Posted on 08/04/2004 7:07:54 PM PDT by hc87
From the 8/4/04 edition of Soxblog:
"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.”
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.)
Responses? Thoughts? Please email them to me at soxblog@aol.com"
Yes, if you ignore Kerry's politics, I too think he is just not too smart. I mean Al Gore had better ideas than his. When you listen, you can just tell he hasn't thought too deeply about anything. And just says stupid things. Bush of course is not too eloquent with the language, but at least there is something there.
and with the shenanigans in regards to his military records on his website, how could anyone believe any grades that are released?
sKerry's present display of contents and speaking skills sure doesn't reflect any deep intelect. He is empty bafoon, soaked with commie ideas and lying. Little softer version of Algore, but worse looking/dressed loose cannon mama TheResa.
Which should tell you everything you need to know...
In his favor one has to admit that he does seem to be fairly successful as a gigolo.
I agree that Kerry probably is no towering intellect. The really scary part, though, is that he doesn't seem to have a bit of judgment or common sense. Perhaps he's just too lazy or not disciplined enough to think things through.
I think W is almost certainly smarter and quicker on the uptake than Kerry, more thoughtful, and has substantially better judgment. He has a mild expression problem, but verbal glibness really isn't related to intellect much.
However, I think Laura's probably quicker on the draw than both of them. I imagine GWB would agree with that part!
"...We'd like to see his SAT scores also..."
Along with his COMPLETE medical and military records.
Last week the Tallahassee Democrat ran a piece saying Kerry subscribed to three magazines: Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated. Another jock type revelation -- that he carries a lucky four leaf clover, was only the beginning...
Like Gore, Kerry is sort of an empty suit. He showed some cleverness in his youth, but the polish has worn a bit thin over the years. Kerry's ego always outran his real capacities. He's always viewed the world in terms of what he could get from it for himself, and that's had a bad effect on the development of his character and intellect.
Who needs college/law school grades or SAT scores when you've got this?
I read some of the essays and journal entries that Kerry wrote during his tour in Vietnam. They were clear, thoughtful, and showed a skill with the written word that I didn't think that Kerry had in him. I disagree with him politically, but I don't think that he's stupid or unaccomplished.
Yep, his only experiences in economics os marrying money. So, does that mean that (G-d forbid) Pres. Kerry would have the US "marry" money when he sends the economy down the toilet?
W went to Andover.
Heard somewhere that F'n's SATs were slightly lower than W's. Those were the days when SATS in the 600s were pretty good.
I somehow believe that they were nearly equal in overall cum at Yale - W with a C+ average, F'n with a C. Don't go to the bank with those stats, but I might be pretty close.
SATS: 560 verbal, 640 math; Philips Academy, Andover
Hmmm... GW took Japanese?
does it look like he "dropped it" to you? I can't quite make it out...
got it from the W website.
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