I'm not sure what you mean by "conservative" with regard to these schools, since obviously many of the tenured professors there hold pretty liberal political views. Regardless, I'll note that Warren was immensely popular with HLS students (liberal and conservative alike) when she was a visiting prof from Penn. My guess is that she still is.
I don't agree that political correctness, as such, is chokingly pervasive at those schools, as you seem to imply.
Professors as a whole are quite liberal, and the top Ivy League schools tend to be more conservative politically than other top-tier unis. But I was more referring to scholarship, which often bleeds into politics. 1/10 assistant profs at Yale and Harvard get tenure. Both institutions claim that things are now way better and that it's around 40%. Bullshit. Most ppl take off when they realize that they won't be the 1 in 10, which props up the number substantially. For those that try and make it and end up making it, they end up churning out really tame research in an effort not to rock the boat. They get tenure. And reward up and coming junior faculty that follow the same pattern. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. It ends up institutionalizing a certain academic lethargy that is really hard for departments to get out of. I know a couple of scholars who were finalists and/or got a job at Harvard. One fit the job description to a T, was working on 2 books simultaneously and kicking ass publishing seminal articles on the topics, etc. But one of the themes she touched on dealt with the Zapatista Revolution, so a significant part of the department freaked out about that, and several others voted against her b/c they realized that it was probably better for her in the long run NOT to have to deal w/ that at tenure review. It was really tame shit, not an attempted vindication, kill whitey, etc., just using the movement as an example of indigenous cosmology. No brainer shit. Ooooh. What a revolutionary! Another friend of mine actually got a job there but he saw that most scholars in his dept were quite tame. The dude does Af-Am Studies!!! Even though the department wanted to go more cutting edge, he felt that the institutional inertia would be too great, so he took a job at a prestigious public U. The sad thing is that with Harvard/Yale behind profs, they got a large % of external grants. And once you get one of those grants, you can serve on the selection committee. Tame candidate becomes tame reviewer that rewards tame candidate from other institutions. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Full professors can be more liberal b/c they have tenure and they tend to be hired in from other institutions. Excuse my jaded ass.
Well I shouldn't imply, because I don't really know. My sample size is one department at one point in time.
Elizabeth Warren is going to beat Scott Brown like a rented mule. Here's why: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_09/the_underlying_social_contract032342.php
Wow! I think she's frickin' awesome. I've seen her interviewed quite a few times and I always walk away from it feeling wowed.
She communicates too well to be a Democrat. Oklahoma roots, daughter of a maintenance man, Methodist Sunday School teacher. It's going to be hard for opponents to portray her as an elitist. A late note -- I see through an Internet search that Warren's comments are being ripped by the right. I guess they made too much sense to be accepted.
In fairness, I can only speak from direct knowledge/experience with regard to one of those places as well.
Why how about that-- the two candidates I have felt best about voting for in my entire life. I have been known to describe myself as a "Republican-in-exile"-- to fellow delegates at Democratic County Conventions.
Well, I can see where you might harvard that -- think, I meant to say think that -- but the GOP always seems to find a harvard. I mean, a way.
True. But remember, she just teaches there. She went to GW undergrad and Rutgers law before becoming a rock star professor. That's a pretty impressive rise.
Whether or not the Senate goes to the GOP in 2012... Sean Trende says yes. Simple math suggests there are more opportunities for the GOP to pick up seats. However, HuffPo says no. Tea Partiers in Nebraska, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Utah, Virginia, Arizona, and Indiana may make more open seats and level the playing field. Moreover, there are positives and negatives of Obama running in 2012, even if his approval numbers are low. Wisconsin, Arizona, Indiana, and Virginia will increase Democratic turnout due to being swing states. If Obama is running behind in those states, his $700 million machine will make sure that the GOTV is powerful. If Obama is ahead, then the downballot races will benefit. Then there is the matter of the current unpopularity of the Republican Party and the candidates they are choosing - often, the choice comes down to people with long histories (George Allen, Tommy Thompson, Orrin Hatch) versus tea-partiers, who are themselves less popular than the President or the Democratic Party. Then, there is the inevitable nomination of Mitt Romney and his impact on the election. Will Tea Partiers volunteer and donate and dedicate their time to his candidacy? Will Mittens say something silly that gets Obama people back on the wagon? Despite what people say, I think the Senate is still very much in play.
There are a lottttttttt of people around here that fall head over heels for Senator Playgirl. So I honestly don't think she'll win. Yea, she'll win in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield, but the guy who drives the pickup truck will get way to many votes in the wealthy suburbs. Then he can do away with the whole, "I can't be a teabagger because it's Massachusetts" thing and turn as red as a beet in about a month. Or he'll just campaign as a lover of the troops. That alone would probably work. But this is quite funny. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu61aU4N8mM&feature=player_embedded"]Elizabeth Warren Announces Her Bid for Senate - YouTube[/ame]
The Bad news for the GOP is that their Presidential Candidates are a joke. The good news for the GOP is that they may still take over the senate. Any new developments on the Senate races? 33 are up for grabs this election This Projection (perhaps a conservative bias, not sure) has the GOP picking up 5 seats, the Dems losing 4 and an Independent getting the boot. http://www.electionprojection.com/2012elections/senate12.php Here is a site with each contest info http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/senate/
Olympia Snowe [R-ME] will not run for re-election in November. I wouldn't call her a moderate, but she's a conservative that has been willing to break away from the Republican Party line occasionally. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/maine-republican-senator-olympia-snowe-to-retire/ A damaging blow for Republicans, as it being in Maine should make Democrats favorites to pick up the seat.
