# An Ignorant American Leader For The Unknowing Masses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 6, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789 "2000-03-06T21:56:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2000, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789/41 "2000-03-19T16:42:00Z")
Incidentally, to any Al Gore fans who were hoping their man could make a big issue of George W. Bush’s alleged intellectual deficiencies… don’t hold your breath! have you seen Al’s harvard transcripts? His grades have been revealed, and you know what? Al’s grades were no better than George’s- and in many cases, they were worse! Now, I don’t expect ANY liberal to vote for George as a result of this new information. I just hope that liberals will acknowledge what’s been obvious to the rest of us for some time: Al Gore is no intellectual! Just because he’s pompous and arrogant, it doesn’t follow that he’s smart! Actually, the IQ issue may work to G.W’s advantage, because he never CLAIMED to be an Einstein- just a capable administrator with a gift for working well with legislators! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2000, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789/42 "2000-03-19T20:55:00Z")
> [@](#): > > What NONE of them can honestly claim is that hunger and starvation are widespread in ANY part of the United States. The federal report in question indicated that 5% of Texas households had “suffered from hunger” from 1996-1998. That doesn’t strike me as a claim that “hunger and starvation are widespread” in Texas or anywhere else. It does strike me that you are guilty of what you blame these hunger sites and others of doing, which is distorting the facts. Your point also turns on a slippery definition; what does “widespread” mean? I’m sure there are plenty of people who, when asked if one out of twenty was “widespread,” would say yes. And there are many who would say no. MHO? In a country as wealthy as the United States, there is little or no excuse for anyone to “suffer from hunger.” ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2000, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789/43 "2000-03-20T00:56:00Z")
WARNING! ANTI-BUSH ALERT! WARNING! [www.salon.com/comics/tomo/2000/03/13/tomo/index.html](http://www.salon.com/comics/tomo/2000/03/13/tomo/index.html) (The resemblance, in that cartoon, between Dubya and Alfred E. Neuman is deliberate.) * * * When all else fails, ask Cecil. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789/44 "2000-03-20T02:31:00Z")
[You bet it is.](http://www.salon.com/comics/tomo/2000/02/07/tomo/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2000, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789/45 "2000-03-21T03:41:00Z")
I read Tom Tomorrow every week. That’s how I knew the resemblance was deliberate. * * * When all else fails, ask Cecil. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2000, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789/46 "2000-03-21T03:45:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Freedom: > **They are both morons. > They are both leading candidates for president.** So you agree with the Canadians? * * * When all else fails, ask Cecil. ---
**Author:** ![Breckinshire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@Breckinshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breckinshire)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2000, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789/47 "2000-03-21T03:46:00Z")
Didn’t you know? Every president is issued a “yearbook” with all the names, ages, and addresses of all the other world’s leaders. Even the little Russian splinter countries with names composed entirely of consonants. This yearbook ensures that even ordinary folks like me could be president. Oh, what a world it could be! * * * _A hush fell over the courtroom, killing six._ ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2000, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789/48 "2000-03-23T02:21:00Z")
If we’re going to pretend that this is a debate… RTFirefly: > [@](#): > > Of course, he doesn’t seem to know much about Texas - like, to the extent that hunger’s still a problem in America, Texas is one of the leading states where it’s a problem. –and– > [@](#): > > He’s now a ‘reformer with results’ who’s taking credit for reforms that were passed in Texas by overriding his vetoes. What’s this guy’s candidacy about, I keep wondering. Is there any ‘there’ there? Cite? I’m not singling you out or picking on you RT (I wouldn’t do that to ya! :)), just illustrating that assertions need to be backed up with more than, well, assertions. _ **ExTank** _ _An’ that goes fer the rest of ya’s, too!_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-ignorant-american-leader-for-the-unknowing-masses/17789.md?page=2)