GOP Takes Aim At Obama's Education

Politico:

Even as Barack Obama takes eight days off from the campaign trail to vacation in Hawaii, where he lived for much of his youth, the Republican National Committee is again attempting to paint the Democrat as an out-of-touch elitist, this time in a mock "Barack Obama's Hawaii Travel Guide" tweaking the Democrat for having attended an elite prep school there.

"Barack Obama's Hawaii Travel Guide," e-mailed to reporters on Friday, lists four "destinations," among them the beach locals claim is the one where Obama was photographed in his swim trunks in a shot that ran in People magazine early last year, and "Punahou School, a coeducational college preparatory day school" that Obama attended "from 1971 to 1979. The school campus covers 76 acres at the edge of the Manoa Valley."

Obama, raised by a singe mother, entered the prestigious school at age ten on a scholarship. "No one means to demean the academic successes of Barack Obama or the schools he attended," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. "The RNC and this campaign have sought to simply point out that on his Hawaii travels, there are certain landmarks reporters will likely see and this was a way to put those on the map."

Obama's elite schooling may prove a risky topic for McCain, who attended St. Stephen's, an exclusive school in Alexandria, Va., and then Episcopal High, a private boarding school in the same city, in the 1950s. The son and grandson of Navy admirals, he ended up at the Naval Academy, where, as he often reminds voters, he finished near the bottom of his graduating class.

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[KNadine]

I agree with Obama. It seems that the McCain camp takes pride in being ignorant.

[tel8034]

Would McCain and the Republicans have been happier if Obama had attended a school where EVERY CHILD IS LEFT BEHIND?

Does McCain and his camp believe that Obama should NOT have been entitled to attend a private school and get a good education?­..........­.......... Do they believe that ONLY McBush has this right?

Would they have been satisfied if Obama was not SMART enough to be awarded scholarships to attend tertiary institutions?

Is the McCain camp upset that even with the family connections which allowed McCain entrance into elite (upper class only) private instutitions and the Naval Academy, McCain always graduated at the bottom of his class?

Is McCain and his camp disgruntled because the MYTH that MONEY = BRAINS has been squashed?

IS McCain and his camp angry because the MYTH that PERSONS OF COLOR = DUMB does not hold water?

Do McCain and his camp actually FEAR persons who are SMARTER than they are?

ISN'T AMERICA READY TO HAVE A PRESIDENT OBAMA WHO IS SMART, ARTICULATE, AND WELL ROUNDED, RATHER THAN A CONTINUATION OF 4 MORE YEARS WITH A PRESIDENT WHO FAILED AT EVERYTHING DESPITE HIS FAMILY AND HIS WIFE'S CONNECTIONS?

WILL McCAIN'S CAMPAIGN STRATEGY AND OBAMA ATTACKS CONTINUE TO BE DRIVEN BY THE GREEN EYED MONSTER?

[Graywolf48]

Everyone seems to forget that the Republicans create their own reality. It's like the "Outer Limits", they control the picture, making it sharper or softening it to a dull blur. These are the people who took a real war hero, John Kerry and turned him into a traitor and a coward while transforming a coward and a deserter into a heroic Commander in Chief. They made Kerry an elite guy who "looks French". They smeared a real war hero in Georgia, Max Cleland and morphed him into a Bin Laden enabler. Senator Cleland who lost both legs in combat in Viet Nam was smeared by a draft dodger who got student and medical deferments because of "bad knees", and the draft dodger won because he was a supporter of Bush's war on terror (just so long as he didn't have to actually fight ). So McCain, an adulterer, who comes from an extremely wealthy and powerful family, was given everything on a silver platter, who owns 5 or more homes, some of which he doesn't pay taxes on, private jet, wife who charges $250,000+ on credit cards while he wears $520 loafers, will paint Obama as an elitist. And Americans will believe it because the GOP has learned to manipulate the MSM and create their own reality.

[gorideabike]

More unbeliveable GOP glop. The bottom of the class takes a shot at the top of the class. Republicans don't like education you know. Elsewhere criticisim of a vacation from the party with the most well vacationed president ever.
Did you ever get in a car wreck because you could not believe the other driver would do something that stupid?

[CalliDem]

Obama's elite schooling may prove a risky topic for McCain, who attended St. Stephen's, an exclusive school in Alexandria, Va

The difference? McCain isn't claming to be a poor disadvantaged child LOL ... neither was Obama.
More of the American Idol Myth and why BO will LOSE

[LeawoodKansas]

Obama got into top schools based on his grades. McCain went to the academy on Navy's affirmative action plan.

He then graduated and went on crash 5 planes. Now he wants to play an Admiral since he didn't do well enough in the Navy to be one.

Yes he was a POW, but that doesn't qualify him to be President anymore than someone who gets a biopsy is qualified to be a surgeon.

We have done "dumb" for the last 7 plus years and we really cannot afford to do "dumb" anymore.

[disgusted48]

mccain has been on the government dole since birth. He's been riding that train long enough. Time to get off. In addition mccain obviously, like bush got into good schools because of family status, rather than merit. All of us hard working Americans should be kind of sick of that type of stuff by now.

[barackobama4prez]

Only in america ! The wealthy elite call the ivy league educated black guy the elitist.

[RevSpaminator]

There you have it America! Even more proof that Obama advanced himself by getting a good education. Now that should make you question his ability to lead us and be a roll model for the nation.

After eight years of the American people buying Rove's snake oil, it is good to see the GOP grasping at straws. :)

[millertime]

Only the GOP are dumb enough to attack a candidate for being smart....I'd prefer a smart elitist over a stupid one....I'll take this elitist over Capt. Dipshit any day....

[Nonamnesiac]

Only in America can a priviliged guy who gets into a war college because of his family connections and graduates 894th out of a class of 899 (John McCain) -- Mc Cain might be the stupidest graduate of war college in US history -- put out an ad attacking a lower middle class guy who got into top-notch academic institutions on the basis of his own brilliance and hard work (Obama).

Are Americans really going to elect someone who might be the stupidest graduate, and definitely is one of the stupidest graduates, of war college in US history as opposed to a clear genius?

[cunuck]

Yes.....

[Nonamnesiac]

I actually think you're right. The guy nearly flunked war in war college so the American electorate feel comfortable with him conducting wars. Racism really sucks.

[laragale]

uhhhm wasn't McCain born with a silver spoon up his butt and didn't he go to an expensive private boarding school - and I am certain, judging from how he speaks and missteps, that he was NOT on scholarship....in fact I am willing to bet Daddy paid to get McBush through in any way possible....

[SEQUOIABISON]

Is this the best they got against our man, bring it on.

[vernonbc]

"vacation in Hawaii, where he lived for much of his youth"

Not surprising he lived there for much of his youth - he was BORN there.

[biglover]

And his grandmother lives there - how about wanting to see the woman who raised him as a child who is getting way on in years. Plus he is not the president yet and is entitled to a vacation regardless of where he goes. We have a sitting president who has taken more vacation time than any president in history and where is the putz now - in China acting like the ignorant fool that he is.

These people are despicable.

[08politicaljunkie]

What parent doesn't want his/her child to attend the best schools available to their means in accordance to their child's capabilities? Isn't that why real estate listings rate the property's school system? Isn't that why "schools of choice" are so popular in the US? Isn't that why many parents pay TUITION for their children's elementary and high school education instead of risking their child's true potential, free-thinking, and (today) safety in an underfunded and overpopulated public school?

Stanley Ann Dunham Obama did well for her son. And good for Barack for taking full advantage of education and not fooling around or goofing off like so many of us did.

While his education and academic merits do not portray him as an elitist, they do paint him as smart.

[alphax]

McCain born in the well know 51st state "The Panama Canal"?
McCain graduated 894th out of 899 students at Naval Accademy.

Hmmm!

[eden4barack08]

And technically, McC is not born on US soil.

[Tommygun264]

How dare that colored fella get all edumucated at that fancy school, takin' the place of what coulda gone to a fine white child! Time was when people like him knew their place in this here world.

[biglover]

Yeah - how dare he get so uppity?

[tel8034]

And why would Obama want to be POTUS when he knows that McCain needs another gardner/handyman at his MANY MANSIONS?