GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum made a few incredibly gutsy comments as he preached to the public about higher education at an Americans for Prosperity forum last Saturday. After claiming that President Barack Obama said he “wants everybody in America to go to college”—a statement easily disproved when the president’s past speeches are examined—Santorum called Obama a snob for viewing college in a positive light.
Obama, who answered Santorum’s allegations in a speech on Monday, explained that he favors higher education in many forms and is by no means claiming that every American must go to a four-year university. He stressed the importance of other schools, as well.
“I’m also talking about going to community college,” he said, “to get a degree for a manufacturing job where you have to walk through the door to handle a million-dollar piece of equipment.”
Obama recognizes that a standard four-year university is not for everyone, nor does it necessarily prepare the student for a career that suits them. This is why America offers options. Youths can attend trade schools, enroll in apprenticeships, get two-year degrees or even attend those “snobby” four-year universities if they wish. Contrary to Santorum’s perception of the U.S.’ education system, the primary goal is to have all high school students college-ready or career-ready by the time they get their diploma, a vision which most people find more than agreeable. Both routes are perfectly acceptable and produce citizens who effectively contribute to society.
Having several degrees of his own—his MBA gives him one more than Obama, in fact—Santorum’s comments savor strongly of hypocrisy. How can someone who has invested so much in his education make it seem like universities are only for the rich and vain? At UW-Madison alone there is a wide variety of students whose backgrounds range from small towns to summer homes and a similar spectrum can be found nationwide. If going to a university makes someone a snob, then Santorum himself must join the ranks of those stuck up college-goers he so easily berates.
Santorum met well-earned criticism not only from liberals but also from many office-holding conservatives. The comment was far too extreme for many of Santorum’s fellow Republicans, most of whom recognize the importance of training beyond high school, be it academic- or labor-intensive. A similar reaction flooded over the general public.
A connection between the Michigan Republican primary election, held Tuesday, and Santorum’s speech has been suggested: as some 57 percent of Michigan voters did not have a college degree in the 2008 Republican primary, it is possible that Santorum believes such a remark will resonate with this year’s voters. However, it seems he is forgetting that lack of a college degree does not signify a lack of education and many of those votes were cast by people who attended technical college, beauty school, or secured apprenticeships after high school. Either way, it is obvious that Santorum needs to reevaluate his methods—should he win the nomination—before the presidential general election, as Tuesday’s primaries saw him lose Michigan to Mitt Romney.
Kate Krebs is a first-year student majoring in English and Spanish. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
