Does the U.S. President Need a College Degree?

[midnight]

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-02-01/does-the-u-s-president-need-a-college-degree-


There has been talk that Scott Walker will get his College Degree while campaigning for President, and being Governor of Wisconsin. I wonder who will supplement his college degree?

"Ted Turner, who revolutionized broadcast journalism when he started the Cable News Network, revels in telling how he was kicked out of Brown University for hosting a woman in his room. The university had the good sense to give him an honorary degree years later.

The question of Walker's missing diploma has arisen occasionally in Wisconsin. Opponents charged that there was something untoward about his dropping out of Marquette. He then authorized the university to release the records as proof there was no hidden story behind his departure. The governor has said that a college education isn't a "base requirement" for high office. The Walker camp had no comment for this column.

History might help Walker. There have been 12 presidents without college degrees, starting with George Washington and 10 others, including Abraham Lincoln, elected in the 19th century.

More than a century ago, a Princeton academic, Woodrow Wilson, who later became president, raised a question about the 16th president: "Would Lincoln have been a better instrument for the country's good if he had been put through the processes of one of our modern colleges?"

[ChosenUnWisely]

1. Nope, Born in the USA and 35 years old, that is the only qualification for POTUS

[adigal]

2. I can't imagine a person being elected for President who doesn't have one

Considering how many people have college degrees, I can't see them voting for someone without one.

[onenote]

10. only around 1/3 of the college age population have 4 year degrees

If you include 2 year degrees, its still less than half.

[adigal]

11. OK, thanks. Now would those Republicans with college degrees vote for someone without one?

If a significant number of them wouldn't, that makes the Rs job even harder than it is going to be.

[onenote]

14. Probably.

I doubt that its deal breaker. In recent years there have been around two dozen members of the House (from both parties, but more repubs than Democrats, I think) with no degree beyond a high school diploma and one Senator (Mark Begich of Alaska). There are few more that don't have bachelor degrees, but have "associate" degrees.

[outside]

3. Harry Truman

never went to college and I don't think he started school until he was 8 years old. He had less than 10 years of education.

[midnight]

17. Harry Truman was Born in 1884 and graduated from High School. He suffered health setbacks but never

dropped out. Also I have included a sample of what was expected to graduate from eighth grade back in 1895.

"According to a Noland School record book dated Sept.18, 1893, to June 1, 1894, Harry S. Truman was an excellent student as a second grader in the classroom of Minnie L. Ward. His first term grades included a 95 in spelling, a 96 in reading, a 92 in writing, a 99 in language, a 99 in numbers and a 95 in deportment.

He attended summer school with Miss Jennie Clements, instructor, to "catch up." In the fall, when the original Columbian School opened, he skipped third grade and went directly to Miss Mamie Dunn's fourth grade class.

His fourth grade report card is in the archives and is signed by his mother, Martha Truman. Best grades again were in language, reading, spelling and writing."

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/trumanfile/schlyears.htm

http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.asp

[BlueCaliDem]

4. I don't believe the U.S. Constitution requires it. But the president is sort of a CEO, the Chief

Executive, and he helps in presenting bills that will become law if passed by Congress. It's helpful to have a president who knows how our legal system works, such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

We've seen what damage to this country stupid can do in George W. Bush. He was nothing more than a figure head for corporate America, multinational corporations, and the MiC. We can't make that mistake again. This is not Lincoln's era. This is Clinton and Obama times, and we NEED a president who knows how to navigate the confusing system of law-making. After all, the U.S. Constitution IS the "law of the land", not just a "fucking piece of paper". Wouldn't it be sensible and wise to have a president who understands and respects it?

[YarnAddict]

15. The Constitutional qualifications for the presidency are

in Article 2.
"No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

Nothing at all about a college degree, and, believe it or not, people can know how our legal system works, without having a law degree, or even a bachelors degree.

There are plenty of smart, successful people who don't have college degrees (like Bill Gates, for one,) and an awful lot of dumbasses who do.

If Walker is the candidate, you can expect him to use his lack of college education to his advantage, in some way.

[midnight]

18. It appears your understanding of Bill Gates and Scott Walker is

clear in that you link both are drop outs and profit from it.

http://www.collarchat.com/m_623255/printable.htm

[dembotoz]

5. perhaps more important is his rampant dishonesty that constantly slide under the radar

in the media in wisconsin.
not that he did not graduate
but that he has multiple reasons
and all of them do not pass the smell test

[leftynyc]

8. Could you elaborate

I didn't even know he didn't have a degree until a couple of weeks ago. What are his reasons for dropping out?

[Orsino]

6. A presidential candidate needs a record.

While I would greatly prefer a candidate with one or more completed degrees, there are other ways a politician might dazzle me. What experience does the candidate have with issues of national import? What tells me how s/he will perform as president?

W showed us how little coasting through an institution of higher learning can affect a person with enough money.

[leftynyc]

7. Would I want a college dropout

making federal education policy? No.

[ChosenUnWisely]

12. I agree someone who got into college on a legacy admission and spent

4 or more years partying and in the end being awarded a 'diploma' with a 2.0 average makes one much more qualified to be president.

However it helps greatly when your family makes very large donations to the school they attended kinda guarantees graduation.

[libdem4life]

9. It will be distracting, I believe There is no requirement I know of, other than it is a requirement

for even lower level jobs in our economy, and there is a reason. It's called higher education for a reason...not to diminish high school or even GED grads. It's not about intelligence, but forbearance and exposure to many other thoughts and ideas. Yet, even Sarah Palin cobbled together a BA, but doubt she learned much.

And, it's just my opinion and experience as I was raised in a Bircher household, but not until college did I find out that I was really a Liberal.

And going to a Degree Mill will likely look even worse. He's got enough to disqualify him other than lack of a higher education degree, IMO.

[marmar]

13. Seeing as how he has one.......

...... probably not.

[GusBob]

16. I dont think he will be getting a dgree from any UW schools

maybe an online program