dumbing down the candidates

[earendel]

So President Bush made jokes about being a "C" student at Harvard and gets laughs. Now John McCain is joking about being 5th from the bottom at Annapolis. So what gives? Are we now going for the dumber of the candidates? Or is this a deliberate attempt to try and identify with Joe Sixpack by being "one of you"?

[kusch]

So President Bush made jokes about being a "C" student at Harvard and gets laughs. Now John McCain is joking about being 5th from the bottom at Annapolis. So what gives? Are we now going for the dumber of the candidates? Or is this a deliberate attempt to try and identify with Joe Sixpack by being "one of you"?

I think that would be Hillary talking about going to Harvard--she lies you know.

I believe Bush went to Yale.

[peacock2121]

Everybody lies.

Some just do bigger lies more publically.

[ne1410s]

I believe Bush went to Yale.

I think Daddy got Dubya into both Yale and Harvard. He was well known in school as a back seater. Wish he had stayed there...

[peacock2121]

I believe Bush went to Yale.

I think Daddy got Dubya into both Yale and Harvard. He was well known in school as a back seater. Wish he had stayed there...

In the back seat or at Yale?

[ne1410s]

In the back seat or at Yale?

The back seat at Harvard Business School. Drunk and asleep.

[Bob Juch]

So President Bush made jokes about being a "C" student at Harvard and gets laughs. Now John McCain is joking about being 5th from the bottom at Annapolis. So what gives? Are we now going for the dumber of the candidates? Or is this a deliberate attempt to try and identify with Joe Sixpack by being "one of you"?

At least UT's law school had enough sense to reject Bush.

[Jeemie]

I personally believe there's a danger in a presidential candidate being either too dumb OR too smart!

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

So President Bush made jokes about being a "C" student at Harvard and gets laughs. Now John McCain is joking about being 5th from the bottom at Annapolis. So what gives? Are we now going for the dumber of the candidates? Or is this a deliberate attempt to try and identify with Joe Sixpack by being "one of you"?

So do you think that's why Obama bowled the bad game? He was a good student and needed to show the American People that he was bad at something to get votes?

[earendel]

So President Bush made jokes about being a "C" student at Harvard and gets laughs. Now John McCain is joking about being 5th from the bottom at Annapolis. So what gives? Are we now going for the dumber of the candidates? Or is this a deliberate attempt to try and identify with Joe Sixpack by being "one of you"?

So do you think that's why Obama bowled the bad game? He was a good student and needed to show the American People that he was bad at something to get votes?

I hadn't thought of that, but in this context it makes sense.

[peacock2121]

So President Bush made jokes about being a "C" student at Harvard and gets laughs. Now John McCain is joking about being 5th from the bottom at Annapolis. So what gives? Are we now going for the dumber of the candidates? Or is this a deliberate attempt to try and identify with Joe Sixpack by being "one of you"?

So do you think that's why Obama bowled the bad game? He was a good student and needed to show the American People that he was bad at something to get votes?

I think he bowled the bad game because he is just plain bad at bowling.

I think he bowled because his staff thought it would be a good idea to show a chink in his armor. And maybe to show he could laugh at himself. And stand others laughing at him.

[andrewjackson]

GW Bush:

BA in history at Yale in 1968
MBA at Harvard in 1975

[VAdame]

I posted my "Dumb McCain" story way back in January:

viewtopic.php?p=29019&highlight=#29019

Kinda reads Urban-Legendish, but the facts of the USS Forrestal fire are true.

Depends on how you interpret McCain's actions -- was he a Courageous Soldier who "volunteered to transfer to the USS Orinsky", or was he "and idiot who 'demanded' to see the combat he was promised"?

[AnnieCamaro]

I posted my "Dumb McCain" story way back in January:

viewtopic.php?p=29019&highlight=#29019

Kinda reads Urban-Legendish, but the facts of the USS Forrestal fire are true.

Depends on how you interpret McCain's actions -- was he a Courageous Soldier who "volunteered to transfer to the USS Orinsky", or was he "and idiot who 'demanded' to see the combat he was promised"?

To me, it sounds as if he was an ambitious Naval Academy graduate who wanted a military career as a pilot.

Anybody who wants to consider that "an idiot" has led a far safer life, but I doubt if he's been as successful in the long run.

[VAdame]

Well, the "idiot" designation was used by a fellow sailor on the Forrestal. And I don't know how his life turned out (other than going back to port for repairs, and having a cousin who belongs to my Astronomy club!)

[silvercamaro]

Well, the "idiot" designation was used by a fellow sailor on the Forrestal. And I don't know how his life turned out (other than going back to port for repairs, and having a cousin who belongs to my Astronomy club!)

It's really me this time. I'm back on my own computer.

I'm not putting down the person who made the statement, but I think he has a far different point of view than McCain would have had at that time. As the son of an admiral and the grandson of an admiral, McCain knew what he would have to do to meet family expectations. Any pilot wants to fly. A military pilot who hopes to move up through the ranks knows he'll have a better chance at promotions if he flies combat missions. McCain probably considered getting transferred to the other ship as his only acceptable option.

[ne1410s]

Kinda reads Urban-Legendish, but the facts of the USS Forrestal fire are true.

Yes, true. (As far as the Forrestal fire.) The ship I was stationed on in WestPac was the USS Chemung a fleet oiler that was sent to refuel the Forrestal after the disaster. The ship returned to Subic Bay, PI., and I came aboard on Christmas Eve 1967. Pilots are meant to fly and McCain was a pilot. I think what he requested and got was extremely brave. It just takes one golden bullet/missile to change a life.

[Bob Juch]

Kinda reads Urban-Legendish, but the facts of the USS Forrestal fire are true.

Yes, true. (As far as the Forrestal fire.) The ship I was stationed on in WestPac was the USS Chemung a fleet oiler that was sent to refuel the Forrestal after the disaster. The ship returned to Subic Bay, PI., and I came aboard on Christmas Eve 1967. Pilots are meant to fly and McCain was a pilot. I think what he requested and got was extremely brave. It just takes one golden bullet/missile to change a life.

Just remember the saying,"There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold, pilots." McCain has bent that rule a bit.

[VAdame]

The way it was told to me -- and remember, I'm getting it 2nd or 3rd-hand from Herb, who was not there -- is that McCain was the only guy on the Forrestal who volunteered for/demanded a transfer.

Everyone else was (supposedly) pretty content to head for the Philippines for repairs because they didn't particularly want to be in the Gulf of Tonkin in the first place.

I have no idea how much is true and how much has been embellished over the years! Like I said, it's got an Urban Legendish quality by now.

[SportsFan68]

Darn it -- this shoulda happened, but dint. The Kinsley referred to wrote this and several more entries as a satire on the real diaries.

"A moment I've been dreading. George brought his n'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida; the one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."

From the REAGAN DIARIES------entry dated May 17, 1986.