I know that there is a lot that I can discuss concerning the education policies and philosophies of certain Republican candidates, but I would rather talk about candidates own sense of education and what it will mean for their chances of being elected. Most of us are now used to the outlandish claims and statements made by many of the Republican candidates and many of us can see that their seemingly crazy statements are meant to appeal to a certain proportion of the population, but there are some statements they make that go beyond the realm of usefulness and ultimately draw questions to the candidate's basic education or intelligence. Most of the larger names in the Republican race have made such statements. Earlier this year, Herman Cain confused the Declaration of Independence with the Constitution, Tim Pawlenty confused Iraq with Iran, Michele Bachmann confused Massachusetts with New Hampshire, and Sarah Palin stated that the purpose of Paul Revere's ride was to "warn the British". Although this all happened a while ago, I want to bring it to notice again, since earlier this week, Rick Perry claimed that the original Tea Party members in the 1770's wore disguises to escape persecution for opposing unfair taxes rather than to hide their identities from authorities that would be investigating their blatant act of vandalism.
Although all of the candidates made some pretty ridiculous errors, it seems that both Cain and Perry have slightly better reasons than the other candidates for their mistakes since they both fell prey to a failed attempt at spin. Cain wanted to come across as a moderate candidate and show that unlike the other Republican candidates, he did not want to alter the Constitution, even though he was displeased with America's current situation, but could not find the necessary quote in the Constitution to back up his statement, so he borrowed it from the Declaration of Independence. Similarly, Perry wanted to gain the support of the Tea Party by showing that the Tea Party had come a long way and did not have to hide itself any longer because Rick Perry would be their spokesperson and help them fight against unfair taxes (I guess?), and had to alter a bit of history to make that statement.
I think that these seemingly uneducated statements will definitely hinder each of the candidates chances at being elected, since most Americans look up to the President and would want to have a President that they can trust and respect, and education and wisdom definitely things that are necessary for one to gain a population' trust and respect. Also, since the President is seen as a representative and spokesperson of America, I think that most American's would want a President that they can be proud of, rather than someone who's apparent lack of education would bring them shame and ridicule from the international community. This is just my opinion and I may be exaggerating the situation. Will the wisdom and education of these Republican candidates actually harm or effect in any way their chances of being elected as President?
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As Lexi later posted, citizens of the U.S. are becoming less and less knowledgeable about the history of this country. I think to the informed voters, this will make a difference; however, to the uninformed voters, they will simply rally behind their candidate and claim that they were right and maybe falsify evidence to prove so (I think that this could end up being similar to the Obama citizenship question). Additionally, I do not think that there are enough educated voters. I also think that although not the exact same as all of your other examples, that Michele Bachmann's claim that the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation should also be included. Most of all, I believe that these show how desperate all of these candidates are to win that they will say almost anything to prove a point.
Many of the Republican candidates are manipulating history to go along with their beliefs. I do not think that in the long run,this will do them any good because the more educated will realize their errors in history and not trust their beliefs on important issues. It will lead the Republican Party as a whole to be considered less trustworthy because their top candidates do not know United States History or Current Events or where a state is in the country that they are trying to be president in.
I think there is also something to be said about the very nature of the GOP candidate’s inaccurate claims. Spin is nothing new to society, and spin in politics is as old as campaigning itself. However, I feel that in times past, there existed a certain reverence and persevering quality in truly articulate spin. Spin was an art form, such as when Bush cleverly asserted that Kerry “voted to cut defense spending” immediately after a terrorist attack, when in fact the “terrorist attack” in question was in 1993. Spin had a certain elegance and sophistication to it; it was almost commendable for it’s both subtle and profound impact, if one was willing to ignore the calculating slander behind such claims. Spin today though, is in a sad state of disarray. Perhaps I am mistaken, and it is just this congregation of GOP candidates, but their approaches to spin have been more than pathetic. Perry’s attempt to manipulate historical facts surrounding the original Tea Party, while perhaps harmless, was still astounding in its sheer inaccuracy. And Bachmann’s numerous factual mistakes are almost unacceptable at this point. If a candidate is willing to lie, at least do it well; otherwise, you’re simply making a fool of yourself.
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