WaPo - Obama's Picks Are Too Brainy - We Need Some Community College Grads!

[Median Democrat]

Interesting take on Obama's picks by WaPo. It almost suggests that Obama should emulate the Bush admnistration. For example, Bush's first Treasury Secretary was a graduate of Fresno State, which one can get into so long as they have an SAT in the 50% level. So, I guess the MSM is going to get on Obama's case for not appointing more dropouts or graduates with Associate degrees from community college to forumlate economic and foreign policy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28092935

/snip

Bush's first Treasury secretary, Paul H. O'Neill, went to Fresno State, Vice President Cheney dropped out of Yale before graduating from the University of Wyoming, and strategist Karl Rove never finished college. Dozens of administration members hail from Regent University, founded by Pat Robertson. And many of Bush's hires were friends from Texas, such as former attorney general Alberto R. Gonzales, former White House counsel Harriet E. Miers and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

Obama, who wrote a literary memoir at age 33, represents the opposite approach. In a country where politicians often wrap their learning in folksy charm to avoid seeming elitist, his candidacy represented a forthright assertion of intellectual prowess, as he turned his oratory and cerebral demeanor into campaign assets.

/snip

Gee, Obama can't do anything right. He should emulate the folkinest and authenticity of the Republicans. Look at Sarah Palin. That is why she is so popular amoung the right wing. She's one of us with her D grade in macroeconomics. You have to love the MSM.

:sarcasm:

[Capt. America]

1. Truman didn't go to college and he was smarter than Shrub (by a factor of 100).

[bluestateguy]

2. This is the trap that Obama is in

he runs as the candidate of change, but is attacked for lack of experience.

Then when he appoints experienced people, some of the same critics who denounced him for lack of experience now attack him for appointing too many insiders.

If he were to appoint a bunch of outsiders, then those same people would denounce their lack of experience.

So what do you do?

As a side note, nobody should be appointed to anything in the Justice Department if they did not graduate from a Top 25 law school.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Continue the dumbing down of America!!!!!!!!!!

:puke:

[bdamomma]

28. people have been dumbed down so long by bushie

when we confront intelligent people again, they are called elitist. geez, time for us to grow up, or be smart again.

[xxqqqzme]

4. It is going to take brain power to

fix the mess * & his 'doin' a great job' cronies have created.

[MedleyMisty]

5. It is a bit elitist.

I only have a community college degree. I also scored higher than most high school seniors on the verbal part of the SAT in 7th grade.

The socioeconomic class of your parents is a larger factor in graduating from an expensive four year school than your actual intelligence.

It's nice that gender and racial barriers were broken this election. I'm not holding my breath for class barriers.

[Median Democrat]

16. That's Kind Of Elitist To Mention Your SAT Score - Its Culturally Biased...

I am sure we can find someone who will say, "I only have a 800 SAT score. I also had better grades than most high school seniors who socred better on the SAT..."

Yes, it would be great if employers could simply look into a person's soul, and ignore such elitist trappings as SAT scores and Ivy League educations," but until that is the case, I do like that Obama is appointing people who have some indicia of intelligence, rather than relying on purely on political connections.

Sarah Palin is not unique to the right wing. Even liberals feel the need to attack the idea that an education at a top school is a good thing. Both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton personify how a top education can be a means of advancing in society.

[Retrograde]

27. People attend state schools for a variety of reasons

A professor at San Jose State University once told me he saw two major types of students: ones who couldn't get into Cal, and ones who could but didn't, for a variety of reasons - mainly working full time in the tech industry while beefing up their skills, or changing fields, or with family obligations that only allowed them to go to school part time, or it was closer and they could afford to live near by, or it was overall cheaper, or a number of other reasons. I attended a state university because 1) they recruited me and 2) I got a scholarship and a job there that covered most of my expenses.

The same goes for community colleges: people attend them for many reasons. It's what someone's done afterwards that counts. I don't knock Palin for attending several schools - I knock her for her lack of interest in what's happening outside her little domain. So Paul O'Neill went to Fresno State: more power to him for getting ahead without a leg-up from the Ivy League network. Just because Cheney went to Wyoming doesn't mean he's dumb - far from it, he's too smart for our good.

Obama's not done with his selection of advisers yet. Let's encourage him to look beyond the Ivy League for some other key positions - Fresno State, in the heart of California's farm country - might provide a good Sec. of Agriculture!

[Hekate]

29. The 2 guys at the top of the ticket broke the class barriers you mention. Is that okay?

What we need to do first-off is sidestep the frame the MSM and the Repubs (but I repeat myself) try to put us in.

Hekate

[ebdarcy]

6. There's nothing wrong with being a community college graduate.

[BuelahWitch]

7. Community College is an inexpensive alternative for getting general ed finished

Not everyone who graduates from a Community College is "stoopid." Likewise, not everyone who graduates from a 4 year school (or receive advanced degrees) is a brain. You don't have to look any further than George W. Bush or Sarah Palin to realize that.
That said, I prefer to have "the best and the brightest" running my country. I guess eight years of stupid isn't enough for the Washington Post.

[Median Democrat]

14. Sarah Palin Agrees With Your Point, But I Do Think A Top Education Is Nothing To Be Ashamed Of...

I think it is odd that some folks see the recognition of academic achievement as a personal put down.

[BuelahWitch]

17. I think it's odd that you totally misunderstood my post

My point was that many people who get advanced degrees are not necessarily intelligent. The OP was a slam at people who have a CC education, and DU tends to look down its nose at those people. Obama has an advanced degree, and he is an intelligent man. I expect him to have intelligent people in his cabinet and as advisers. This may or may not mean that they have advanced degrees. I don't particularly care. I only care that he picks the best people to do the job and not give Homeland Security to a horse breeder like Bush did (and who probably also had an advanced degree).

[Median Democrat]

21. So, Which One Of Obama's Appointees Are "Not Necessarily Intelligent."

The Point of the WaPo story was that Obama was appointing intelligent people with academic degrees from top schools. The WaPo article also notes that several prominent folks in the Bush administration did not have stellar academic backgrounds. Now, George Bush probably agrees with your point. He would say that the people he hired are very smart notwithstanding their lack of a top education. Also, the article does not Obama's preference for folks with relevant experience even if it seems like he is hiring "insiders."

Let me put it this way, a top education is a good thing, and if Obama is not appointing someone with such an education, then that person better have some steller achievements. Also, simply getting a degree is not as impressive, as someone who has such a degree, and achieved academic honors such as Obama who graduate Magna Cum Laude or Hillary who graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Now, you may dismiss Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton's academic achievements as being due to wealth and privilege, but I would disagree, I do think that for most people, such academic achievements are desirable, and they are not necessarily given just due to wealth and privilege.

[BuelahWitch]

25. Where did I say that the PE's appointees aren't intelligent?

I was talking about people in general, not them. And I have to think you might be one of them, because your reading comprehension skills are sorely lacking.
Or maybe you're just itching to fight with someone, that might be more the case...

[silverweb]

18. Community college is a great stepping stone.

An inexpensive way to get half-way to that 4-year degree. Hard work and good grades can ensure acceptance at an excellent 4-year school.

My daughter had wonderful, dedicated, experienced professors at community college -- every single one of them supportive and encouraging -- and now she'll soon finish her final year at a major California university.

[BuelahWitch]

20. ITA Silverweb

:hi:

[silverweb]

32. Thanks.

Love your sig line! :hi:

[Median Democrat]

24. Agree, Community College Is A Stepping Stone To A Four Year School

I don't know what the salary numbers are for folks who try to get a job with just an AA degree compared to high school graduates and 4 year school graduates.

[silverweb]

31. I don't know the salary difference, either.

I suspect it's substantial, but the money isn't even the point. High school education has become so dumbed down that a diploma is a joke anymore.

It really takes a 4-year degree to get anywhere career-wise these days. Many companies require it now for basic, entry-level positions.

[Phred42]

8. you mean Joe The Plumber types? No Thanks

What we need are non CLINTON / BUSH types

as Kevin Phillips was just saying on his 3 hr live interview on CSPAN2

[silverweb]

9. I just love all the broadbrushing these clowns do.

Just maybe there really do exist highly intelligent, highly educated people who also have good temperament, natural common sense, strong ethical grounding, a thirst for genuine justice, and real compassion for humanity.

Just maybe Barack Obama is one of these spectacularly competent people and is picking others with the same ineffable qualities.

I'm sick and tired of these flaming bloody idiots who insist on locking people into broad categories and slapping labels their limited, unnatural groupings.

[MedleyMisty]

11. I'm tired of people assuming that coming from a privileged background

equals highly intelligent and that coming from a poor family equals stupid.

There are people with those qualities who did not have the opportunity to go to expensive universities.

[silverweb]

13. More broadbrushing.

So everyone who gets a superlative education and goes to a major university comes from a "privileged" background, right?

Like Obama himself, right?

Maybe some people who came from poor families had the brains and the motivation to get scholarships...

or did their first couple of years in community college before transferring to a big-name 4-year university...

or got their education via military service...

or had parents who sacrificed to help them through...

or worked while going to school...

or some combination of the above.

FYI, I'm a single, working mother who raised both my kids alone and without child support, and they've both received their college educations via a combination of the above.

Just like our new President Elect and many, many others we know.

Don't slap your prejudices and resentments on us.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

10. RIGHT WING CAN'T STAND THINKERS

WIGHT NOW I AM WATCHING A LAKOFF VIDEO YOU MAY FIND WORTHWHILE

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=5f9R9MtkpqM

[BuelahWitch]

22. That is a true interpretation of this article

It's not that they're upset about where these people were educated, they're upset that they can THINK.
And BS on them for blaming JFK for Vietnam!

[Name removed]

12. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[louis-t]

15. We don't want no smart po-lee-tishuns

we want someone we can have a beer with, someone who is cute and winks at us a lot.

[northernlights]

19. because the Bush administration was so successful?

What a bunch of fucktards.

Bush administration brought us 2 unecessary wars, the tragedy of Katrina, budget deficits much further than the eye can see and, oh, what was that other thing? Oh year, a destroyed economy.

Yeah, let's emulate what brought us THAT track record. Asshats.

[Flubadubya]

23. There they go again...

[Mari333]

26. my dad was a railroad engineer for 45 yrs

He read Shakespeare to us, and Mark Twain.
I know quite a few people waltzing around with Masters degrees from acclaimed universities who have never read either one.

Having a degree of any kind from an academic institution does not necessarily equate that someone is intelligent . In fact, I prefer people who teach themselves, are free spirits, and find repressive academic institutions stifling to their creative spirit.

[Hekate]

30. First, let's sidestep the frame the MSM & Repubs (but I repeat myself) try to box us in with

Stop trying to argue this on their terms, and stop getting down and dirty with old Dem fighting points about class when it comes to Barack Obama, his education, and his administration.

Let's work on framing this for *ourselves* for a change -- and in a hurry.

Hekate