Sweeping It Under The Carpet

Does that 47% figure differentiate between students who dropped out versus students who transferred to other universities?

I'm not arguing your premise, which seems sound to me, just pointing out one possible objection.

I would expect that dropouts outnumber transfers by a fair margin, as transferring is more work than dropping out. But some of those students might have transferred to a more suitable environment.

Utter nonsense.

Writing from Europe, America’s reputation has not been more tattered than since well before the Vietnam War. Europeans were mockingly critical of Bush right after his first election. Almost without exception, they stood with and behind America after 9/11. They largely abhorred the war in Iraq and they grew increasingly distrustful of the Bush administration in 2003 and 2004. Most of them chalked this up to a rogue administration. And then they were absolutely aghast when the Americans voted Bush back in. At that pivotal moment, Europeans questioned the ultimate nature of the American character, and they began to deeply suspect Americans generally. I’m referring to people in their 60s whose families were liberated in France, Germans in Berlin who were fed thanks to the Airlift and many scores elsewhere who enjoyed a youth or adulthood safe from Communist aggression, and had every reason to respect and admire and be grateful to America. Precisely these people now believe that there is very little to emulate in America now.

Obama is well liked in Europe because he is exceptionally bright. That would be major change number 1. He is compassionate, and dedicated years of his life to the underclass and the underprivileged. This is also a major change. He has risen to where he is today through his hard work, his extraordinary capabilities and his capacity to marshall committed support from millions, as opposed to his marriage, his family or his personal wealth. He is idealistic and is able to draw upon a diversity in his constituents that has never before been seen in US politics. He stunningly fails to incorporate the ‘one liner’ hack soundbite style-before-substance politics America is famous for. He largely rejects the most vivid examples that separate America from Europe, including the death penalty, the Iraq war, torture and the polarization between the well off and the most poor. His American individualism - a trait still admired in Europe - is tempered with both personal and political efforts to ensure that all Americans benefit from the chances and opportunity available in the United States.

In short, he represents about as much of a rejection of the loathed Bush as one could possibly imagine. Electing him would do more here to restore faith in America and the will of its population to achieve the highest American ideals than another Marshall Plan.

I'm trying to figure out what this demented and ignorant rant from Europe has to do with the subject of the post.

Just be thankful he managed to hit the right blog! ;-)

Just be thankful he managed to hit the right blog!

Why be grateful? The comment has no value, or negative value. I wish that he'd polluted someone else's blog with it.

Translation: Europeans like Obama because he's a fellow socialist?

I'm trying to figure out what this demented and ignorant rant from Europe has to do with the subject of the post.

Absolutely nothing. He just wants to use your bandwidth as his personal blog, rather than pay for his own. Parasites are like that.

"Just be thankful he managed to hit the right blog! ;-)"

I'll bet this is just a random comment on a random blog, and that our brave Anonymous Euro-toady has left the same comment on many other random blogs. It has just that air of unoriginality.

Yes, well, unfortunately, by subsidizing their defense all these decades so that they could build their welfare states, we've encouraged many Europeans to become parasites. This one is all too typical.

I'm just glad that so many of them have resisted the temptation, despite the incentives.

Why be grateful? The comment has no value, or negative value. I wish that he'd polluted someone else's blog with it.

I could have been sarcastic here. It's been known to happen. And speaking of polluting someone else's blog, it appears that anonymous has indeed taken your advice. Apparently, their post was so good, that they copy/pasted it to Camille Paglia's s Salon article (titled "Hillary's slick willies"). I was unable to find the comment there, maybe Salon deleted it for some odd reason.

I've got to laugh at the spammer who's probably an US Obamatron hiring a spam-bot (or maybe he rented one from the Ronulans). It's predicated on the notion that it should matter greatly who the Europeans like or not, isn't that a typical Dem mindset as showcased by the Kerry campaign in '04? And of course it failed, because it's nonsense and for that matter Europeans wouldn't be any more united on who they like than Americans are.

S/he/it spammed:
"Obama is well liked in Europe because he is exceptionally bright."

Most in Europe aren't even paying any attention and couldn't give a damn any more than most Americans would care about European elections.

Then s/he/it spammed:
"He [Obama] stunningly fails to incorporate the �one liner� hack soundbite style-before-substance politics America is famous for."

Most likely this is only because of how stupid s/he/it is but imagine just how poor the coverage on Obama would have to be for Europeans to not even be aware of the hope-change-hope mantra! That said I wouldn't be surprised if most Europeans didn't even recognize his name.