Your Occupation Matters

Whatever your occupation is before you run for political office, it will probably have some impact on how the voters perceive you when you do run.

At least, that's what Peter Canellos of the Boston Globe thinks:

Ever since George Washington, a former surveyor, mapped out a new nation, presidents have been defined by their original occupations. Ronald Reagan, the former movie actor, became the Great Communicator. Herbert Hoover, former engineer, organized one of the most complicated relief missions in history, saving millions from starvation after World War I. Woodrow Wilson, former college president, brought academic idealism to foreign policy with his Fourteen Points.

... The potential 2008 contenders include the usual mix of former military men (John McCain, Chuck Hagel), lawyers (Hillary Rodham Clinton , Rudolph iuGliani ) and longtime politicians ( Christopher Dodd , Joseph Biden ), along with a few others who had careers that don't often appear on resumes for high office.

Whatever your job is now, be prepared to leverage the strengths and incorporate it into your message (if and when you run for office).

And, of course, be prepared to defend it, too. If you're a lawyer who represents DUI defendants, it's going to be an issue. If you're a DA who has used "plea bargains," it's going to' come up...