Being intelligent is not a selling point when running for president. The only job in America where you would exclude Harvard and Wellesley from your resume happens to be the most important job in the country.
During this presidential race the candidates’ educational backgrounds have rarely been mentioned. The lead up to the Pennsylvania primary lasted for six weeks; and in that time I saw Hillary Clinton do a shot of Crown Royal, Barack Obama bowl 10 miserable frames, and John McCain become the Winnebago Warrior. But I didn’t once hear a single reference to intelligence or the elite schools that each attended.
For some reason Eddie Punch Clock in blue collar America doesn’t buy “smart” as a presidential credential. If you doubt that then ask yourself how Bush beat both John Kerry and Al Gore, and he can’t even fake being smart. His ability to communicate more closely resembles Dan Quayle than his own father. He even admitted that he didn’t read the news but had people update him on stories. That’s the definition of dumb, and look where dumb got us.
In the traditional sense, what sells in politics is an act. Convincing the voters that you’re just like them by taking that whiskey shot or going hunting with the media in tow is all just an act to convey a false sense of empathy. That’s why Obama was branded an elitist for stepping outside the script and making a sociological assessment of the reasoning behind people’s voting habits. Rural and blue collar Americans tend to vote based on issues of passion rather than truly life affecting issues.
These sentiments further perpetuate political bitterness. Rewarding the better actor rather than the more intelligent and “elite” candidate actually teaches candidates that deception and low road campaigning are fair paths to victory.
Pundits were speculating whether Obama would change tactics and take the low road against Clinton, that maybe he would rev up the negativity to undercut the progress she’s made with her own negative attacks. They’re implying that everything that’s been presented from Obama so far is just an act. They’re assuming that he’ll suddenly morph his personality to fit the statistics of the race. It’s understandable why they would assume this because this is what politics has become in America.
To many people the word “politician” has a negative connotation. Children don’t have the same view because the politics that they learn about is hypothetical. They learn about the job that should be rather than the job that is. To them the smarter more eloquent candidate will go on to the White House. The bitterness doesn’t set in until they actually witness a candidate use the “kitchen sink” path to victory. Then they realize that most candidates will act any role necessary and throw everything possible at their opponents to win.
This is why we’re bitter. We elect inactive actors instead of thinkers and doers. When you ask what you can do for your country, holding your politicians to a higher intellectual standard would be a good start. If everyone did that then the country might capable of answering the question of what it is it can do for you.
