Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Politics

Scott Walker Didn't Graduate From College a Quarter-Century Ago and The Washington Post Is On It!

Paper devotes 2,300 words to unmysterious 'mystery'

Matt Welch | 2.12.2015 1:08 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

I guess Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker must be a serious 2016 presidential candidate, since he's already on the receiving end of 2,300-word Washington Post articles with ominous headlines like, "As Scott Walker mulls White House bid, questions linger over college exit."

So what are these presumably salacious questions? Uh, "why he never finished" college:

Some [friends] had heard that a parent had fallen ill, or maybe there was some financial strain. Others thought he had simply had enough of school.

Fascinating. What far-fetched theory does the governor cling to?

Walker's own explanation has been short and simple. He got a job. He meant to go back. But he just never found the time.

Right. So, um, I mean, has this been controversial to anyone, ever?

Walker's disappearance from campus became a mystery that his political rivals seized on. As recently as 2013, the state's Democrats were still alleging that he might have been kicked out for election-related misdeeds.

OK, now we're getting somewhere…or not: 

They dropped that after Marquette officials told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Walker had left "in good standing."

So to sum up: Scott Walker didn't finish college a quarter-century ago, because he moved on to the next phase of his life. Nobody really cared, until desperate Democrats tried to make an issue out of it 2013, based on a claim that was quickly found to be bogus. And now we're gonna read 2,300 words about it.

Uh, any other important Walker news to break here, WashPost?

He still has not found the time to finish [college]. A spokeswoman for Walker's state office said he is interested in a new University of Wisconsin program — begun during Walker's tenure — that lets older students get academic credit for things they've learned in life. But he's not taking courses now.

THIS JUST IN: Man who left college 25 years ago still not attending! 

Reason on Scott Walker here.

UPDATE: I see from both the comments and Twitter that Howard Dean is actually trying to make Walker's lack of degree a political issue, saying "the issue is how well educated is this guy? And that's a problem." Why, it's almost as if they're trying to bait me to like the guy!

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: New North Korean Slogans Call for 'Socialist Fairyland,' 'Country of Mushrooms'

Matt Welch is an editor at large at Reason.

PoliticsCultureScott WalkerMedia Criticism
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (229)

Latest

Mothers Are Losing Custody Over Sketchy Drug Tests

Emma Camp | From the June 2025 issue

Should the
Civilization Video Games Be Fun—or Real?

Jason Russell | From the June 2025 issue

Government Argues It's Too Much To Ask the FBI To Check the Address Before Blowing Up a Home

Billy Binion | 5.9.2025 5:01 PM

The U.K. Trade Deal Screws American Consumers

Eric Boehm | 5.9.2025 4:05 PM

A New Survey Suggests Illicit Opioid Use Is Much More Common Than the Government's Numbers Indicate

Jacob Sullum | 5.9.2025 3:50 PM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2024 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

Do you care about free minds and free markets? Sign up to get the biggest stories from Reason in your inbox every afternoon.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This modal will close in 10

Reason Plus

Special Offer!

  • Full digital edition access
  • No ads
  • Commenting privileges

Just $25 per year

Join Today!