Would you vote for this constitutional amendment?

[as seen on tv]

In the current polarized political environment, each side is convinced the other is dangerously insane, or too dumb to warrant honest consideration. If you doubt me on this, just review Political Jack posts, and be reminded of the intemperate and rude rhetoric which posters use to demean those they disagree with.

I propose a constitutitional amendment, so that any candidate for national office (the white house, senate, or house of representatives) needs to take a standardized IQ test and make the results public. The results won't automatically disqualify anyone, but they are fair game for voter consideration, debates, political ads, etc. This probably should apply to cabinet nominees too, just to be safe.

Please explain to me why this wouldn't work. I believe we have a right to know, very early in the process, the mental health and IQ of the candidates cajoling us to vote for them. If you need further evidence of the merit of this proposal, please review the image of recent candidates below . . .

 

[zzigzzag]

I'm all for it.

 

[trapdoor]

I'm not opposed, but it won't work. Even psychologists don't agree about what IQ really is. Which test would you use? Stanford-Benet? And it depends on what type of intelligence the test locks onto -- I score very high in verbal areas, and very low in mathematics. Does that make me smarter, or less intelligent, than someone who is great at math, but very poor at expressing himself?

Who is smarter, Franklin Roosevelt, or Albert Einstein? The truth is, Einstein, no matter how smart, could not have run a country. Roosevelt, no matter how smart, could have created the theory of relativity.

 

[Bo-4]

The only truly dumb one in your picture is Sarah. Works for me and it might rid us of mouth-breathers like Louis Gohmert, but probably not crazy people like Ted Cruz.

 

[888888]

the real test would be come up with a set of problems that need an answer to how to solve them and make each candidate explain the best process, on their own, to solve the problems at hand.

Often a persons upbringing and learned behavior will over take their thoughts of what needs to be done no matter how smart one is. Many of those who are in congress right now are very smart as far as IQ goes but refuse to use that IQ to solve problems and allow politics in stead to guide them.

 

[zzigzzag]

Perhaps the bar should be set at the ability to eat a pretzel without an ambulance standing ready.

Or sitting next to a foreign dignitary without puking on him.

Just keeping one's finger out of one's nose when cameras are rolling might be a good indicator.

 

[Bugsy McGurk]

In the current polarized political environment, each side is convinced the other is dangerously insane, or too dumb to warrant honest consideration. If you doubt me on this, just review Political Jack posts, and be reminded of the intemperate and rude rhetoric which posters use to demean those they disagree with.

I propose a constitutitional amendment, so that any candidate for national office (the white house, senate, or house of representatives) needs to take a standardized IQ test and make the results public. The results won't automatically disqualify anyone, but they are fair game for voter consideration, debates, political ads, etc. This probably should apply to cabinet nominees too, just to be safe.

Please explain to me why this wouldn't work. I believe we have a right to know, very early in the process, the mental health and IQ of the candidates cajoling us to vote for them. If you need further evidence of the merit of this proposal, please review the image of recent candidates below . . .

View attachment 5438

Let's rank those in the photo according to IQ, smartest to dumbest.

Who's first?

 

[GordonGecko]

I propose a rule that states....

that nobody can propose an Amendment to the Constitution.....who thought Sen. Lindsey Graham was a female.

Who's with me?

 

[as seen on tv]

I'm not opposed, but it won't work. Even psychologists don't agree about what IQ really is. Which test would you use? Stanford-Benet? And it depends on what type of intelligence the test locks onto -- I score very high in verbal areas, and very low in mathematics. Does that make me smarter, or less intelligent, than someone who is great at math, but very poor at expressing himself?

Who is smarter, Franklin Roosevelt, or Albert Einstein? The truth is, Einstein, no matter how smart, could not have run a country. Roosevelt, no matter how smart, could have created the theory of relativity.

trapdoor - little known fact - israel reached out to einstein, and pleaded with him to become prime minister of their newly created nation. he declined. i guess that's a marker for intelligence, too.

candidate IQ tests would only lead the unintelligent to vote for "the smartest guy". if there was a negligible differential (+/- 5 points) and both guys were above 125-130, the last digit probably isn't important. what we're fishing for here is a surprise finding that some guy is 20 points below his opponent, in addition to whatever baggage he's carrying (creationist beliefs, weird tax ideas; ban hamburgers because people can't be trusted to eat them in moderation, etc).

 

[as seen on tv]

The only truly dumb one in your picture is Sarah. Works for me and it might rid us of mouth-breathers like Louis Gohmert, but probably not crazy people like Ted Cruz.

spoken like a true partisan, lol.

i now patiently await some republican (or "Republican" as you so cleverly malign them) to point out that biden may be the single most embarassing elected official in our lifetimes.

 

[as seen on tv]

bugsy - thats what the test is for - its hard to tell just on the basis of political viewpoints.

palin may be uninformed on international issues, but biden is reknowned for his mocking insults and satires of minorities.

cheney may be devious and dishonest, but more so than pelosi?

 

[Bo-4]

Nah, in the "embarrassing" department, guys like Graham, Gohmert and Cruz have Joe beat by a country mile.

 

[Bo-4]

Pelosi is more devious and dishonest than Dirty Dick?

Not sure if you'd pass the IQ test. ;-)

 

[zzigzzag]

I can't decide the dumbest. The birther or the Paul Revere historian? I figure the other four are close enough in IQ. Only one ever shot his friend in the face with a shotgun, though. The NRA guy.

 

[GordonGecko]

bugsy - thats what the test is for - its hard to tell just on the basis of political viewpoints.

palin may be uninformed on international issues, but biden is reknowned for his mocking insults and satires of minorities.

cheney may be devious and dishonest, but more so than pelosi?

spoken like a true partisan, lol.

LOL...right after chastizing somebody for being "partisan"....ASOT lays into a defense of all the Repubs in her photo and a "Dems are much worse" attack.

How about an honesty Amendment as well?

 

[as seen on tv]

the real test would be come up with a set of problems that need an answer to how to solve them and make each candidate explain the best process, on their own, to solve the problems at hand.

Often a persons upbringing and learned behavior will over take their thoughts of what needs to be done no matter how smart one is. Many of those who are in congress right now are very smart as far as IQ goes but refuse to use that IQ to solve problems and allow politics in stead to guide them.

88 - i respectfully disagree. the "show all work" meme was started by well meaning but misguided education experts, who were looking for an excuse to give partial credit for wrong answers. that's not how an IQ test works, fortunately. you don't get partial credit for labelling china a free market economy simply because they make iPods in sweatshops.

 

[RickWA]

Are you certain that he's not?

 

[as seen on tv]

I can't decide the dumbest. The birther or the Paul Revere historian? I figure the other four are close enough in IQ. Only one ever shot his friend in the face with a shotgun, though. The NRA guy.

zig zag - one of the nicest bosses i ever worked for was a creationist (full disclosure - i'm devoutly secular). i'm sure he was unnerved by my refusal to worship graven images as i was at his belief that god is tinkering at the DNA level to turn fish into frogs into dinosaurs into apes into men, as the penultumate expression of his (god's perfection)

that said, this boss was unfailingly polite, good natured, objective in business matters, and fair minded. belief in a particular deity may seem foolish to some, but i'm not proposing a religious litmus test. in places like Egypt they disqualify you from running for office simply by being associated with the wrong mosque, to say nothing about being a christian, buddhist, or secular.

IQ tests simply measure how well read you are, and objective about what you read. they don't change your score based on your graven image of choice, marginal tax rate preferences, or taste in literature/music.

 

[Bugsy McGurk]

bugsy - thats what the test is for - its hard to tell just on the basis of political viewpoints.

palin may be uninformed on international issues, but biden is reknowned for his mocking insults and satires of minorities.

cheney may be devious and dishonest, but more so than pelosi?

Cheney's problem was never a lack of smarts. He's just incredibly craven and evil.

They don't call him Darth Cheney for nothing.

 

[Bugsy McGurk]

I can't decide the dumbest. The birther or the Paul Revere historian? I figure the other four are close enough in IQ. Only one ever shot his friend in the face with a shotgun, though. The NRA guy.

True, Darth shot his pal in the face, but that's due to his narcissism and recklessness, not being a dope.