Stanley Kurtz Is What Some of Us Would Call "An Idiot"

Stanley Kurtz is a complete moron. He "argued" today at The Corner that we should abolish tenure.

Kurtz cites a poll claiming that 82% of Americans want to modify or eliminate tenure. First, do 82% of Americans even know what tenure is? That is a certain no. Second, how many of those who know what tenure is understand it? I'll be generous and say half. But most hilarious to me is how Kurtz claims a democratic mandate for his argument. Clearly because more than 1/2 of Americans supposedly want to modify tenure, it means the nation should make it a top priority! Plus, I don't see Kurtz or his fellows National Review wingnuts placing their same faith in democracy when it comes to the war or Alberto Gonzales or health care.

This is an obvious attempt to destroy the one place in the nation that liberals still dominate: academia. I would think Kurtz would be more concerned though with stopping the hemorrhaging of his party in all aspects of American life.

Finally, Kurtz ends with this laugher:

"More than anything else, the conversion of tenure from a protector of academic freedom into an instrument of ideological exclusion is responsible for the destruction of the campus marketplace of ideas. Tenure is the cornerstone of the campus political-correctness problem, and even beginning a serious effort to remove it would almost certainly shake up the entire academic system. The time to consider a serious campaign to eliminate academic tenure has come."

Yep, there is just no marketplace of ideas on American campuses. It's just part of the left-wing hegemony over American life!!! If only all of America could exchange ideas as freely as the corporate office, the fraternity house, and the Republican Party.

Via Yglesias