Palin's education, can someone clarify?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if there were any academic difficulties?

I'm sure if there were the press will report them. Just as they did with Biden in 1988, GW Bush, Kerry, et al.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$$ wouldn't explain why she went to Hawaii. If she was having money issues, she would have stayed in-state, I think.

I don't know if Hawaii is included in this, but I remember when I was at a state school in AZ I was in a class with a student from Alaska. She told me that there's some sort of consortium or arrangement with Alaska and other western states that allows their students to go to other state schools in the west at a reduced tuition rate.

And the "whirlwind college tour" isn't typical for a lot of American families, I don't think anyone from my high school did that, it's an east coast with a good income sort of thing.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous
And the "whirlwind college tour" isn't typical for a lot of American families, I don't think anyone from my high school did that, it's an east coast with a good income sort of thing.

It may be an east coast thing, but I don't think it has anything to do with income. I was very middle class, but we went to see about 10-15 colleges before I applied. But I'm from MA, and we drove to everywhere I visted (which, by the way, did NOT include the university I ultimately attended-- I went to see that one after I got accepted, but before I accepted a spot). I guess in the Northeast you can get a lot of bang for your buck because everything is pretty close together.

[Anonymous]

I think that she's an idiot (promising that there will be no cold war with Russia???????), but her college hopping doesn't matter to me.

My exceptionally brilliant husband went to 4 colleges over 9 years to get his BA, then became a successful lawyer. I rather wish I'd had the independence of spirit to stroll a little more slowly through college than I did. It didn't hurt my guy, and I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

As for the husband with no B.A.-- lots of people don't go to college. My boss didn't, and he's quite bright. He supervises a dozen people with graduate degrees. And the first spouse's education doesn't much matter.

Palin is none too bright, but where you went to school doesn't matter that much. Bush went to Yale and Harvard and can't find his arse with both hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I think that she's an idiot (promising that there will be no cold war with Russia???????), but her college hopping doesn't matter to me.

My exceptionally brilliant husband went to 4 colleges over 9 years to get his BA, then became a successful lawyer. I rather wish I'd had the independence of spirit to stroll a little more slowly through college than I did. It didn't hurt my guy, and I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

As for the husband with no B.A.-- lots of people don't go to college. My boss didn't, and he's quite bright. He supervises a dozen people with graduate degrees. And the first spouse's education doesn't much matter.

Palin is none too bright, but where you went to school doesn't matter that much. Bush went to Yale and Harvard and can't find his arse with both hands.

While I agree with your other points, I think it IS important that the VP's spouse be somewhat educated/intelligent. If nothing else, they host and meet with other diplomatic missions, world heads, etc. The VP's role has changed considerably in the past 20 years. So now what? We have 2 dimwits living in the VP's house on Mass Ave? What a painful dinner party on a state-level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

While I agree with your other points, I think it IS important that the VP's spouse be somewhat educated/intelligent. If nothing else, they host and meet with other diplomatic missions, world heads, etc. The VP's role has changed considerably in the past 20 years. So now what? We have 2 dimwits living in the VP's house on Mass Ave? What a painful dinner party on a state-level.

You heard it here first, DCUM habituees. It's absolutely essential that the VP's spouse be able to host scintillating dinner parties, and those who have not attended college (and preferably a top-tier one) need not apply because they simply cannot conduct an intelligent conversation. Thank goodness I have come to this realization, due to the wisdom of the PP.

[Anonymous]

She's a real ROADS scholar.

[Anonymous]

Barbara Bush didn't graduate college. She did such a good job as second lady she was promoted to first lady. Anyway, TP is so hot, and charming, I think he'll slide by. I'm sure he has better manners than Dick Cheney.

[Anonymous]

The Palin family education background does matter to me, because I am education focused. Bouncing around to different colleges may indicate intellectual maturity, as a PP suggested, but it may also indicate--and probably more often indicates--lack of focus and disinterest in college. Palin's two oldest children are not on a college path now and her future son-in-law has dropped out of high school, according to news reports. I haven't heard Palin say that she hopes to see them in college one day. And although I know nothing about her husband, he does seem like a quiet person who is more focused on athletics than academics, which may matter as a vice presidential spouse on a public stage. Overall, I don't think the family presents a strong picture of being a family that places great value on higher education.

Yes, you can be incredibly smart and thoughtful without going to college--you can be a successful businessman or politician or public servant--you may make a great vice-president or even president. But just as some people find a connection with Palin for "seeming real," or living in a small town, or being a hockey mom, or being a hunter, I feel disconnected from her because I don't have the sense that this is a woman who is a deep thinker or a strong proponent of education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The Palin family education background does matter to me, because I am education focused. Bouncing around to different colleges may indicate intellectual maturity, as a PP suggested, but it may also indicate--and probably more often indicates--lack of focus and disinterest in college.

Or God forbid financial difficulties! Actually that only happens outside the beltway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The Palin family education background does matter to me, because I am education focused. Bouncing around to different colleges may indicate intellectual maturity, as a PP suggested, but it may also indicate--and probably more often indicates--lack of focus and disinterest in college. Palin's two oldest children are not on a college path now and her future son-in-law has dropped out of high school, according to news reports. I haven't heard Palin say that she hopes to see them in college one day. And although I know nothing about her husband, he does seem like a quiet person who is more focused on athletics than academics, which may matter as a vice presidential spouse on a public stage. Overall, I don't think the family presents a strong picture of being a family that places great value on higher education.

Yes, you can be incredibly smart and thoughtful without going to college--you can be a successful businessman or politician or public servant--you may make a great vice-president or even president. But just as some people find a connection with Palin for "seeming real," or living in a small town, or being a hockey mom, or being a hunter, I feel disconnected from her because I don't have the sense that this is a woman who is a deep thinker or a strong proponent of education.

I don't agree with you, PP, but I see your point and I appreciate your argument. This is an argument that makes sense to me as opposed to some other PPs' statements that have come across as narrow-minded elitism. I'm sure other folks have your point of view in mind when they're posting -- I wish they were as judicious in conveying it as you are.

[Anonymous]

This lack of education is not a good example for my daughter.
I often wonder if Harriet Meyers came along now, would it be hard for anyone to criticize her.
Anyone who says that Palin's education is not a factor should not even look at future top posts' education, like those of the Supreme Court.

[Anonymous]

"Or God forbid financial difficulties! Actually that only happens outside the beltway"

Not to be redundant, but, again, this argument would carry a lot more water with me if she had not chosen to begin college at a private school out of state. I think the simplest answer here is that she was unfocused at 18 (and 19 and 20 and 21) and didn't know what she wanted to do. She did one semester in Hawaii as a general studies major, then two more semesters in Idaho (at North Idaho College), again as a general studies major. She then moved on to University of Idaho, where she studied journalism. Then back to Alaska for one more semester, and then back to Idaho to finish three more semesters as a journalism major with a focus on broadcast journalism.

The thing is that these semesters are more or less contiguous.

Hawaii Pacific - Fall 1982
North Idaho College - Spring 1983 and Fall 1983
(year off)
University of Idaho - Fall 1984 and Spring 1985
Matanuska-Susitna College - Fall 1985
University of Idaho - Spring 1986, Fall 1986 and Spring 1987

Aside from the one year off, this is not the academic resume of someone who had to take time off to work and then come back, and then take time off and come back again. It is the academic resume of someone who was so distracted and unfocused that she could not settle into university life.

Ok, so she's not an academic. Fine. Lots of folks struggled as undergraduates. Barack Obama writes in his first book that he was a somewhat diffident student in high school and during his first years as an undergraduate. If that was the sum total of his academic resume, I think we'd be raising the same questions about his intellectual curiosity and commitment to education. However, he didn't end there. He turned around his academic career, transferred to Columbia, was accepted to Harvard Law, became the editor of the law review, and then taught Con Law at one of the finest law schools in the country. His early academic years did not define him because he moved beyond the youthful slacking.

Here's the thing about Palin - you'll never get the kind of honesty from her about her academics that you get from Obama in "Dreams." I had to look hard to cobble together the timeline above, because Palin is unwilling to comment on her education, as is the McCain campaign. She doesn't think it is important. I disagree. I don't think that every president needs to have gone to an Ivy. I didn't. Many of my colleagues and grad school comrades did not (many did). But our president (and vice presidents) need focus, intellectual curiosity, and a respect for "book learning" (you know, the kind of book learning that would have told Bush that Iraq had some small sectarian issues) and I don't think Palin has demonstrated any of the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think that she's an idiot (promising that there will be no cold war with Russia???????), but her college hopping doesn't matter to me.

My exceptionally brilliant husband went to 4 colleges over 9 years to get his BA, then became a successful lawyer. I rather wish I'd had the independence of spirit to stroll a little more slowly through college than I did. It didn't hurt my guy, and I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

As for the husband with no B.A.-- lots of people don't go to college. My boss didn't, and he's quite bright. He supervises a dozen people with graduate degrees. And the first spouse's education doesn't much matter.

Palin is none too bright, but where you went to school doesn't matter that much. Bush went to Yale and Harvard and can't find his arse with both hands.

While I agree with your other points, I think it IS important that the VP's spouse be somewhat educated/intelligent. If nothing else, they host and meet with other diplomatic missions, world heads, etc. The VP's role has changed considerably in the past 20 years. So now what? We have 2 dimwits living in the VP's house on Mass Ave? What a painful dinner party on a state-level.

I guess you have NOTHING of value to add to my post.

You saw the Greta Van Susteren Fox News video clip of Todd Palin, right? Fox News is on the RNC side and if this is the best video editing job they could do for the spouse of the VP nominee, we're all in trouble.

How about the jibberish that Sarah Palin put forth in her interview with Sean Hannity. It wasn't even English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

"Or God forbid financial difficulties! Actually that only happens outside the beltway"

Not to be redundant, but, again, this argument would carry a lot more water with me if she had not chosen to begin college at a private school out of state. I think the simplest answer here is that she was unfocused at 18 (and 19 and 20 and 21) and didn't know what she wanted to do. She did one semester in Hawaii as a general studies major, then two more semesters in Idaho (at North Idaho College), again as a general studies major. She then moved on to University of Idaho, where she studied journalism. Then back to Alaska for one more semester, and then back to Idaho to finish three more semesters as a journalism major with a focus on broadcast journalism.

The thing is that these semesters are more or less contiguous.

Hawaii Pacific - Fall 1982
North Idaho College - Spring 1983 and Fall 1983
(year off)
University of Idaho - Fall 1984 and Spring 1985
Matanuska-Susitna College - Fall 1985
University of Idaho - Spring 1986, Fall 1986 and Spring 1987

Aside from the one year off, this is not the academic resume of someone who had to take time off to work and then come back, and then take time off and come back again. It is the academic resume of someone who was so distracted and unfocused that she could not settle into university life.

Ok, so she's not an academic. Fine. Lots of folks struggled as undergraduates. Barack Obama writes in his first book that he was a somewhat diffident student in high school and during his first years as an undergraduate. If that was the sum total of his academic resume, I think we'd be raising the same questions about his intellectual curiosity and commitment to education. However, he didn't end there. He turned around his academic career, transferred to Columbia, was accepted to Harvard Law, became the editor of the law review, and then taught Con Law at one of the finest law schools in the country. His early academic years did not define him because he moved beyond the youthful slacking.

Here's the thing about Palin - you'll never get the kind of honesty from her about her academics that you get from Obama in "Dreams." I had to look hard to cobble together the timeline above, because Palin is unwilling to comment on her education, as is the McCain campaign. She doesn't think it is important. I disagree. I don't think that every president needs to have gone to an Ivy. I didn't. Many of my colleagues and grad school comrades did not (many did). But our president (and vice presidents) need focus, intellectual curiosity, and a respect for "book learning" (you know, the kind of book learning that would have told Bush that Iraq had some small sectarian issues) and I don't think Palin has demonstrated any of the above.

It astonishes me that anyone has time to post something of this nature, and it astonishes me that you really expect anyone to be influenced to not vote for Palin because of her academic record. Truly, PP, did you plan to vote for her if not for the things you recount here? Of course not.