Just like all other commentaries/essays/opinions written by Marvin Kalb, excellent and easy to understand.
If these universities/colleges are all so liberal and woke, why are there so very many republicon politicians who are so very right-wing and downright mAga? Could it be they were much more influenced by their mommies and daddies (and their bank accounts) before they even attended these places? On the other hand, they are using the benefit of the "liberal" education they received to totally misrepresent themselves and lie like their leader. If their learning institution had been right wing like their minds, they would have been forced to learn one side only.
Although the orange felon supposedly attended an ivy league school, I think it has been documented enough times that others were paid to take his exams for him, since he wasn't smart enough to pass them himself.
Arkansas Blue, I like your comment. I believe they do have a problem with liberal education, but perhaps a larger one with the changes in society, possibly as a result of sex, drugs, and rock "n" roll. It's kind of like the Amish, whose children are only allowed to complete the eighth grade, and are not allow to continue or go to college. I wrote a comment below, but then did more reading on Kevin Roberts, who I'm going to write another comment about.
You may very well be right. Republicon voters and a majority of their politicians, especially those who maintain to be good christians, would rather do the sex, drugs and rock n' toll thing in secret. That's why most of them are such hypocrites.
I think they hate all three, and feel that's the problem with America. Unfortunately, the way they hope to change things is to outlaw abortion throughout the country as well as birth control pills! It turns out that Roberts is worse than I even thought. And, the research will take longer than I thought. But, I did learn that he was CEO of the Texas Policy Foundation under Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, who may be the most repressive governor in the America. It will be interesting to see the ways in which Roberts helped Abbott destroy people's freedoms. And, just as an aside, in the Catholic Diocese county in which Roberts and his family live, there are 70 Catholic parishes (a parish is a local community with a pastor) and 10 Catholic Churches. I think that's what he's seeking throughout the United States.
The Felon doesn't care about "woke". The Felon cares about four things, loyalty, power, staying out of jail and money (not necessarily in that order). The Felon doesn't care about his MAGA followers, doesn't care about the American people in general and certainly care about America's allies.
With the support of the six Christian Nationalists on the Supreme Court who gave the Felon immunity, the Felon and president Musk are making the United States of America an authoritarian theocracy, with the Felon as its leader and the American oligarchs running the Country. There was a recent poll on CNN, indicating a majority of the American people believe the Felon does not have too much power. This is because the Felon, his sycophants in the White House and right wing media continue to say the Felon is only sending the "bad guys" to El Salvador. Just wait until the Felon declares Martial Law and begins sending United States citizens to El Salvador (only the "bad guys" of course).
I'm not sure if everyone is aware that Trump's attacks on "elite colleges and universities" is part of Kevin Robert's agenda. He is the CEO of The Heritage Foundation, mastermind of Project 2025, a member of Opus Dei, a secretive Catholic cult, and author of "Dawn's Early Light:" whose original subtitle was "Burning Down Washington to Save America."
"Despite the title change to "Taking Down Washington to Save America," Roberts' argument remains incendiary. 'Decadent and rootless, these institutions serve only as a shelter for our corrupt elite. "For America to flourish again, they don’t need to be reformed; they need to be burned," writes Roberts. Some of the institutions he targets are: "Every Ivy League university, the FBI, the New York Times, the Department of Education," and many more.
What's most important to know about Roberts is that his religion drives everything he does. "Like Project 2025, Opus Dei, at its core, is a reactionary stand against the progressive drift of society." And, "the founder of Opus Dei, Saint Josemaría Escrivá, saw his followers as part of a 'rising militia,' who were seeking to enter battle against the enemies of Christ.'" Roberts writes that "'America is rooted in Christianity, and institutions should not establish anything offensive to Christian morals.' He goes so far as to say that any institution merely 'contemptuous of public prayer' should probably “be burned down”. Given how much power, Roberts, Leonard Leo, and JD have in Trump's presidency, I urge you to read the linked articles below.
He truly is. I'm doing more research on him because Trump is following everything he has recommended in Project 2025, including his budget, and some of Trump's actions are even worse. And, JD Vance is not only a close friend of Roberts, but he has followed Roberts' work for years, and his own work (whatever that is) is similar to Roberts'.
I always wonder what these devout Catholics think they will do when the ‘Christian” nationalists have so much power. Do they really think that they will not become a target. Many so called Christian religions look upon Catholics with disdain, view them as damned to hell. Really think you won’t become the next other, Kevin?
I'm sorry to say, that according to the National Catholic Reporter (a source that I like because we agree on many of the same problems) in a July 24, 2024 article that I will provide below, "Catholics are becoming some of Christian nationalism’s most muscular champions." [If you're having a bad day when you see this, you might not want to read it.")
I can't explain why this is happening (I just was introduced to it myself) but the article does. There is evidently a group of "'Trad Caths' (Traditional Catholics who use Latin, Crusader imagery, and Catholic material culture to manufacture ideas of a once-great White Western civilization currently under threat.'In other words, they have developed a distinctively Catholic version of the Christian nationalist narrative."
"White evangelical Protestants have the highest level of support for Christian nationalism among all religious groups, while white Catholics fall somewhere in the middle of the pack. But this should not suggest Catholics are necessarily moderate where Christian nationalism is concerned; rather, they are polarized, as they are on many other issues."
A clear and accurate summation of what is happening. Thank you, Mr. Kalb. In this case, Trump may well have bitten off more than he can chew. Harvard has some of the best legal minds going for them. Quite honestly, Trump does not. They've been known to come up with weird and specious arguments not well based in facts; as result, have been chastised by many judges for their ineptitude. It's unlikely that Harvard University will back down, nor share student information. Good for them.
Agreed. And, it made Columbia rethink their position. This is a quote from an April 15, 2025 article. "Columbia University, which has faced criticism for not striking a more defiant stand against efforts by the Trump administration to set its agenda, showed signs late Monday of adopting a tougher tone. In a note sent to the campus, the acting president pledged that the school would not allow the federal government to “require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy.
"The message came less than 12 hours after Harvard became the first university to refuse to comply with the administration’s demands, prompting federal officials to freeze $2.2 billion in multiyear grants to the school. The letter was sent to students and faculty members as Columbia has endured intense fire for what critics regard as White House appeasement."
This U.C.L.A. Bruin approves of Harvard's stiff response & counter-action. As a U.C.L.A. Green-as-a-Toad freshman, I started out as a Political Scientist major. My Poly Sci Prof spent an entire class lecture on Marbury vs. Madison.
Fast forward to the 1980's when I started my 30+ year career as a litigator & trial attorney.
I "retired" circa the Covid Pandemic. On 3/25/25 I re-activated my California Bar License.
This UCLA Bruin does as well, although I was an undergraduate history major there in the late sixties to early seventies. One of my crowning achievements was that we had a peaceful sit-in in Murphy Hall. And, I can't even remember why!
Thank you for the memory. I just looked him up. His name was Albert Hoxie. I had forgotten all about him even though I loved those classes. It was my first real introduction to art and architecture although my parents had taken me to art museums when I was growing up. I don't remember his comments about western mythologies and Euro realities, but it was my first two semesters at UCLA, and perhaps I was just overwhelmed. In 1992 when he was 80, he donated his Beverly Hills House, and his 160,000 slide collection to UCLA. He died in 1999. He also is remembered for inspiring Kareem Abdul Jabbar to major in history.
'Polls have shown that four out of every five professors were deemed “liberals,” allowing conservatives to argue that students were not getting a well-balanced education. Many people have even begun to question the value of a college degree.'
These are bullshit arguments
1. Did anyone wonder if the students at any number of "universities "(oral robots, liberty) are getting a well balanced education?
I quibble with term "overly generous federal grants." Overly generous implies the grants are not a value add to this country. You are succumbing to the Trump regime's framing. Universities are not taking money, the federal government is choosing to invest that money in basic research. By investing in basic research at universities, the federal government propels this country's economy forward. These grants are not "overly generous;" they are wise investments in the research that drives the excellence of our nation.
Trump's threats to higher education yet another part of destruction of our culture and government based on Project 2025 and its nut case leaders of The Heritage Foundation.
Extortion and intimidation have been Trump's MO since he started in business. It was the impetus for his first impeachment, but he got away with it and now he's doubling down. We all must channel our inner Alan Garber and Janet Mills and be ready to say, "See you in court."
Harvard's resistance has inspired 269 other university presidents to sign a letter defending the right of universities to that "old-fashioned" notion of academic freedom. Universities, not enough of them, alas, stood against Joe McCarthy. They will prevail against the present bully in the White House. Thank you, Professor Kalb, for this excellent analysis.
Just like all other commentaries/essays/opinions written by Marvin Kalb, excellent and easy to understand.
If these universities/colleges are all so liberal and woke, why are there so very many republicon politicians who are so very right-wing and downright mAga? Could it be they were much more influenced by their mommies and daddies (and their bank accounts) before they even attended these places? On the other hand, they are using the benefit of the "liberal" education they received to totally misrepresent themselves and lie like their leader. If their learning institution had been right wing like their minds, they would have been forced to learn one side only.
Although the orange felon supposedly attended an ivy league school, I think it has been documented enough times that others were paid to take his exams for him, since he wasn't smart enough to pass them himself.
Arkansas Blue, I like your comment. I believe they do have a problem with liberal education, but perhaps a larger one with the changes in society, possibly as a result of sex, drugs, and rock "n" roll. It's kind of like the Amish, whose children are only allowed to complete the eighth grade, and are not allow to continue or go to college. I wrote a comment below, but then did more reading on Kevin Roberts, who I'm going to write another comment about.
You may very well be right. Republicon voters and a majority of their politicians, especially those who maintain to be good christians, would rather do the sex, drugs and rock n' toll thing in secret. That's why most of them are such hypocrites.
I think they hate all three, and feel that's the problem with America. Unfortunately, the way they hope to change things is to outlaw abortion throughout the country as well as birth control pills! It turns out that Roberts is worse than I even thought. And, the research will take longer than I thought. But, I did learn that he was CEO of the Texas Policy Foundation under Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, who may be the most repressive governor in the America. It will be interesting to see the ways in which Roberts helped Abbott destroy people's freedoms. And, just as an aside, in the Catholic Diocese county in which Roberts and his family live, there are 70 Catholic parishes (a parish is a local community with a pastor) and 10 Catholic Churches. I think that's what he's seeking throughout the United States.
The Felon doesn't care about "woke". The Felon cares about four things, loyalty, power, staying out of jail and money (not necessarily in that order). The Felon doesn't care about his MAGA followers, doesn't care about the American people in general and certainly care about America's allies.
With the support of the six Christian Nationalists on the Supreme Court who gave the Felon immunity, the Felon and president Musk are making the United States of America an authoritarian theocracy, with the Felon as its leader and the American oligarchs running the Country. There was a recent poll on CNN, indicating a majority of the American people believe the Felon does not have too much power. This is because the Felon, his sycophants in the White House and right wing media continue to say the Felon is only sending the "bad guys" to El Salvador. Just wait until the Felon declares Martial Law and begins sending United States citizens to El Salvador (only the "bad guys" of course).
Fine and dandy, but please don't refer to Musk as president. By his birth, he cannot be, and besides, we didn't elect him.
We also may be seeing his departure sooner than later as he was stealing Trump's spotlight with the media, and the narcissism does not allow that.
I'm not sure if everyone is aware that Trump's attacks on "elite colleges and universities" is part of Kevin Robert's agenda. He is the CEO of The Heritage Foundation, mastermind of Project 2025, a member of Opus Dei, a secretive Catholic cult, and author of "Dawn's Early Light:" whose original subtitle was "Burning Down Washington to Save America."
"Despite the title change to "Taking Down Washington to Save America," Roberts' argument remains incendiary. 'Decadent and rootless, these institutions serve only as a shelter for our corrupt elite. "For America to flourish again, they don’t need to be reformed; they need to be burned," writes Roberts. Some of the institutions he targets are: "Every Ivy League university, the FBI, the New York Times, the Department of Education," and many more.
What's most important to know about Roberts is that his religion drives everything he does. "Like Project 2025, Opus Dei, at its core, is a reactionary stand against the progressive drift of society." And, "the founder of Opus Dei, Saint Josemaría Escrivá, saw his followers as part of a 'rising militia,' who were seeking to enter battle against the enemies of Christ.'" Roberts writes that "'America is rooted in Christianity, and institutions should not establish anything offensive to Christian morals.' He goes so far as to say that any institution merely 'contemptuous of public prayer' should probably “be burned down”. Given how much power, Roberts, Leonard Leo, and JD have in Trump's presidency, I urge you to read the linked articles below.
I https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/book-of-the-day/2024/11/dawns-early-light-review-kevin-roberts-fire-breathing-american-right
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/26/kevin-roberts-project-2025-opus-dei
Kevin Roberts. What an incredibly nasty creature.
He truly is. I'm doing more research on him because Trump is following everything he has recommended in Project 2025, including his budget, and some of Trump's actions are even worse. And, JD Vance is not only a close friend of Roberts, but he has followed Roberts' work for years, and his own work (whatever that is) is similar to Roberts'.
I always wonder what these devout Catholics think they will do when the ‘Christian” nationalists have so much power. Do they really think that they will not become a target. Many so called Christian religions look upon Catholics with disdain, view them as damned to hell. Really think you won’t become the next other, Kevin?
I'm sorry to say, that according to the National Catholic Reporter (a source that I like because we agree on many of the same problems) in a July 24, 2024 article that I will provide below, "Catholics are becoming some of Christian nationalism’s most muscular champions." [If you're having a bad day when you see this, you might not want to read it.")
I can't explain why this is happening (I just was introduced to it myself) but the article does. There is evidently a group of "'Trad Caths' (Traditional Catholics who use Latin, Crusader imagery, and Catholic material culture to manufacture ideas of a once-great White Western civilization currently under threat.'In other words, they have developed a distinctively Catholic version of the Christian nationalist narrative."
"White evangelical Protestants have the highest level of support for Christian nationalism among all religious groups, while white Catholics fall somewhere in the middle of the pack. But this should not suggest Catholics are necessarily moderate where Christian nationalism is concerned; rather, they are polarized, as they are on many other issues."
https://www.ncronline.org/news/catholic-christian-nationalism-having-moment
Creepy!
Agreed!
A clear and accurate summation of what is happening. Thank you, Mr. Kalb. In this case, Trump may well have bitten off more than he can chew. Harvard has some of the best legal minds going for them. Quite honestly, Trump does not. They've been known to come up with weird and specious arguments not well based in facts; as result, have been chastised by many judges for their ineptitude. It's unlikely that Harvard University will back down, nor share student information. Good for them.
Agreed. And, it made Columbia rethink their position. This is a quote from an April 15, 2025 article. "Columbia University, which has faced criticism for not striking a more defiant stand against efforts by the Trump administration to set its agenda, showed signs late Monday of adopting a tougher tone. In a note sent to the campus, the acting president pledged that the school would not allow the federal government to “require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy.
"The message came less than 12 hours after Harvard became the first university to refuse to comply with the administration’s demands, prompting federal officials to freeze $2.2 billion in multiyear grants to the school. The letter was sent to students and faculty members as Columbia has endured intense fire for what critics regard as White House appeasement."
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/nyregion/columbia-trump-president-response.html
"The answer burst like a sunflower of defiance"--I'll buy that t-shirt! Lovely imagery!
Great to hear from the esteemed journalist Marvin Kalb. His thoughts are well-received in my family and circle of friends. Thank you Mr. Kalb!
This U.C.L.A. Bruin approves of Harvard's stiff response & counter-action. As a U.C.L.A. Green-as-a-Toad freshman, I started out as a Political Scientist major. My Poly Sci Prof spent an entire class lecture on Marbury vs. Madison.
Fast forward to the 1980's when I started my 30+ year career as a litigator & trial attorney.
I "retired" circa the Covid Pandemic. On 3/25/25 I re-activated my California Bar License.
Now that's Contrarian to the golden years.
Ready to Go!
This UCLA Bruin does as well, although I was an undergraduate history major there in the late sixties to early seventies. One of my crowning achievements was that we had a peaceful sit-in in Murphy Hall. And, I can't even remember why!
Ah yes, very good memories of the "Western Civ" Professor who lectured using his personal photographic record of his Euro travels. : ---)
There were many sober comments about western mythologies & Euro realities over the Centuries.
Thank you for the memory. I just looked him up. His name was Albert Hoxie. I had forgotten all about him even though I loved those classes. It was my first real introduction to art and architecture although my parents had taken me to art museums when I was growing up. I don't remember his comments about western mythologies and Euro realities, but it was my first two semesters at UCLA, and perhaps I was just overwhelmed. In 1992 when he was 80, he donated his Beverly Hills House, and his 160,000 slide collection to UCLA. He died in 1999. He also is remembered for inspiring Kareem Abdul Jabbar to major in history.
https://www.hoxie.ucla.edu/
'Polls have shown that four out of every five professors were deemed “liberals,” allowing conservatives to argue that students were not getting a well-balanced education. Many people have even begun to question the value of a college degree.'
These are bullshit arguments
1. Did anyone wonder if the students at any number of "universities "(oral robots, liberty) are getting a well balanced education?
2. Nobody is forced to go to college
What an incredible article.
I have always admired your journalistic ability, Marvin Kalb! Thank you for many years of dedication to your craft.
Fantastic article.
I quibble with term "overly generous federal grants." Overly generous implies the grants are not a value add to this country. You are succumbing to the Trump regime's framing. Universities are not taking money, the federal government is choosing to invest that money in basic research. By investing in basic research at universities, the federal government propels this country's economy forward. These grants are not "overly generous;" they are wise investments in the research that drives the excellence of our nation.
Trump's threats to higher education yet another part of destruction of our culture and government based on Project 2025 and its nut case leaders of The Heritage Foundation.
Extortion and intimidation have been Trump's MO since he started in business. It was the impetus for his first impeachment, but he got away with it and now he's doubling down. We all must channel our inner Alan Garber and Janet Mills and be ready to say, "See you in court."
Harvard's resistance has inspired 269 other university presidents to sign a letter defending the right of universities to that "old-fashioned" notion of academic freedom. Universities, not enough of them, alas, stood against Joe McCarthy. They will prevail against the present bully in the White House. Thank you, Professor Kalb, for this excellent analysis.
What an incredible article.