Looking for rays of sunshine in political clouds

If politics were the only lens we had to gauge the future of our nation, we would surely conclude the end is near.

And just in time.

Political historians can cite example after example of American political shenanigans going back more than two centuries. But we live in the 21st century, and we tend to judge the world around us by what we see and hear today.

One statement I hear over and over is that anyone named Trump is not qualified to be president of the United States. I offer this reflection: When have we ever elected a president who was "qualified"? The qualifications for serving as president are beyond the scope of any single human being. That's why all presidents, regardless of political background or ideology, rely on the advice and counsel of legions of assistants and aides who, presumably, are pretty good, at a minimum, at a slice of presidential responsibilities.

While candidates named Clinton, Sanders, Trump, Cruz, Rubio and Kasich all have their selling points, the plain fact is that not one of them is "qualified" to be president. But, like so many unqualified candidates before them, the office of president will survive. Some administrations have been stellar. Some have not. All started from at the same level of unpreparedness.

And here we are. We're still the greatest, strongest nation on the planet.

In a way, our views of presidential politics mirror our views on so many other topics. It is so easy to say, for example, that the American education system has gone to rot and that other nations are turning out brighter, better educated leaders of tomorrow.

I disagree. Boy, do I disagree.

There are measurements that clearly show test scores or achievement goals among certain U.S. students are lower than those of some other nations. So what? U.S. students can still get the best education possible. And so can foreign students -- at American colleges and universities. Why do you think our institutions of higher learning attract so many foreign students? I'll tell you one reason: A degree from a U.S. university is worth its weight in gold when they return home.

Return home? Many foreign students would prefer to stay in the U.S. where then can -- what else? -- pursue the American Dream.

That's because we still have the best education system in the world, even though we tend to treat so many who form the backbone of that education system -- our teachers and professors -- as cranky stepchildren. You have to feed 'em, after all, but not too much or too often.

Recently an electrician visited our house to make a minor repair. As we struck up a conversation, the electrician observed that he was worried about today's youths. He mentioned several headlines that put so many youngsters, particularly teens, in a dim light.

My response was simple: Today's headlines do not -- repeat, do not -- accurately characterize the ambition, determination and achievements of today's American students.

Look at the student who just received a perfect score on the SAT. That most certainly didn't happen because he was a slacker or troublemaker. No, he took advantage of the gift he has been offered since kindergarten: a first-rate education and the counsel and guidance of dedicated teachers.

But a good education doesn't guarantee such a good outcome in every case. Why? Because some students choose to waste their time and engage in activities that are counterproductive to learning -- in particular, learning how to do well on tests.

I told the electrician that I'm confident that today's youths will make great leaders of tomorrow. Some of them will become president, possibly in my lifetime. Some of them may be goofballs. That doesn't mean they automatically get to be president. I still have a say. I still have a vote.

I will vote for leaders who demonstrate some ability to do as well as all the other unqualified candidates who have, over the years, sought to occupy the White House.

Right now I'm still looking for that person. I'm supposed to participate in the process in a serious way in just a few days when the Missouri presidential primary is held. I'm not sure I'm ready to make a choice. But when was I ever "ready" for such an important decision? Just as candidates aren't 100 percent qualified to be president, when was I ever 100 percent qualified to cast my vote?

Thank goodness politics are not the only lens through which we gauge our place in the world of 2016. Let's not forget that.

If we think negative campaign advertising is a cancer in our political system, then let's remember that negative thinking -- about today's youths or today's presidential timber or anything else -- will not serve us well.

I vote for keeping an eye out for glimmers of hope.

I am not a candidate, and I approved this message.

Joe Sullivan is the retired editor of the Southeast Missourian.