- Gore's
Dubious School Record
- Author:
By JENNIFER C. BRACERAS
Date: 09/07/2000 Page: A15 Section: Op-Ed
-
JENNIFER C. BRACERAS
Jennifer C. Braceras is an attorney and research fellow at Harvard
Law School. Her column appears regularly in the Globe.
When will the
liberal media stop treating left-wing ideology as a proxy for intelligence?
For months the press has questioned the intellect of Republican candidate
George W. Bush, while describing Al Gore as "serious," "intellectual"
- even "wonkish."
The basis for
the media's unfair attacks on Bush's intelligence is his 30-year-old
Yale College transcript (purloined last fall and published by The
New Yorker). Yet The Washington Post's subsequent revelation of Gore's
unimpressive academic record has done little to alter the media's
false portrayal of Gore as "the smartest kid in the class."
It is a record that is worth reviewing, if only to debunk the myth
of Gore as a serious student.
Gore's undergraduate
transcript from Harvard is riddled with C's, including a C-minus in
introductory economics, a D in one science course, and a C-plus in
another. "In his sophomore year at Harvard," the Post reported,
"Gore's grades were lower than any semester recorded on Bush's
transcript from Yale." Moreover, Gore's graduate school record
- consistently glossed over by the press - is nothing short of shameful.
In 1971, Gore enrolled in Vanderbilt Divinity School where, according
to Bill Turque, author of "Inventing Al Gore," he received
F's in five of the eight classes he took over the course of three
semesters. Not surprisingly, Gore did not receive a degree from the
divinity school. Nor did Gore graduate from Vanderbilt Law School,
where he enrolled for a brief time and received his fair share of
C's. (Bush went on to earn an MBA from Harvard).
But whereas the
liberal press has described Bush's college days as a time of misspent
youth, media accounts of Gore's undergraduate years are grossly fawning.
(The New York Times: "As Mr. Bush was frolicking around Yale,
a young man named Al Gore was studying at Harvard"; "Harvard
nurtured the part of [Gore] that is in love with the world of ideas."
The New Republic: "At Harvard, Gore set himself formidable intellectual
challenges.")
And then there
is the laughable October issue of Psychology Today. As part of a cover
story entitled, "Gore and Bush on the Couch," the magazine
reports the results of a spurious "analysis" of 10 of the
candidates speeches and/or interviews. The authors claim that the
study "verifies" the popular stereotype that "Bush
is not as deep a thinker as Gore."
Two pages later,
readers will be shocked - shocked! - to learn that the magazine's
(no doubt scientific) study of the candidates' facial gestures reveals
that Gore is the "more serious, constrained, controlled, weighty,
ponderous, [and] dominant of the two candidates." More ponderous,
perhaps . . . but, please, spare me the pop psychology.
Biased reporters,
however, are not the only ones to blame. Indeed, the vice president
himself has cultivated this genius persona (one of many). Thus, he
did not correct PBS News anchor Gwen Ifill when she referred to him
as a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School. Even more significant was
the line in Gore's convention acceptance speech in which he stated,
"I know my own imperfections. I know that sometimes people say
I'm too serious, that I talk too much substance and policy."
Poor Al, he's just too smart for the job.
Of course, the
stereotyping of conservative candidates as dumb and liberal candidates
as "brilliant" is nothing new. During the 1950s, the media
lionized Democrat Adlai Stevenson as an intellectual, while ridiculing
Republican Dwight Eisenhower as an ineffectual simpleton. Back then,
the members of the press knew full well that Stevenson attended Harvard
Law School and, yet, had not received a degree. But the media gave
Stevenson a pass. (Sound familiar?) Had resourceful journalists investigated,
they might have learned (as we now know from Stevenson's biographer
John Bartlow Martin) that Harvard Law School Dean Erwin Griswold had
hidden Stevenson's transcript in a locked cabinet in his office. What
was he hiding? Stevenson, the so-called "thinking man's candidate,"
had, in fact, flunked out of Harvard Law.
In the end, neither
intellect nor academic performance is an especially important criterion
by which to judge our presidents. Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman were
no scholars, but they rank among the best presidents in our country's
history. And what about many liberals' favorite president - Franklin
Roosevelt? Social, popular, and famously unserious as an undergraduate
at Harvard, FDR had an undistinguished academic record. Yet, later
in life, Roosevelt's charisma and his ability to persuade, compromise,
and lead helped him to become a "reformer with results."
This election
is not an I.Q. test; it is about which candidate has better judgment.
And that is why, despite the media's love affair with the celluloid
image of Al Gore the policy-wonk, it is the affable, authentic, and
sensible Bush who would make the better leader.
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