Should we demand to see the college transcripts of all presidential candidates?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

We vote for these people, so in a sense we select them and they are going through an employment selection process. So as employers should we get to see transcripts for all our presidential candidates?

I for one, am ok with that. I am not ok in singling out Obama for this. However, if this was applied to anyone seeking presidency, I would be fine with it.

What do you guys think?

[Peacetrain]

1. Oh for the love of GOD...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. what? capitalizing GOD doesn't answer my question

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. grade school.

Kindergarden
Hell, I want their preschool records!

[plcdude]

4. this is

priviledged information covered by the Buckley ammendment so if someone wants to release this information that is okay but I do not think there is any policy requiring this disclosure yet who knows what the crazies will try to get passed.

[gratuitous]

5. Sure, right after . . .

We get a full report on George W. Bush's entire tenure with the Texas Air National Guard, and a look at Bush's Yale transcripts, which were never released. If it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander, wot?

[former9thward]

20. Bush's Yale transcripts were released long ago.

http://2004.georgewbush.org/bios/yale-transcript.asp

[bigwillq]

6. I don't see why it would matter what grades they got

Even if there was some kind of disciplinary action in their permanent record, I really don't think that is too much of a big deal either. I mean, that would give us some insight into that person's character, but something that happened 20, 30 years ago I really don't think should matter too much when "applying" for a job, even if that job is President of the United States.

[spanone]

7. why stop there? i want all their employment/medical transcripts

driver's license

social security card

aarp card

costco card

his membership in the 'clean plate' club card

[Deep13]

10. Psych evalustions in particular would be extremely illuminating.

Of course, a lot of these RW assholes would have voted for Dubya knowing full well that he's a sociopath.

[VWolf]

12. Don't overestimate RW assholes n/t

[leftstreet]

8. I always wanted to see Bush Jr's arrest records

:o

[eleny]

23. Me too

[Deep13]

9. I'm all for full disclosure.

Not just academic records, but medical, psych evaluations, rap sheets, financial disclosure including conflicts of interest, military or National Guard service records--whatever.

[MineralMan]

11. I don't think it matters much.

Look at W and Obama. Their level of intelligence is clear the minute they open their mouths.

Transcripts wouldn't mean much in an election, I think. Once this got started, there'd be no end to the number of personal records people would insist on seeing. Any public records, yes. Personal records? Not so much, IMO.

[Deep13]

14. You may be right.

Kerry slaughtered Bush on national TV during that first debate. I doubt anyone really cared.

[MineralMan]

17. I think many people cared, but there's a huge block of voters

who decide who to vote for based on some very, very strange criteria. They're very unpredictable and often make the difference in Presidential elections. I doubt that they care about college transcripts, though.

[Dan]

15. I read somewhere

that W was pretty smart and articulate - until booze, drugs, and sex fried his brains. (Okay, I added the sex part ;) ).

[bullwinkle428]

24. The booze and drugs must have kicked in pretty early, because

I recall one of his business school professors that made regular appearances on one of the morning shows years back, stating pretty directly what an absolutely ignorant douchebag he though W was as a student of his.

Ah, here it is, thanks the wonderful Google!

"Sep 16, 2004 | For 25 years, Yoshi Tsurumi, one of George W. Bush's professors at Harvard Business School, was content with his green-card status as a permanent legal resident of the United States. But Bush's ascension to the presidency in 2001 prompted the Japanese native to secure his American citizenship. The reason: to be able to speak out with the full authority of citizenship about why he believes Bush lacks the character and intellect to lead the world's oldest and most powerful democracy.

"I don't remember all the students in detail unless I'm prompted by something," Tsurumi said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "But I always remember two types of students. One is the very excellent student, the type as a professor you feel honored to be working with. Someone with strong social values, compassion and intellect -- the very rare person you never forget. And then you remember students like George Bush, those who are totally the opposite.""


http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/09/16/tsurumi/

[NeoGreen]

13. I still waiting to see GWB's* DD214...

... but I'm sure I wait in vain.

[former9thward]

21. You will never see it because it did not exist.

National Guardsmen of that era did not receive a DD214 on discharge from the Guard. They received the ANG22 which was released. Normally the only DD214 they would get would be from their active duty status when they were in basic training.

[Lovette]

16. Obama does not need transscripts, All they have to do is watch this. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5m6YFBcixo&feature=player_embedded#at=10

[TayTay]

18. No.

I don't care. I liked Harry Truman, in retrospect, and he never attended college.

Truman was the only president who served after 1897 without a college degree: poor eyesight prevented him from applying to West Point (his childhood dream). When his high school buddies went off to the state university in 1901, Truman instead enrolled in a local business school, but only lasted a semester. In 1923-25 he took night courses toward a law degree at the Kansas City Law School (now the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law), but dropped out after losing his government job.<31> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S._Truman

I have known a lot of idiots who graduated from prestigious colleges. A transcript won't tell me that someone is an idiot, unfortunately.

[godai]

19. Only if you want to promote irrelevant issues.

Questions like this play into the RW approach to kneecap Obama with a million worthless 'issues'. Would anyone seriously make a Presidential voting decision based on college transcripts?

[Broderick]

22. I can say with 100% certainty, I will not run for president

might be a few too many "distractions" with my record. HAHAHA