Posted on 06/02/2006 2:20:54 PM PDT by Sopater
HERNDON, VA The preponderance of commencement speakers at our nation's top colleges and universities were Democratic Party officials, leftist activists, and members of the old media, according to a survey released by Young Americas Foundation. The survey also uncovers separate graduation ceremonies for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) students as well as Black students.
Using U.S. News & World Reports ranking of the nations top 100 colleges and universities, Young Americas Foundation foundfor the thirteenth consecutive yearthat commencement organizers chose the Tom Brokaws over the Sean Hannitys, the Marian Wright Edelmans over the Thomas Sowells, and the Desmond Tutus over the Antonin Scalias. Thats the bad news. The good news is that the Lefts stronghold is beginning to crack, as more conservatives and moderate Republicans are speaking at commencement ceremonies than in previous years.
Commenting on the study, Young Americas Foundation Spokesman Jason Mattera says, Its not surprising that the Left uses its stronghold on campus to give one last blast of the same old big government, multiculturalist, and anti-military message. This years commencement addresses disclose, however, that campus officials cannot completely ignore conservatives. The thousands of students packing rooms on campuses across America to hear Ben Stein, Dinesh DSouza, and John Ashcroft reveal that young people want to hear conservative ideas, and that trend will only increase!
The Data
The long parade of liberal figures delivering commencement addresses at top schools include former President Bill Clinton at Princeton University, Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the College of William and Mary, Illinois Senator Barack Obama at Northwestern University, California State Assemblyman Fabian Nunez at the University of California-Berkeley, General Wesley Clark at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, former Florida Senator Bob Graham at the University of Florida, Connecticut Congressman Rosa DeLauro at the University of Connecticut, Maryland Congressman Elijah E. Cummings at the University of Maryland, Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine at Virginia Tech, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner at Wake Forrest University, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano at the University of Arizona, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen at the University of Tennessee, Al Gores daughter Karenna Gore-Schiff at Columbia University, President of the National Urban League Marc Morial at the University of Pennsylvania, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa at the University of California-Los Angeles.
The old media was also profusely represented. This years cast includes NBCs Tom Brokaw at Stanford University,CNNs Anderson Cooper at Yale University,PBSs Jim Lehrer at Harvard University,his wife Kate Lehrer at Texas Christian University,editorial page editor for The Atlanta Journal Constitution Cynthia Tuckerat the University of Florida, MSNBCs Chris Matthews at Fordham University, former Los Angeles Times editor John S. Carroll at Penn State University, TIMEs editorial director John Huey at the University of Georgia, and The New York Times writer Paul Krugman at Clark University.
The commencement roster also included self-described Marxist Gustavo Esteva at the University of Vermont, global warming adherent Ralph Cicerone at North Carolina State University, poet Barbara Reyes at the University of California-Berkeley, Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Corporation President Vartan Gregorian at Stanford University, embryonic stem-cell research proponent Robert Klein at the University of California-Berkeley, racial preferences champion and anti-Western civilization professor John Hope Franklin at Duke University, and leftist activist Harriet Mayor Fulbright at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Separate but equal?
Although Brown vs. the Board of Education held the practice of separate but equal as constitutionally prohibited, schools including Vanderbilt University, University of California-Berkeley, University of Michigan, and University of Minnesota are conducting separate graduation ceremonies for black students.
Lavender the new Black?
Instead of donning the traditional black gowns for graduation, many schools will hold separate recognition ceremonies for LGBT students. The schools holding Lavender graduations include the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Duke University, Georgetown University, Princeton University, the University of California-Santa Barbara, Iowa State University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the University of California-Davis, and even the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Diversity, where art thou?
Successful conservative media personalities such as Bill OReilly, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Matt Drudge are absent from the list of commencement speakers despite The Fox News Channels dominance in cable news and the success of talk radio. Miss Coulter, for instance, authored four books, each of which has been a New York Times bestseller. She frequently appears on television and is the most requested speaker on college campuses. Miss Coulter has never received an invitation to be a commencement speaker. Also missing from the list are conservative intellectuals such as Milton Friedman, William F. Buckley, Justice Clarence Thomas, and Chief Justice John Roberts. Schools, such as Yale, have a history of shunning conservatives on commencement day. For instance, Yale University hosted actress Jodie Foster in 1993, activist Sargent Shriver in 1994, former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke in 1995, actor Henry Winkler in 1996, author David McCullough in 1997, NBCs Tom Brokaw in 1998, journalist Bob Woodward in 2000, Sen. Hillary Clinton in 2001, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in 2003, filmmaker Ken Burns in 2004, Democratic Congressman Eleanor Holmes Norton in 2005, and CNNs Anderson Cooper in 2006.
Light at the end of the tunnel?
On the bright side, this years complete listfound at www.yaf.orgfeatures more conservatives than in previous years. For example, the roster includes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at Boston College, author Peggy Noonan at Miami University-Oxford, former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean at Rutgers University, and Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao at MarquetteUniversity Not surprisingly, however, leftist professors at these schools are vocally protesting the appearance of these few conservatives addressing this years graduates.
For further information or to schedule an interview call Jason Mattera at (800) USA-1776 or (917) 754-3425
Oh, let the kids have one last dose of fantasy before reality comes and bites them in the butt. :)
Well, with the issue of public schools, there is a choice, it's called private school. The problem is though, America is moving towards the point where no one without at least an associates degree will be middle class, and I do suspect that limit will increase to 4 years. I basically have told each one of my children, no matter what their undergraduate major is, they will all be recieving at least Master's or an equivalent degree.
This is more than a little dishonest. Hillary Clinton was the "Class Day" speaker at Yale in 2001 (the day before graduation). President Bush was Yale's commencement speaker that year.
I don't dispute the premise, incidentally, that liberals are overrepresented at commencement ceremonies or other college events. I am simply calling BS on this example.
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