Limbaugh Uses Dishonest College Transcripts Argument To Defend Romney

[alp227]

Rush Limbaugh defended Mitt Romney from criticism today for refusing to release his tax returns by challenging President Obama to release his college transcripts. This attack by Limbaugh is dishonest in two ways: There is no precedent for presidents or presidential candidates to release their academic records, whereas presidential candidates are expected to release several years' worth of tax returns.

On his show, Limbaugh claimed that he received a phone call from a Harvard Law classmate of Obama's who told him that Obama "got the lowest grades that any Harvard graduate ever got and that a bunch of professors gave him Bs and Cs when he didn't even show up to class." Limbaugh then added: "It's up to Obama to prove it. The allegation's out there." Limbaugh had earlier advised Mitt Romney to not release his tax returns.

(audio clip is at the link)

Obama's college transcripts have long been an obsession for the right-wing media, which have maintained that the transcripts would unmask Obama as "a foreign student" or as not intelligent enough to have gotten into either Occidental, Columbia, or Harvard.

In fact, most presidential candidates do not release their academic records. As the IvyGate blog reported:

Most presidential nominees (at least of late) do not release their grades from college. Romney hasn't. John McCain disclosed his class rank in 2007, but not his grades. John Kerry made his Yale transcript public only after he lost the 2004 election. Sarah Palin didn't talk about her grades until after the 2008 election. One exception is Joe Biden, who released his undergraduate transcript in 1987 as a form of damage control.

full: http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/08/02/limbaugh-uses-dishonest-college-transcripts-arg/189096

Michael Savage also has used similar argument. Jump to 1:35 in this video to hear him debate a liberal caller about Obama not releasing his grades.

[RedStateLiberal]

1. Um, he's already president

what the hell does his academic records have to do with whether he should be re-elected or not? Nothing. They just want to try to spread more bullshit conspiracy theories.

Wingnuts will truly say anything to distract and distort when their candidate's back is against the wall. Fuck 'em.

[tularetom]

2. Getting bad grades is not a crime but tax fraud is

I don't know if Obama got bad grades or not. I doubt that he did, editor of the Harvard Law Review is not a position for a C student.

Obviously getting bad grades is not a disqualifier to be president. You don't have to go very far back in history to learn that.

Failing to report significant income however is a crime. A felony which should disqualify any presidential candidate. If "some people say" that Romney is withholding the release of his returns it may be that there are large amounts of income, publicly known, which he failed to declare.

If it ever comes down to it, I see no harm in Obama offering to release his grades if Romney makes his tax returns public.

[Angry Dragon]

3. When is Limbaugh going to release his illegal drug purchase records

It is really strange to have a drug user, a family value man divorced three times as your party leader

[47of74]

7. I second through tenth that motion.

[Turbineguy]

4. Watching Ken Burns' "The War" on PBS tonight.

I have to wonder. Did Rush's Dad fight and survive WWII only to come home to father that piece of shit son?

Everything that generation fought for and sacrificed for, betrayed.

On Edit from Wikipedia:Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the son of Mildred Carolyn "Millie" (née Armstrong) and Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Jr. His father was a lawyer and a U.S. fighter pilot who served in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. His mother was a native of Searcy, Arkansas. The name "Rush" was originally chosen for his grandfather to honor the maiden name of family member Edna Rush.[4]

So yes, his Father did fight in WWII.

[Politicalboi]

5. Just like I thought

Blame showing taxes to run for President on Obama. Like it was his idea at the age of 7. LOL!

I don't recall Bush showing us his school records.

[Puzzler]

6. Didn't he graduate summa cum laude?

That's kinda tough to do with bad grades.

[mrkk]

8. Have you heard about tit for tat?

obama showed his tax returns, where is romneys?

when romney shows his college transcripts, obama will show his

keep it simple stupid?

[aintitfunny]

9. As no one cares about Mitt Romney's grades

tit for tat does not apply. College transcripts have never been an issue in a presidential campaign. Desperation forces the repulicthugs to attempt to make an issue of nothing to excuse the poor behavior of their candidate.

Mitt Romney is hiding something. He released 23 years of tax returns to McCain.

GW Bush released 17 years of returns. George Romney's father released 12 years of tax returns when running for Governor. Obama and Biden's tax returns from 2000 are released.

[Tom Ripley]

10. Pretty ironic coming from a dropout