see a 10 minute PowerPoint presentation from certain current representatives on issues like “How the Climate Change debate impacts on my constituents”, or “What I believe the purpose of public education is.”

The purpose would not be to establish a common position, I can imagine that two candidates from the extreme wings of each of the current parties would answer both questions very differently. But would they both be able to make a cogent and thoughtful response? Would they both cite factual evidence in support of their position?

Would the electorate be best served by elevating as their representatives, those who are grounded in reality, capable of coherent argumentation, and are of demonstrably ‘good character’?

Senator Mitch McConnell’s apparent lapses into cognitive dissonance is surely a teaching moment. Not about age, but about competency.