Presidential IQ
One aspect of left/liberal thinking that is a pet peeve for me, especially around election time, is the notion that the more "intelligent" candidate would make the better president. There is, of course, a self-congratulatory air about this pronouncement coming from the intellegentsia, combined with a childishness in the put-down of the opponent's perceived deficits.
Let's take a look at the list of the 20th Century presidents who, by virtue of their verbal skills, academic record, or prior accomplishments, are generally agreed to have had the highest IQs:
Contrast this with an equal number of presidents derided by their contemporaries as "amiable dunces" or worse (ignore for the moment whether the scorn was fair or accurate):
Let's take a look at the list of the 20th Century presidents who, by virtue of their verbal skills, academic record, or prior accomplishments, are generally agreed to have had the highest IQs:
Clinton
Carter
Nixon
Hoover
Wilson
Taft
T. Roosevelt
GW Bush
Reagan
Ford
Eisenhower
Truman
FDR
Harding
Which list would you choose?
posted by neuroconservative at 9:56 PM
2 Comments:
An IQ is only as good as it is employed, eh?
The men in the first list were perceived to be more intellectual and sometimes people confuse that with intelligence. They're not the same.
We could have a whole 'nother discussion on emotional congruence and integrity, now couldn't we?
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