He was a soldier. And not one of our best presidents--he was a big government Federalist. Hell, he wasn't even a very good general, according to the military historians. His saving grace was that he had good generals working for him, and against his own instincts was wise enough to follow their ideas and not his own.
Some of our best presidents were NOT professional politicians
I'm thinking of our better presidents...Reagan, had a solid political resume. Coolidge, same. Jefferson--basically in politics from his early 30s on. Who else...Taft? Career politician.
Who were our great presidents without relevant political experience?
Eisenhower.
You lose, again.
So you are on record saying professional politicians are a good thing?
Instead of successful businessmen / citizens?
Why don’t you just say “elite class”.
We fought a revolution to get rid of tyranny and classism.
You seem to want a “professional class” of politicians to rule over us.
As for me, I would rather we pull back from the interlocking octopus of lobbyists, politicians and hangers on.
Unfortunately, due to the way people who run are vilified very few private citizens will take on running for office.
Why NOT give an outsider a try? Look at what the last 50 years have done to this country!
>> Who were our great presidents without relevant political experience? <<
Maybe Lincoln? His only political experience was one totally undistinguished term as a Whig congressman, plus a little time — equally undistinguished — in the Illinois legislature. Nor was he a serious military man, having served just a few uneventful months as a militiaman during the Blackhawk War.
You have a good point. I’d add both Grover Cleveland and Warren Harding to your list of greats who had ample political experience. Ike wasn’t too terrible, however.