Saturday, December 03, 2005

Alito, Roe, conservative politics

I'm not sure how much significance should be attached to the fact that in 1985, Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, then a Justice Department lawyer in the Reagan administration, penned a memo outlining a legal strategy to chip away at Roe v. Wade by asking the Supreme Court to uphold a Pennsylvania law imposing some restrictions on abortion (rather than launching a frontal assault on Roe itself) while making it clear in the brief that the administration opposed Roe. (What a surprise, that.) Alito was working for an administration opposed to abortion; as the Washington Post article makes clear, the Reagan Justice Department ended up going further than Alito had advised and explicitly asking the Supreme Court to strike down Roe. It's pretty clear that Alito has right-to-life sympathies, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a zealot out to overturn Roe. Overall, his record suggests someone of a pragmatic rather than ideological disposition. The latest report is that he told Arlen Specter he regards the ruling that legalized abortion as "embedded in the culture" and therefore deserving of considerable respect as precdent.

But then there's the other Alito story making the rounds of the blogosphere: the one about his association with a group called Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP). According to The New York Times:

In an application for a promotion in the Reagan administration in the fall of 1985, Judge Alito was asked to provide information about his "philosophical commitment" to administration policies and listed his membership in Concerned Alumni.

According to Obsidian Wings:

CAP is generally described as 'a conservative group'. But this is as misleading as calling the John Birch Society a 'conservative group' would be. There are lots of conservatives who are thoughtful and intelligent, and who have real intellectual integrity. Conservatives like this did not tend to join CAP. CAP was dedicated to finding outrages that it took to be caused by the horrible fact that women and minorities were being admitted to Princeton. The need to find outrages generally came first; any encounter with facts came later. For this reason, CAP tended to attract not conservatives per se, but the sort of conservative who is forever getting deeply hysterical about some perceived threat to a supposed previous golden age, who sees such threats everywhere, and who is willing to completely distort the truth in order to feed his (and it generally was 'his') obsessions.

The post extensively documents the fact that CAP was not simply opposed to affirmative action, courses driven by left-wing politics, attempts to purge Dead White Males from the curriculum, and all the other things that came to be known as "political correctness in the academy." It really did support white male privilege, and Princeton's status as a bastion of such privilege. Its founders lamented the days when Princeton alumni could attend "homogeneous" reunions made impossible by "an undergraduate student population of approximately 40% women and minorities." It opposed sex-blind admission policies and favored quotas:

Asa Bushnell, then chairman of CAP, told the New York Times in 1974 that “Many Princeton graduates are unhappy over the fact that the administration has seen fit to abrogate the virtual guarantee that 800 [out of roughly 1,100] would continue to be the number of males in each freshman class.”

In 1983, CAP's magazine, Prospect, was taken over by Dartmouth Review alum Dinesh D'Souza, whereupon it got embroiled in a rather ugly incident which prompted a group of students to petition the administration (unsuccessfully) to block delivery of the magazine to the dorms. And no, this was not a case of PC hysteria over a critique of Afrocentrist courses. The offense was a cover story called "In Loco Parentis," telling the story of a Hispanic first-year student whose mother wanted to take her out of the school after learning that she was in a sexual relationship with a male student. After the mother refused to continue paying for the girl's education, the university allegedly extended extra financial aid to enable her to stay on campus -- an action Prospect found scandalous. While the magazine used a pseudonym, an accompanying article identified the student by her actual name, which D'Souza described as "an honest-to-goodness goof." The 1984 New York Times article on the imbroglio can found here (copy posted by Eric Muller).

How damaging is this to Alito? Well, the Times story says that, by all accounts, he was not actively involved in the group (formed shortly after his graduation from Princeton in 1972) and was not among its financial backers. Perhaps he simply cited it to shore up his conservative credentials when applying for the job. I don't know to what extent it was possible for a Princeton alumnus to have some contacts with CAP and not know what the group is about.

But I think that, Alito aside, this story does tell shed the spotlight on the ugly side of campus conservatism; and that's an important thing to remember for those of us who have fought battles against left-wing "political correctness" in the academy.

Yes, the academic left has engaged in some pretty bad behavior, and has often gratuitously and viciously branded anyone who questions left-wing dogma on race and gender as "sexist" and "racist." But the campus right hasn't always been a collection of noble souls, either. And the charges of sexism and racism haven't always come out of thin air.

8 comments:

maurile said...

In Alito's recently submitted Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire, under the list of organizations he has belonged to, he included:

"Concerned Alumni of Princeton: This was a group of Princeton alumni. A document I recently reviewed reflects that I was a member of the group in the 1980s. Apart from that document, I have no recollection of being a member, of attending meetings, or otherwise participating in the activities of the group. The group has no current officers from whom more information may be obtained." (Page 7.)

Cathy Young said...

Thanks for the info! According to the New York Times CAP basically withered away in the late 1980s because younger-generation campus conservatives could no longer relate to its reactionary brand of conservatism.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for pointing out this "CAP" issue, Cathy. I would hope and expect that Senators will question Judge Alito on the matter during the confirmation hearings. I mean... I'm all for full disclosure. While I believe Alito is an excellent nominee, as always, I'm willing to be proved wrong. (*SMILE*) Frankly, though, what I'm really looking forward to is Judge Alito and his supporters making a principled legal argument to support the widely held belief that regardless of a person's views on abortion policy, Roe was - and is - simply bad law.

Anonymous said...

You will never find swimsuit more excellent than in Ed Hardy!
ed hardy ugg boots
ed hardy love kills slowly boots
ed hardy love kills slowly
We provide you with the sexiest swimwear at present. Wanting to be bright on beach in this
ed hardy polo shirts
ed hardy love kills slowly shoes
ed hardy wear
Abandoning traditional concepts on sexy swimwear, Ed Hardy adds tattoo upon, which is meaning
ed hardy love kills slowly shirts
ed hardy trousers
ed hardy jackets
It seems that ed hardy mens shoes was difficult to be able to let you exist out in swimwear, the
ed hardy t shirts sale
ed hardy womens t shirts
ed hardy boots
In the trunks term, the Panerai candy-flush has mainly took the Louis Vuitton Speedy purpose
ed hardy womens clothes
ed hardy womens shirts
ed hardy clothes
swimwear in an austere tone proposal combines the exclusive tailoring, Cool down, sunshine fair,
ed hardy outerwear
ed hardy womens
ed hardy womens jeans
green MOISTURE, attractive red no other elements, together with the unique thwart-buckle create
ed hardy bags
ed hardy winter boots
ed hardy t shirts
Whether it is sexy bikini, or cross-quantity g-star trunks intended to reach new heights with this
ed hardy bags
ed hardy winter boots
ed hardy t shirts
The desired redden of this type of bag, but once again the label that ed hardy and the Christian Audigier Brand Manage Louboutin at MAGIC in August 2009.
ed hardy t shirts for men
ed hardy mens jeans
ed hardy mens shoes
The total spectrum of Audigier Brand Management lifestyle brands and crop will be including ed hardy shirts,
ed hardy mens shoes
ed hardy womens hoodies
ed hardy mens tees
food ranging from ment and woment garb, accessories, footwear. Christian Audigier, SMET, Crystal Rock

Anonymous said...

Rubber. Rubber is widly used in the outsole of the athletic shoes.
cheap puma shoes
discount puma shoes
It has the advantages of durable, skipproof, flexible, elastic, extensive, stable and proper hardness.
nike shox torch
nike tn dollar
cheap nike shox
PU is a kind of macromolecule polyurethane materials which is offten used in the midsole
cheap nike shox shoes
nike shox r4
puma mens shoes
Sometimes, it is also used in the outsole of casual shoes.
PU is durable, strong hardness, upstanding flexbility and more important, it is environmentally
cheap nike max
discount nike shox
cheap puma ferrari shoes
The disadvantage is also outstanding. Strong hydroscopic property, break apart and EVA.
nike mens shoes
nike shox nz
discount nike running shoes
which is usually used in the midsole of the running shoes and casual shoes.
EVA is quite lightweight, elastic, flexible and suitable to a variety of climates.
discount nike shoes
nike shox shoes
cheap nike shoes
PHYLON. Phylon is the product of the EVA after the second processing. Just as the rubber
nike sports shoes
puma running shoes
puma sneakers
The midsole of running shoes, tennis shoes and basketball shoes in the world is made PHYLON.
nike air max tn
puma cat
puma shoes
The upstanding hardness, density, traction and extension make it favorite by the manufacture.
nike running shoes
wholesale nike shoes
nike shoes
Just as a coin has two sides, Phylon is nonrecoverable and easily shrink under high PHYLON.
nike shoes kids
nike women shoes

Anonymous said...

conservative fall in britain..haha

http://britesmile-whitening.blogspot.com


http://the-laser-eye-treatment.blogspot.com

http://laser-correction.blogspot.com

http://alcoholic-rehabilitation-info.blogspot.com


http://alcohol-abuse-rehab.blogspot.com

http://help-for-alcoholism.blogspot.com

http://private-jet-charters-web.blogspot.com


http://term-life-quotes-info.blogspot.com

http://motorcycle-injury-lawyer.blogspot.com

http://drug-lawyer-info.blogspot.com


http://eloan-loan.blogspot.com

http://home-equity-lending.blogspot.com

http://mesothelioma-support-group.blogspot.com


http://brown-leather-office-chair.blogspot.com

http://little-tikes-doll-house.blogspot.com

http://bearington-teddy-bears.blogspot.com




http://boyds-bears-ornaments.blogspot.com

http://pore-cleanser-web.blogspot.com

http://complex-acne.blogspot.com


http://acid-reflux-diet-web.blogspot.com

http://beauty-for-nails.blogspot.com

http://cellulite-brush.blogspot.com


http://cellulite-and-liposuction.blogspot.com

http://printed-golf-balls.blogspot.com

http://diaper-cloth.blogspot.com


http://remove-tattoo-fast.blogspot.com

http://skin-microdermabrasion.blogspot.com

http://babor-products.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

nice share thanks a lot :)

download free pc games
affiliate review

Susan said...

I appreciate your information in this article. It’s smart, well-written and easy to understand. You have my attention on this subject. I will be back. Eminem, also known as Marshall Mathers, is one of the most commercially successful rappers of all time, with more than 100 million albums sold worldwide. He is one of the richest rappers in the world, with an estimated net worth of $210 million. Read more in Eminem net worth.