A Republican candidate running for U.S. Senate in Georgia is being criticized by a fellow primary opponent for only having a high school degree. Candidate Karen Handel, who is the former secretary of state in Georgia, never graduated from college.
Handel left an abusive home at the age of 17 and was only able to complete high school. In an unfortunate societal assumption, Handel’s primary opponent, David Perdue, explained to a group of Republicans that clearly she is not qualified for the position. He stated,
“Look at the backgrounds. Look at the credentials. There’s a high school graduate in this race, okay? I’m sorry.”
You may think that after this event perhaps Mr. Perdue felt bad about what he said, but in contrast his campaign released a statement stating, “David was simply making the case that he is the most qualified person in this race to help get our economy back on track so that we can start paying down the massive federal debt. His comment was based on facts that are a matter of public record.”
It seems to me that Ms. Handel is someone to admire. She left an abusive home at an early age, which must have been extremely difficult, and was still able to finish high school. Additionally, how is she unqualified for this position? She served as the secretary of state in Georgia.
Study after study now finds that college isn’t for everyone. Many times, the money invested is not seen in return. Perhaps she was left with responsibilities that didn’t allow her time to get a college degree. Or maybe she was passionate about something that didn’t require she go to college. And how many extremely successful people out there are not college graduates? Ever hear of Bill Gates?
These statements just prove to me the kind of character Mr. Perdue has. Removed from his political beliefs, Perdue doesn’t seem like the kind of person that I would want representing me. Judging his competitors and therefore his constituents, based on their education level, seems awfully inconsiderate.