SkimIt
Young Voters Speak Out: Each day, RR.com will spotlight politically minded youth writers from throughout the U.S. speaking their minds on Election 2012. First-time voters, student journalists and new graduates will debate the Obama vs. Romney race to the White House. Young Democrats, Republicans and ‘Undecided’ Americans are eager to play politics and choose the next Commander & Chief.
Read James Gibbons' thoughts from a right-leaning perspective:
What's Good for the Goose
I am all for transparency, the more the better. Romney hasn't released his tax returns but we know Mitt is loaded and I'm sure there are some accounting tricks he used to save money on taxes. But, while we're on the subject, Obama hasn't released his college transcripts. Why would that be? Donald Trump recently pressured Romney to release his tax returns when Obama releases his transcripts. I think that is a fair deal and Romney should go on the offensive.
What's he Got to Hide?
Let's recap President Obama's college years and see why there even is a controversy to begin with. In 1979 he attended Occidental College in California, then in 1981 he finished his junior and senior year at Columbia University. If his grades were poor, how was he accepted to Harvard Law School? Even with poor grades, he is the President. That is an accomplishment that can give hope to students across the country. Perhaps it is the classes he took? Well I hope we can expect our Presidents to have an eclectic academic palate. That is the least concerning issue.
Who Paid the Bill?
Also of interest is how the bill was paid. Obama was not from a privileged family. Scholarships and loans were most definitely necessary. What specific programs and did the President qualify for and what organization gave out the scholarship(s).
An Invisible Man
Then there are the unusual circumstances. One of them being the fact that there are former Columbia students including Wayne Allyn Root, who graduated with Obama and had the same major but simply did not remember him in a graduating class of approximately 750 students. In 2008, Fox News contacted over 400 Columbia alumni. Nobody had any recollection of him.
Unanswered Questions
Finally, there is one possibility as to the non-release of the records that would be damaging. We all know that Obama attended grade school in Indonesia. What if he lied and applied as a foreign national student? Colleges would welcome him with open arms and throw money at him. This is dishonest behavior. Until we have the transcripts, these questions will continue to be raised.
