Would You Elect the World's Smartest Person Over McCain and Obama?

[Panther]

Still waiting for a pic. Hard to answer the poll question based on insufficient data.

 

[Edify_Always_In_All_Ways]

Have a pic?

Google Image Result for http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/world/0609/gallery.famous.genius/super.Marilyn-vos-Savant-(P.jpg

Google Image Result for http://www.ratpackstlouis.com/VosSavant2.jpg

Palin is jealous- even if you think she's hotter, I'll take a smart yet pretty woman over a brainless beauty queen any day.

 

[jfuh]

Intelligence has little to nothing to do with how "good" a politician will be, which is of course entirely subjective based on who you are.

To me, intelligence is more like a basic threshold that a candidate needs to surpass. Beyond that, it doesn't particularly matter.

Just where is that threshold and just how many candidates have met that threshold?

 

[RightinNYC]

Just where is that threshold and just how many candidates have met that threshold?

Ability to have an intelligent discussion about at least a few topics, ability to understand what they're being taught by their advisors. That's pretty much it in terms of straight intelligence type stuff. Most of the rest is more EQ-ish.

I think every one of the major candidates from the primaries through the election passes that threshold, though Palin and Huckabee barely scrape by. Biden and McCain pass that threshold by a significant margin, though I'm not convinced that either of them is exceptionally smart. Obama is very intelligent.

Again, this is all IMO.

 

[jfuh]

Ability to have an intelligent discussion about at least a few topics, ability to understand what they're being taught by their advisors. That's pretty much it in terms of straight intelligence type stuff. Most of the rest is more EQ-ish.

I'd prefer that not only they be able to understand but I'd also want them to have the curiosity to find out the nit and gritty devil in the details - a curiosity for knowledge I think is fundamentally key in any leader.
Secondly I'd also want the threshold to include the ability to come up with their own intelligent ideas/strategies of dealing with many of the major issues.

I think every one of the major candidates from the primaries through the election passes that threshold, though Palin and Huckabee barely scrape by. Biden and McCain pass that threshold by a significant margin, though I'm not convinced that either of them is exceptionally smart. Obama is very intelligent.

Again, this is all IMO.

IMO; On the republican side, all the ones that flat out rejected evolution when called on I would not say pass this threshold.
Palin most deffinetely doesn't even come close to this threshold - it seems not only is she completely ignorant, but doesn't even display a desire nor curiosity to figure anything out.
On the Dem's side Kucinich is classic hippy intellectual wannabe.

 

[RightinNYC]

I'd prefer that not only they be able to understand but I'd also want them to have the curiosity to find out the nit and gritty devil in the details - a curiosity for knowledge I think is fundamentally key in any leader.
Secondly I'd also want the threshold to include the ability to come up with their own intelligent ideas/strategies of dealing with many of the major issues.

For the most part, I don't think any politician is intelligent enough on any one particular topic to come up with some brilliant strategy on a topic. That's why they have advisers on every conceivable issue. When it comes to economics, who do you want coming up with the plan - Obama or Goolsbee?

 

[jfuh]

For the most part, I don't think any politician is intelligent enough on any one particular topic to come up with some brilliant strategy on a topic. That's why they have advisers on every conceivable issue. When it comes to economics, who do you want coming up with the plan - Obama or Goolsbee?

That's not a really fair comparison; of course without any doubt I'd want Goolsbee to come up with the plan.
What I' was going at is that the candidate be intelligent to actually be able to come up with a workable strategy with some tweaks and corrections.
Even Goolsbee himself would need to seek some advisers to verify his theories.

 

[Panther]

Palin is jealous- even if you think she's hotter, I'll take a smart yet pretty woman over a brainless beauty queen any day.

ewwww. Palin is definitely hotter.

However, any idea how smart Stephanie Herseth or Nicole Parra is? Obama's got a chance to get my vote if he swaps Biden for one of those.

 

[Ikari]

Sure, why not. It's hard to imagine how it could be worse that Obama or McCain.

 

[ronpaulvoter]

Marylyn Vos Savant would clearly eclipse Obama or McCain, although she would fall short of Ron Paul.

Obama and McCain are both fairly intelligent, but both are seriously lacking in common sense, especially in the economics department. In addition, they have both proven themselves to be bull-headed and unwilling to admit they are wrong and accept logical corrections to their misinformed ideas.

Savant, on the other hand, being highly intelligent, would be willing to accept corrections to wrong ideas a great deal more readily.

I had the opportunity to ask Savant a few questions on a local radio talk show several years ago, and she demonstrated that she understood free market economics and the need for limitations in government very well--the fundamentals that we must have to keep America great.

 

[jallman]

Marilyn Vos Savant is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records for 'Highest IQ'. She writes for Parade magazine (appeals to the common man), her fiance is a seemingly decent guy (Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart) and she seems very politically unbiased based on her writings.

Marilyn vos Savant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If she were to run as an Independent, would you vote for her as the most convincing turnaround (in terms of brainpower) the US could make from Bush?

It would depend on how she had used her intellect prior to running for president. If she was evil in any way, no.

 

[shiznit770]

I think IQ is not the best judgment for who would be a good president. It takes more than solving complex word problems quickly or rearranging shapes in your head. And even if the tests did involve some kinds of intense political, economical, foreign-affairs related questions, it still requires a huge desire and motivation. Lets face it, most presidents age twice the number of years they hold their presidency.

I would definitely vote no to someone with no political aspirations running for President. We are a republic, not a dictatorship. The president, while important, is only once piece of the machine that runs this country. You could elect the smartest individual in the world who knew the solution to everyone's problems and he would still get nothing done as president because he would be dependent on congress.

 

[mikhail]

Im a bit too busy to be running for president right now besides the constitution blocks me from entering

 

[jujuman13]

NO.
No experience.

 

[SweetHomeAlabama]

The extremely intelligent do tend to lean overwhelmingly to the left.

Hmm, there must be a reason for it :mrgreen:

 

[Iriemon]

For the most part, I don't think any politician is intelligent enough on any one particular topic to come up with some brilliant strategy on a topic. That's why they have advisers on every conceivable issue. When it comes to economics, who do you want coming up with the plan - Obama or Goolsbee?

This is true, however, despite how many great advisors you have, the president is the decision maker and requires the ability to assimilate digest and analyze the information he is being given and make a decision about it.

 

[Laila]

If she were to run as an Independent, would you vote for her as the most convincing turnaround (in terms of brainpower) the US could make from Bush?

If i could vote sure, intelligence is a must have.

 

[Edify_Always_In_All_Ways]

I would definitely vote no to someone with no political aspirations running for President. We are a republic, not a dictatorship. The president, while important, is only once piece of the machine that runs this country. You could elect the smartest individual in the world who knew the solution to everyone's problems and he would still get nothing done as president because he would be dependent on congress.

Wouldn't someone with no political aspirations make the best kind of President? They wouldn't be beholden to special interests, nor would they fund their campaign with money from powerful donors who could then control them. No idea who said it (Douglas Adams?), but it sometimes seems true that "anyone capable of getting themselves made President should by no means be allowed to do the job."

 

[RightinNYC]

Wouldn't someone with no political aspirations make the best kind of President? They wouldn't be beholden to special interests, nor would they fund their campaign with money from powerful donors who could then control them. No idea who said it (Douglas Adams?), but it sometimes seems true that "anyone capable of getting themselves made President should by no means be allowed to do the job."

But anyone who deliberately tries to get himself elected to public office is permanently disqualified from holding one.

Utopia by Thomas More

 

[MyFriendMcCain]

They say Hitler was a genius too and look where it got them