Posted on 03/19/2015 6:44:42 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
What do Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Scott Walker have in common? They all changed America. And they didn’t need a college degree to do it.
On Feb. 12, Democratic former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean deemed GOP front-runner Scott Walker unfit for the presidency because he dropped out of college. “The issue is, how well educated is this guy?” said Dean on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I worry about people being president of the United States not knowing much about the world and not knowing much about science.”
The current Republican governor of Wisconsin attended Marquette University for four years but jumped at a job opportunity his senior year, trading his chance for a diploma for a job at the American Red Cross. He was 34 credits short of earning his B.A. in Political Science.
Presidents aren’t required to have a college degree. But in the last century, only President Harry S Truman lacked one. It’s about time we had another. If Walker’s smart, he may turn this missing credential into an advantage.
The Constitution simply states that to be president, one must be a natural-born citizen and 35 years old. Arguing for constitutional ratification in the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison — writing as Publius — held experience and virtue as the most important presidential qualifications.
What Walker lacks by not holding a diploma, he makes up for with real-world experience, good character, practical education, and significant policy experience. He holds the knowledge, skills, and proven track record to be a strong contender should he be chosen as the 2016 GOP nominee. Publius would endorse Walker.
Walker launched his political career just after leaving Marquette. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1993. After four re-elections, he spent the next eight years cutting spending as Milwaukee County Executive. After reforming a corrupt county government, Walker became Wisconsin’s governor in 2011. Now in his second term, Gov. Walker has turned a state deficit into surplus and enacted labor and educational reforms.
He intended to return to school to finish those 34 credits, but life got busy: He married, had children, and ran for office. In 20 years, he went from being a college dropout to governor, all while raising a family. His story proves that hard work and determination matter.
Walker is not too different from most Americans either. According to the Census Bureau, only 31.7 percent of adults over 25 had finished college in 2013. Walker can play these stats to his advantage; he already has.
We say we want our politicians to be “just like us.” We like the idea of a president who rolls up his sleeves and eats a half-slab of ribs — an average Joe (or a plain Jane, for Hillary). But the credentials of recent American presidents show the contrary to be true. Experience tells us that the American people want a president who is extraordinary while seeming just ordinary enough. They are hardly like us.
Just look at the other potential candidates. Hillary Clinton has degrees from Wellesley and Yale; Ted Cruz graduated from Princeton and Harvard; Bobby Jindal graduated from Brown and Oxford. Scott Walker stands out among this clan of educational overachievers.
Now more than ever, a college degree has become the entry-level ticket to economic and political success, as well as an indicator of worth. The America that once prided itself on real-world experience and common sense now depends on the credentials of a slip of paper.
Walker must continue to prove his credibility in other ways to have a chance at the Oval Office. He can use his lack of a degree to his advantage by relating to the majority of American voters who did not attend or finish college. Even those with degrees may find it refreshing that the next president didn’t come from an elite class of Ivy Leaguers. He can paint himself as a blue-collar hero.
In addition to appealing to the average voter, his experience makes him a strong competitor among his peers. Since 1990, Walker has run in 11 political races — not to mention a recall election in 2012 — and has won all but one. If he can articulate a clear agenda, he can turn his dropout status into an asset as he races for the presidency.
Publius was right that experience and character are the best presidential prerequisites. When choosing the next president, Americans should consider the qualifications that matter, not just paper credentials.
Yep, SOL missed the point entirely - which if funny, because it just dawned on me his achronym is SOL......:D
My biggest fear is that they end up taking each other out, and Jeb walks through.
Now that would make me, and most of us, feel SOL (and yes, I heartily agree with your observation)...........
He also beat back the unions and made his state right to work - that’s a rare accomplishment we need repeated on a national scale.
HAHA, obviously the shoes fit in this case
Jeb is discredited in my book because of his amnesty views and common core.
That he’s a Bush should also disqualify him, if only to contrast the Republicans to the Democrats who seem to favor aristocracies - putting in relatives of the current person as candidates.
once again, you babble your lies and your ignorance and CANNOT POINT TO A SINGLE POST that justifies your absurd infantile rant.
HA, I don't invade Cruz 2016 threads. I see no point in that.
The circular firing squad is your psycho cult buddies who say they wont vote at all if Cruz doesn't get it.
The ‘if not Cruz then Hillary’ crowd.
My gut feel has a very high batting average over the years...it’s not 100%, but it’s close. My hunch is that Walker and Cruz will emerge as the leaders. I don’t think Jeb has the constituency many think/feel/fear he has.
Who has said anything negative about Walker. Most Cruz supporters I know are very happy with Walker also, and would happily vote for Walker. BUT, as you are demonstrating, it’s the Walker people who are butt boy fan boys - in love with one particular candidate. Gee wiz dude, grow up, or ask your husband if it’s okay for you to stay online.
Here's a whole thread of them, many are so over the top that the mods are deleting them in droves.
I can see this applies to you too :#35
When you learn to read, you’ll see that the majority of posts on that thread from Cruz supporters ALSO LIKE WALKER. There is only one who really dislikes Walker, and I’m not sure who that wacko is for. He/she is one of the looniest posters on here.
Cruz Control nation by and large has Walker as their second fave. Period. It’s not deniable.
Are you retarded? Post 35 doesn’t make your case one iota. Did you get the number wrong, or are you helplessly obtuse?
yeah, 3 deletes out of the first 75 - woopee doo....
Read post 5 and enjoy your humiliation....if you’re woman enough.
Maybe you are clouded by your cultism....
Losing it like you are making public displays of temper tantrums is a cultist characteristic, proving my point.
That even contradicts your claim that I cant find one comment at FR of Cruzistas trashing Walker.
You should get your lies consistent before you hit the post button.
[Most Cruz supporters I know are very happy with Walker also, and would happily vote for Walker”]
Put me in that camp.
Stop trashing Walker, its NOT help Cruz out a bit.
“Who is the stalking horse for whom—Jeb for Walker or vice versa?— the goal to neutralize Cruz”
#184
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