Should it matter that Bernie Sanders doesn't have an advanced degree?

[apples and oranges]

Bernie Sanders has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley both have law degrees. On the GOP side, Trump is the only one of the top 4 candidates who doesn't have an advanced degree. Rubio and Cruz have law degrees, and Carson has a medical degree.

Should it matter? Will it matter?

[grasswire]

1. THIS IS AMERICA

WHY should that matter???

I believe it's an advantage NOT to have a law degree.

[reformist2]

80. Agree 100%. If someone makes it an issue, the public will like Bernie all the more for it.

Want to remind the American people that everyone running is a lawyer, except for Bernie??? By all means, please do!!

[askew]

141. Not for a legislator. But, I wouldn't say it's a requirement but it is a helpful asset.

[TheBlackAdder]

145. It seems like DU is being used to float new attack lines for candidates. nt

[TwilightGardener]

2. Seems a pretty smart guy. Anyway not sure why it matters at age 74 and a two-term Senator.

Scott Walker didn't even have a bachelor's, and he was a GOP favorite before Trump. Ben Carson's a doctor, no one cares. And O'Malley's law degree didn't make a difference.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

3. Do you find that planting questions like this help to change any opinions?

[apples and oranges]

5. Don't know what you're getting at. I like all the candidates.

[Le Taz Hot]

52. LOL!

Sure you do, Ace, sure you do.

[demwing]

83. Yeah, made me snort too!

"Don't know what you're getting at."

[frylock]

154. I could hear the rattling of the pearls as they were being clutched.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

111. See his reply #29 ;) nt

[Le Taz Hot]

117. He/She deserves the ridicule.

[cali]

75. Lol. Yah, sure.

[Fearless]

4. What about Carter?

[ladjf]

131. President Carter had a Ph. D. in nuclear physics.

Correction:

Jimmy Carter received B.S. in physics from the Naval Academy.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. It's not how many degrees you have...or which ones...

It's what you do with them.

[madokie]

63. What matters is if one is smart or not

I knew a guy who made going to college his life long dream. As long as his grand mother would finance it he went. She died after 24 years of supporting him and he died shortly thereafter broke and from an over dose. All his degrees didn't mean squat. He was smart he could rattle off statistics with the best of them or discuss any and all issues but it only got him 6 feet of earth. He was book smart but dumb as a box of rocks.

[demwing]

101. "it only got him 6 feet of earth"

To be fair, the same end is in store for each of us, regardless of our stature.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

107. I went through a lot of schooling, and still enjoy it, but

I did eventually learn that 'well-educated' and 'smart' and 'wise' are all completely independent. I ran into PhDs I wouldn't trust to fill out a form for me, and people who only had a high school diploma who had incredible insight into human nature and society. People with IQs in the stratosphere who couldn't ever figure out how to interact with others, and people with bachelors' who got along with everyone they met.

School is important for teaching very specific skills, and providing alternate perspectives, but if you're paying attention, everything around you will teach you important things, whether or not you're in 'school'.

[madokie]

115. I'm still in school

I'm 67 and every day I learn something new.

I've found if a person has to tell me about all the education they've got they pretty much haven't got anything else. Smart people don't have to tell anyone they're smart, you'll know it by what they say or do.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

120. The most important skills I got in college

I could have gotten elsewhere. There, I just had a few professors who were intent on honing those skills in students. And really, none of them were area-of-study specific. If I were sent back in time, to change my own past, I'd tell my younger self NOT to get so many advanced degrees, but to spend more time studying the learning process itself, and social interaction, organizing types of skills. Just found this website that has a lot of great info - racialequitytools.org

[merrily]

132. Degrees do not confer judgment or wisdom.

Smartest one in the Wizard of Oz didn't need a piece of paper to be smart. He only was "concerned" he needed one. The Wizard set him straight.

[slipslidingaway]

7. Judgement matters, destablizing other countries which give rise to terrorism ...

is not a good thing.

[tecelote]

76. +1!

I'll take common sense for 2016.

Let's stop focusing on regime change and focus on building a better America. This will make the world a better place.

[FlatBaroque]

86. This is the most neglected scandal

Bernie must bring this into the debate. It is a question of judgment. What does it say that Hillary sided with McCain and Lindsay in the Libya debate?

[Journeyman]

8. Abraham Lincoln had one year of formal education . . .

For the rest, he was self-taught (as are we all).

[840high]

31. I immediately thought of Truman.

[daleanime]

9. What? Some one is running for president....

who didn't go to an ivy league school? Oh, the horror.

[JonLeibowitz]

13. Not to mention that UChicago is considered "Ivy Plus". This is a Brave New Meme they have started.

[merrily]

133. U Chi where the speed of light was measured for the first time and other good things.

http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/07/070924.michelson.shtml

It's an impressive place--and I live in spitting distance of M.I.T., Harvard, Boston University and Kerry's alma mater, Boston College.

[NowSam]

10. Doesn't matter to me in the slightest.

He is a brilliant courageous inspiring leader who sees and speaks incredible truths that no one in my lifetime have stated so clearly or even at all. Many great leaders in history have come from humble beginnings and were self educated. His life is his degree.

[beam me up scottie]

11. Is this Wednesday's meme?

How many more threads can we expect on this?

[ucrdem]

12. He doesn't have a JD?

Well I suppose Shrub didn't either but that's a low bar.

[beam me up scottie]

14. And yet Bernie knew better than to believe Bush. Guess who did?

[ucrdem]

17. He also represented VT. As far as the JD,

this is the first I've heard of it but it's troubling. I've posted his "too big to fail" legislation a couple of times because it's an utter joke. But I figured on some level that it was supposed to be. Sorry but yeah, not having a law degree matters.

[beam me up scottie]

19. What difference does it make what state he represented, were the facts different in New York?

No, having a law degree does not matter, good luck with your new meme but it's going to backfire.

[CBGLuthier]

53. Not having a law degree matters. I consider it a fucking PLUS.

[madokie]

64. I tried

but I just can't listen to 10 minutes of Hillary, sorry
she makes me feel dirty just listening to her

[mhatrw]

15. What do you call 1,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea? nt

[ErisDiscordia]

32. A good start

[Cheese Sandwich]

36. ..

[gwheezie]

16. It bothers me more that he recorded an album

He can't sing a note and has no life in his singing voice.
It doesn't matter to me that he doesn't have an advanced degree. That's not the reason I support HRC.

[Cali_Democrat]

18. LOL!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

108. Heh.

There are a number of popular artists out there I'd label with the same vocal criticisms

[djean111]

20. Well, I have to say that this is the most hilariously obvious new meme in a while.

Sounds like a RW talking point.

In any event, a law degree did not keep Hillary from enthusiastically shilling for war, fracking, and the TPP, so maybe a law degree should be on my list of things I do not want in a candidate.

[Luminous Animal]

21. What is your opinion? Does it matter to YOU?

[apples and oranges]

29. Here's what troubles me: It looks like sexism when two candidates are running

for the same job, the female applicant is clearly more qualified than the male applicant, but the male applicant gets the job.

Second, I think a JD would have helped Sanders create a more coherent message. Law school isn't easy, it would have helped test and shape him for the better.

Third, more people are beginning to wonder if Sanders has intellectual curiosity in areas outside of fiscal policy.

To answer your question, all things being equal, I prefer more education over less education. We should have high standards for who can be president of this great land.

[840high]

33. Sexism? Are you for real?

[beam me up scottie]

35. Right? Does the op think they're applying for a job at a law firm?

[ErisDiscordia]

34. Qualified by what? Repeat failures of judgment?

[Luminous Animal]

40. Establish that an advanced degree is necessary for the job for which he is running.

Your own personal preference does not count. Approach this as a job discrimination lawsuit that has nothing to do with or own personal bias.

[winter is coming]

46. Oh, please, please, circulate this meme far and wide.

I am dying!

[BreakfastClub]

50. It looks sexist because it is. nt

[Maedhros]

66. Wow - congratulations.

I've seen some ridiculous arguments lately, but yours is singularly inane.

/ignore list.

[cali]

96. I think her documented poor judgment has to be factored in

And I am not just referring to her vote for the IWR.

[demwing]

121. "clearly more qualified"

Flawed as a senator
Inconsequential as the SOS
Consistently shows poor judgement and an inclination to play loose with facts.

how is Clinton qualified again?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

128. Oh come now. She was hardly inconsequential as SoS.

She pushed Obama into the surge, destroying Libya, pushing death and destruction world-wide.

She's a neocon's wet dream in her support of the MIC.

[askew]

142. If we were talking about most qualified, O'Malley had a strong argument for that.

He has 15 years of executive experience. He's the only one who worked with a legislature as an executive to get legislation passed and enacted. He is only one who oversaw large law enforcement agencies, etc.

[saltpoint]

155. Damn, that is total bullshit.

Angela Merkel has a doctorate in physics. She seems to be doing ok in her current job.

Eric Hoffer was self-educated. His book The True Believer will make a believer out of you.

[Cheese Sandwich]

22. It might work to his advantage really.

To pass through law school or graduate school people have to learn to accept a lot of bullshit, to not question authority, to be very serious and respectable, to be a conformist, to not rock the boat. Those are the same honed skills and behaviors that allow politicians to get rich off of massive speaking fees and kickbacks while revolving in and out of office.

In Bernie's case he breaks all those rules and that's part of what makes him seem authentic, and not at all like other politicians.

[jfern]

25. You don't have to sell out to get a graduate degree

I have one and support Bernie.

[Cheese Sandwich]

27. You're right

I didn't mean it like that.

He's got a raw authentic quality I don't usually see in lawyers and stuff.

[bettyellen]

150. Bros keep forgetting they are insulting actual voters with crap like this.

[apples and oranges]

30. Unbelievable.

[DanTex]

84. Isn't it? Now the "revolution" is anti-advanced degrees.

[cantbeserious]

23. No

eom

[winter is coming]

24. I can't imagine why anyone would care about that. Or should. n/t

[ucrdem]

26. Because Obama gave us ACA and Reagan gave us Star Wars.

That's why.

[winter is coming]

43. That's possibly the dumbest argument I've ever read.

Hillary was all in for a war based on lies, while Bernie opposed it. He correctly predicted many of the bad results that would follow, thus demonstrating that possession of an advanced degree is no guarantee of good decision-making.

[Wise Child]

28. I think we are long overdue for

the first candidate with an MFA in Creative Writing.

[Arazi]

144. I like the way you think!

[ErisDiscordia]

37. Elitist much?

Do you really think that a piece of paper is worth something more than a life experience of repeated success in furthering the People's causes? A lifetime of ethical behavior in public and private? A lifetime of integrity?

What a sad little world...

[beam me up scottie]

38. ^^^THIS^^^

[winter is coming]

45. I find the notion that an advanced degree is necessary simultaneously pathetic and hilarious.

And I have an advanced degree.

[JonLeibowitz]

62. +1. I find that with an advanced degree I would have too narrow a scope of mind.

This meme is fascinating. As someone in graduate school, the idea that an advanced degree, let alone a law degree, is in some way qualification is to me just

[winter is coming]

91. Not necessarily on that "scope of mind" thing, but it can definitely happen.

"Doesn't see the big picture" is the way I usually hear that criticism phrased, and there are certainly people like that.

[JonLeibowitz]

146. Yes that's what i meant but failed to state properly.

[napi21]

39. No, of course not! You are aware that the Pubs dearl beloved Reagan had NO college degree.

I'm sure no Reagan fan, but he sure figured out how to really screw up the Country. Most of the decisions he made in the 80's are still negatively impacting the Country today! Even people with JD's couldn't have done more damage.

[apples and oranges]

41. The less education, the worse the president does it seems. eom

[Art_from_Ark]

58. Abraham Lincoln didn't even go to college

And George W. Bush had the best "education" that legacy money can buy-- two degrees from Ivy League universities.

As you were saying?

[CBGLuthier]

79. Harry S. Truman.

One semester of business college. A few night courses in law. So guess your point is wrong.

[demwing]

123. You keep repeating that

As if it hadn't been proven false already.

Why?

[elana i am]

42. nope

gop is the perfect example of that. doctors and lawyers can still be stoopid even with degrees.

[beam me up scottie]

44. It seems the op thinks Ben Carson is more qualified than Bernie.

Bernie Sanders has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science ... and Carson has a medical degree.

[frylock]

158. Evidently, Democrats aren't immune either.

[silenttigersong]

47. Does it matter that Hillary Clinon

failed her Washington D.C bar exam ?Bill Clinton lost his law license because of Monica?President Obama's Justice dept did not pursue charges regarding Bush's illegal war?

[Le Taz Hot]

48. George W. Bush had an "advanced degree."

I rest my case.

[Jim Lane]

149. Yes, Bush's MBA (Harvard Business School, 1975) was obviously the source of his economic sagacity.

Can you imagine what might have happened, in the perilous first decade of this century, if we hadn't been blessed with the only President in history who can claim that credential? We might have had soaring budget deficits, a stock market crash, widespread unemployment... I shudder to think.

[Philos]

49. Not at all

Considering the mess some of the other people with advanced degrees got us into, I don't exactly consider it a job requirement.

[Mike__M]

51. Ben Carson's higher degree

certainly proves how smart he is, enit?

[MgtPA]

54. I dunno, did it matter to you that Jimmy Carter didn't have an advanced degree??

If so, how much?

[DemocraticWing]

55. Al Gore didn't have one. GWB was the only President to graduate from both Harvard and Yale.

Tell me how that worked out?

[jfern]

70. And Romney had a JD and MBA, and I don't think he was too popular on DU

[7wo7rees]

56. Just shoot me! This is really a topic for serious discussion!

Shoot me.

[Live and Learn]

57. Yes. we should all be forced to purchase advanced degrees. Educators need to make money too.

By the way, some of the stupidest people I know hold advanced degrees and are still paying through the nose for them.

[cui bono]

59. Should it matter that you think you are much more clever than you actually are?

[DisgustipatedinCA]

60. Whack threads like this are good for one thing: the entertaining rec list. nt

[vadermike]

61. This is silly

It doesn't matter omg if we are all bickering over this small shit say hello to president Rubio he thanks you .. In fact if I were betting right now I see that he could easily beat either of our too front runners dems are divided and not like 08 This election scares the shit outta me I see people who voted for Obama in 8 and 12 flirting with GOP and say shit like Rubio isn't so bad Dems are deluding ourselves if we think this is gonna be easy catwalk election and it pisses me off ok rant off lol

[polly7]

65. Michelle Bachmann has an advanced degree.

[happynewyear]

71. So does Sarah Palin

and I am so not impressed!

[polly7]

74. Right?

Woman - check. (just a reply to the claim of sexism I saw here).

Advanced Degree - check.

Why wouldn't they have both won their respective candidacies? Hard to understand, that. [URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[winter is coming]

110. Really? Which school offers a Master's in Crazy Eyes? n/t

[Kalidurga]

127. Oh hell no...

those eyes haunt me to this day.

[Downwinder]

67. NO!!!!

[TSIAS]

68. If I want a lawyer I'll call Clinton

It doesn't matter much for President.

[RBInMaine]

69. Reagan didn't, and I don't think Bush-1 did either. George Washington had no degree.

[Califonz]

72. The other candidates have more degrees

than a rectal thermometer!

[restorefreedom]

73. this kind of elitist bullshit

is one of the many reasons hillary is in freefall

[Ino]

77. Not unless you think Cruz, et al., ...

would be better presidents than Sanders because of their degrees.

Do you?

[gordyfl]

78. Does Hillary’s resume really make her the ‘best-qualified’ presidential candidate?

IS HILLARY CLINTON qualified to be president?

To hear some of her prominent supporters tell it, no candidate could be more qualified. Many Clinton admirers talk this way.

If imposing resumes augured presidential greatness, James Buchanan would be on Mount Rushmore.

When Buchanan was elected president in 1856, it doubtless seemed to many that a candidate with such glittering political credentials was destined for brilliance in the White House.

But Buchanan failed miserably as president.


https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/02/03/does-hillary-resume-really-make-her-best-qualified-presidential-candidate/oVQRpgfUR5xvtmZylUYUbO/story.html

[Duckhunter935]

81. no

For me that is a plus, his judgement is much superior.

[djean111]

82. Hillary failed the D.C. bar exam.

She then passed the Arkansas bar exam.
Maybe she she is reaching beyond her capabilities, if that degree is all that important, eh?

[JudyM]

112. She did?!

[djean111]

143. Yup. You would think whoever thought this was useful would have done their due

diligence......

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/feb/15/chain-email/she-failed-then-followed-bill/

[redwitch]

85. No.

His life experience, sound judgement work for me. I don't care if he has a law degree.

[NurseJackie]

87. Hillary's education is a big bonus and ...

... it certainly makes me feel more confident.

Go, Hillary!

[winter is coming]

94. It what way is it a big bonus? I really don't get this.

At this point in their careers, comparing Hillary's and Bernie's degrees/schools is silly. That sort of thing would be relevant if they were both fresh out of school and had no work experience to judge them by, or if there was some reason we actually need the President to have an advanced degree, but neither of those things are true.

[Sanity Claws]

88. Jeb! Does not have an advanced degree

In fact many think Jeb! Does not even have a bachelors degree.

Bernie has shown me that he is more than educated enough to be a great president.

[winter is coming]

93. Who needs a degree when your name has an exclamation point? n/t

[JudyM]

114. LOL!!!

[JudyM]

116. And decades of experience negotiating successfully in a highly complex environment.

[bigwillq]

89. No (nt)

[ornotna]

90. There are two up on Mount Rushmore

Without a college degree.

[NurseJackie]

92. Based on some of the strong reactions witnessed here (and elsewhere) ...

... this would seem to be a very touchy subject.

Ultimately, I think it's highly unlikely that this will be an "issue" (in the typical way that people think of election issues) ... however, I do believe that it's something that some voters will be considering as part of the entire picture. Whether it's something that matters to individual voters, and if so, the extent that it matters, remains to be seen.

Nevertheless it's an interesting question that's resulted in some interesting responses.

Go, Hillary!

[gollygee]

95. I don't care about that. N/t

[in_cog_ni_to]

97. Ohforcryingoutloud. Wednesday's meme of the day.

If we can survive the disastrous, hellish, miserable 8 freakin' years of the IDIOT-IN-CHIEF, Bush, who attended YALE and Harvard, Bernie's more than qualified. As you well know, Yale and Harvard degrees didn't help Bush be a good president!

Besides that, we do have a Constitution and it doesn't require ANY degree.

And Bernie is one hell of a smart guy!

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[Sancho]

98. Yes it matters in today's world! Examples: Elizabeth Warren and Barak Obama

Warren sounds pretty smart on economics because she was an economics professor.
Obama made fantastic appointments to the Supreme Court because he had studied Constitutional Law.

You can always depend on advisors and study yourself, but formal study in a topic can be very useful in political positions!

Experience is helpful too, because people learn from relevant experience. Warren and Obama are proof that the best decisions often occur within one's area of advanced study - where you have a chance to explore and debate and consider the details of some subject.

For example, in the few years after Yale Law school, Hillary's early experience was...
1973-1974 - Works as an attorney for the Children's Defense Fund.
January 1974 - Begins working for John Doar, the special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, who is in charge of the inquiry in to the possible impeachment of President Richard Nixon.
August 1974 - Moves to Arkansas to teach at the University of Arkansas School of Law.
1974-1977 - Director of Legal Aid Clinic at the University of Arkansas School of Law.
1974-1977 and 1979-1980 - Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law.
1976-1992 - Attorney at Rose Law Firm, Little Rock, Arkansas. Is named partner in 1979.
1978 - President Jimmy Carter appoints Clinton to the board of directors of the Legal Services Corp., an organization that provides federal funds to legal-aid bureaus throughout the United States.
1978 - Bill Clinton is elected governor of Arkansas. Hillary Clinton continues to work at Rose Law Firm, making her the first First Lady of Arkansas to continue working while her husband is governor.
1979 - Governor Clinton appoints her chairperson of the Rural Health Advisory Committee, whose members deal with the issue of providing health care in isolated areas.

Hillary's formal training included https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton:

Rodham then entered Yale Law School. There she served on the editorial board of the Yale Review of Law and Social Action.[37] During her second year, she worked at the Yale Child Study Center,[38] learning about new research on early childhood brain development and working as a research assistant on the seminal work, Beyond the Best Interests of the Child (1973).[39][40] She also took on cases of child abuse at Yale–New Haven Hospital[39] and volunteered at New Haven Legal Services to provide free legal advice for the poor.[38] In the summer of 1970 she was awarded a grant to work at Marian Wright Edelman's Washington Research Project, where she was assigned to Senator Walter Mondale's Subcommittee on Migratory Labor. There she researched migrant workers' problems in housing, sanitation, health and education.[41] Edelman later became a significant mentor.[42] Rodham was recruited by political advisor Anne Wexler to work on the 1970 campaign of Connecticut U.S. Senate candidate Joseph Duffey, with Rodham later crediting Wexler with providing her first job in politics.[43]

[Karmadillo]

99. List of presidents and their degrees (JFK and FDR had only a bachelor's degree).

http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/main/us-presidents-with-college-educations-from-learners-to-leaders/

An Ordered List of our President’s College Education
1. George Washington, 1789 - 1797George Washington
College Attended: College of William and Mary
Degree Earned: Surveyor's License

2. John Adams, 1797 - 1801
College Attended: Harvard University
Degrees Earned: Bachelor’s degree; Master’s degree

3. Thomas Jefferson, 1801 - 1809
College Attended: College of William and Mary
Degree Earned: Bachelor’s degree

4. James Madison, 1809 - 1817
College Attended: Princeton University
Degree Earned: Bachelor’s degree

5. James Monroe, 1817 - 1825
College Attended: College of William and Mary
Degree Earned: Bachelor’s degree

more....

[Sanity Claws]

129. Warren is a law professor, not economics

Otherwise I agree with your points.

[Sancho]

135. You are right, she is a law professor. I should clarify...

Her area of expertise was something like commerce and banking (I didn't look it up, but I remember her self-description on a TV show). I realize that a bunch of topics run together.

I think of Warren in terms of money and finance, but she technically taught finance in a law school, not purely economic theory.

I think that's one reason that formal study of modern topics gets so complex when dealing with specialized study. As far as I know, Warren has never mentioned practicing law very much, but most of her pre-Congress experience was as a professor.

[Sanity Claws]

136. My recollection is that she taught Bankruptcy

She first came to my attention when she gave numbers for the people in bankruptcy due to medical debt. (Over half of the population seeking bankruptcy protection was seeking protection from medical bills.)

[Sancho]

138. That makes sense. Maybe I'll look for a biography since it came up...

During interviews and in Congress, she is very good at clarifying the logic of various policies and laws, even when they are complex.

[Odin2005]

100. Harry Truman only had a high school diploma.

[Vinca]

102. No.

Earning a degree doesn't equal intelligence or success. Even an undergraduate degree.

[fredamae]

103. Common Sense. All the

"book learnin'", high IQ's, degrees etc in the World are Useless is you don't have common sense, imo.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

104. Thank the gods Bernie ISN'T a lawyer.

I've had enough legal parsing of language from the Clintons and other slimy politicians to last a lifetime.

We don't need more 'It depends on what the definition of is, is' people in the White House.

[JudyM]

118. Hey, no need to slam lawyers. Many, many of us are working for social justice. Nt

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

122. Notice my 'slimy' adjective modified 'politicians' and not 'lawyers'.

And even there, it's only many, not all.

My big beef is with people who use language parsing as an excuse for unethical behaviour, being careful to benefit themselves by doing everything that's 'legal' while not giving a damn about what's moral, or even just ethical.

[JudyM]

124. I share that view, absolutely.

[bkkyosemite]

105. They are old enough and have gained experience which is touted

as education and can be given credit towards an education. I think Bernie has a lot more than that degree in knowledge, experience, wisdom and commitment. It doesn't matter at this time in the game. Not at all.

[Hiraeth]

106. lawyers. all. can argue the legalities of any situation and are trained to do it. meh.

give me ethics any day.

remember ... define is.

[CTyankee]

109. Let's not forget that he comes from a generation that didn't slavishly go to school forever. they

earned the Bachelor's and set off to work. That is what Bernie did. Put that in the proper perspective with what was expected at the time.

I say this as one who went back to school to finish a Bachelor's (having to meld two different majors into one...not simple). But I kinda liked the idea of the LIberal Studies grad program at my school and I went back and got the master's. It took over 4 years but actually I loved every minute of it!

[Mike Nelson]

113. Specifically, for Bernie, no, but...

...it really does help to have an educational background in law or political science. Bernie's age and experience have given him an understanding of the political system. Typically, today's Republicans say they want someone who is not a lawyer (while blindly electing mostly lawyers). Their idea is to have an unknowledgeable and weak President, easily controlled by the ruling class. Hillary and Bernie are knowledgeable and strong candidates!

[vaberella]

119. That makes him even more qualified. He's like most average Americans.

I so far have yet to see that a law degree makes you that much better in the arena of governing. In addition, that's why there are political advisers. Not to mention, it really doesn't matter since Bernie Sanders has proven himself qualified as the best of them.

I don't believe it matters or should matter. It is someone who loves this country and wants the best for it. Everyone else he can hire to be honest. I don't see why this is made into a big deal. What has Clinton really accomplished with her advanced degree that Bernie hasn't?

[book_worm]

125. No, of course not.

[merrily]

126. No. Should it matter that Hillary advocated for invading Iraq, while Bernie advocated against? YES.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1127696

Should it matter that he leads on the right side of history, while she hangs onto the wrong side of history for far too long? YES.

[ladjf]

130. No. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in American politics. nt

[NurseJackie]

139. That's not what I've observed. His performance in the debates made that uncomfortably clear.

[MoonRiver]

134. No.

I was bothered by Walker not having a bachelor's degree, but I was bothered by everything about Walker, so that's not a perfect analogy. Anyway, if someone has a degree, it demonstrates a desire to learn and grow, so I'm fine with that. I don't support Sanders for other reasons, mainly my commitment to Hillary.

[Tom Rinaldo]

137. Yes, he should've taken more political science courses rather than serve in Congress for decades n/t

[askew]

140. No who cares? Both Sanders and Hillary are ancient and this point they probably don't even

Remember their college educations.

[Ken Burch]

147. The best response to that is...Nixon had a law degree. n/t.

[saltpoint]

156. Bam. Yes indeed. eom

[Punkingal]

148. Hell no. Harry Truman was a great president who never went to college.

[valerief]

151. Which one was smart enough to vote against the War in Iraq? nt

[saltpoint]

152. Abraham Lincoln was not a product

of a classical education apart from his own self-directed learning.

A case could be made that he did pretty well in the White House.

[Sunlei]

153. His 25 years of 'on the job' documented work in our Gov= a 25 year "degree education" IMO.

[amborin]

157. no! credentialism is out of control. Bernie is smart and principled. he's what we desperately need