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View Full Version : Do a candidate's intelligence and education really matter?


RobMoney$
09-06-2008, 11:15 AM
Do intelligence and education matter to you when considering who is best suited for the President and Vice President jobs? I get the idea of wanting to be able to "relate" to the president, and I'm not saying I want an obnoxious jerk up there who is full of himself and listens to no one else. But again, all else being equal, I do want someone far smarter than me leading the country.

I mean having more education doesn't make you smarter. There are some really dumb people who have graduated with really elevated degrees. Look at the current "genius" in the White House. He has a high level of education (Yale), but I would think his intelligence is average at best.
I mean we all know the stigma about academics and them not being able to tie their own shoes or being able to relate to people. They know about things in their field, but in terms of life, in terms of common sense, in terms of dealing with people, they suck. It's the same reason we don't often elect former Generals from the military. I realize a law degree is fantastic background for government. Success in law school also typically indicates intelligence and a strong ability for identifying issues, analyzing issues, and arguing them.



Palin: Finally graduated from undergraduate with a journalism degree after a long trek through six schools including a few dropouts and community college stints.

McCain: Graduated from the US Naval academy leading his class in demerits and ranked 894 of 899 in his class, where he studied how to be a pilot.

Obama: Graduated from Columbia University in 1983. He later earned his law degree from Harvard in 1991, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.

Biden: Graduated from Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware and, in 1965, from the University of Delaware in Newark, where he double-majored in history and political science. He went on to receive his J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law, finished at the bottom of his class and was almost kicked out of the school for plagiarizing a law review article in his student note.

funk63
09-06-2008, 11:36 AM
Im flipping a coin. Heads for Obama tails for McCain. Oh Obama won.

kaiser soze
09-06-2008, 11:46 AM
spin spin spin

anyways, bush was a legacy student with a c average at that. A cheerleader, a dirty rugby player, and party animal...he did not get into Yale on merit

For me it does matter. 99% of educated people I know exhibit the fact that they are educated, dedicated to knowledge, and the betterment of their lives and others. I would prefer someone who is articulate, able of absorbing information and sorting through it and prioritizing what is best for the nation.

After the mess bush has brought to the table with other world leaders, it'd be nice to have someone who is educated and capable of communicating like a decent human adult and world leader. I don't want another frat boy/sorority girl in the Whitehouse.

I am not into being a contemporary with my leader, in essence my vote is HIRING this person. I want them to be better and capable of leading

by the way you forgot to mention Obama graduated magnum cum laude in his class

saz
09-06-2008, 03:00 PM
a candidate's intelligence and education are extremely crucial factors. they are of utmost importance.

people shouldn't vote for who they'd like to have a pot roast or beer with, but for someone who is well read, intellectually inclined and curious, considerate, thoughtful, and rational. you need individuals who understand and appreciate the dynamics of diplomacy, international relations, and complex negotiation. you need these kinds of individuals as well because they will make very competent, sober selections for the secretaries of various departments. otherwise, you'll end up with some dipshit who not only appoints fellow ideological boobs to run fema or the justice department, but also runs the country into the crapper, acts like a clown on the world stage, and further embarrasses the country. the american president, the leader of the free world, one of the most powerful positions on the planet which comes with colossal responsibilities, whose decisions can effect millions at home and abroad, should not be filled by some below average airhead who believes in biblical fairytales, or belongs to the faith over facts crowd.

DroppinScience
09-06-2008, 04:32 PM
Yes, a candidate's intelligence and/or education is of the utmost importance. I mean, knowing where Greece is on a map is pretty important if you're going to be a head of state, right? This should be obvious enough to anyone.

Does this mean you have to be an Einstein to be the President? No, not really. But here is something important for every leader, whether your education is limited or you have a PhD: know your limitations! I'll give you an example to prove my point.

Before FDR was President, he was considered an intellectual lightweight (he never finished law school). However, being a truly intelligent person (even though he wasn't fully "educated") he had a curiousity to KNOW things, especially pertaining to the presidency, so he did the sensible thing: surround himself with the best experts he could find on any area. He had an interest on learning and read up on the important issues to make himself ready to deal with the great many problems America faced. Since it was the Great Depression, he had a lot on his plate.

Now we have Bush, who is also considered an intellectual lightweight (C-student from Yale!). But he's doing the exact opposite as Roosevelt. He had no real interest in world issues (he even proudly says she doesn't read newspapers!) and still maintains a frat boy reputation, which goes over big among the slack-jawed yokels. Yes, he's surrounded himself with a lot of intelligent people, but they're all yes-men who place loyalty to the President over anything else, including things like reality and the truth.

So, no, you don't need to be conventionally "smart" but what matters is what you do with it. Here we have two vastly different examples. One greatly benefitted the nation, while the other has harmed it.

yeahwho
09-06-2008, 04:49 PM
Celebrity IQ (http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/famous-people.html)

Obama (http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/d-prez.html)has a higher IQ than McCain. McCain who settles in at 133.

The above is subjective and off of a commercial website, I do not no the criteria used nor do I put anything other than anecdotal credence into it.

Just sort of seems fun.

* I work with a guy who has a legitimate IQ of 160 and I have to tell you he is a below average employee, it all depends on how you use it.