Like what exactly?seycyrus said:Oh, I don't know... something a bit more rigorous than what one gets by taking the words apart and applying the definitions in a minimilistic manner.
I guess maybe I reserve that title for something more.
Ivan Seeking said:Clearly seycyrus doesn't realize that Obama IS a Constitutional scholar.
So how would you like it applied?seycyrus said:No, what is clear is that I realize he meets the minimal requirements of the definition, but as was expressed clearly, think that the term should not be so loosely applied.
Gokul43201 said:Like what exactly?
For twelve years, Obama served as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School teaching Constitutional Law. He was first classified as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996 and then as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004.
seycyrus said:Oh, I guess maybe teaching the subject for ten years or some other similar length of time, and writing a bunch of historical papers and books.
I think it's obvious what I'm geting at. What is *your* minimum requirement for the title?
Has Obama ever claimed he was a constitutional scholar?
Frumpy credential?
Legal affairs reporters sought out Obama for years before he ran for U.S. Senate or president. CBS News quoted him as "Professor Barack Obama" in a 2000 story on whether African Americans deserve reparations for slavery.
So why didn't Obama play up the law professor -- technically "senior lecturer" -- part of his resume more in his run for U.S. Senate two years ago? Do political strategists consider it a frumpy credential that wouldn't register with voters?
"It's probably not the main qualification people are looking for," admitted Northwestern University law professor Dawn Clark Netsch, a former candidate for Illinois governor. "To suggest anybody is going to be on their feet shouting 'huzzahs' for that -- I don't think so."
"Given the fact that most people are trying to define him before he defines himself, a look at his resume will show he had a variety of experiences," said Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, who teaches law at Georgetown.
Erika Walsh, an '02 grad practicing family law in Chicago, called him "an extraordinary scholar on the law."
"I can't imagine there is somebody out there smarter than he is," she said. "Many of our professors are so brilliant they are eccentric. But Barack Obama has an ability to reach across differences and communicate with people effectively."
Added Janis, "Some professors are just kind of going through the motions with you. He actually seemed to take everyone's point of view seriously. If he could bring that to bear in the international level with foreign dignitaries and heads of state, I think that would put us in good standing with the rest of the world."
And those were just the beginning, all annotated with nuggets of known and arcane information about civil rights that clearly illustrated how the United States proceeded from there to here. And here (moving beyond Frederick Douglas’s, Jesse Jackson’s and Al Sharpton’s runs for the presidency) stands Barack Obama, a professor of constitutional and civil rights law (not unlike Browne-Marshall), as well as the first mainstream black candidate for President.
You made an assertion about whether or not the label was justified, so it is only fair that you describe what criteria you used to arrive at this assertion.seycyrus said:I have been asked to provide my thoughts on what criteria would satisfy the phrase, and have done so. Will others do the same?
scholar |ˈskälər|
noun
a specialist in a particular branch of study, esp. the humanities; a distinguished academic : a Hebrew scholar.
• chiefly archaic a person who is highly educated or has an aptitude for study : Mr. Bell declares himself no scholar.
• a student holding a scholarship.
• archaic a student.
Gokul43201 said:You made an assertion about whether or not the label was justified, so it is only fair that you describe what criteria you used to arrive at this assertion.
I made no assertion of any kind on this matter.
seycyrus said:Excuse me perfessor!
baywax said:Definition of a Scholar:
Oxford Dictionary
Gokul43201 said:I just did, in my previous post. You're welcome.
Ivan Seeking said:You do realize that Gokul is a high accomplished physicist, right?
Where are you now Gokul... was it MIT?
seycyrus said:I was referring to the difficulty of finding an accepted definition of "constitutional scholar".
But using your definition of the single word from Oxford, I still have problems in applying it to Obama. Did Obama specialize in Constitutional Law, at the expense of what other sub-disciplines?
The other three definitions are, again, loosly applied.
I myself have never heard Obama refer to himself as a constitutional scholar. Perhaps he thinks the title is reserved?
BobG said:Is it relevant? How many of these guys would you consider constitutional scholars? http://www.supremecourtus.gov/about/biographiescurrent.pdf
baywax said:"I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market system." GWB
And that's the way it is...
Ivan Seeking said:The free market ceased to exist as soon as we heard the cry "Too big to fail!". He abandoned free-market principles because there was no choice.
Ivan Seeking said:By definition, there is no such thing as "too big to fail" in a free market. I believe it is true - the bailout was necessary - but the facts are the facts.
Ironic and perhaps ominous: As the credit crisis was realized and we started hearing "Too big to fail!", companies too big to fail then merged with other companies too big to fail.