Sure, I suppose there is a sizable chunk of voters out in Washington’s 4th Congressional District who fully understand that Rep. “Doc” Hastings isn’t really a doctor, but despite persistent claims on his resume that he attended both Central Washington University and Columbia Basin College, it turns out Hastings isn’t even a college graduate, a biographical tidbit the local news media apparently never thought relevant, but which screamed out to Jimmy at McCranium after reading news accounts of a commencement speech Hastings recently gave at CWU:
“I remember the winter,” said Hastings. “It got to 23 below in Ellensburg one day — and that alone could be reason enough to leave college. But, no in reality my grades were less than stellar and I chose to leave school after the fall quarter. I ended up in California for several years, where I met my wife, before returning to Pasco to run our family business.”
Yeah, nothing makes one prouder of the four years of hard work and thousands of dollars of student loans one just spent earning a college diploma than a commencement speech given by a US Congressman without one. But then, I guess you can forgive the folks at CWU for choosing a college dropout as their commencement speaker when Hastings has done such a masterful job of obscuring his lack of a formal education.
(Hastings opponent, George Fearing, by the way, has a BA in Business Administration from Walla Walla University and is a graduate of the University of Washington Law School. Fucking elitist.)
It is interesting to note that all six of WA’s House Democrats have earned post-graduate degrees (McDermott and Baird can even claim to be actual “doctors”) while Cathy McMorris-Rodgers is the academic superstar of the Republican delegation, earning a four-year BA from an unaccredited Christian college and an EMBA from the UW. For his part, Dave Reichert has a two-year AA degree from a small Christian college (at least it’s accredited) and… well… that’s it. (By comparison, Darcy Burner has a degree in computer science and economics from some podunk school called “Harvard” or something.)
Not to be an academic snob or anything, but well, I am, and while I’d be the last to claim that a prestigious degree or even a college education is a prerequisite for success in life, it does tell you something about the person… something Hastings went to lengths to hide in his earlier runs for Congress. So you’d think the local media might have remarked on Hastings’ remarkable lack of education… but apparently, they were just as uncurious as he was.
Goldy–
Yup, educated guys like you and will are real successes aren’t you…
Begging for Donations??
You confuse a certificate for success.
Success is not seeking handouts.
Bill Gates didn’t earn an undergraduate degree, and he also gives commencement addresses.
Yes and now we see why the ass-licking republicans hate education so much – they don’t have any!
Might be worth looking at “Doc’s” resume to make sure he never claimed to graduate. That’s a crime in Washington – padding your resume that is.
As for success CynCyn – you’re one to talk. As the chief janitor in the sex-offender unit at McNeil Island, you didn’t amount to much now did you?
George Bush is a Harvard MBA. Bill Gates is a college dropout. Abraham Lincoln’s formal education consisted of about 18 months of schooling. John Edwards, a man who cheated on his terminally ill cancer-patient wife, graduated with honors.
An EMBA (Executive Masters of Business Administration) has little in common with a Real MBA.
A Real MBA is earned through hard work. An Executive MBA is a fake degree that managers get to try to put themselves on the same level as a Real MBA. You get an Executive MBA by reading a couple of books and sending in three boxtops.
Education has the same thing in the fake Doctorate known as an EdD.
Look, I’ve got an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree from accredited state universities. Both of my parents had college degrees, but they had to work hard for them, and they were the only ones in their families to have them (until my generation).
But I’d be the last person to say that having a college education makes you a better person than one who doesn’t. I won’t even say it makes you smarter – those of us with extensive experience with other people in college (usually roommates) know that’s not true. What it does is make you better – educated.
But education does have its advantages, especially among those who would be our leaders. A proper higher education in the liberal arts helps one to challenge assumptions, learn to think critically, and to be able to spot B.S. when someone is attempting to use it to make a point. A further education in the basics of science, math, and/or engineering helps one quickly grasp the details of technology (again, avoiding the B.S. factor). Finally, a law degree is usefull in helping one to craft meaningful legislation and avoid some legislative pitfalls.
In other words, it’s a job credential, but not necessarily a job requirement.
Oh, and as far as Bush’s MBA degree – that’s an example of three forces at work: (a) George H.W. Bush’s degree of influence, which allowed his son to get admitted as a graduate student to his alma-matter despite lackluster grades as an undergraduate; and (b) the difference between Harvard Business School (an extended networking seminar for the children of the nation’s business elite) and the other schools at that university, and (c) once in, the tendency at Harvard is for those so inclined to float through to graduation – unless they really, really screw up.
You hear that central Washington voters? A liberal Seattle Jew is telling you that he knows what’s best for you, and that you should elect the person with the highest education, for they are the smartest people on earth. I don’t think that’s true, do you, central Washington voters?
@7 It’s hard to tell which bothers you the most – a person being educated, being a liberal, living in Seattle or being a Jew. All of the above?
@8, Steve, being an educated, liberal, Seattle Jew myself, none of those things bother me. Now let me ask you a direct question.
Do you believe David Goldstein knows what’s best for Central Washington? I don’t think he does. I think Central Washington voters know what’s best for Central Washington voters.
What do you think?
Troll @9,
I don’t believe I know what’s best for Central Washington voters. But I do believe that these voters should have all the facts at their disposal, so that they can judge the candidates for themselves.
“Doc” Hastings is not a doctor. He’s a college dropout. And voters have a right to know this in evaluating his qualifications for office. Because perhaps, you know, his intellectual mediocrity might help explain his rather undistinguished career in Congress thus far.
I’m just sayin’.
Troll spews:
“John Edwards, a man who cheated on his terminally ill cancer-patient wife, graduated with honors.”
Actually, this Edwards story is far from over.
Edwards, the Chronic Liar, now wants us to believe he knew nothing about the payoffs to his girlfriend& the guy who is saying the kid is his.
Sorry John Edwards…no one believes you
LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR!
Of course the LEFTIST PINHEADS will try to have us believe this is all about sex….rather than lying, tax implications, illegal use of campaign funds etc.
Goldy..
And John Edwards is a college grad with a LAW DEGREE!
Education is important…
But integrity & honesty are more important.
Cheating on a terminally ill wife is about as low as one can get…don’t you think?
@9 What do I think? I think that you’re a goatfucking, commie-fascist traitor. That aside, I think it’s hilarious how, when you have no rebuttal to what Goldy writes, you resort to making shit up, such as this Goldy “knows what’s best” crap.
But education does have its advantages, especially among those who would be our leaders.
——————–
It certainly provided Bill Clinton, George Bush and John Edwards with critical thinking skills at key points in their lives!
@12 There’s only one known wife-cheater presently running for president. His name is John McCain. He did it when the poor gal was down and out. Please share your outrage with us.
@15
I would, but this isn’t an open thread, and I want to respect this blog by staying on-topic.
Cynical @ 12 said: “Cheating on a terminally ill wife is about as low as one can get …don’t you think?”
Uh, at the time (2006), Edward’s wife didn’t have terminal cancer. She was in remission from a previous bout from cancer, and didn’t have a recurrence until the following year (2007). Not that that excuses adultery, but let’s keep our facts straight.
Like the fact that Republican Presidential candidate and nominee-apparant John McCain cheated on, and dumped his wife after she was injured in a car accident while raising their family while he was imprisoned in Vietnam, in favor of an attractive and wealthy beer heiress.
Of the fact that the former Republican Speaker of the House (and Republican spokes-person on TV) informed his wife that he was divorcing her while she was on her hospital bed recovering from cancer surgery. And don’t forget that he later cheated on his second wife with a younger staffer, even while publically castigating Bill Clinton and calling for his removal from office for Clinton’s “inexcusable” immorality in having a sexual dalliance with an White House intern. Gingrich later divorced his second wife and married the younger staffer.
And yes, Cynical frequently (usually?) tries to drive these forums off-topic.
Some have graduate degrees and then they are bad people! So education is meaningless!
=
Some people eat then they murder. Therefore, food is meaningless, who needs it?
Fact: all over the world people strive to get an education. They beg borow and steal. And in general you do better in life.
Why even most religious folks and preachers strive to get education and religious degrees!
So all this right wing argument that education is meaningless is just crap.
It’s the kind of knee jerky stupid right wing crap that you spew when you don’t have an education or when you think your audience is so stupid they’ll buy your demagogic rant.
Hey Central Washington — education is dumb you know! Listen to these city slickers put it down! Let’s elect the most uneducated person!! And then everyone — drop out!
I’m more troubled by the fact that Hastings dropped out of school after only one quarter, with poor grades.
The first quarter of college just isn’t that hard – most students manage to survive it while still partying every weekend and lots of other distractions (fraternity rush, football games, meeting new roommates/dorm mates, chasing members of the opposite sex, etc.). Those who still get VERY bad grades get put on academic probation, and still have another quarter, at least, to improve their grades before getting kicked out of school.
It sounds to me like Hastings spent the ENTIRE first quarter partying, probably missing classes while he lay in bed recovering from hangovers. It happens to some people when they first get out on their own, free from parental supervision. Most straighten up after the first couple of weeks, but some don’t.
My guess is that after Hasting’s parents saw his first report card they informed him that they weren’t going to continue to pay for such conduct, and he was left on his own. Not willing to work and go to school at the same time to pay for his education, he just quit school, never to return. Not exactly a “driven” type of personality, wouldn’t you say?
Exactly!
At the state level the Democrats have at least a few Phd’s, Lisa Brown and Derek Kilmer in the senate come to mind.
@1
Hastings has neither.
Troll (the knuckle dragger)@ 16 said:
@15
“I would, but this isn’t an open thread, and I want to respect this blog by staying on-topic.”
but also said @4
“John Edwards, a man who cheated on his terminally ill cancer-patient wife, graduated with honors.”
Looks like you’re already treating as an open thread there, mr. bloody knuckles. So, just another case of rethug situational ethics? No surprise, really, since you’re an admitted troll. So, feel free to tell us why mcsame’s marital indiscretions should be overlooked.
@7. I think we central Washington voters know Doc pretty well. In every voters guide, we are reminded that he is not a doctor. Partisan voting and apathy keeps him in. Sorry to say, but in this day and age, I think George Fearing would run a stronger campaign if he went negative. There’s just so much material.
OK, it seems like this thread is sorta-kinda about pondering the question of whether it’s more important for our leaders to be intelligent and well-educated, or merely decent and honest.
Meanwhile, it seems that at least in the last couple of decades, the Republican Party has generally offered up candidates for office who are neither.
@24
This is By Design. The reason that people like Doc Hastings and Dave Reichert are in our Legislature is because the people who tell them what bills to pass know that they aren’t intelligent enough to know how indecent and dishonest they’re being.
I don’t think that Goldy’s perjorative use of the term “Christian college” is appropriate. The issue with Cathy McMorris and Pensacola Christian College is that institution’s decision not to seek accreditation by the regional accrediting organization that all reputable educational institutions belong to. There are numerous colleges and universities that are sponsored by a Christian denomination which are regionally accredited — probably far more that are, than are not regionally accredited.
(I assume Pensacola Christian College does not seek regional accreditation primarily because they suck academically, and not because of any principled reason. The institutions founded by Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson are all regionally accredited, for example, and are within the broadly acceptable bounds of academic legitimacy.)
That being said, Dave Reichert’s degree is from a reputable and accredited institution. Reichert needs to be denigrated for his relatively meager educational qualifications (only a two year degree, in a delegation that is 2/3 accredited four year degree, and 7/9 overall four year degree). I don’t think it is appropriate to denigrate Reichert because his accredited degree is from a “Christian college”.
We might as well knock Christine Gregoire, because her law degree is from a “Christian college” — Gonzaga University, which happens to be run by the “Society of Jesus”. While the folks at Pensacola Christian College probably do not consider the “Society of Jesus” to be a “Christian” organization, most people (especially Roman Catholics) would certainly consider the Jesuits to be “Christian”.
For that matter, wasn’t Harvard founded as a “Christian college”? They still have the theological seminary, which was the original faculty that was founded nearly four centuries ago. The same thing can be said about Columbia, although it was founded by the Anglicans, instead of the Puritans.
Take matters to the extreme, and you can talk up John McCain — who at least graduated from a secular government college (U.S. Naval Academy), even if he was 894 out of 899. Beats the hell out of Barack Obama, an outstanding honors graduate, who unfortunately got his degrees from two “Christian colleges” — Columbia and Harvard.
@26
Good point.
John McCain – who cheated on his wife when she lay disfigured in hospital due to a car crash – has a degree from the Naval Academy.
I have a doctorate degree and was a research assistant at U of W and WWU.
The most meaningful education doesn’t come from a school. For instance, I would take Dave Reichert’s years of experience over a new AA graduate in police sciences any day.
I have a friend who graduated from Cornell’s MBA program and then lost his family business that was sucessful for 4 generations by making “improvements” based on what he learned in college.
Richard (Dick) Hastings has better than an MBA from running his business.
The better question’s are:
Is Dave representing his district (NO).
Which Washington does Dick Hastings care about?
He was bail manger for a bill last year that stopped accelerated AMT recovery for the State of Washington’s high tech entrepenures, and opposed making the sales tax deduction permanent. Thank a lot Dick.
I think Dick Hastings needs new glasses.
As head of the house ethics panel he didn’t find much to investigate, did he?
You expect anyone from eastern Washington to have an education? (sound of rabbit chewing on straw stalk)
Hmmmm…it appears that some posters here (including some of the trolls) would seek to imply that all Washington State citizens who reside east of the Pacific Rim Trail are akin to some former denizens of Hayden Lake, ID. Probably not entirely accurate.
Art @ 31: No, a good friend of mine in graduate school was from Omak. Very sharp fellow, and suprisingly comopolitan considering his background. Between undergrad and grad school, spent a year on a student-exchange program in France, then spent a summer back-packing around the U.S. (we were surprised to discover he ate at the same student hangout where I had learned to cook and tend bar, even though it was about 2,800 miles away). Married a 2nd-Generation Japanese, and introduced me to expresso long before it became a fad here. But he knew right away when somebody was trying to pass off low-grade wheat as higher-grade wheat.
Interesting that you do not comment on your Mayor’s lack of college education. Hizzonner — Mayor Nickels has no formal education after H.S.
33 He doesn’t appear to have learned a hell of a lot on the job, either.
@34 My favorite moment – Mr. Mayor grinning from ear to ear as he announces that the city has folded on the Sonics case.
Now now Wodger, there are many of us over here in the Far East who have considerable edumacation. Hell we have five university campuses here in Spokompton, if you count the UW funded state technology research institute among the other four. But, i believe da trollop made our point for us: all this spewing about merit pay and teacher raises tied to test scores, and standards for graduation–all these essentially mean nothing if it is perfectly legitimate to fake one’s resume and “well, education doesn’t really matter” (as long as you are Republican).
@30
Rabbit
“You expect anyone from eastern Washington to have an education? (sound of rabbit chewing on straw stalk)”
This statement is insulting to the many Eastern Washington residents on the Great Eastside. Those of us on the Eastside provide support to the State’s economy and welfare, most of which goes to those of you on the Westside, which you are apparently are ignorant about. There is a great way of life over here, a life that many of you highly educated web footed Westsider’s find enjoyable on any given weekend.
As for education, I have a degree, as do most of my friends, several of which have masters and PhD’s (yes, it takes an education to manage a wilderness). We can read, write, look at issues with an open mind, while enjoying the great quality if life we have here, until the yuppie group on the Westside comes over here and find fault in what great living is all about.
Lighten up some on your comments. If you want to attack an individual, that’s okay. But when you express your arrogance about all people living in a region, you show yourself as someone of lesser intelligence, and someone not worthy of acknowledgement
This guy Doc Hastings has been a small town Republican suck up to Tom Delay. Of course he doesnt have any education. For the numb nuts who want to point out of the many people with and w/o degrees, who cares. None of them mentioned lied about their education. Thats the difference.
This guy Doc Hastings has been a small town Republican suck up to Tom Delay. Of course he doesnt have any education. For the numb nuts who want to point out all of the many people with and w/o degrees, who cares. None of them mentioned lied about their education. Thats the difference.
Steve in Seattle. Nice point!! My gripe with Hastings is exactly due to his lack of interest on Ethic’s i.e. Tom delay, etc. And as mentioned tax reform here in WA State
Dear TrollBoy,
You seem to have a truck load of issues and dont seem to offer much to the conversation. Dont go away mad, just go away. No one can debate your vision of your world.
Mr. Cynical
Just curious?
Are you and Troll Boy related or the same person with similar split personalities?
We are all wondering? Cant figure who is the larger ass?
. ArtFart spews:
Hmmmm…it appears that some posters here (including some of the trolls) would seek to imply that all Washington State citizens who reside east of the Pacific Rim Trail are akin to some former denizens of Hayden Lake, ID. Probably not entirely accurate.
You are right. Troll Boy hasnt a clue. This isnt about Seattle or Spokane or who is better educated or whether it has any relevance to how we live our lives. Troll Boy does act like he is from Hayden Lake. Maybe after he takes his med’s he will calm dowm. ??
@12: Cynical idiot:
Cheating on an …ill wife is as low as you can get”
Like John McCain did to his disabled wife (who waited for him while he was a POW) , in order to meet Cindy and divorce his wife for a younger and richer woman?
I have not seen cynical criticize McCain for that yet…..but then do I really expect cynical to be anything more than a hypocritical partisan right wingnut?
I’ll answer that – NO.
Richard “Doc” Hastings made his living before Congress selling janitorial supplies in Pasco. If that qualifies him to represent E.WA., so be it. The voters get who they vote for and “Doc” has been representing them in the State House and Congress for a long, long time.