Obama's intellectual equal

[Ⓐnarchy in the ☭☭☭P!]

All of the above are dumb enough to be Obama's intellectual equal.

Ron Paul is Obama's intellectual superior.

[Torie]

Romney, and maybe Jeb.  Not sure about Christie; I don't know him well enough yet. That is it. Sarah Palin?  

[Lincoln Republican]

None of those, so I voted 'other'.

None of those?  Then which potential 2012 Republican nominee is Obama's intellectual equal, in your view?  Or do you believe there are none at all? 

[Lincoln Republican]

BYU isn't pedestrian?  It's a school that is disproportionately Mormon.  It'd be like me arguing that Liberty isn't a pedestrian school or Ave Maria law school isn't pedestrian.  In fact, I'd say BYU is on the same level in terms of undergrad programs as Ave Maria law school.

Top third isn't particularly impressive.  The guy had no accomplishment either to go with law school as far as we know with moot court and law review or any type of journal.  I'll retract if I'm mistaken.  Has Romney even passed the bar?  I suspect he's the type who wouldn't do well on the exam considering that he's not capable of giving one answer at a time.

I don't take MBAs seriously after George W. Bush.

Only a joke like redcommander actually thinks Lisa Murkowski is more intelligent than Joe Miller.  Murkowski really is one of the dumbest people left in the US Senate and that's saying something.  Ever wonder why she failed a fairly uncomplicated bar exam four times and why she graduated from a fourth-tier law school?  Keep in mind that she could only get into a fourth-tier law school despite the fact that her dad was a Senator.  I think you'd look really hard to find someone who went to worse grad school that Murkowski in terms of children of Senators.

By far most of the posters in this thread disagree with you about Romney's intellectual prowess, but you are of course entitled to your view.

[anvi]

To be honest, I don't think anybody on that list is Obama's intellectual equal.  But I don't think that will matter a whole lot in 2012.  As Drew Westen says: "in the battle for hearts and minds, if you don't win the heart first, the mind won't follow."

[opebo]

None of those, so I voted 'other'.

None of those?  Then which potential 2012 Republican nominee is Obama's intellectual equal, in your view?  Or do you believe there are none at all? 

I can't think of any.  Really it is, to all appearances, not a very intelligent field - I'm not saying it is impossible to be intelligent and be right-wing, but it is impossible to be intelligent and believe what they claim about it.  So, being the front-man of oppression certainly at least makes one appear stupid.

It is different in Thailand, where the Right is an earlier and better sort of right, and doesn't shy away from simply stating things like 'the elite knows best', 'the lower classes should know their place', etc.  But the neo-liberals in the USA make the intellectually repugnant Horatio-Alger claim, and thus, by selling stupidity, appear stupid.

[angus]

Ron Paul.

Of those you listed, I think Romney, Christie, and Gingrich.

The thing is, we don't really have any announced GOP candidates yet.  At this point four years ago, John McCain had already filed his declaration paperwork and Barrack Obama was already on the campaign trail and was publicly recruiting operatives for his campaign.  Apparently Palin, Huckabee, and Gingrich will all be in Iowa over the next two weeks, but they seem to be off to a later start than last time.  The Values Voter Summit straw poll chose Pence, but he is considering running for Governor of Indiana and hasn't made any decisions yet.  Maybe it's good that we're not in permanent campaign mode.  Or maybe no one wants to be perceived as front runner.  In any case, none of those people you listed are running for President, so it doesn't matter.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Daniels and Paul are both intellectually superior to Obama.

[redcommander]

BYU isn't pedestrian?  It's a school that is disproportionately Mormon.  It'd be like me arguing that Liberty isn't a pedestrian school or Ave Maria law school isn't pedestrian.  In fact, I'd say BYU is on the same level in terms of undergrad programs as Ave Maria law school.

Top third isn't particularly impressive.  The guy had no accomplishment either to go with law school as far as we know with moot court and law review or any type of journal.  I'll retract if I'm mistaken.  Has Romney even passed the bar?  I suspect he's the type who wouldn't do well on the exam considering that he's not capable of giving one answer at a time.

I don't take MBAs seriously after George W. Bush.

Only a joke like redcommander actually thinks Lisa Murkowski is more intelligent than Joe Miller.  Murkowski really is one of the dumbest people left in the US Senate and that's saying something.  Ever wonder why she failed a fairly uncomplicated bar exam four times and why she graduated from a fourth-tier law school?  Keep in mind that she could only get into a fourth-tier law school despite the fact that her dad was a Senator.  I think you'd look really hard to find someone who went to worse grad school that Murkowski in terms of children of Senators.

I didn't suggest Murkowski was a genius. They are both dumb, Miller is just dumber.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Most of these Republicans are retards. Of course Obama isn't exactly a super genius, either. Anyways, Romney is probably the most similar.

[Rowan]

Probably Daniels.

[Marokai Backbeat]

This thread is bizarre. None of that list is Obama's intellectual equal, not right now, at least. Maybe if you got them in a room somewhere and asked them to stop acting like idiots for a camera, you could get them to be much more reasonable and intelligent, but so long as they are mired in right-wing rhetoric like "NO APOLOGIES: THE CASE FOR AMERICAN GREATNESS" or "OBAMA IS A SOCIALIST AND ANTI-COLONIAL" they come across as complete dumbasses and just need a misspelled shoddily-made sign to complete the package.

Not that this country requires being smart to be electable. If the last half century has proven anything it's likely the exact opposite.

[fezzyfestoon]

I'd say Romney and Gingrich are the most intelligent in the group.

[California8429]

Ron Paul may be smart, but if you put the two of them in a debate Ron Paul would exit as a whinny old man while Obama would completly evade the questions, act calm, and be declared the winner

[Yelnoc]

This thread is bizarre. None of that list is Obama's intellectual equal, not right now, at least. Maybe if you got them in a room somewhere and asked them to stop acting like idiots for a camera, you could get them to be much more reasonable and intelligent, but so long as they are mired in right-wing rhetoric like "NO APOLOGIES: THE CASE FOR AMERICAN GREATNESS" or "OBAMA IS A SOCIALIST AND ANTI-COLONIAL" they come across as complete dumbasses and just need a misspelled shoddily-made sign to complete the package.

Not that this country requires being smart to be electable. If the last half century has proven anything it's likely the exact opposite.

Even Daniels?

[feeblepizza]

I picked the stupidest person on the list (Romney).