Harvard and Yale have 10x horrible negative character connotations compared to MIT or UChicago, and it gets worse all the time.
McNamara (Vietnam), Kissinger (illegal bombing of Laos), Clinton (impeached), Bush (WMD lies), Ted Cruz and other senators who literally can't pass 7th grade science. I can continue for an hour.
For even the "elite", character connotations take a back seat to "ability and drive", which neither of those people mentioned are lacking. To the average person, most of them probably don't even know too much about who Henry Kissinger was or what he did, the see Harvard and think "ohhh smart"
McNamara (Vietnam), Kissinger (illegal bombing of Laos), Clinton (impeached), Bush (WMD lies), Ted Cruz and other senators who literally can't pass 7th grade science. I can continue for an hour.