NOELLE NIKPOUR: One nation under lawyers

OPINION:

Looks like the Democrats are about to nominate another lawyer for president. Republicans might, too.

The Democrat, of course, would be Hillary Clinton – secretary of state, senator, first lady and, many years ago, partner in the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock. Of the potential Republican candidates for president in 2016, four have law degrees – Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Chris Christie, and former Sen. Rick Santorum.

If nominated, Clinton would be the latest in a long, long line of lawyers at the top or near the top of Democrat Party presidential tickets. President Obama is a lawyer, and so is his wife, and so is his vice president. President Bill Clinton was a lawyer, and so was his wife, and his vice president was a law school dropout. In 2004, Sen. John Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards, were both lawyers. In 2000, the party’s vice presidential candidate, Sen. Joe Lieberman, was a lawyer. Before that were the Clinton years. In 1988, the Democrats’ presidential nominee, Gov. Michael Dukakis, and vice presidential nominee, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, had law degrees. Ditto for 1984, when former Vice President Walter Mondale campaigned with Rep. Geraldine Ferraro.

For whatever it’s worth, Republicans nominate lots of lawyers, too. Seven Republican presidents (out of 18) have had legal backgrounds, starting with Abraham Lincoln and including Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Vice President Dan Quayle, who served under President George H.W. Bush, had been a lawyer, as had Sen. Bob Dole, the 1996 presidential nominee. Gov. Mitt Romney may be known as a businessman, but he also earned a legal degree from Harvard.

Does it matter? For many presidents, graduating law school was just one of many accomplishments, and being a lawyer only one of several occupations. Some might argue that of course the elected officials who enforce the laws should be learned in the law.

Others would say lawyers’ training and work experience teach them to believe that what is technically legal is therefore morally right. Remember, “It depends upon what the meaning of the word ’is’ is”? The current president of the United States is a lawyer who seems determined to negotiate a plea bargain with Iran.

On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer, and he seemed to have a strong moral compass. Honest Abe’s fellow Mt. Rushmorian, Thomas Jefferson, was also a lawyer, and all he did was write the Declaration of Independence. Other lawyer presidents were John Adams, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson – the only president in American history to pay down the national debt. According to the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog, 25 of the nation’s 44 presidents have had legal backgrounds, including both greats and stinkers.

The Oval Office is not the only branch of government with a lot of lawyers. According to a 2015 report by the Congressional Research Service, more than half of the members of the Senate – 54, in fact, have a law degree. In the House, 159 do, or 36 percent of that body.

In contrast, only three members of Congress are physicians, which might explain why Congress never gets around to doing much about frivolous medical lawsuits. The percentage of Congress that has served in the military has fallen from 73 percent in 1972 to 19 percent today. Out of 535 senators and representatives, there are only 10 accountants.

That means that only a fraction of Congress – and of course, no one in the Oval Office – really knows health care, has experienced combat, or understands the ins and outs of balancing a budget.

That definitely is a problem – and no, it doesn’t matter what the meaning of “is” is.

Noelle Nikpour is a Republican political strategist.