Posted on 03/20/2015 2:53:23 PM PDT by thetallguy24
“I have a biology degree, okay?”
– Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), in remarks at the Lincoln Labs “Reboot Congress” conference, Feb. 12, 2015
This column has been updated with an additional explanation by Paul’s spokesman.
We first spotted a version of this quote in a Bloomberg column by David Weigel, and then checked the quotes with our colleague Jose DelReal, who had attended the conference.
This is a bit of an odd one, given that Paul does not have a college undergraduate degree.
Paul mentioned his alleged degree at the conference not once, but twice. First, in an exchange with TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington, Paul said:
Arrington: “Let’s talk about economics because maybe you can actually explain this to me. I have an econ degree which means I know just enough not to understand any of what our government is [inaudible]”
Paul: “Mine’s in biology and English so this is going to be a great conversation.”
Then, later in the conversation, expounding on what he considered the virtues of Bitcoin, Paul said:
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I don’t agree. He did not complete his undergraduate degree. It makes me think less of him that he would stoop to a lie like that, particularly since it is so easily debunked.
He’s not presidential material.
Don’t they recognize degrees conferred by Aquabuddha?
These people look for minor mis-statements. Paul should learn to say “my major(s) were biology and English” or some such. Totally truthful. AND being admitted to Duke Medical School without completing an undergraduate degree speaks volumes about his level of intelligence.
I’m not a Paul fan, but credit where credit is due. And none whatsoever is due to the WaPo for this sophomoric piece of jacks#!t passing as journalism.
I agree.
If he fudges this, what won’t he fudge?
Yep. An MD can be taken as a very advanced biology degree.
No. Sorry. Words mean things. A Biology degree is NOT equivalent to an MD.
Surely, I don’t have to explain that?
Exactly right.
What is Cruz’s position on pot?
A biology degree is not equivalent to an MD, but an MD can reasonably be considered a type of biology degree.
An M.D. is better than a biology degree.
I know someone who went to medical school and washed out.
He said there weren’t any easy classes in the entire curriculum.
“What is wrong is that he lied about having a degree.”
I don’t think the vat majority of people would see it that way...
If you were admitted to medical school and became an MD, I wont quibble about him saying Biology degree. Its actually less pretentious than the typical “Im a physician” statements we hear others say.
There are reasons to dislike Rand, but this isn’t one.
Do you not agree that medicine could reasonably be considered a subset of biology so that his MD counts as a biology degree? Do you think that he is inflating his credentials because a BS in Biology and an MD together are significantly better than just an MD? Is the casual introductory comment “mine’s in biology” so far from the more technically correct “I studied biology as an undergraduate but my only degree is an MD from the #8 medical school in the country” that you see this statement as a disqualifying lie?
I can see opposing Rand for his goofy views. I just can’t see it over a trivial comment that is (1) not inflating his resume significantly, if at all, and (2) arguably true.
No to all of your questions. If you want to excuse his lie, so be it.
This is stupid. Can we move along?
Biology is a lesser included position of medicine. Please,, this is childish drama. Dislike him for his positions, not this silliness.
A person possessing a biology degree is lesser educated in biology than an MD.
He’s being modest.
“A Biology degree is NOT equivalent to an MD.”
Correct.,,its a lesser level in the same topic.
but where does the English degree fit in?
Well, certainly. If Paul had claimed to have a degree in Architecture or Italian Literature, I could see why there might be a dust up.
This is just another liberal paper's attempt to pick at a Republican. Maybe tomorrow Paul will wear two different colored socks, and the Post will get all worked up again.
Meanwhile, Obama's Harvard records are sealed. Sealed! Hey, Post, maybe that's where the real story is.
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