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Can A College Dropout Win The Presidency? — DocJay
Scott Walker has rock star status in the GOP. He turned around a bad fiscal scene in Wisconsin and is an effective manager (like most Republican governors). He defeated a recall effort led by unions, which makes him an original and tough guy. He’s got enough looks and charm to make a run at it too.
Does being a college dropout make a difference? He left Marquette with a semester plus to go (with a 2.59 GPA — hey, wait, what’s a transcript on a candidate doing out there?) and headed in to politics. He left after a few issues at school regarding political life. One guy who he accused of misappropriating student body funds for a limo ride still despises him, but, most importantly, it’s been alleged (without any conclusive proof) that Walker removed copies of the campus newspaper when it decided not to endorse him in a campaign against some anti-apartheid granola activist fellow (who ended up winning).
None of those potential sins seem big to me at all, but Lord knows the liberal media will milk them as much as possible while simultaneously obfuscating the greater sins of Hillghazi Clinton.
We’ve had a bunch of Ivy League elites lately, none of whom could run a lemonade stand for profit. Competence is desperately needed in a president right now, as is toughness beyond compare.
In the end, I don’t think the school issues matter (in fact, not being a snob may help) when Walker has a record of success to back him up.
Your thoughts?
Published in General
Absolutely. This is why diploma nurses were/are so incredible. They trained in the very, very old school apprenticeship model. They worked for 40 hours a week for a year in a hospital (often even living on-site) in addition to attending classes. They had the benefit of theory and practice occurring simultaneously, with the emphasis on practical application. Today’s graduates, including myself, are precisely the opposite. The academic industrial complex [:)] decided that a liberal arts education was fundamental to nursing, and here we are, with many bedside nurses wasting 2 years on university requirements, and then getting fewer clinical hours than associates degree nurses, who get still fewer than the old diploma nurses. I think all of the diploma programs are officially closed.
I’m not concerned that Walker didn’t finish his college degree except that, if elected President, he will be surrounded by Senior Service executives, other bureaucrats, and policy wonks who DO have college degrees. Many of them belong to or have close ties to academia. It’s a rare breed who can navigate through the ranks of academia and prosper. Even more so for conservatives/Republicans. Is Walker up to that challenge?
He is very clear about his religious beliefs in his book, as Americans generally expect their leaders to be.
He is a social conservative. He is not a culture warrior. He signed into law a bill very similar to the one that Wendy Davis shot to fame opposing in Texas. The Democrats tried a “Walker’s War on Women” theme against him; didn’t work (though I’m sure they’re planning something similar this year, with a female candidate on their side).
His touch on these has played well in Wisconsin. I think he has the principle not to abandon these issues, the courage not to hide from them, and the sense not to be ham-handed in his approach.
Of all the Republicans seriously being talked about for 2016, Walker is the only one who’s actually done something major. Cruz and Paul are freshman senators who’ve done nothing but talk; Perry was a good shepherd for a state that was already doing well, but he didn’t actually change anything; Christie did some good small things, but he’s done nothing to turn his state purple, or even a lighter shade of blue; and nobody takes Bush seriously as a candidate.
I agree on every point but the last: I’m not sure whether anyone should take Bush seriously as a candidate or not, but it’s clear that there are people who do — including some with very deep pockets.
The bigger question is whether Bush takes himself seriously as a candidate.
Boy, there’s an eclectic pairing. They have almost nothing in common.