McCain graduated 894 in his class of 899 at the Naval Academy...Obama graduated with honors from Harvard. Is that information meaningful to you or not?
by 
RosieGHM Jetpacker
ANSWERS: 19
-
It means nothing at all to me.
-
Yes, you can get through NA when your dad's an admiral. It's hard to fake honors at Harvard.
-
Not really, I judge them more on their beliefs and the things they say they want to change.
-
Not in the least. The way I read it, they both graduated, and even that isn't important.
-
No it's not meaningful, I don't want either one to be president.
-
It's something to keep in mind.
-
Nope, I graduated with honors from a major (not Ivy league) university too. It didn't predict how functional or successful I'd be in real life. John McCain's issue was being a maverick in a highly disciplined environment. That doesn't mean he isn't smart, it means that he does what he thinks is right even if it gets him in trouble. It is also so hard to get into the Naval Academy that just getting in is an indicator of intelligence, courage, and success as a child. The daughter of one of our friends just got into the Academy. It is very hard work. And although being the son of an admiral probably helped, it isn't a guarantee.
-
Yes it most certainly is meaningful. It means Obama put forth great effort to achieve honors from Harvard. That doesn't come easy. That might tell us that he would put forth great effort to be a good president, also. History repeats itself. In all fairness, I don't know anything about McCain. It's been along time ago since he graduated from the Naval Academy. Maybe his life experiences have taught him many things. Since I don't know anything else about him, I am unqualified to comment any further. All I know is that our country is desperate for strong and wise leadership.
-
No. Only a degree from Harvard in Medicine or Science would impress me...but not nearly as much as a degree from MIT. I can't think of any other degree from Harvard that would impress me at all, regardless of the grades made....
-
Yes, but what special dispensation or consideration did he receive simply because he is black in appearance? Harvard isn't the best place to learn anything! It's vastly overrated! Now if you were to speak of the University of Chicago then you can be proud!
-
Graduating near the bottom of a military institute is a good recommendation for being president. Can you see what type of person he would be if he graduated in the top 10. Hut, two, three, four, column left, march, etc. We wouldn't like that at all.
-
Yes, very. Obama became the President of the Harvard Reiview of Law as well. What Obama did afterwards, in Chicago and the state of illinois was extremely admirable and should be emulated by all of us. It would be a much nicer country if we did. But as a young Harvard honors grad he was romanced heavily by the largest corporations and didn't take the offers. Instead he chose to serve the people. I think McCain became an extraordinarily fine officer after his stint at West Point, regardless of his record there. It was his aircraft that was accidently fired into aboard the USS Forestal, causing the famous disaster. He stayed in, flew more missions, was shot down in combat and imprisoned for 5 years. He served us well. The resumes are important. But at this dire moment of war and constitutional compromise, it is even more important to ask what these two will do for the people for whom they are asking to serve once again.
-
grades are an inaccurate measure of aptitude. ive read some of McCain's speeches and they were well thought out and he knew what he was talking about
-
Let's put it this way. Half the doctors practicing today graduated in the bottom half of their med school class. Does that mean they aren't good doctors? Do you know which half your doctor graduated in?
-
Intelligence/education is something that is very important when considering a political candidate among other things, like their beliefs and poltical views. I think a lot of folks would agree that a politician who doesn't come across as very intelligent, makes all kinds of blunders and has a very low approval rating isn't what this country needs.
-
Excellent question. It is interesting as well that we had a President, who was an outstanding scholar -- and eight pretty good years. Then we had a president (Bush), who was poor by almost any standards, and, by his own admission, a pretty poor student. We should be able to infer from this that the intellectual caliber of a leader counts. We do better with a leader who is able to listen and ready to learn than one who has neither the capacity nor the willingness to do so. It seems sad that so many voters seem unwilling to learn from eight years of Bush's misrule, which has ranged from callous to incompetent to illegal.
-
I wouldn't vote for McCain even if he had graduated at the top of his class. However I am not voting for Obama either. I just wonder why so many bring up McCain's undergrad record then try and compare it to Obama's grad school record (not you, just other Q I have seen). Does anyone other than me find it strange that Obama will not allow his record at Columbia to be released? Nor his LSAT scores?
-
No. Lets see.........McCain's life and military experience is 100%. Obama is 0. Very meaningful.
-
I have read every answer and comment in this thread, and now I want to speak my opinion. Absolutely this information is meaningful to me. Some people seem to be taking this question as a way to say "you should vote for Obama" and they get defensive and start defending their candidate. I wonder if the question didn't mention McCain and Obama if you would get different answers. However, I think I see what you are truly saying, Rosie. You are trying to understand why people in general seem to not appreciate the importance of excellence in an educational environment. I wish I knew the answer. Perhaps (and this is not directed to ANY of the people in this thread, whether or not they agreed with you) overall it's the attitude because most people simply just aren't in the top of the classes.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC