Since we’re in the process of selecting not only the new leaders of the United States, but also the new leaders of the Free World, I wanted to do a little research on their educational backgrounds. Personally I view wisdom as an important trait in a leader, and there can be no wisdom without knowledge. It also seems to me that humans have basically always universally held this belief, as we even see evidence dating back to Plato’s Republic in which the Guardians of the state required strict educational training.
I then decided that we should include the Vice Presidential candidates in the research because, after all, they are next in line for succession to the Presidency in case something terrible happens. On top of that, the Vice President of the United States is also the President of the US Senate. So, they’ve got one hell of an important job either way.
The following descriptions are all taken directly (and unedited) from Wikipedia.
The Democratic Ticket
Barack Obama
Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles, where he studied at Occidental College for two years. He then transferred to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations. Obama graduated with a B.A. from Columbia in 1983.
Obama entered Harvard Law School in late 1988 and at the end of his first year was selected as an editor of the Harvard Law Review based on his grades and a writing competition. In his second year he was elected president of the Law Review, a full-time volunteer position functioning as editor-in-chief and supervising the law review’s staff of 80 editors. Obama’s election in February 1990 as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review was widely reported and followed by several long, detailed profiles. He graduated with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991.
Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years, as a Lecturer for four years (1992–1996), and as a Senior Lecturer for eight years (1996–2004).
Joe Biden
The Republican Ticket
John McCain
McCain came into conflict with higher-ranking personnel, he did not always obey the rules, and that contributed to a low class rank (894 of 899) despite a strong intelligence. He did well in academic subjects that interested him, such as literature and history, but studied only enough to pass subjects he struggled with, such as mathematics. McCain graduated in 1958.
Sarah Palin
Now a Little Commentary
John McCain was born in Panama because his father was in the military. Growing up he attended about 20 different schools. But wait, he did manage to do really well in wrestling! Of course, the guy is 5’7″ tall and probably weighed about 125 pounds. So, I’m guessing that he was quite a scrapper as a kid.
Suffice it to say that that sort of an early education can’t be good. So how the hell did he get into the US Naval Academy? Simple. His father and grandfather were both four-star United States Navy admirals.
The guy was then ranked number 894 of 899 in his class! WTF?!?!? Do you know how bad you have to be in order to be ranked that low by military personnel who know that your father and grandfather could have you shipped off to a freakin’ base in Alaska? You can’t justify that by saying you’re “a rebel”! It’s the freakin military! That just means you have no discipline whatsoever.
But speaking of Alaska, Sarah Palin took 6 years and 5 colleges to receive a BS in Journalism. Holy crap! It reminds me of the movie Tommy Boy:
Tommy: You know a lot of people go to college for seven years.
Richard: I know, they’re called doctors.
After only one semester in 1982 at Hawaii Pacific University in the business administration program, she transferred to North Idaho College (What? From Hawaii?? Why???) as a general studies major for two semesters in 1983.
From there she transferred to the University of Idaho, and majored in journalism from fall 1984 to spring 1985. She then returned to Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna College in fall 1985, but then returned to Idaho, in 1986 and 1987, when she graduated.
Interestingly, she never worked for any college newspaper or other agency.
Now, speaking of college newspapers. On the other hand we have Barack Obama who not only was an editor for a little college called Harvard (the #1 University in the country), but was also elected as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review!
Crikey, even his backup running mate has a Juris Doctorate degree (from the #53 University in the US)!
So, in summary it all comes down to the following decision:
- Do I want the two most powerful people on earth to have barely survived their pathetic college experiences (one of whom only even gained entrance because of what his daddy and grandpa did) while gaining no usable educational value?
- Do I want the two most powerful people on earth to have extremely advanced degrees, which they earned themselves despite coming from poor beginnings, and one of them having even spent 12 years as an actual college professor?
I would submit that if you were looking for someone to do any kind of a job for you (eye surgery, ship captain, your taxes, consultant… whatever!), and you were looking at these two sets of candidates, the only viable choice would be Obama, Biden.
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i think there sholud be just one presedent wich of corse will be MCCAIN
i highly doubt any psychiatrists/psychologist with a proper degree and licensure would tell you that a person after enduring 5 years of torture can be “recovered” to a normal, sensible person. if we want crazy “maverick” to lead the country, we can just move to middle east.
saddest thing about americans is that underdog culture. do we really want our governement to be ran by someone who has no formal education, who therefore, does not value education (prefer military or vocational schools)? why do people from all over the world still flock our country for the universities? it’s a shame we already let our past 8 year go with some college (note: not university) flunky, we don’t need to do that again. if we can live with an uneducated president, then we better kiss our schools goodbye and start training your kids for day labors.
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There is good experience and then there is bad experience. You guys keep saying more experience but that means nothing. I’m looking at what they all did with the experience they had on top of where I stand on the issues and their character….Obama/Biden
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/172059/936
Outlines all of the legislation of Obama
sounds like nepotism to me… ;)
I’m sorry, but do you consider this an accomplishment and strength of Palin? Was John McCain’s record of service somehow in the dark and out of public view? Do we really have Sarah Palin to thank for bringing this information to light??? I really don’t understand what you are trying to say here. Could you elaborate?
Could you tell me exactly how you define “bleeding heart”?
Also, did you forget to say this last comment is your very humble opinion, or do you also think that this is a FACT? Either way, could you expand on this a little with some specifics?
If this post sounds too argumentative, please excuse me. I just wanted some clarification.
I was actually going to say I would vote for intelligence more then look at me in this case.
I’m sorry people, but I am not going to vote for an over-the-hill man who admits he doesn’t know about subjects I consider important, chooses a VP that knows A LOT less then even him, and continues to wear blinders to problems in a broken policy.
And John, I just got time to read this post, and I expected you to vote republican. Hell I voted Republican the last few years, but I’m not going to support this party any more.
This is exactly what I am talking about – simple minds. Just because abortion has been recently made “legal” and got public attention and statistics have been complied…does not mean it has not existed since people have existed! People have just woken-up and realized it exists! Just creating a law to make it illegal does NOT make it stop! No-one thinks that abortion is a good thing and that it should continue! You have to analyze the reasons why it exists and the causes and effects.
Obama does not “believe in abortion.” He realizes that actions must be taken to prevent the reasons people have abortions, and that just by make it illlegal is not going to solve the problem – in many cases it creates worse results. You find me one woman who thought going to an abortion clinic or having an abortion was a good experience!
You mean McCain got accepted to the Academy only because his father and grandfather had military seniority, not on his own merits? Sounds like…. affirmative action?
If by a good education, you mean Ivy league then you are an educated fool. Harvard is so narrow in its approach to education that people who don’t toe the liberal mindset can’t even get in. Harvard started as a school of theology / divinity. Now, if you hold a Christian viewpoint, believe in the veracity of the Bible, and feel that you can logically defend your beliefs, such a student will not thrive / survive in that school. That B. Obama did shows where his values truly are. Born leader…no such thing
Charasmatic …yes. That is a two edged sword. Hitler was Charasmatic, so was the leader of the cool-aid drinking crowd in
South America, as was the waco from Waco, David Koresh.
The most dangerous place in America is not in the Military, not on the highways, it is in a Mothers womb. 45 million dead babies is a bit much wouldn’t you say? Those are the abortion numbers… So if a candidate for President thinks abortion is not a crime against humanity, his conscience has been scarred and sealed. I doubt his “leadership skills”. If you want Barack for president, do so on what he believes or promotes, not because he was a “born leader”. So what do you really like about him?
Obama would do well if he served 4 more years in the Senate and established a voting record on the issues, clear logical and coherent arguments on the tough issues, development of sound legislative bills and a preference for leaning on the side of political conservatism and restraint rather than a push toward anarchy.
From the responses of your readers it appears that your comment “Finally, it’s pretty clear to me that not many people really care” rings true! If people cared they would do the research and educate themselves to understand the issues instead of being informed through biased mainstream media.
Palin is such a political Republican vote-getting stunt (Karl Rove style), it is amazing how many people cannot see that and think just any slightly above-average person with a 7-year BS degree is ready to make decisions that affect millions of people. McCain never wanted her! And foreign policy? God forbid.
The advantage of a good education is that you gain a broad understanding of aspects to the infinite situations/issues of life. Of course, having the wisdom to interpret that is very important. How long has McCain been around and what has he accomplished? And now he is changing his ethical stances on so many issues to fit the Republican/Conservative view that he cannot be trusted.
Leadership is important too. If you look at what Barack has done and how fast he has risen in government..you will see that is is a born leader that has rallied millions behind him. Not corporate lobbyists that are rampant in the McCain campaign, but millions of average citizens. Part of this is because he has the experience of being right in with average citizens and working for them – he understand the issues of those struggling in life. Those working 2 or 3 jobs to pay for some CEO’s 6-figure salary.
hehehe Yes, you did Tom. And masterfully I might add.
John P.
Again you rock hard with political posts. Thanks for summarizing the difference. And why the hell hasn’t this been made a bigger issue in the greater political debate?
Wow, I still can’t get over the “anti-women’s-choice” phrase. I’m with you Tom on that one. In regards to the comments about Palin not having the experience or qualifications to be Vice President, or The President, you mention the “lack of supporting evidence against these facts” — What facts? Are you stating that your Opinion that Sarah Palin “Weakens the Republican platform” is now a fact?
If anything I feel that Sarah Palin strengthens the Republican Ticket. She has already brought to light and public view, the FACT that Senator McCain has devoted a lifetime of service to uphold the freedoms that you and I both enjoy.
Interest stuff though. Way to go.
It is the bleeding heart, left winged, liberalistic views that are going to eventually become the demise of a once powerful yet free nation.
Hey, I called you out and called you a rich guy. :)
Please keep your “anti-women’s-choice” phrase, just call it anti-abortion, I am sure she wouldn’t have a problem with just about any “choice” prior to conception, she’d just have a problem supporting killing unborn women (and men).
hehehe
Ok. You guys can call me evil. I’ll admit it. The last four days were all about picking on Palin. I was going to tell everyone in advance that it was coming, but I decided that it would unfairly bias the results.
So, here is the deal. Like I said in the comments of a previous post – I don’t really care who gets elected. I’ve got really nothing to gain. In fact, you could argue (as Tom points out above) that I only have things to lose… namely tax dollars!
What I was really interested in was seeing how Palin was going to stand up under a sustained attack. I knew you guys would come back with a number of comments, but I must say I was a little surprised by the results!
What can we learn from all of this? Well, for me, three things:
So, those of you that abandoned me… please come back! I’m done with the political roasting, and now we’ll get back to the stuff I really care about. Having fun!
Later,
John P.
come on
i read this blog and love it, but you cant be serious
i dont want a man, however smart he is, leading this country with no experience.
mccain might not have gotten as good an education, but i think experience is the best teacher
Impressive? How come O won’t release his Columbia records? How come the guy can write two books about himself and we can’t find his thesis? Does he believe everything we need to know about him is contained within the pages of his books? What legislation has he written? C’mon, give me something to work with. Look, if the most educated guys make the best presidents/VPs, Einstein and Hawking would have been in the mix. Hell, if that is the case, elect historians so we don’t make the same mistakes as previous administration. As to education v. wisdom I agree, but I still don’t see any wisdom coming from Obama. He has a problem showing good judgment and wise people usually demonstrate sound judgment in spades. How about adding ACHIEVEMENT to the mix along with education, wisdom, leadership, values and character. We are electing a president here and the man doesn’t even act presidential. He wowed em in the primaries but the general is a whole new ball game and “O” doesn’t have game.
As to Palin, her nice teeth go well with her lipstick. Geez, you guys keep wanting to beat on Palin so go ahead at your own peril. She can get up to speed in policy with people like McCain, Gen. Petraeus and the established policy intelligentsia in no time. With an 80%+ approval rating in one the fifty 57, er 50 states, she has proven she knows how to effectively govern. I really don’t know given the panic the Dems are in how you can be so dismissive of Gov. Palin. If she didn’t bring anything to the game, it would be Republicans, not Democrats that would be nervous.
Finally, I would love to hear anyone make an argument for the vicious personal attacks, lies and slander from the Left and the media on Palin and her kids, for crying out loud!
Lets not confuse EDUCATION with WISDOM.
Having said that, Barack’s record is impressive.
Palin is a bit of a worry. At least with McCain you get many years of experience. What does Palin bring apart from nice teeth?
Lawyers? Um no thank you! I’ve never been a fan of ’em.
I’m gonna have to agree with Mark on his comment. That post seemed to be looking for a way to uplift Obama and Biden rather than looking at an issue with a level hand.
You know, before you decided to run four consecutive politically-biased posts, you had a pretty interesting thing going on here at OMB. If I want to read political (biased) content, I have plenty of those bookmarked and a couple I subscribe to. I am unsubscribing after my comment today because this is not what I “signed up for”. I originally subscribed because in part you weren’t posting the political stuff. Sorry. Feel free to let me know when you got this out of your system!
Your educational premise is deeply flawed since character, judgement and leadership are not things are taught in schools which, by the way are predominantly liberally biased. For two people that you put out there as more educated, O’Biden have said some incredibly dumb things and have exhibited poor judgement as well. There are serious character and judgement issues with Obama and Biden’s plagiarism issue isn’t what I look for. The true leader has his education, with or without advanced degrees forged in the field of doing, of achieving. When (s)he needs someone with specialized knowledge, he can do as Henry Ford did; push a button and call one in.
By the way, your educated BO has an educational background as a lawyer, which, correct me if I am wrong, is a specialized field and as OMB states “specialization is for insects”. Would you then concede Barry is really an insect?
I want my leaders to have leadership qualities and experience leading. Bloviators can be senators.
Nice disrespect for the military academies. You need to get a clue about what it takes to get into and stay in a place like Annapolis.
Thanks for clarifying that the left wing ticket is two lawyers and that Barry appears to have only experience in education, an industry that knows better than any other how financially burden the American people better than anyone better than even the health care business. I guess he felt the only way he could burden us more is by going into politics.
And another thing, I once read a book that one of the leaders of the greatest industrial turnarounds liked to hire guys that played football, hockey, boxed or wrestled in high school. I suppose he’d be better off hiring guys that hung around the neighborhood basketball court and smoking Marlboro cigs.
Obama is promising free everything to everybody. How high does a rich guy like you want his taxes to go?
What do you know about military kids? My husband was an air force brat, went to more schools than he can count. Ask anyone whose parents were in the military, they all went to a dozen schools. Should they be punished for that?
Wow, you are really into politics lately, aren’t you. Well this site has become a great update for me on the US elections.
Thank you, ;-)
I love your blog for the non-political stuff…not this crap. Please…get back to non-Obama/non-McCain stuff…
It’s not like the President really does anything anyway…Congress controls the purse strings….
We don’t need a bunch on wrestler to come fight in Lebanon! :P
Obama/Biden all the way :D