Sunday, October 27, 2013

Education Does Not Equate With Smart Or Savvy

I have friends with nothing more than a high school education, if that, who I would much rather see in Washington than those who are there now.

It's because they have something too many of our politicians do not.  Common sense.  Maybe it's because they haven't been pampered throughout their lives, have worked hard to live their lives and know how to think.

Let's look at the Ted Cruz situation one more time.  I'll give him an "A" for tenacity and an "F" for common sense and thinking things through.  It's why I doubt I could support him or those who followed him in lock step for higher office.

You often hear Obama supporters praise his intelligence and insight. Here's one from his top advisor who has unprecedented privileges.  Is it because of statements like this feeding an insatiable ego?
From Valerie Jarrett,  she of questionable ethics herself,  in an article by John Fund, "I think Barack knew that he had God-given talents that were extraordinary.  He knows how smart he is...He knows how perceptive he is.  He knows what a good reader of people he is.  And he knows that he has the ability - the extraordinary, uncanny ability - to take a thousand different perspectives, digest them and make sense of them, and I think that he has never really been challenged intellectually...So what I sensed in him was not just a restless spirit but somebody with such extraordinary talents that had to be really taxed in order for him to be happy...He's been bored to death his whole life.  He's just too talented to do what ordinary people do." 
Wow.  Give him a cape, a crown and a scepter and he's good to go sit at the helm of all we mere mortals. Well, we did indeed put him there, twice.  You have no idea how close I was to losing my breakfast when I read this.  But I understand he thrives on this illusion.  What would he be without it?

His attitude, while perhaps not in as lofty terms, is held by many of his underlings in government.  They alone know.

So.  A lot of people have extraordinary talent, are smart and perceptive.  Many try to put it to good use. If he reads people well he obviously has no respect for what they think. His digestion of thousands of perspectives paralyzes him as shown by his actions toward Syria and now Iran to name two.

If he's never been challenged intellectually it's because he hasn't wanted to be, not because there was no opportunity. He's bored?  I would be too if all I did was play on someone elses money instead of doing some productive work to benefit those who put him in the position to  do so many things other than what he's doing. Is it because he's chosen to isolate himself from reality and doesn't know what to do when faced with it?

If he's too talented  and bored to do what ordinary people do, perhaps he shouldn't be President.  All that God-given ability, if he's so smart, shouldn't be wasted.  We should have peace, prosperity, secure borders, a strong private sector and fuel independence.  Surely all that talent, properly directed could have achieved this.

The Democrats say the ACA debacle is by design by our extremely clever and talented leader because the goal all along has been for single payer health care.  Why would someone so able accept a watered down version when he had the votes to push through anything he wanted? And why does that bill have 1,563 "The Secretary shall determine" in it leaving Sebelius to rewrite the bill as she so chose making much of what the President touted a lie after the fact?  How perceptive is that? Just bored perhaps. Dare we share some of his unhappiness at this point?

No.  He and so many like him are not as smart nor nearly as clever as they think.  They may have more book learnin' than the average citizen but they're no where nearly as smart. I hope.  Time will tell if we're savvy enough to not only sense what's wrong but to do something about it.

1 comment:

Margie's Musings said...

Keep in mind, Mari, that is just one person's opinion of him. Probably not his own opinion of himself. She just seems very impressed with him.

Yes, he's had some serious struggles his entire administration. It's been an uphill battle for him first of all because we Republicans have refused to work with him and have demanded impossible changes.

Most of the problems he has encountered, with the exception of the problem with the health care site, are something he inherited from the former administration.

For too long, Bush allowed Cheney to run his administration and until the last year of his second term, just abdicated that responsibility. I have read that Cheney was furious that Bush insisted on actually being the President that last year.

Some very bad decisions, two unfunded and unnecessary wars, an unfunded prescription drug bill and much lack of oversight and regulations caused the huge crash and huge deficit after the Clinton administration had the country on a good footing.

We can't blame Obama for all of that. He's just enduring the fallout from it and trying to deal with it.