Posted on 08/07/2007 4:41:31 PM PDT by ChessExpert
... the conversation is far more revealing about Romney’s conservative political beliefs, something frequently called into question by his centrist turn as governor of Massachusetts.
That’s because Romney’s argument with the Iowa talk-radio host starts with the two discussing their shared affinity for W. Cleon Skousen. “You and I share a common affection for the late Cleon Skousen,” the radio host says. The former governor agrees, affirming Skousen was his professor and when the radio host professes his fondness for Skousen’s book The Making of America, while he acknowledges he hasn’t read it, Mitt quickly says “That’s worth reading.”
Who is Cleon Skousen you might ask?
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
Centrist, nothing. He governed to the left of some Dems.
Has the NRO become a left-wing whacko site? Just because Romney had a professor whom Mitt admired who was a Bircher does not mean Romney shares those views.
I was wondering the same thing myself.
I can only imagine some of the views of Hillary’s favorite professors. Probably make Karl Marx look like a right winger.
What’s wrong with Birchers?
My exact thoughts. Somebody gave me an issue of their magazine (can’t remember the name of it) and I was already to sign up for it.
One of Bill’s favorite professors was Carroll Quigley professor of history at the Foreign Service School of Georgetown University who formerly taught at Princeton and at Harvard. He was the author of “Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in our Time”. It was this book that got people like Cleon Skousen worked up about a global conspiracy to rule the world. Professor Quigley claimed that such a “conspiracy” did exist and that he was one of the intellectual elites of the group. His only disagreement with the inner circle was that they wished to remain anonymous. He thought that their noble contributions to the peace of the world deserved to be recorded for history. It was too late to stop them and we should all just go along. I am sure some of this was a case of him stroking his own ego, but there is a lot of truth in it as well.
Skousen was also one of my professors: religion, The Old Testament. He never used his classes to espouse his political views and I assumed his political affiliation with the Birchers or any other political society were long behind him when he taught me (in the 70s). He was an excellent teacher, bringing the Old Testament to life and helping us apply its teachings to our lives.
IBTEV
I doubt this even with this following description of Skousen's writings: "so irrational in its paranoia that it would have made Whittaker Chambers blush." Remember Chambers was an icon to Bill Buckley, and was an original member of NR's editorial board!!
I think he meant "Steve" Benson of the AZ Republic, who used to be a conservative cartoonist, but became a mushbrain bleeding heart.
I never knew Skousen but I did know one of his co-authors. I read several of their books. They are good patriotic Americans, but I simply can’t abide the “all conspiracy, all the time” mindset.
Hint: Make yourself a heavy-duty aluminum foil hat, put it on, and do some research on the John Birch Society. ;)
A) Notwithstanding some of his idiocyncracies, and the fact that we certainly disagreed theologically, I had a very large measure of respect for Cleon Skousen. He was an American patriot who loved our Constitution. In fact, I thought so much of him that I, when invited by a member of his family, attended his funeral.
B) One Cleon Skousen, in spite of his idiocyncracies, is worth a thousand liberal Mitt Romneys, for those who love constitutional governance.
C) Mitt Romney’s “association” with Cleon Skousen is that he was one of tens of thousands of BYU students who either sat or slept through Skousen’s courses. I’m not in the least surprised that Mitt Romney neglected to read “The Making of America.” It shows in the way he governed liberal Massachusetts.
It was the radio host who admitted he hadn't read the book.
It was Romney who had.
Liked Mitt well enough before learning of this.
Like him still better now.
If Thompson were a snake, he'd already be pooping FRedhead pellets by the gunnysackful.
and you joined fr to
spin romnibot from liberal to conservative
for mormons.
It was Romney who had.
You couldn't be more wrong.
Watch the video yourself. It's just a few minutes in.
Also, note that Romney reveals his colors once again as a blatant judicial supremacist.
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