Bill Spadea constantly attacks his GOP opponents (Jack Ciattarelli and Jon Bramnick) for being “lifetime politicians”. Well, not yet anyway—- their lifetime isn’t over just yet.

It seems odd to criticize someone for having lots of experience. Do we do that to plumbers or home repair people? “Hello, I have a broken pipe that needs fixing. Are you a lifetime plumber? You are? Sorry I need to find someone with a lot less experience but has been on the radio with lots of opinions about plumbing.”

You know what drives me absolutely insane? This whole "lifetime politician" thing. Oh, we can't vote for someone who actually knows what they're doing because they've been doing it too long! That's like saying you wouldn't go to a doctor who's been practicing medicine for thirty years because he's a "lifetime doctor." What, you want the guy who just graduated medical school yesterday? "Yeah, I'll take the intern who's only seen three surgeries on YouTube, thanks."

But no, in politics we want the outsider, the businessman, the reality TV star. The morning radio host of a talk station. Because nothing says "I understand state fiscal  policy" like getting New Jersey to call in to your show about whether there’s a central Jersey or what Taylor ham should be called. It's like New Jersey thinking they can fix the Turnpike by hiring someone who's never driven on it. "Well, I've never seen this nightmare before, but I have some fresh ideas!" Yeah, your fresh idea is going to get us all killed in traffic.

We act like politicians are supposed to be these pure, untainted angels who've never touched the system. You know what happens when you put someone completely new in charge of complex legislation? It's like asking your cousin from Newark to manage the Pine Barrens. Sure, he's got opinions about nature, but he's going to set the whole thing on fire by accident.

And here's the beautiful irony - we complain that politicians don't understand regular people, but then we elect regular people who don't understand politics! It's like complaining your mechanic doesn't know enough about your personal life, so you hire your therapist to fix your transmission. Good luck getting to work on Monday.

Look, I'm not saying every career politician is perfect, but at least they know where the bathroom is in the Capitol building. They understand that you can't just tweet your way through international treaties. They know the difference between a bill and a resolution, which apparently puts them ahead of half the people we keep electing.

Maybe, just maybe, governing is actually hard work that requires experience. Crazy thought, right?