Rick Santorum: "College is for snobs"

reply to post by captainnotsoobvious

Yeah, why would anyone care what a Presidential candidate front-runner, for one of the two American parties of note, says, on the eve of one of his biggest primaries to date?

It's good to know the most concerning issue about presidential hopefuls is whether or not they think 'someone is a snob'.

Here people were worrying about economic and foreign policies to elect our leaders.

Man, people are dumb...

reply to post by boncho


If you actually look at what he said, he said: Obama is a snob AND Obama wants you to go to college so you'll be like him. If you're like Obama, because you go to college, you are a ...

want me to type it...?

reply to post by captainnotsoobvious


He is talking out of his ass. It doesn't change the context of the rhetoric. This isn't about his view, he is trying to cut up Obama (and failing). He is saying that Obama doesn't appreciate trade workers, or skillsets that don't require college. Just because he is educated means nothing. He is trying to say that even though he is educated, he respects people who don't need higher education.

Of course, his tact is terrible and as I said he left himself open to be taken out of context. It doesn't change the fact that this is a complete non-issue.

"There are good, decent men and women who go out and work hard every day, and put their skills to test, that aren't taught by some liberal college professor trying to indoctrinate them. Oh, I understand why he (Obama) wants you to go to college. He wants to remake you in his image."

Seriously, Santorum just said the other day that the US was attacked because terrorists hate the country's "freedom and opportunity".

It's not hard to discredit Santorum, just ask him to speak about a serious subject.

reply to post by boncho


I completely agree with this entire post. Santorum is an idiot.

I am so looking forward to the time when I can not care about anything Mr frothy mix has to say. These buffoons are the best the GOP has to offer? I think I'll just stay home in November.

reply to post by DaTroof


Almost everything you see has a graphic design major behind it. Every cereal box to ketchup packages, billboards to coffee mugs. It would be a pretty bland world without them.

I am not one, but I was just pointing out that that wasn't the best example.

That said.. there are a lot of kids going into pointless careers. It's a trend that started in the 90's I think when people were confident about jobs and could do whatever they wanted, but the trend continued while the jobs did not.

reply to post by DaTroof


Designers make everything that you seen around you. They are crucial to society. All forms of art is crucial to a successful society.

Education as snobbery.

Better to be a snob than a Neanderthal or troglodyte.

What is hilarious is that Santorum is college educated, but his target audience eat it up and love him for such comments.

The anti-intellectualism that runs rampant and passes for a political platform in this nation is astounding and sickening...

Originally posted by captainnotsoobvious
reply to post by lewman

 

The fact is the whole GOP is a piece of #. They are all too aware of their dwindling prospects. These ARE their best candidates.

Get your head around that.

I have to disagree. I think that the smartest of potential GOP candidates took a look at the party, how far it had moved to the right, the utter batsh*& crazy base and decided to sit 2012 out in hopes of sanity being restored by 2016. I mean you have folks like Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and others actually calling on the GOP Nominees to stop spouting crazy, hateful nonsense.

I do agree that what we have in the 2012 GOP line-up is a near historically unprecedented bunch of BSers and extremists. The fact that they are in a bubble, going from one far-right conservative rally to the next for months on end, just kind of eggs them on. By the time these nominees recover from thier far right hang-over and pivot to a general election, they will be wondering WTF happened to all those people that cheered everytime the talked about bombing Iran with a smile or how the President hates America.

reply to post by madhatr137


Quite simple. Santorum can't pander to the educated, because they recognize his lies. That leaves the uneducated to pander to. I get that. The only problem with his thinking is that most Americans without a college degree are still very sharp folks, and not-for-nothing, but they work damn hard in hopes of sending thier kids to college. Santorum seems to have missed that bit.

reply to post by Indigo5


The point you're missing is that these are the best candidates the party can field BECAUSE the party has to please the mainstream conservatives and the tea party clowns and the evangelical Christians.

The people you reference, like Jeb Bush will never please either the radical evangelicals or the tea partiers.

The best candidates for the party are the ones that can get the party members to vote, by definition. Jeb Bush is in that context, not a strong candidate on those terms.

Originally posted by captainnotsoobvious
reply to post by Indigo5

 

The point you're missing is that these are the best candidates the party can field BECAUSE the party has to please the mainstream conservatives and the tea party clowns and the evangelical Christians.

The people you reference, like Jeb Bush will never please either the radical evangelicals or the tea partiers.

The best candidates for the party are the ones that can get the party members to vote, by definition. Jeb Bush is in that context, not a strong candidate on those terms.

edit on 28-2-2012 by captainnotsoobvious because: (no reason given)

We agree. I was thinking in terms of they wouldn't run because the party is to far too the right and you are proposing they couldn't run because the party is too far to the right.

I think both are true. Romney makes for an interesting case study relative to those questions, since he started relatively moderate, moved over to the far-right to try and satisfy the now extremist base, remains the likely front-runner and has suffered greatly in the process losing credibility with both the far-right base and the moderate independants.

I have said it before, what the GOP did to successfully capitalize on the frustration and fear when the economy was in free fall, the appeal to the extremists in thier party, is the very thing that has crippled them now that the free fall is over and a modicum of sanity has returned.

reply to post by Indigo5


Very true, plus their propaganda squad which so successfully attacked Clinton in 94 has completely lost control of their viral messages (birtherism/communism) and that's made the party basically unmanageable.

reply to post by captainnotsoobvious


Nice Headline! Too bad Santorum didn't say that. He was spot in when you look at everything that he said.

Our nation is suffering from a skilled labor shortage. Simple. These jobs are critical to everyday function on so many levels in our nation. Yet, the academic elite continue to spout off the rhetoric that everyone needs college and deserves college.

I was steered into college by my family and guidance counselors. I wish I could go back and change that. I'd be much happier as a master Electrician/Plumber/Carpenter with my own thriving business right now. I would not miss the corporate politics at all.

The die hard academics find solace in their utopian world named Academia. In their world, you are inadequate if you have not earned at least two Masters and a PhD. By the time they enter the real world they are 30 years old and helpless. What's next? They run back to Academia seeking solace once again to teach, assist, hang out and shape the minds of our nation's young people because they are incapable of thinking for themselves.

I watch the debates and follow the primaries...but what a silly thing to say...well...let me rephrase that...what a poorly worded position.

I agree to a point. We do need to let younger people know that skilled trades is an acceptable and respectable living. You don't "have" to go to college to be a success. Being a carpenter, plumber, welder, etc...is a fine way to make a good living doing things that are always going to need to be done...

Now...that being said...when Santorum called the POTUS a snob because he said everyone should go to college...that is not what the POTUS actually said...he said we should advance our education in college, tech/trade schools, apprenticeships, etc...which is spot on...if you are not constantly teaching and improving yourself...you will fall behind your peers and...competitors...that was not "snobbery"...that was plain truth.

Santorum looked kinda silly by saying this though since he has a degree...in arts no less!

But I guess this was no more silly than saying JFK's speech made him want to puke...

The dude has frequent brain farts and freezes I guess...

Originally posted by jibeho
reply to post by captainnotsoobvious

 

Nice Headline! Too bad Santorum didn't say that. He was spot in when you look at everything that he said.

Our nation is suffering from a skilled labor shortage. Simple. These jobs are critical to everyday function on so many levels in our nation. Yet, the academic elite continue to spout off the rhetoric that everyone needs college and deserves college.

I was steered into college by my family and guidance counselors. I wish I could go back and change that. I'd be much happier as a master Electrician/Plumber/Carpenter with my own thriving business right now. I would not miss the corporate politics at all.

The die hard academics find solace in their utopian world named Academia. In their world, you are inadequate if you have not earned at least two Masters and a PhD. By the time they enter the real world they are 30 years old and helpless. What's next? They run back to Academia seeking solace once again to teach, assist, hang out and shape the minds of our nation's young people because they are incapable of thinking for themselves.

You're on the money. I wish more people realized what you are saying.

We are an educated family: I have a doctorate (EdD), and my husband has a PhD and is a college professor. You should hear him talk about how much of a scam college has become. So we both have lots of education, BUT we have realized that the playing field is changing.

We have one son who will most definitely go to college, based upon his strengths and skills. But we have another son who just might do better without college. I've thought about how successful he might be as a plumber, or something along those lines. He's very bright, good with his hands, and a people person--but he doesn't enjoy book-work. I think he'd be an asset to a trade profession, and could out earn BOTH me and his father! But I fear that if he went to college, he would see it as a big party, and wouldn't get anything out of it.

We have GOT to stop telling EVERYONE that their best path is college. It may not be. Right now, for example, we have an over-supply of college graduates--that is why they are having such a hard time in the job market.

I am not a Santorum groupie, but I completely understand what he meant. It IS an elitist "snobbish" attitude to think that everyone must go to college to be successful.

I went to a conference one time and the speaker really made an impression on me. He said that our current educational system is failing America...it's designed as if we are training everyone to be college professors. When I thought about it, I agreed he was exactly right. What we NEED to do is start training people to DO things. I WANT my plumber and my electrician to be REALLY SMART and skilled, don't you?

It's time for a paradigm shift in America about college. I think we're on the cusp of it. 10 years ago if you suggested that I wouldn't INSIST that both of my kids go to college, I'd have said you were crazy.

reply to post by captainnotsoobvious


whoooooweee I dune agree with Rick Santorni we ain't need no book learning! Goin' to dem colleages turns them kids in soft fruity soft non NASCAR watchin' wimps.

REALLY? getting a higher education is a BAD thing Rickyboy?

So now wanting a good education for your children is "snobbish". Obama (and Bush before him btw) said they want that everyone has the OPPORTUNITY to go to college...which is a good thing as statistics clearly show college educated citizens suffered less during the crisis, suffer from lower unemployment, and generally earn higher wages.

But I get his point...he clearly doesn't like people to get educated enough to realize what nonsense he's spewing from his mouth.

What a clown

And sooooooo shortly after spitting on the constitution by demanding the separation of church and state gets removed.

If he wins, Obama will laugh is ass off...because it's going to be sooooooooooo easy to use that clown as a punching bag during the run up to the election

Originally posted by jibeho
reply to post by captainnotsoobvious

 

Nice Headline! Too bad Santorum didn't say that. He was spot in when you look at everything that he said.

Our nation is suffering from a skilled labor shortage.

Our nation is suffering from an honesty shortage..

He said exactly that and worse...Need Transcripts?

abcnews.go.com...

Better yet..see his interview with Glenn Beck, two nut jobs, same disease.

www.cbsnews.com...

reply to post by Indigo5


I read the transcripts. He is pandering to strict (nutty?) conservatives, and to religious people and anyone who is in a trade.

He made an ass of himself yes, but his thoughts on post secondary education was just filled with liberal bashing, where he made himself out to be some kind of victim during his schooling.

The guy is a complete moron. I'm not a Democrat or a Republican, but I can spot someone playing partisan politics, And that is exactly what Santorum tried to do in the interview. What he says means little of anything, because he is talking out of his ass anyway.

It's nothing of consequence.

How about the next time he is on a show, someone asks him important or relevant questions.



ie:

What can we do to fix the educational system?
etc, etc, etc....