Jill Biden: Dr. of What?

A controversy has been brewing the past week over an insistence to address Jill Biden as "doctor." But the point is that we shouldn’t, and it has nothing to do with sexism, misogyny, or lack of respect of nay kind.

It’s because, in this instance, "doctor" shouldn’t be used for a variety pf reasons.

The fracas started when Joseph Epstein wrote an editorial for The Wall Street Journal in which he asked, "Is There a Doctor in the White House?" and answered, "Not if You Need an M.D."

Mrs. Biden holds an Ed.D.

Epstein believes that it’s improper to use the title "doctor" unless you hold a doctorate in one of the medical disciplines.

There's actually authority to back that up.

The Associated Press (AP) Style Book, the bible for writers, states that "before a name, use Dr. on first reference for a person who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, or doctor of podiatric medicine degree."

In a separate section dedicated to academic degrees, it states that you give the person’s credentials after the name, and provides this example: "John Smith, who has a doctorate in astronomy, showed us constellations in the night sky." 

There goes "Dr. Biden."

And I can’t imagine anyone addressing her as "Jill Biden, doctorate in education."

Epstein, was listed as an "emeritus lecturer" for more than two decades on Northwestern University’s website — emphasis on the word "was."

Liberty Unyielding’s Howard Portnoy reported Sunday that The Daily Northwestern, the school newspaper, condemned him for writing what they believed was a sexist and patronizing article, and as a result, Epstein’s profile was removed from the English department’s directory.

Cancelled — just like that.

Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson dedicated a segment of his Wednesday night program to add fuel to the debate, and he used Jill Biden’s doctoral dissertation to do it.

"Dr. Jill needs reading glasses, either that, or she's borderline illiterate," Carlson said. "There are typos everywhere, including in the first graph of the introduction. Dr. Jill can't write, she can't really think clearly, either."

Of course, poor writing skills might be excused if her specialty were astronomy, like the fictional John Smith that the AP used in its example — but it isn’t.

She taught English in public high schools for 13 years, and began teaching English in community colleges in 1993.

On page two she gives the reader a nonsensical word-salad.

"Although there is strength in diversity as a classroom component, the lack of homogeneity in academic ability makes it difficult to teach to a single standard."

On page five, she writes that "Admission to the College is open to all Delaware residents who have a high school education or its equivalent or to anyone who is 18 years of age or older and able to benefit from instruction."

So … that would cover pretty much everyone.

She also appears to be mathematically-challenged when describing her Delaware Tech classroom.

"Three quarters of the class will be Caucasian; one quarter of the class will be African American," she wrote.

But wait — there’s more!

She adds, "one seat will hold a Latino; the remaining seats will be filled with students of Asian descent or non-resident aliens."

Carlson observed, "In other words, Dr. Biden accounted for all five-quarters of her class."

In another example, she writes, "Of the 159 students surveyed, 55 receive financial aid; 41 pay their own tuition bills; 45 students’ parents pay; 3 spouses pay; 9 receive scholarships; and 9 others receive funds through the GI Bill, vocational rehabilitation programs or grant."

So that accounts for 162 of the 159 students she surveyed. Huh?

She also didn’t bother to check the math of someone she quoted, because, I suppose, math is hard.

Either that or she misquoted.

'"By 1963, public and private two year headcount enrollment stood at 850,361. By 1980, enrollment had grown to 4,526,287. . .  approximately a 230 percent increase in student attendance.'"

That would be very approximate. It’s more like approximately 430%, which I suspect is actually a typo or a misquote. Either one is sloppy work on her part.

At Page 56 she suggests that college administrators consider adopting "an eight-week study week."

How does a week that lasts eight weeks work, exactly?

A lot of famous people who held doctorate degrees never called themselves "doctor," chief among them were true geniuses like Marie Curie, Stephen Hawking, and especially Albert Einstein.

One of Einstein’s most famous photos depicts him stickling his tongue out for the camera. Einstein knew how to have fun. I suggest Jill Biden lighten up also.

Besides, "doctor" confuses people, like Whoopi Goldberg on ABC's "The View."

"I'm hoping Dr. Jill becomes the surgeon general, his wife," she said in March. “Joe Biden's wife. She would never do it but, yeah, she's a hell of a doctor. She's an amazing doctor."

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to BizPac Review and Liberty Unyielding. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter, who can often be found honing his skills at the range. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.