Walker not having a college degree is going to crush him in crucial swing areas

[TJ in Oregon]

Less than 40% of Americans even have degrees as is; this type of thing would be a non-issue to most. People who would find this an issue probably wouldn't have voted for Walker in the first place.

Shouldn't the President be an extraordinary person though?  It's a really important job, an average person should never be President. 

The question is whether the person has the qualifications and skills needed to be President.  A college degree is not necessary, you just want a person to have gained knowledge and experience some other way.

Exactly. The qualifications for president are not the same as an entry level position at in IBanking firm.

I would imagine serving as Governor of Wisconsin for six years is satisfactory experience to not disqualify him.

[Mr. Illini]

If Walker's the nominee the swing areas will be places like Arizona and they won't be crucial.

[pbrower2a]

It hurts him only if he tries to play up resentments toward educated people.

[Cory]

Shouldn't the President be an extraordinary person though?  It's a really important job, an average person should never be President. 

The question is whether the person has the qualifications and skills needed to be President.  A college degree is not necessary, you just want a person to have gained knowledge and experience some other way.

The thing is going to College doesn't make anyone "extraordinary" and being elected & re-elected (recall) Governor in a swing state probably means you're not an "average person" either.

This issue will literally affect nothing and I don't see why anyone thought to make a deal about it begin with.

[bedstuy]

Shouldn't the President be an extraordinary person though?  It's a really important job, an average person should never be President. 

The question is whether the person has the qualifications and skills needed to be President.  A college degree is not necessary, you just want a person to have gained knowledge and experience some other way.

The thing is going to College doesn't make anyone "extraordinary" and being elected & re-elected (recall) Governor in a swing state probably means you're not an "average person" either.

This issue will literally affect nothing and I don't see why anyone thought to make a deal about it begin with.

The thing is that doesn't follow logically from what I said at all.  My point was in response to a previous statement that it doesn't matter because a good portion of the adult population has not graduated college.  The average person's resume is irrelevant to the President's qualifications because the President is by definition one of the most elite jobs in the United States.

As to your point, I don't agree that being governor is an automatic qualification to be President.   Sarah Palin was a governor.  Scott Walker just seems like a career political hack.  Maybe he's really knowledgeable, thoughtful and intelligent.  I'm no expert on Scott Walker, but being governor of Wisconsin isn't all you need to know about his background to judge him.

[MurrayBannerman]

Shouldn't the President be an extraordinary person though?  It's a really important job, an average person should never be President. 

The question is whether the person has the qualifications and skills needed to be President.  A college degree is not necessary, you just want a person to have gained knowledge and experience some other way.

The thing is going to College doesn't make anyone "extraordinary" and being elected & re-elected (recall) Governor in a swing state probably means you're not an "average person" either.

This issue will literally affect nothing and I don't see why anyone thought to make a deal about it begin with.

The thing is that doesn't follow logically from what I said at all.  My point was in response to a previous statement that it doesn't matter because a good portion of the adult population has not graduated college.  The average person's resume is irrelevant to the President's qualifications because the President is by definition one of the most elite jobs in the United States.

As to your point, I don't agree that being governor is an automatic qualification to be President.   Sarah Palin was a governor.  Scott Walker just seems like a career political hack.  Maybe he's really knowledgeable, thoughtful and intelligent.  I'm no expert on Scott Walker, but being governor of Wisconsin isn't all you need to know about his background to judge him.

That's where the whole swing state stipulation comes into play. Sarah Palin wouldn't have gotten elected to a state with a self-respecting sense of political awareness.

[TJ in Oregon]

As to your point, I don't agree that being governor is an automatic qualification to be President.   Sarah Palin was a governor.  Scott Walker just seems like a career political hack.  Maybe he's really knowledgeable, thoughtful and intelligent.  I'm no expert on Scott Walker, but being governor of Wisconsin isn't all you need to know about his background to judge him.

Sarah Palin's problem wasn't her resume, it was that her "job interview" was a total disaster. On paper without opening her mouth, she appeared reasonably qualified. I'm not saying being a governor automatically makes one qualified to be president, but it's sufficient reason to not throw out the resume before an interview.

[bedstuy]

As to your point, I don't agree that being governor is an automatic qualification to be President.   Sarah Palin was a governor.  Scott Walker just seems like a career political hack.  Maybe he's really knowledgeable, thoughtful and intelligent.  I'm no expert on Scott Walker, but being governor of Wisconsin isn't all you need to know about his background to judge him.

Sarah Palin's problem wasn't her resume, it was that her "job interview" was a total disaster. On paper without opening her mouth, she appeared reasonably qualified. I'm not saying being a governor automatically makes one qualified to be president, but it's sufficient reason to not throw out the resume before an interview.

I'm not saying that Scott Walker is unqualified.  I'm saying that I don't have enough evidence from his national level persona to say that he's qualified.  Scott Walker just seems like a boring, run of the mine, political hack to me.  I'm open to being convinced otherwise, but his mere position as governor isn't by far enough.   

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Mark Zuckerberg technically doesn't have a college degree either. And the situation as to why he doesn't is actually kind of similar to Walker's.

For all of Walker's problems and issues he has and the stuff bedstuy is touching on, it's kind of absurd for anyone to think this would be an issue. He's a pretty awful candidate and this ranks near the bottom of the list of reasons why.

[JRP1994]

Hurt him somewhat? Possibly.

Crush him? No.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Jesus didn't have a college degree.

[Bull Moose Base]

Jesus didn't have a college degree.

He also wasn't over 35. Being president is just a higher bar.  

[Cranberry]

No.

[Indy Texas]

Mark Zuckerberg technically doesn't have a college degree either. And the situation as to why he doesn't is actually kind of similar to Walker's.

For all of Walker's problems and issues he has and the stuff bedstuy is touching on, it's kind of absurd for anyone to think this would be an issue. He's a pretty awful candidate and this ranks near the bottom of the list of reasons why.

Zuck dropped out to found one of the most transformative, significant companies in modern history.

Walker dropped out to take a rather unremarkable sales job of the sort that he could have easily gotten elsewhere had he just waited a semester and finished his degree. In a way, it's oddly similar to the CADD saga.

[H. Ross Peron]

No.

[SteveRogers]

The only way I can see it becoming an issue is if he makes Perry-level gaffes in the debates. Then the lack of a degree would be fair game for the comedians and pundits.

But no, I don't see it being a major problem for him.

[Cory]

Zuck dropped out to found one of the most transformative, significant companies in modern history.

Pffft.

[Likely Voter]

How could this ever be used politically? None of his opponents would ever attack him over it in an ad or in a debate. That would backfire in a big way. It really would only hurt him if it fit into a larger narrative about him being stupid, but there is no such narrative (at least for now).

[Matty]

There is absolutely a narrative. We have a major party in this country that has a base of rural folks who did not go to college, and believe that the earth is 6000 years old. Walker just feeds that stereotype.

[mencken]

This is hilarious in light of how the 2016 election turned out.

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

why would you necro this topic?

[Fuzzy Bear]

This is hilarious in light of how the 2016 election turned out.

I hope Scott Walker disappears off the political landscape and stays gone.