ROSEN: Better choices for GOP
By Mike Rosen, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published May 9, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
It's rare that incumbent officeholders are denied their party's nomination for re-election. But there are times when such an action is both likely and appropriate.
In El Paso County, there's a good chance Republicans will dump Rep. Douglas Bruce in favor of Mark Waller in House District 15. While Bruce has championed some good causes, his brief tenure in the General Assembly has shown that he lacks the temperament and demeanor to be an effective legislator. Bruce is a dogmatic absolutist who tends to behave like an anti-social boor and gives Republicans a bad name. Maybe he should change parties and give Libertarians a bad name.
At the other end of the GOP spectrum is University of Colorado Regent Paul Schauer, who's being challenged by Dr. Jim Geddes, a Sedalia physician and CU alumnus. I've known Schauer for years and, unlike Bruce, he's affable and soft-spoken. The problem is he lacks philosophical fortitude. As a state legislator for 20 years, Schauer capably represented the moderate-to-liberal wing of the party. As a CU regent, he's gone native in Boulder and aligned himself with liberal Democrats on the board and with the leftist faculty establishment.
There's a war of ideas raging in higher education, and Schauer has shown himself to be a pacifist. Conservatives are fighting for more representation within faculties and in subject matter. Schauer sided with the Democrats to stymie the creation of a Department of Western Civilization at CU and joined them again to oppose Steve Bosley as board chair.
Bosley, a hard-working and principled conservative, would have been perfect for the job. Instead, Schauer voted with Democrats to elect Pat Hayes. It's one thing for Hayes to be a soft Republican - she represents the 7th Congressional District, a swing district that leans Democratic. But Schauer serves staunchly conservative Douglas County in the 6th Congressional District. He just doesn't fit the electorate.
With Bruce Benson as the new president of CU, this is precisely the time for Republicans, who outnumber Democrats 6-3 on the board, to exert conservative leadership. It'll take that and much more to budge the leftist status quo at CU. Incidentally, you might recall that Schauer cast a reluctant vote to confirm Benson as CU president, perhaps because he knew that voting against him would doom any hope he had for re-election as regent.
In 2005, on the heels of the Ward Churchill scandal, I wrote a letter to each of the regents asking them if they agreed that leftists dominate liberal arts faculties at CU, and whether they would commit to recruit qualified conservative instructors in the interests of philosophical balance. Schauer's answers were evasive and unsatisfactory. He flunked the test.
Geddes later answered those same questions and passed with flying colors, acknowledging (as any fair-minded student will tell you) that the faculty is overwhelmingly liberal, and noting that a fairer representation of viewpoints at CU might also help with fundraising efforts.
When Schauer was making mischief with Bruce Benson's candidacy for CU president, he told the press that Benson (long before he was considered for that job) had "threatened" to work against him if he ran for re-election as regent. Benson no more "threatened" Schauer than I did when I spoke to him last year and told him, privately and candidly, that I thought his record as regent was unacceptable and that I would oppose him if he ran for re-election. Schauer got similar counsel from other Republicans.
Douglas County conservatives will be paying good money to send their children to CU. I think they'd prefer an academic environment that spent more time reinforcing - and less time trashing - the values they've spent their lives imparting to their kids. These voters deserve to be represented by a regent who's committed to a fair shake for conservative ideas at the university. In my view, Jim Geddes is the far better candidate.
Mike Rosen's radio show airs daily from 9 a.m. to noon on 850 KOA. He can be reached by e-mail at mikerosen@850koa.com.
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May 9, 2008
1:34 a.m.
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kevin3 writes:
Hey Rosen, get off of your high horse! Only idiots listen to you!
May 9, 2008
4:12 a.m.
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Oh_Wise_One writes:
kevin- the typical spewage of the closed minded progressive who only want change if it starts with Karl and ends with Marx.
May 9, 2008
5:54 a.m.
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Michael writes:
kevin3 is the perfect first post from the left to "counter" Mike Rosen's article. Notice the subtle yet well informed and civil tone that he takes in offering an alternative view to Rosen's?? Notice how his assertions are backed up with some type of factual reference? Notice too how he keeps his emotions in check while still making a strong argument? Keep up the great work Mr. Rosen.....and you too kevin3.
May 9, 2008
7:27 a.m.
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Spencer writes:
Appointing Douglas Bruce is one of the best things that could have happened for the Democratic Party.
May 9, 2008
7:35 a.m.
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Mike_In_Hartsel writes:
Kevin3, then you must be an idiot? You've proven it by your statement, twice. The second proof is the fact that you make a personal attack rather than address the issues. Why? Because you're an idiot as you claim.
May 9, 2008
7:38 a.m.
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TeshnaHa writes:
Mike Rosen continues to provide balance to left and progressive opinion with calm, well reasoned and factual information.
May 9, 2008
7:53 a.m.
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Jack_Bauer writes:
Froward,
What you just said is exactly the point of this piece - "Yet another attempt of forcing (rethug - YEAH RIGHT, how about LEFT WING) Ideology down the throats of young impressionable students. maybe just maybe, they would rather learn the truth with out a political angle".
Like they already do now, right Froward? Get real dude.
Unfortunately you cannot see how you have it completely backwards because you are blinded by your own liberal bias.
That bias of our higher education system and those who are employed within is obvious and the propaganda that is "taught" is taught as truth.
Professors (and you liberals in general) are afraid of any kind of contradictory or opposing viewpoint on any subject matter (Global Warming, income tax Rates, Business Tax rates, legislative agendas, Health Care, social security, energy policy, etc) all the while you stand on the sidelines preaching your open mindedness and "fairness".
If half of the "open minded" professors in our universities had ever worked real jobs maybe the ideaology would start to swing more towards the center (as it should be) as they would see the errors of their ways by actually working in an environment they are preparing our youth to enter. Instead they sit in their ivory tower preaching how terrible our capitalistic society is and the ills it brings while never having stepped foot into that realm because they are tenured and do not need to worry about layoffs and cutbacks due to a slowing economy. Once again this is hypocrisy at its best and the left is so well versed in it.
May 9, 2008
8:17 a.m.
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TC writes:
"leftists dominate liberal arts faculties at CU"
Shocking!
Next thing ya know we'll find out the Marine Corps is full of right wing hawks.
May 9, 2008
8:29 a.m.
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TroyJGrice writes:
I love Douglas Bruce! Anyone that can antagonize, irritate, and otherwise undermine our State's elitist, sychophant-bureaucrats should be celebrated.
So Mr. Rosen is worried about his beloved Republicans being embarrassed? They've already embarrassed themselves with their ideological hypocrisy.
Keep it up, Mr. Bruce!
May 9, 2008
8:48 a.m.
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Dinty writes:
Simply put, I occasionaly listen to Mike Rosen and sometimes read his column. I think he's great and I am not an idiot.
May 9, 2008
9:58 a.m.
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Faux_Noise writes:
Why does Rosey favor quotas and affirmative action for conservative professors?
Why can't the "free market" work its wonders?
Can we enforce a quota on liberal investment bankers?
May 9, 2008
10:02 a.m.
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Lowtaxequalsfreedom writes:
Hi Mr. Rosen,
Your suggestion that DB go the libertarian party is wrong. DB is socially conservative per his website and I do not thing that sits well with socially liberal libertarians.
Mike you obviously have a strong dislike for Tabor and Douglas Bruce, fine. It is your turn to author a ballot initiative to clear up the Constitution. You appear to be one of the smartest men in Colorado and can obviously straiten us out. Please make your next column the Constitutional financial fix we have all been looking for.
Get off the sidelines and into the game!
May 9, 2008
10:09 a.m.
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jay writes:
wow...that's a shocker mike...next thing you'll be telling us the sun is going to rise in the morning tomorrow.
thanks for the heads up.
May 9, 2008
10:11 a.m.
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Spencer writes:
Doubledumb, what are you doing out of bed? It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it get the hose again.
May 9, 2008
1 p.m.
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MrPeabody writes:
"Diversity" - that word so loved by liberals - is applied in educational circles as to only mean skin color and ethnicity, not diversity of ideas. Seems to me that a University ought to offer a multitude of viewpoints so that kids coming out of there have been exposed to more than one set of views. Across the country, it is not what is happening.
When an education is so one sided and opposing viewpoints are scorned by those tasked with guiding and instructing young minds and those opposing viewpoints are not allowed, it is indeed indoctrination.
Faculty at CU, like many other Universities in this nation are overwhelmingly left of center and don't knowingly allow the hiring of those who don't think like themselves. For those that do accidently get hired, the work environment quickly gets hostile.
It's a fact and has been confirmed. For those of you that can't argue this, go ahead and resume your ad hominem attacks, as that is what you do best.
May 9, 2008
2:02 p.m.
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jay writes:
"When an education is so one sided and opposing viewpoints are scorned by those tasked with guiding and instructing young minds and those opposing viewpoints are not allowed, it is indeed indoctrination."
interesting position. what is your basis for believing that this is happening? what "opposing viewpoints are scorned" in your opinion?
May 9, 2008
2:02 p.m.
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peterpi writes:
LowTax, you're wrong!
Mike Rosen likes TABOR. He likes economic conservatism. He likes what used to be Republican Party ideals of limited government. Try reading more than one of his columns.
What he doesn't like are self-annointed messiahs whose ego gets in the way of being an effective legislator. He doesn't like Douglas Bruce's fixation on Douglas Bruce. He doesn't like the fact that Douglas Bruce has generated headlines for Douglas Bruce, but has not served his constituency. I'll guarantee you that Mr. Waller is probably as conservative as Douglas Bruce, and if he's nominated and elected will probably be a more effective legislator.
May 9, 2008
2:12 p.m.
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ollie writes:
Who gives a damn!
May 9, 2008
2:29 p.m.
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malis writes:
hmmmm, interesting concept...Mike Rosen as Goldilocks. "The Bruce porridge is too Hot! The Schauer porridge too Cold! Look, I've found this Rosen porridge and it's Juuuust Riiiiight."
As a resident of District 15 and so theoretically a constituent of His Irrelevancy, I have to agree with Rosen's Bruce analysis. I very much hope (and expect) he will be soundly defeated by the actual conservatives of his district, so we'll regain representation in the Colorado House.
As to Schauer, I'm not familiar with either the person or the issues involved so won't try to make a judgment there. I must observe, however, that Rosen's position seems, well, not entirely original...mostly the standard right-wing talking points (the intolerance of the left-wing education establishment because they won't tolerate the right-wing's intolerance!). He should probably leave it to David Horowitz who does that schtick a lot better.
I do imagine he'll be able to milk it a while on his radio show though and can't blame the man for making a living.
May 9, 2008
2:36 p.m.
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malis writes:
I'll make another observation. Doesn't matter who's saying it, what the topic is, or from what point of view, the statement:
"I've known Jones for years and,
unlike Smith, he's affable and
soft-spoken. The problem is he
lacks philosophical fortitude."
Almost always translates to:
"I've known Jones for years and,
unlike Smith, he's affable and
soft-spoken. The problem is he
doesn't agree with me."
May 9, 2008
6:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
swimoutpassthebreakers writes:
Faux_Noise 09:58 certainly made several fake suppositions in his declaration of “Why can't the "free market" work its wonders? “Can we enforce a quota on liberal investment bankers? He assumes there is free market for post secondary education, this would be dead wrong. Colleges both private and public are highly dependent on state and federal government subsidizes. The state of Colorado gives a substantial part of its budget to state colleges and Universities every year. In additional the Federal government provides grants to students and guarantee’s student loans along with many other grants that may be given to a specific department and or research. Plus the federal tax code gives very generous breaks for both income and estate taxes to those how contribute to colleges. Colleges are very much insulated from ravages of the Free Market. So Mike’s pragmatic proposal to work within the current system (board of regents) doesn’t have anything to do with affirmative action or the free market. From listening to Mike and reading his columns I’m guessing he would be more then receptive to bringing free market reforms to post secondary education. Such as; giving the funds that currently goes to the college budget, directly to the student instead. And letting the student decide which school they will spend it on. With colleges having to compete for those funds, making the sale so to speak, I'd speculate that balance in the teaching staff would be one of the results.
And as far as the liberal Investment Bankers goes? I’m thinking George Soros and Robert Rubin currently of Citigroup and former secretary of the Treasury for the Clintons maybe we don’t’ need affirmative action for liberal financiers after all.
May 9, 2008
9:52 p.m.
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Lowtaxequalsfreedom writes:
Pastthebreaker,
Vouchers make sense on the surface. They will help competition. However the schools will still be getting there money from taxes whether direct or via voucher. So they will still be motivated to lean left and preach leftist ideologies. No?
May 10, 2008
11:50 a.m.
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kevin3 writes:
Wow! Look at all of the right-wingers I offended! Cool! That was one of my bonus tasks of the day! It would also be great if I could be the last posting on here.
May 10, 2008
12:54 p.m.
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Lowtaxequalsfreedom writes:
Wow! Look at all of the right-wingers I offended! Cool! [Look at all those you did not offend.]
That was one of my bonus tasks of the day! It would also be great if I could be the last posting on here.[try again]
May 10, 2008
1:47 p.m.
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swimoutpassthebreakers writes:
Lowtaxequalsfreedom
Funding for CU is from the tax payers via the state legislature, tuition and donations. During the Ward Churchill saga, CU suffered a large drop in donations. One of the main reasons interim President Hank Brown and now Bruce Benson were brought in was the hope that these moderate to conservative faces, would right the fund raising ship. When the state subsidizes the school directly, as it does now, there is a certain guarantee they will get there funds regardless of some of wacky happenings in Boulder. However when the funding is a individuals hands, and the lefty professors continue spew there hate of mainstream culture and institutions on and on, then students may vote with the dollars and go where that's not the case. With universities and colleges competing with each of other for students they will have to make choices either ideological balance, developing a niche, cater to specifically to conservatives or liberals for that matter and in some cases eliminate whole departments. Maybe every college in Colorado doesn't need a womens studies department etc.
May 11, 2008
7:10 a.m.
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Tom writes:
"Douglas County conservatives will be paying good money to send their children to CU. I think they'd prefer an academic environment that spent more time reinforcing - and less time trashing - the values they've spent their lives imparting to their kids."
It's called "liberal education" for a reason. Liberal in the sense of free and open and ample. How can there be too much "free thinking" on a college campus? True, liberal professors should not "trash" a person's world view, but that's not the same as forcing them to open their minds to other possibilites. If those "values they've spent their lives imparting to their kids" are so infallible, the kid should be able to defend them. And any true liberal should allow all points of view to be heard.
May 11, 2008
11:27 a.m.
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Lowtaxequalsfreedom writes:
swimoutpassthebreakers,
I understand your point. Competition is good, it provides choice.
I highly doubt there will ever be a school that receives public funding that will then turn around and teach abolition of public funding.
May 12, 2008
9:24 a.m.
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rjnova writes:
Kevin3 must be a CU grad. He mouths their propaganda down the line. Rosen makes the very cogent and intellectually honest arguments from a conservative point of view. I fail to read one posting here that comes close to expressing a liberal (I avoid "progressive" because I find it hilarious how they run from the L word) point of view with anything approach intellegence.
The reason is big and more govt and the Nanny State insults one's intellegence when it is articulated.
May 12, 2008
10:29 a.m.
Suggest removal
jay writes:
"I highly doubt there will ever be a school that receives public funding that will then turn around and teach abolition of public funding."
i don't understand taxes' point here. are you implying that there's some kind of conspiracy to maintain public funding for education?
May 14, 2008
9:25 a.m.
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Ichbins writes:
This post on 5/14...
Read in the Boulder Daily Comrade this morning...now...are you sitting down?:
Apparently, CU is looking into bringing in some high-profile conservative professors. I about fell out my chair. Let's see if this is real, or meerly sucking up to pressure.
May 14, 2008
10:06 a.m.
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malis writes:
As to whether Schauer is 'Republican enough' or not...I'm not that familiar with either the person or the issues involved so will leave the judgment to others. I must observe, however, that Rosen's positions are not entirely original...mostly parroting the standard 'right-wing noise machine' talking points (the intolerance of the left-wing education establishment because they won't tolerate the right-wing's intolerance!).
He should probably leave that shtick to David Horowitz, who does it a whole lot better. I do imagine he'll be able to milk it a while on his radio show though...can't blame the man for making a living.
I'll make another observation. Doesn't matter who's saying it, what the topic is, or from what point of view, the Rosen statement:
"I've known [Jones] for years and,
unlike [Smith], he's affable and
soft-spoken. The problem is he
lacks philosophical fortitude."
...will almost always more accurately translate to:
"I've known [Jones] for years and,
unlike [Smith], he's affable and
soft-spoken. The problem is he
doesn't agree with me."
May 15, 2008
7:02 p.m.
Suggest removal
ntel_actual writes:
I rarely read these mindless rants, let alone comment, but I cant resist. It amazes me how quickly you all jump off the deep end into zealotry. I see a slew of conclusory statements about the one-sided, left leaning nature of universities, but not a single statement of support or example. Where is your argument, analysis, logic or reason? I happen to work for a college, and I can tell you that I have never seen a wider variety of viewpoints than among faculty members. Moreover, faculty members tend to be completely individual and original in their thinking, so highly trained in their field are they. And let me be clear, I am not a faculty member. That, in contrast to the numerous posts on here that seem to be nothing more than vapid parroting of some party line rhetoric someone fed you between your drips of drool.
Swimoutpastthebreakers, in particular: how did you manage to piece together so many completely incorrect statements at once? Where do you get your information?
All I can say is wow. I hope the reason you people are free to blog all day is that you dont have any serious responsibilities. I shudder to think of any of you making important decisions of any kind.
May 19, 2008
8:54 a.m.
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Lowtaxequalsfreedom writes:
Ntel,
Who at CU recently relaesed the study that showed 23 conservatives out of how many professors? 4 conservative administrators out of 440.
The proof is there if you want to see it.
June 15, 2008
6:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
Cel writes:
Don't you mean Geddes kissed your a** (big white butt) and said what you wanted to hear? Passed indeed !! You're a jerk and far from reality. Geddes wants to slash funding (no matter that CU is already in the lower portion of underfunded schools in the country). He's been out of the game for too long. Some inquiries have indicated that Geddes is an almost fair doctor and surgeon, but opinions, more so on the conservative side, indicate that he would be a poor politician and a very bad regent. Rosen is an extremist, similar to Doug Bruce, but worse, he has twisted logic and a very large stage on which to vent. Geddes is a bad idea - Don't be stupid.