Everyone Hates a Sad Professor

I think culture wars progress on a bell curve. A decade or ago conservatives ran Colorado from stem to stern and routed liberals on taxes, abortion law. In the late 90s and early 2000s the culture wars simmered down (we can argue about the role Columbine had in this) and the Democrats became more competitive. In 2004 the Democrats wrested a Senate seat and the state legislature from Republicans, and voila: the Ward Churchill scandal erupted. The fight is back in conservatives, but the stakes and gains are smaller.

Churchill's gone, and the University is poking around for a "professor of conservative thought." Tom Tancredo applies (with his tongue firmly in cheek):

I should be the clear favorite for the job, Tancredo said. Who doesnt want a slightly used Congressman, with a 98% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union, educating their children?

As for his references, Tancredo listed conservative commentator Pat Buchanan as well as the entire Minutemen organization.

The Tancredo suggested curriculum would include Western Civilization and the threat of Islamofascism, English Only 101, and American Assimilation, which would replace Chicano and ethnic studies.

Tancredo also plans to secure the border around the CU campus with a 20 foot high fence.

Tancredo concluded, In addition to my experience as a teacher and politician, I promise to have immigration officials check every student prior to all my classes.

Via Michelle Malkin.

Comments

stephen the goldberger | May 14, 2008, 5:21pm | #

I like politians that can laugh at themselves, but does this mean Tancredo realizes how absurd his position on illegal immigration is? If so he's an asshole.

P Brooks | May 14, 2008, 5:21pm | #

What? No Loyalty oaths?

Eric Dondero | May 14, 2008, 5:23pm | #

After Duncan Hunter, Tancredo was THE most libertarian candidate that ran for the GOP nomination. He was the only one who was brave enough to call for nuclear annihilation of Mecca and all Muslims worldwide.

Tommy_Grand | May 14, 2008, 5:24pm | #

I did not realize TT had a sense of humor about himself. That is good. I hate him much less.

The Wine Commonsewer | May 14, 2008, 5:33pm | #

Can't agree that it's a bell curve, the pendulum does not swing both ways. For every progression we make in the correct direction we lose something more somewhere else.

The fact that JFK (as it turns out) is a Reagan Republican and more conservative than George Bush is ample illustration of that.

Adamness | May 14, 2008, 5:39pm | #

After Duncan Hunter, Tancredo was THE most libertarian candidate that ran for the GOP nomination. He was the only one who was brave enough to call for nuclear annihilation of Mecca and all Muslims worldwide.

Facepalm

R C Dean | May 14, 2008, 6:08pm | #

It says volumes that academia has to specifically dig around for a "professor of conservative thought", no? Like they're looking for an expert in Aramaic or something. You can't imagine them posting for a "professor of liberal thought".

Its spelled monoculture, morans.

ChicagoTom | May 14, 2008, 6:13pm | #

It says volumes that academia has to specifically dig around for a "professor of conservative thought", no?

It sure does.

It seems to indicate that conservativism correlates with a lack of higher education or that well educated and intelligent conservatives are like needles in haystacks.

Is that not what you were implying ? :)

Brian24 | May 14, 2008, 6:18pm | #

Adamness,

Thank you so much for that. It's all that needed to be said.

Matthew | May 14, 2008, 6:34pm | #

ChicagoTom,

I think he was referring to a prevalent bias among the mostly liberal/left-wing university faculty that tends to shut out academics who do not share their political views or who are perceived as non-"progressive". This process tends to perpetuate itself, leaving universities with fewer conservative minded academics to choose from.

Matthew | May 14, 2008, 6:36pm | #

Or they're just too stupid to make it into the academy.

/I keed!!

Famous Mortimer | May 14, 2008, 6:39pm | #

Oh, I see Conservatives bitching once again because people don't take them seriously.

That evil Multiculturalism!

*Yawn*

Famous Mortimer | May 14, 2008, 6:40pm | #

"This process tends to perpetuate itself, leaving universities with fewer conservative minded academics to choose from."

Oh, the horror!

Art-P.O.G. | May 14, 2008, 7:05pm | #

All that and "professor of conservative thought" sounds like some sort of figurehead title. So would "professor of liberal thought." I'll take the "professor of libertarian thought" sinecure, though.
FWIW, how can you mess up at a position like that?

zoltan | May 14, 2008, 7:11pm | #

Did anyone hear a bone-chilling scream at reading the name Michelle Malkin? No? Anybody? Thought not.

greenish | May 14, 2008, 7:52pm | #

No, but I did hear a neigh.

hke | May 14, 2008, 8:12pm | #

Using an allusion to REM while linking to something from Michelle Malkin. Bless you Reason magazine.

Travis | May 14, 2008, 8:18pm | #

While there at it they could get Geert Wilders to teach a film class.

Kolohe | May 14, 2008, 9:49pm | #

I used to think Malkin was cute.

And more importantly smart.

I'm really disappointed she's gone all crazynuts over the last several years.

joe | May 14, 2008, 10:21pm | #

It seems to indicate that conservativism correlates with a lack of higher education or that well educated and intelligent conservatives are like needles in haystacks.

Option 3: conservatives lack the idealism to devote themselves to the low-paying, unglamorous work to education.

Option 4: the only ones who have that idealism are drawn to places like Liberty College (Pat Robertson), Oral Roberts or, at best, George Mason - colleges even more ideologically isolated than the most liberal university.

There are plenty of smart, educated conservatives. They just aren't interested in being ordinary college professors.

It didn't used to be that way. Old men with a hyphen between two English surnames grading papers in musty offices.

Jim Walsh | May 14, 2008, 10:21pm | #

Did anyone hear a bone-chilling scream at reading the name Michelle Malkin? No? Anybody?

No...just a massive collective sigh of exasperation...

Ghost of Malkin's Past | May 14, 2008, 10:22pm | #

Ironically Malkin attended the ultra-left-wing Oberlin College.

Orange Line Special | May 14, 2008, 11:04pm | #

I don't know if that's the real Eric Dondero or the fake one (if the latter, let me suggest taking legal action). In either case, the comment above is a lie.

Which isn't suprising, since those who support illegal activity can't come up with valid arguments and are reduced to lying.

sam | May 14, 2008, 11:17pm | #

"It seems to indicate that conservativism correlates with a lack of higher education or that well educated and intelligent conservatives are like needles in haystacks."

Being a professor at a major university is a pretty crapy job compared to working industry. People who are very smart and productive but feel bad about making money stay in academia. Same thing with other goverment jobs.

Famous Mortimer | May 14, 2008, 11:34pm | #

"Being a professor at a major university is a pretty crapy job compared to working industry."

You haven't seen many jobs.

The Wine Commonsewer | May 14, 2008, 11:47pm | #

Being a professor at a major university is a pretty crapy job compared to working industry...

I have to disagree with that assessment.

Just the fact that nobody in the real world has a third of the year off...... plus, in people out there in working industry can actually be fired.

Famous Mortimer | May 15, 2008, 2:46am | #

It might come as a shock to many of you, but sometimes people choose career paths out of intellectual interest, or personal enjoyment.

Not everybody wants to be a Lawyer, or IT guy.

I can only assume that these bitter snipes against academia are just rationalizations for feeling like the typical office schlub, but that's no one's fault but your own.

MikeP | May 15, 2008, 3:00am | #

Being a professor at a major university is a pretty crapy job compared to working industry.

Personally, I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities. We didn't have to produce anything. You've never been out of college. You don't know what it's like out there. I've worked in the private sector. They expect results.

Chuck | May 15, 2008, 7:37am | #

Actually, there are plenty of conservative--and even libertarian--faculty in the science and math departments. You just don't hear much from us because we're too busy actually working to spend time running around doing activist stuff.

And TWC, if you think professors are truly off (i.e. not working) during the summer, you don't understand the job very well. Most faculty (90%) that I know spend much of their summer time trying to get some research done.

Being a profeesor is hardly a crappy job, but it isn't quite as cushy as a lot of people would like to believe.

Elemenope | May 15, 2008, 8:17am | #

I'm really disappointed she's gone all crazynuts over the last several years.

That's what happens when you let FOX News *touch* you.

madmikefisk | May 15, 2008, 9:12am | #

Tancredo, becoming a chaired college professor?

Failing upward, I see, is still alive and well in America.

Jose | May 15, 2008, 9:49am | #

In my immediate family, there are four college professors, there are three of us who work in the "real world", and two moms (I'm catholic), so I can give an educated comparison of being a professor and working for a living.

First off, the summers really are long vacations, especially after you have tenure. My brothers all admit that you don't really do much of anything in the summer. Furthermore, you also get Winter break, Spring break, and you only teach at most 15 hours a week (including office hours). It is an extremely cushy job.

Secondly, with tenure you basically can just goof off the rest of your life and you can't get fired.

Third, the pay is not bad at all, especially if you teach economics, business, science or engineering.

After talking with my brothers at the holidays I always feel like a complete idiot for not getting my Phd and just teaching for a living. It's probably the highest pay for the easiest job in America.

R C Dean | May 15, 2008, 1:01pm | #

Yeah, Jose, but the downside is you have to spend all day hanging out with, well, other professors. Bleargh.

Rick Barton | May 15, 2008, 1:28pm | #

Eric Dondero:

After Duncan Hunter, Tancredo was THE most libertarian candidate that ran for the GOP nomination.

Gee Eric, how in the world did you ever space out Ron Paul?

He was the only one who was brave enough to call for nuclear annihilation of Mecca and all Muslims worldwide.

Tancredo did not call for the nuclear annihilation of all Muslims worldwide.

It's not libertarian.

And now I have yet another of your idiot pronouncements to be used against you should you decide to run for office.

Gauss | May 15, 2008, 1:54pm | #

David means a sinusoid, which oscillates back and forth with a fixed period, not a bell-curve, which describes a statistical distribution.

Incidentally, this invalidates subsequent arguments in the post and comments.

Also, it means Weigel hates America.

MikeP | May 15, 2008, 2:23pm | #

David means a sinusoid, which oscillates back and forth with a fixed period, not a bell-curve, ...

Perhaps he means the curve you see on an oscilloscope when you ring a pure-tone bell.

Matthew | May 15, 2008, 2:57pm | #

Ghost,

Trust me, it's anything but ironic. Ultra left wing Universities and colleges turn out many (most?) of the conservatives and libertarians.

Yours truly was a product of UMASS/Amherst (possibly the most left wing state university of the period) in the 80's.

I love that school though. And I'm glad I took all those classes in pomo lit theory and Marxist whatever.

Good Times.

Franklin Harris | May 15, 2008, 4:05pm | #

That wasn't the real Eric. The real one would have said Rudy was the most libertarian candidate. Nice try, though.

Rick Barton | May 15, 2008, 4:41pm | #

Franklin,

Oh, I thought it was cuz I clicked on the screen-name.