OPINION:
Some people have speculated that the shrouding of President Obama’s academic past (college transcripts, term papers, etc.) hides evidence of his hatred for America’s history, traditions and Constitution. While this is certainly possible, I believe there is a much simpler reason and it relates to the mainstream media’s myth of the intelligence of the left versus the ignorance and provincialism of the right.
When Bill Clinton was president, the media loved to mention how smart he was. They actually had a form of objective proof of his intelligence: Mr. Clinton had been a Rhodes scholar. The media frequently referred to this lest we be tempted to forget how smart he is.
I believe that if similar proof of Mr. Obama’s scholarliness existed, it would be referenced ad nauseam by the mainstream media for the same reason. Records like his SAT score, class rank, merit-based scholarships earned, etc., would be constantly mentioned until they were burned into our collective national consciousness.
When George W. Bush was running against John Kerry, the media attempted to discredit Mr. Bush because his SAT score was “only” 1205 and his grades at Yale University were unremarkable. But Mr. Kerry’s grades were worse. From that point on, we didn’t hear much about the SAT scores of either candidate because the evidence did not fit the myth.
I think the reason we have not seen Mr. Obama’s college papers or transcripts is simple: They probably don’t give evidence of the stunning intellect his supporters always carry on about.
The mainstream media are probably complicit in the cover-up because the evidence does not fit their story line.
JOSEPH D. REIMERS
Orange, Texas
Please read our comment policy before commenting.