1. SAGE Lecture Spark
[1/27/19]
The Publisher of the Social Sciences

2. Howard Schultz’s Lurking Presidential Bid, Explained
“Schultz, 65, in an interview with 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday said he is ‘seriously thinking of running for president.’ He said he will run as a ‘centrist independent.’”
“Schultz would position himself as the self-funded man in the middle,” but many have criticized him for jeopardizing both the Democratic and Republican agendas.

3. Washington Post Opinion: “Run, Howard, Run!”
“...Early attempts to suppress [Schultz] because of his political independence are at best anti-democratic and at worst a new kind of political bigotry.”
“Schultz deserves a chance to make his case, and our country would be better for it. Furthermore, he could win.”

4. Why CEOs Tend to Make Bad Politicians
“You’d think that...this country would have gotten over the idea of putting a wealthy CEO in the Oval Office.”
“When people suggest that our government should be run more like a business, they ignore critical ways that our democracy operates on principles that require a totally different set of skills.”

5. NYT Opinion: How Every Member Got to Congress
This article uses an interactive image to show how current congresspeople have gotten into politics—from elite colleges, law schools, business, or even agriculture.
The image reflects how they do this now, but also lingering trends of the past. Farmers were common among the Fathers, as were lawyers. These tendencies continued for two centuries, but today farmers are few and lawyers are common, but on the decline.

6. Key Concepts
Businesspeople in Politics: Howard Schultz
Howard Schultz potentially follows President Trump in pursuing politics from business.
Whereas we saw the media during Trump’s campaign encouraging a businessperson to run Washington differently than career politicians, today the media consensus is mixed on businesspeople in politics.

7. Assessment
Writing: How might running the government be similar to (or different) from running a business?
Debate: What do you think of people coming to politics from a business background? Do they have special skills suited to the role? Will they find more challenges than a law school graduate might?
Poll: Based solely on their previous profession, who do you think would make the best politician?
Businessperson, Lawyer, Rancher/Farmer, Educator, Doctor, or Soldier/Military Background?
Short Answer: What other profession(s) do you think might be particularly suited to translate into successful politicians?
Current Events Quiz
Despite his previous party being the Democrats, Schultz has stated he would more likely run as a(n) ______ candidate.
The two major political parties are concerned Schultz will ______.
Unlike some other news media, Nick Troiano and Charles Whelan of the Washington Post believe ______.
The D.C. publication Washington Monthly argues businesspeople don’t make good politicians partly because ______.
Our founding fathers and many politicians after them traditionally came from____ and ____ backgrounds?
Answers
Independent
jeopardize their agendas
Schultz could win
democracy requires different skills
5. law and agriculture

8.
U.S. University of Iowa professor Timothy Hagle talks about the benefits and conflicts of business people entering politics. Donald Trump's rise to political fame in the 2016 presidential election season in the United States sparked a debate on the conflicts of interest versus the valuable connections that can, and have, been made when a business person gets involved in the power game of politics.

9.
British experts comment on “What are the three characteristics of a good politician?”