What’s wrong with being a “career politician?”

It’s a term that’s been thrown around like an insult for years. Most recently, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney used it as a weapon against Rick Santorum in the days leading up to the Iowa Caucus.

Romney told reporters the former Pennsylvania senator “spent his career in government in Washington.”

It’s a term Romney himself has been dodging too. During last month’s Republican debate in Iowa, Romney and Gingrich were tossing the phrase at each other like a game of hot potato.

Now here’s my question. What is so wrong with being a “career politician?”

You wouldn’t complain about having a “career doctor.” Or, if you’d rather talk about a career in government, who complains about a “career police officer” or a “career soldier?”

So what is it about a “career politician” that seems dangerous to us? Some might say a person who makes a career out of politics is disingenuous and out of touch. And that certainly might be a reasonable concern.

But do we really want someone to lead the country who hasn’t made a career out of politics? Where does experience come into play? We complain when politicians don’t have enough experience; it was one of the biggest questions about Barack Obama back in 2008. But in using the phrase “career politician” as an insult, we complain that about having too much experience.

What do you think? “Career politicians” - good or bad?