A president without a diploma?

[EEO]

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/president-without-diploma?cid=sm_fb_maddow

...Alan Flippen recently looked at recent history and noted that Walker, whether he wins or loses, would be the “first major candidate” to run for president without at least a Bachelor’s degree since then-Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.) in 1988.

If Walker gets the GOP nomination, he’d be the first major-party nominee to not have a college degree since then-Sen. Barry Goldwater’s (R-Ariz.) unsuccessful campaign in 1964.

And if Walker is elected to the White House, he’d be the first president without a degree since Harry Truman. (Truman is also the only president since the 19th century to serve as president without at least a Bachelor’s. Truman, of course, was elevated to the office after FDR died. The last time Americans elected a new president who didn’t have a degree? McKinley in 1896.)

Whether or not this is an important part of the campaign is largely up to voters – people will either care or they won’t...

[jwirr]

1. JFK could have done a good job without one simply because of the way he chose to rule. He

surrounded himself with brilliant advisers and heads of agencies. I cannot imagine Scott Walker being about to find that many brilliant Rs.

[lutefisk]

7. He surrounds himself with uneducated loyalists

His Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) barely has a high school diploma. The head of his all powerful Department of Administration (DOA) is another college drop-out. Walker is nothing more than an uneducated liar for hire.

[jwirr]

17. And that is what is important to know about him.

[QuestionAlways]

19. Look, this is plus for Walkers voters

He is just like them, one of the good old boys, Not a member of the educated elite

[Jamaal510]

2. At last...

a potential presidential candidate who never caved to the liberal college professor elites.

[MADem]

5. Zing--you might have hit the nail on the head...every fault is a fashion to the right crowd!

In this case, that would be the FAR right crowd...!

[juajen]

6. Ha, ha!

More and more, I appreciate a good education, and I certainly want the President of the United to have a very good grasp of history and economics, and expect him to be articulate and a gentleman when it's expected, and a bear when need be.

[YarnAddict]

20. Considering he left in his final semester

I really don't know what he could have learned in the last month or so of college that would have improved his grasp of history and economics.

[Downwinder]

3. Lack of a degree is not one of the reasons

I would vote against Walker.

[MADem]

4. Truman went to the University of World War One...

And got his Master's at the University of World War Two!!!

Seriously, though--this is a rather interesting and important thread. Back when Truman went into politics, if you had a grammar school education, you were doing "OK" in the world. If you graduated from high school, why, you were considered thoroughly educated. And if you had a COLLEGE degree, you were an elite. And even back then, we picked our presidents (not our VPs, though) from a pool of elites.

Jamaal510's comments are said in jest, but I wouldn't be surprised if the mouth-breathers actually regard the man's lack of qualifications as a qualification, in a perverse and kinda dumbass "Let's Devalue Education" kind of way!

[Downwinder]

8. Shrub had degrees from Yale and Harvard.

Look at what that got us.

[MADem]

9. His daddy bought those, though--and his sheepskin from Phillips Andover, too.

His teachers make no bones about how stooo-pid he was.

[Downwinder]

10. Andover - My father was there for only a few weeks.

They claim him as an honored alumni.

[MADem]

11. Your dad wasn't Humphrey Bogart, was he?

He was kicked out of PA! http://www.andover.edu/About/Newsroom/Pages/NoLongerJustForFuturePresidents.aspx

Hollywood stars were also educated at Phillips Academy, including Humphrey Bogart, who was kicked out for smoking, as well as Jack Lemmon. So, too, were business leaders, such as Victor Kiam, the proprietor of Remington, the shaving group. And it is not just American "royalty" that has passed through its 19th century classical buildings in Massachusetts. Prince Rahim, the son of the present Aga Khan, who is spiritual leader to the world's 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, also attended.

[Downwinder]

12. Bogart's Wikipedia bio lists:

Education Trinity School

Alma mater Phillips Academy

Looking at that I think he was a DeForest relative, have to research that.

[MADem]

15. PA admitted they booted him out--they may have given him an honorary diploma after the fact.

Wikipedia gets more detailed down in the weeds: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphrey_Bogart

Bogart attended the private Delancey School until fifth grade, then the prestigious Trinity School.[24] He was an indifferent, sullen student who showed no interest in after-school activities.[23] Later he went to the equally elite boarding school Phillips Academy, where he was admitted based on family connections.[25] His parents hoped he would go on to Yale, but in 1918 Bogart was expelled.[26] Several reasons have been given: one claims that it was for throwing the headmaster (or a groundskeeper) into Rabbit Pond on campus. Another cites smoking, drinking, poor academic performance, and possibly some inappropriate comments made to the staff. A third has him withdrawn by his father for failing to improve his grades. Whatever caused his premature departure, his parents were deeply dismayed and rued their failed plans for his future.[27]

[Thor_MN]

13. From what I have read, he left during the last semester of his senior year.

He obviously would have had to pay for it, so money isn't likely the reason. No one seems to know, or at least isn't coming forward at this point to say why he left. Some have speculated that he was asked to leave for cheating (would not be surprising, given his record in politics), but I don't know that has been confirmed.

I seriously doubt he will make it through the debates. He always looks like he just ran into a sigh post, his eyes are too close together and often seem to not track together. Then again, with the anti-education conservatives, he might be a hit.

[YarnAddict]

21. Here's an article that addresses those questions

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/article/2013/dec/18/scott-walker-early-years/

"Gov. Scott Walker was a student at Marquette from fall of 1986 until spring 1990 and was a senior in good standing when he voluntarily withdrew from Marquette," the university said in a statement.

Don't underestimate Walker. He has won three elections, all convincingly.

His speech at the Iowa thing was recited from memory, which is quite a feat for anyone, college graduate or not.

Also, seriously, let's not get too hung up on any candidate's appearance. Especially if Hillary is our party's nominee. There are way too many pictures out there of her looking tired and haggard to comment on anyone else's appearance, so let's not open that door.

[Thor_MN]

22. Yes, I had previously read that.

Often, people are offered to choice to voluntarily resign, rather than face consequences that would be undesirable for both parties.

I suppose you are right, in 1999, I thought there would be no way that someone as stupid as George Bush could win the GOP primary. I pegged him as a monumental idiot the first time I became aware of him.

But I didn't underestimate him, I overestimated the sanity of the right wing.

[angrychair]

14. What a slug

To think him and his cadre of asshats who run his agencies lack the most basic requirement for the lowest IT tech at their department of health to the director of finance at their dept of natural resources...a college degree. Most people would not even have the ability to interview for a job without a degree. In f**king Wisconsin they make you governor....

[HappyMe]

16. Not having a degree is

the least of the reasons this guy shouldn't be elected.

[Yavin4]

18. White male privilege at work here

You can be a major contender for the nomination WITHOUT a college degree. No African American nor female candidate could ever be considered for the nomination without one.

[libdem4life]

23. It reflects on him as "a quitter"...for whatever reason, who would withdraw their senior year?

A college degree is an individual thing... at best a great education, and at worst just proof of the passing of 4 years to get to the end. GPAs don't much matter.

To me the words "voluntarily withdrew" reflect a potential problem.

But, there are enough other reasons to keep him off the ballot, IMO.

[Skittles]

24. I know plenty of idiots with diplomas

Walker is a fucking tool but lack of a degree means nothing

[charles b friday13]

25. unfortunately, that is a plus in republican primaries

[stage left]

26. He really didn't, did he?

I mean finish high school.

[murielm99]

27. I hate to see Scottie mentioned

in the same article as Truman and our beloved Paul Simon. They were both worthy men who proved themselves. They cared about the American people. Scottie cares about the 1%.

A college degree is much more important now than it was when these two men came up in politics.

I believe Simon left school to run a crusading newspaper, which he turned into a chain of newspapers.

I know his family. We met him when he was in the Illinois state house of representatives in the early sixties. His father was a Lutheran minister, and he confirmed me. Senator Simon was the speaker at my college graduation, from Valparaiso University in 1971.

His daughter Sheila is involved in Illinois politics. She lost her last election, but she will be back.

[Sunlei]

28. odd with only a 'month to go in the senior year' he would never complete the degree?

He must have quit, walked away rather then take all the years class failures on his record.

[TBF]

29. The story is that he was way behind in credits

at least that is what they are saying officially. Who knows what was going on behind the scenes.

But I do believe that Jeb Bush will be able to find out. And once he does he will hold on to that info until he needs to use it. Scott Walker is the scariest candidate out there in the sense that he is simply the facade for the Koch Bros., but in the end I really can't see anyone being able to beat Jeb.

[noel711]

30. Walker? Scott Walker? To the White House?

As we used to say in Chicago.. He ain't goin' nowhere..

[Jack Rabbit]

31. ??

[center]

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[charles d]

32. Nomination Won!

Every bagger in America has found their guy.

[Paladin]

33. Even Sarah Palin obtained a college degree.

It took her a while, but she got one.

[bigwillq]

34. Having a diploma or not is of little concern to me

Lots of great people who don't have one, lots of idiots (lol) who do.

[Ykcutnek]

35. The less elitist the job of POTUS becomes, the better.

Ultimately, that's up to the voters to decide.