Why the Best & Brightest Rarely Run

By Michael C. Maibach                                                                                                         January 2016   As we consider this and recent Presidential campaigns, many of our fellow citizens have expressed unhappiness with their choices. “Can’t we get better people to run?” they ask. Why is it that in America, those considered as our "best and brightest" rarely run for public office?  CEOs of global enterprises, Presidents of leading universities, great military leaders, Noble Prize winners, brilliant intellectuals... and ingenious inventors come to mind. A combination of factors is at play in this seemingly simple question. Key aspects of American politics are unattractive to most of us, and perhaps especially to those who have reached the top of their professions.   Why don't the best and brightest run for office? Read the document by clicking the link below.   Michael C. Maibach is a member of the Caesar Rodney Institute Board of Directors. In 1972, he became the first American in US history elected to public office under the age of 21. The views expressed in this essay are the author's, and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CRI.