This is the first installment of a five part series grading the two major party tickets for president on 5 categories: Education, Experience, Foreign Policy, Domestic Policy and Disposition. I will use an A+ through F grading scale. Educational background is a good place to start as it gives a view into the early adulthood of a candidate by offering an indication of what intellectual ability, work ethic, and judgment a given candidate possesses.
Presidential Nominees: Senator John McCain vs. Senator Barack Obama
Senator John McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958. He finished 894th out of 899 classmates. McCain was a legacy as his father and grandfather both went to Annapolis and were both Admirals in the Navy.
Grade B His class rank was poor, but the Naval Academy is a tough school and graduating is impressive so he avoids a B-.
Senator Barak Obama graduated from Columbia University in New York with a major in political science in 1983 after spending his first two years of college at Occidental University in CA. Obama enrolled at Harvard Law School in 1988 and graduated in 1991 magna cum laude. He served as the editor of the Harvard Law Review (one of the top spots at one of the nation’s top law schools).
Grade A+ Columbia is an Ivy League School. Graduating from Harvard Law magna cum laude and being editor of the Harvard Law Review probably deserves an A++, but the grading scale changes for no candidate.
Vice Presidential Nominees: Senator Joe Biden vs. Governor Sarah Palin
Senator Joe Biden graduated in 1965 from the University of Delaware double majoring in history and political science. Biden then graduated from Syracuse University’s school of law in 1968.
Grade A- Nothing overly flashy here, but a double major and a JD are impressive and make Biden quite educated relative to the rest of the nation.
Governor Sarah Palin graduated from the University of Idaho with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Grade C 28% of U.S. citizens have bachelor’s degrees; therefore she is more formally educated than 72% of the population. Still, it does not appear that she went through an intellectual crucible at this stage of her life either.
Average GPA – Democrats 4.0 (4.33 for Obama + 3.67 for Biden) Republicans 2.5 (McCain 3.0 + Palin 2.0)
Formal education is not everything, but on category 1 the Democratic Ticket grabs an early lead. Having a President and Vice President who combine for zero advanced degrees is not the most reassuring thing I have contemplated.
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I think George W. Bush has adequately demonstrated what type of president a 2.5 gpa or “C” student would make.
Wow! George W. Bush was a “C” student?! He must have worked really hard for it
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Wow. People are seriously thinking Palin can be a Vice President? I mean journalism is not exactly the most taxing major you can take and all she got was a 2.0? How in God’s name can McCain be serious with this selection?
Now the neocons will have to start the, “how dare they question her credentials” nonsense.
This is another example of how America is “dumbing down”. The fact that a BA in journalism is suddenly considered a qualification to be VP is sad, but it is more disturbing that the average voter doesn’t really seem to care. They are mesmerized by a hockey mom and an ex POW. People with higher education are just “elitists” I guess. For myself, give me a candidate with a high IQ coupled with integrity and a good heart over experience anyday!
she’s a joke
I have a piece up at NRO on McCain’s class rank: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTM3ZmE0YTE1MTVmZjQwZjQ3ZmY0NzQ1MDk0YzRjYWU= The Naval Aademy’s Anchormen were a unique bunch.
Thank-you for supplying the link to your piece. I looked into this subject for my information and yr research is appreciated in my neighborhood.
I must say that I disagree with your comments about education performance being unimportant. I believe in continuing and forever education and do not mind if an individual is uncredentialed, if they are so educated.
John does not appear to meet this test.
Jim –
I have no trouble with someone NOT being on top of the class, even being on the bottom. (Of course, being at the top increases the odds for good leadership and clear, intelligent thinking and decisions).
But your article almost seemed a salute to these “bottom liners” (to appropriate a phrase).
Firstly: The names given were but a few, and there have been many, many, years of graduating classes. Many, many “bottom liners.”
It means the odds against McCain being a great leader are poor. However, you might be inclined to say that, so what? the odds were that Carter, at the top end, should have been a top President. But that’s like winning a 100 to 1 bet and then trying to win another 100 to 1 longshot – the odds are now 10,000 to 1, provided we consider both events NOT joint probabiliy, of course.
But the true test of leadership is not through bookmaking, of course, but through DEEDS – like in Palin’s use of a PR written, oratorial script to distinguish Obama as orator from McCain as man of deeds – deed maker? action man, Actor?
The BIG BIG problem with McCain’s “actions” or “deeds” – the one that makes all others pale by contrast – is his pick – or perhaps, acceptance – of Sarah Palin – maybe the most unqualified, clueless person to ever stand so close to the White House. Was it a cynical move? Or a thoughtless move?
Either way, for a person of advanced age and dubious health to put someone like Palin next in line for the Presidency suggests that McCain should never make the list of “great” leaders from the bottom liners.
Had Palin a better educational background, her interview with Gibson would not have been so pathetic. This was, however, after a considerably lengthy prep job by the GOP. Mind you, her “degree” is in journalism. She also bounced around quite a bit during her college years and finally settled for “journalism” – not. This woman is way out of her league. America needs to show the world that she (America) has risen above ignorance, prejudice and racism.
It is utterly shocking that so many Americans consider voting for McCain based on their statements that Palin is “just like them”.
Really? THAT’s the criterion suitable to be No. 2 of this country?!?!?!
Even with incredibly complex global political, economic and social issues, that have clearly been beyond the reach of our current administration (who, by the way, were also favored in the past elections because they were the guys you’d like to have a beer with . . . ), many of our populace fail to recognize that things out there are “hard”. This is not to demean the skills anyone possesses in successfully navigating their own lives, but Pres is a whole different ballgame, folks. If the average American fails to coordinate their day properly, dinner might be late, a child might be left on the soccer field, or they might incur a penalty for paying a bill late. If the Pres fails in a task, oh, let’s see, we end up invading a country on false premises, costing thousands of lives and trillions of dollars, or, gosh, maybe we let greed exploit capitalism so that the country is mortgaged into the future through half-baked socialized financial/banking pursuits . . .
Unfortunately, a large segment of our population has a misdirected view of their own self-importance combined with attention only for sound bites, succumbing to the ease of only absorbing the mantra-like repetition of the spin/propoganda message du jour.
Yes, I’m an “elitist” as that word has come to be defined. I’m from a blue collar background and worked hard to pay for a couple of degrees. I attempt to learn all that I can about as much as I can. And I know that, as empirically intelligent as I am, as well-educated as I am, as experienced as I am, I want someone with even more to serve as my President.
Barack Obama is the future. McCain is the past. If this country chooses the past, then our time as a world leader will have passed . . .
I AGREE WITH THE LAST COMMENT. 28% OF AMERICANS HAVE A BACHELOR’S DEGREE. YOU WOULD LIKE FOR THE PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT TO HAVE A MASTERS AT LEAST!