American elected officials showed a shocking lack of knowledge about government, history, and basic constitutional principles in a national survey. They scored a failing grade of just 44 percent on a basic test of knowledge of our nation in a quiz by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI). Average citizens scored 49 percent. Note: many of these people scored less than a random or blind selection of answers — quite an achievement.
How did these people inherit the government formed by such geniuses as James Madison and Thomas Jefferson?” (For any elected officials reading this blog, those guys were framers who lived a long long time ago).
Thirty-one percent of the respondents could not correctly identify who we fought in World War II with some listing Britain, China, Russia, Canada, Mexico and Spain.
Some 20 percent of elected officials believe that the electoral college as established to “supervise the first televised presidential debates.”
This would certainly explain much of the failure of Congress and elected officials to defend the constitution in the last eight years. Our elected officials have clearly decided not to be burdened themselves with knowledge in learning much about the system that we are fighting around the globe to defend. After all, this is what our boys died for in their defeat of Mexico and Spain in World War II.
If it is any solace, our English cousins appear equally ill-informed on history, click here.
For the full story, click here.
Not that I usually answer, but to think I am often asked to explain my choice to neither practice nor go into politics.
There you have it.
9 of 10 of my former brethren are in it for one reason: $$$. And without the brains God gave a goat between the nine of the them.
Are we really shocked? Anthony Daniels, in his article “At Forest’s Edge,” on The New Criterion website, comments on philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset’s notion of the mass-man:
“The picture Ortega draws of the mass man is not an attractive or flattering one, but Ortega is not a snob who simply excoriates the appalling habits and tastes of those below him in the social scale. For him, mass man is the man who has no transcendent purpose in life, who lives in an eternal present moment which he wants to make pleasurable in a gross and sensual way, who thinks that ever-increasing consumption is the end of life, who goes from distraction to distraction, who is prey to absurd fashions, who never thinks deeply and who, above all, has a venomous dislike of any other way of living but his own, which he instinctively feels as a reproach. He will not recognize his betters; he is perfectly satisfied to be as he is . . . Life for mass man is not a biography, but a series of moments, each unconnected with the next, and all deprived of larger meaning or purpose.”
Can anyone think of a better description than this for our want-to-know-nothing fellow citizens and politicians.
It would be interesting to see how Shrieking Sarah Palin would do on the test. Since Hairless Joe the Plumber has said he’d like to run for Congress, he ought to take the test, too.
I think that all of us can predict how badly Bush, mercifully on his way out, would have done.
It does not surprise me that many people would fail this test. I run into the geography gap often when talking with people. Even US geography people have a hard time with. I think part of the problem is that geography and government aren’t stressed in the schools because they are usually not on the mandatory tests that the schools get graded on.
Yet another reason there should be basic competency exams for elected offices of trust.
And remember, elected office is not a right; it’s a privilege.
BTW, who administered the test and what elected officials (or what group) took it?
Regarding the general state of geographic knowledge in the US, even US geography; I bought a shirt at the airport in Milwaukee (in case you don’t know, Milwaukee is a GREAT city; visit it sometime). When wearing the shirt in the southeast, I have actually been asked, “Milwaukee–is that for the tools, or for the STATE?”
Bob.Esq.,
That would be a good idea to have a civic test for all elected officials. If you don’t pass it, the person who came in second takes over the position.
Interesting idea Rafflaw, but you are assuming the runner up will do any better. Indeed, I expect the halls of Congress would be largely empty as the nation searches for a member who knows that George Mason was a framer before a football team.
President-elect Barack Obama will consider delaying an election promise – to roll back tax cuts on high-income Americans – as part of his economic recovery strategy, a senior aide and an adviser said on Sunday.
David Axelrod, one of Obama’s closest confidants chosen to be a senior White House adviser, was asked if the tax cut could be ended later than Obama called for during the campaign. “Considerations will be made, we may just wait until the tax cuts automatically expire in 2011” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”
WOW. OBAMA HAS NOW REVERSED HIMSELF ON ALMOST EVERY SINGLE CAMPAIGN “PROMISE” HE MADE AND HE HASN’T EVEN TAKEN OFFICE YET!
Our liberal messiah is sending his daughters to a ritzy private
Michelle believes very strongly in the value of public education, mind you. Just not for her kids…
We are spending almost $14,000 per student in DC public schools. For that kind of money they have to be the best educated kids in the world, right???? Well, not really. They continue to have some of the highest drop out rates and lowest test scores. But Barack says the DC schools only need more money………and has consistantly voted against vouchers.
This study is wrong. 76% of all Americans, including our elected officials are christian and have read the bible. End of story!
Bug,
It would be nice if your claims were actually backed by fact. The suggestion that he is considering alowing the Bush tax cuts to continue is due to the horrific mess that is being left to him by that compassionate Conservative, George Bush. As to your other claim that “OBAMA HAS NOW REVERSED HIMSELF ON ALMOST EVERY SINGLE CAMPAIGN “PROMISE” HE MADE AND HE HASN’T EVEN TAKEN OFFICE YET..” is baseless. Name your source for that nonsense.
Jill,
The bible allows the reader to know the geography of the middle East during the time of Jesus, but won’t do much for current geography. But it does teach them to hate gays and to keep women as second class citizens. So in their world, as you say, everything is good.
Zogby poll of Obama voters released: November 18, 2008
UTICA, New York — Just 2% of voters who supported Barack Obama on Election Day obtained perfect or near-perfect scores on a post election test which gauged their knowledge of statements and scandals associated with the presidential tickets during the campaign, a new Zogby International telephone poll shows.
In addition to questions regarding statements and scandals associated with the campaigns, the 12-question, multiple-choice survey also included a question asking which political party controlled both houses of Congress leading up to the election — 57% of Obama voters were unable to correctly answer that Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate.
Obama voters did not fare well overall when asked to answer questions about statements or stories associated with Obama or Biden — 83% failed to correctly answer that Obama had won his first election by getting all of his opponents removed from the ballot, and 88% did not correctly associate Obama with his statement that his energy policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry. Most (56%) were also not able to correctly answer that Obama started his political career at the home of two former members of the Weather Underground.
Nearly three quarters (72%) of Obama voters did not correctly identify Biden as the candidate who had to quit a previous campaign for President because he was found to have plagiarized a speech, and nearly half (47%) did not know that Biden was the one who predicted Obama would be tested by a generated international crisis during his first six months as President.
Ninety-four percent of Obama voters correctly identified Palin as the candidate with a pregnant teenage daughter, 86% correctly identified Palin as the candidate associated with a $150,000 wardrobe purchased by her political party, and 81% chose McCain as the candidate who was unable to identify the number of houses he owned. When asked which candidate said they could “see Russia from their house,” 87% chose Palin, although the quote actually is attributed to Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey during her portrayal of Palin during the campaign. An answer of “none” or “Palin” was counted as a correct answer on the test, given that the statement was associated with a characterization of Palin.
rafflaw: I bet you were polled by Zogby….above.
bug,
I hate to disappoint you, but Zogby has not contacted me. The good news is that Zogby had alot of Obama voters to choose from for their poll. I guess you are attacking me because I actually challenged your earlier use of false information. A more useful approach would have been to bring the evidence that you weren’t talking out of both sides of your mouth earlier. You might want to try the facts for a change. You might like being on the correct side of a discussion for a change. I am still waiting for your source.
Virus, err, bug:
You are posting to the wrong thread, i.e., your posts are not relevant to the topic.
Thanks.
The test scores are more troubling than surprising. I was a decent civics/government/history student in high school and college, although I learned the most during federal LEO training because I had a great sense of responsibility knowing that others and I in the field had the ability to deprive other citizens of their civic/civil rights and privileges.
Therefore, I assumed that our Elected Officials/Public Servants would have learned the tools of their trade by applying them while helping their employer, the people; however…
rafflaw. You strike me as an ignorant obama voter.
I would like to remind you that when you get 97% of the black vote (13% of the population) and 97% of the gay vote (5% of the population) and 65% of the stupidest of the kiddie (oops, I mean “young voter) votes, you can win almost any election in America. All it means is you are indebteded to those groups beyond anything you can ever hope to pay back.
Funny how daily now we see Obama welching on everything he said in the campaign.
What a rude awakening for the stupidest of the kiddie vote.
Gaza Powder Keg Set to Explode: experts predict the end of Israel under Obama
Israel won’t sit on its hands as the Gaza threat escalates.
November 23, 2008
At least 90 rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip since the election in the United States this November 4, 2008.
According to recent analysis, terror groups in Gaza have undergone a massive buildup in training and arms, and have expanded their tunnel networks for smuggling.
One representative for the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees told the London newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that terrorists have used the tahdiyeh “to train in the abduction of [Israeli] soldiers and martial arts,” and he threatened Israel with “unpleasant surprises.”
Israeli authorities have no illusions about the tahdiyeh. They understand that Hamas is practicing the Islamic concept of sabr (patience), which permits and even recommends Muslims to suspend jihad until they are in a position of strength. As Hamas leader Khaled Mashal told one al-Jazeera journalist, “The tahdiyeh is a tactical means. It is a step within the resistance. … It is a process of ebb and flow, going up and down. This is how you run a battle.”
Hamas is now believed to have stockpiled thousands of rockets and to have trained some 20,000 fighters. It also possesses sophisticated anti-tank devices and roadside bombs to target Israeli vehicles. So, as renewed conflict draws nearer, Israel is analyzing the threat Hamas poses and evaluating three options.
Bug,
You strike me as another ignorant Neocon sore loser. You can take your spam elsewhere. Why? Because if JT doesn’t give you the boot, I’ll be glad to chew you up and spit you out. I’ve seen me do it before. You backed CRIMINALS. THEY LOST. THEY WILL PAY FOR IT. DEAL WITH IT.
I don’t give a damn if Obama doesn’t keep one promise as long as Bush and/or Cheney go to prison and the Constitution is restored.
My basis is their violation of the Constitution and the criminal conspiracy to go to war for oil based on fraudulent evidence. Go ahead. Pick that fight. You cannot win. I’ve spent the last 3 years killing trolls as a hobby. Why? Long ago I a wrote a book on persuasive speech and propaganda. Because of that experience, I understand propaganda better and am immune to it more than most. Propaganda needs to be countered when it is covering for criminal action. And I was not alone in thinking this way. Why else do you think McSame got stomped? I’ve changed 1,000 times the minds you have in addition to troll killing in uncountable numbers. I did it with no budget and no pay other than the satisfaction of seeing bad men fail. I’ve left a trail of virtual bodies from MSNBC to the Washington Post to the L.A. Times to FOX. This is my “retirement” blogspace, so to speak. I stopped waging war on you fools the instant Obama won. But if you want to just start making it personal like you did with raff just then, be aware that others here have his back. And some of us aren’t as nice as he is. So keep it factual and civil and I won’t feed you through a verbal wood chipper (again), CCM, er, Bug. Be as ignorant as you like, but act like an ass and you’ll get treated like one. Got it, Monkey Boy?
Now go on back over to FOX and play with the other mental midgets before the adults here teach you a lesson, you condescending Neocon prick.
Unless you’re stupid enough to take the bait.
I never underestimate the stupidity of trolls.
Well Said Buddha. Bug never did let us know the source of his alleged facts, but that is what you get from watching Fox News and listening to Rush Limbaugh.
rafflaw,
I did notice that when you asked for the original source of the information all you got in response was a nasty personal attack. This does not seem like a person who is capable of presenting a reasoned argument.
I loved your earlier comment on this thread and your explanation of couch “tater” habitat on the goat one! LOL.
Jill
Jill,
Thanks for your kind words. It does seem like “Bug” doesn’t want to actually have to use facts in his arguments. They just get in the way!
I’m not so concerned whether or not elected officials can pass a civics test while holding office, but whether they hold the requisite curiosity to seek appropriate facts and knowledge before making decisions that affect civic life. Even people who pass that test with flying colors are capable of making terrible mistakes.
Chris,
You may be right, but if they are unable to pass the test on basic facts, isn’t that an indication that they might not have the requisite curiosity to seek the appropriate facts that you speak of?
rafflaw and you other wacko lefty creeps:
You strike me as ignorant obama voters.
I would like to remind you that when you get 97% of the black vote (13% of the population) and 97% of the gay vote (5% of the population) and 65% of the stupidest of the kiddie (oops, I mean “young voter) votes, you can win almost any election in America. All it means is you are indebteded to those groups beyond anything you can ever hope to pay back.
Funny how daily now we see Obama welching on everything he said in the campaign.
What a rude awakening for the stupidest of the kiddie vote.
A Pardon to Remember
By GEORGE LARDNER Jr.
Published: November 22, 2008
Washington
WHEN President Bill Clinton pardoned a billionaire fugitive from justice on his last day in office, even usually loyal Democrats were dismayed. Representative Henry Waxman of California called it “bad precedent” and “an end run around the judicial process.” He said it appeared to set a double standard for the wealthy and powerful.
The billionaire was Marc Rich, a commodities trader, and his pardon is a subject of discussion again because Eric Holder, Mr. Clinton’s deputy attorney general at the time and a key figure in the clemency process, is reported to be Barack Obama’s choice for attorney general. In the years since the Rich pardon, Mr. Holder has said he “never devoted a great deal of time to this matter.” He also told an interviewer that, in hindsight, he wished that the Justice Department had been “more fully informed” about the case. As someone who helped cover the story for The Washington Post, I think the issue is far more complicated and deserves more scrutiny if Mr. Holder is to become our top law-enforcement official.
A little history first. In 1983, Marc Rich was indicted along with his partner, Pincus Green, and their companies on 65 counts of defrauding the I.R.S., mail fraud, tax evasion, racketeering, defrauding the Treasury and trading with the enemy. (The last of these was for an oil deal with Iran while it held American hostages.) On hearing that they were about to be prosecuted, they fled to Switzerland. For the next 17 years, Mr. Rich ducked extradition requests as well as attempts by federal marshals to arrest him in France, England, Finland and elsewhere.
RENAME THIS HOW ERIC HOLDER HELPED A SCUM BAG GET A PARDON FOR PERSONAL GAIN! OBAMA HAS NOW NAMED A FORMER MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF FREDDIE MAC (RAHM EMMANUAL) WHO WAS ON THE BOARD WHEN THEY WERE COOKING THE BOOKS AND A MAN (PODESTA) WHO HAS GONE ON RECORD SAYING THAT ALIENS ARE WATCHING ARE EVERY ACTIONS.
WOW.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/22/opinion/22lardner.html?_r=3
Funny how you return dumber than ever and without any facts.
You got anything else, Parrot? Or is that the best you got? If so, you are way out of the shallow end of the pool, sport. I could savage you at this point, but given your weak response, it would be like beating a child. A maladapted, socially inept and severely retarded child at that.
Look, unless you have some (1) facts and (2) some argument skills beyond ad hominem attacks (you know, what Aristotle called “the last resort of the desperate”), I suggest you move along now. Many if not most of us here have argued or still argue for a LIVING. We are TRAINED. Better than you I might add. In my case, trained by the Jesuits. Very well trained. You are out gunned and besides making yourself look dumber and dumber, you accomplish nothing but sounding like an angry loser. Oh wait, maybe that’s because you are both angry and a loser. Avoid and attack off target, avoid and attack off target . . . tell me, is it uncomfortable to have Rove’s hand up the back of your pants? Psst. Here’s a secret. You CAN’T WIN if you AVOID THE QUESTIONS. A better screen name would be “Stupid Pathetic Angry Monkey”. SPAM for short. That’s what you write and argue like – the monkey none of the other monkeys will groom. Tell me, is it hard to hear the TV over the voices in your head? Or are the RNC’s checks still clearing the bank so you’re doing busy work?
No matter. You’ve shown yourself a total tool and a complete fool.
bug
I don’t think Buddha is laughing; you seem like a sore loser!
Just for the record I find the people who are regulars here; like Buddha, Rafflaw, Jill, Patty c, FFLeo, Messpo, MASkeptic, and many more whose names I am unable to recall right at this minute (but I know them when I see them) are like our host JT: Intelligent, open, reasonable, respectful, engaging, funny, often hilarious but never mean spirited!
Buddha,
you hit the nail on the head again. CEJ was also correct that most of the regulars here are respectful to those with views different from ours, but we try to discuss the subjects with the best facts available to us. Bug is merely repeating, or to use Buddha’s word, “parroting” what he hears from Fox News and others like them. The facts are a nuisance to Fox and to its listeners.
I find the whole topic of what “everyone knows” interesting. There was a point in this country’s history where everyone had to know how to hunt, build a fire, that sort of thing. Now those are pretty esoteric fields, but everyone is expected to know how to drive a car.
When you factor in the changing technology, and astronomical increase in raw knowledge the task of deciding what the base line of knowledge for functioning in society becomes incredibly complicated. Should we all know the significance of The Magna Carta? Or is it more important to understand basic chemistry? Are those both moot next to being able to do basic home repairs?
That being said, if you’re in the business of governing you should damn well know the theory and practice of government that this country uses.
Buddha and Rafflaw,
I think you have squashed the bug!
If I may amend the record: I failed to mention Bob esq, rcampbell, Mike Spindell, Sally, Gyges and still many more; I enjoy reading your (and all those named above) comments!
One lives to be of service.
What Buddha said!
I scored a 79, missing only the stupid economic questions, which I answered correctly from the “liberal” Kugman point-of-view. I don’t worship at the Free Market altar!