Bush Smarter than Kerry?
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| Fri, 08-06-2004 - 8:57pm |
'THE KERRY BRAIN
http://dbsoxblog.blogspot.com/#109162538493538368
Something’s been bothering me about John Kerry. I just don’t think he’s that smart.
One of the axiomatic dynamics of this presidential race has been that Bush is a dolt while Kerry is highly intelligent. But if Kerry is so bright, where has he been hiding his allegedly fearsome intellect? Does “I voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it†sound like the workings of a brilliant mind? And yet the Adam Nagourneys of the world continue to insist that Kerry is remarkably “complex†with an uncanny sense for nuance. But I’ve come to a conclusion: He’s not particularly smart.
Let’s take a look at his academic record for illustration. As a control for our study, let’s use another party who for the purposes of this analysis we’ll call George W. Bush. As we all know, Ivy League admission back in the 60’s and 70’s was highly political. If you had the right connections, your ticket was all but punched. Thus, Kerry and Bush had no trouble gaining admission to Yale. Both hailed from the same prestigious prep school and had a surfeit of family “pull.â€
At Yale, Bush was a famously indifferent student. Once out of Yale, Bush was an even more famously indifferent national guardsman. And yet a few years after emerging from New Haven, Bush gained admission to Harvard Business School, no doubt thanks to family connections and an academic performance that though quite unimpressive suggested that he would be able to handle the work at HBS.
Now the allegedly big-brained Kerry graduated Yale a couple of years before Bush. Kerry, unlike the President, is not a famously dunderheaded student; he was supposed to be blessed with his preternatural sense for nuance in the crib. After graduating Yale, Kerry burnished his resume by being a war hero first and a media star second. So after this impressive performance, where did he go to law school? Boston College.
(None of what follows is intended as a slight towards Boston College or its law school. B.C. is a wonderful institution that has produced many wonderful graduates including Michael Adams and Doug Flutie.)
If you’re not from Boston, you might be unaware of the following truth: No one here, in spite of Boston College’s undeniable strengths, would eschew an invitation to attend Harvard Law School to attend B.C. It’s simply not done. Thus we can reasonably infer that Kerry did not get in to Harvard Law.
And that’s remarkable. Given his family connections and his post graduate work both in the war and later protesting it, his admission should have been a given. The only thing that would explain Kerry not getting into Harvard would be that he performed dreadfully at Yale. Indeed, he would have had to perform at a level that would have raised the prospect that he couldn’t handle the work at Harvard. His efforts were probably so weak, they could even be described as sub-Bushian.
The reason this matters is because a key subtext for the Kerry campaign is that he’s smarter than the incumbent. The Senator, with his ear for subtlety and his eye for complexity would have seen through intelligence errors that fooled the rest of the world. Or so his campaign would have you believe.
I’ve scrutinized Kerry’s record searching for evidence of his purportedly giant intellect. I’ve found none. His academic biography includes no Latin words like “laude†or “magna.†Who knows? Maybe Kerry’s just being modest and doesn’t want to boast about decades old accomplishments. But I doubt it.
Of course, the Kerry campaign could prove me wrong by releasing transcripts of his time at Yale and Boston College. What about it, Kerry campaign – care to weigh in on this?
(Correction: Bush and Kerry did not go to the same prep school. One went to St. Paul, the other to Andover. I can't keep straight who went to which - sorry.)'
Renee ~~~

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"And what was he going to do in those 7 minutes for those people? What could have, should have, been done are nothing but speculation. Are you aware of exactly what was told to Bush? Do you think that nothing was set in motion already? It reminds me of how some people question the reaction of relatives when a family memeber dies or is gravely ill. To judge someones heart, someones thoughts, based on 7 minutes is ridiculous. But heck, it sound real good doesn't it, backs up that Bush is an idiot nonsense. I have to say, the Democratic party is extremely good at getting their talking points out continually and attaching them to anything they can. I was listening to a Democratic strategist today, it was amazing how many times he was able to squeak in 'Bush lied'"
Renee,
Will you please stop saying this as though it were some sort of fact?
Debbie,
"And you never misspoke? Wow! Amazing! :-) I know I do it all the time. Sometimes dropping 1 little word can change the meaning, true. But honestly, it amazes me how nit picky everyone is."
I am not sure that this is a matter of misspeaking at this point.
Hi Sondra,
"But I will tell you this, I am glad it was not me. Still thinking about that day gets me so upset, and I remember feeling one thing---dumbstruck. Even now I still cant grasp exactly what happened, thank heavens I was not in charge!!"
I absolutely agree!
Do you think those 6 minutes actually made any sort of difference? I think that President Bush tried to portray calmness to the children, but I cannot honestly say as I cannot tap into his brain.
I see Kerry stating that he would have done something right away. What could he possibly have done except leave the classroom and say...."okay, now what?".
Just curious.
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