Claremont Independent

An Open Mind

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A recent and popular article by John Cloud in Time magazine provocatively asks whether liberals are smarter than conservatives. The notion that they are, Cloud says, "is familiar to anyone who has spent time on a college campus." He cites the old shopworn stereotypes: College Democrats are "ugly, smug and intellectual," and College Republicans "pretty, belligerent and dumb.

Newt Gingrich at Garrison

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

For the fourth consecutive year now, Scripps has angered some and surprised many by inviting a renowned speaker who strays from its characteristic liberal values. This effort to balance the campus' typical flow of leftist dialogue with conservative opinions can be credited to the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Public Affairs Program.

A Clear-Headed Heartland Conservative

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Craig McPherson is running for election in Kansas's third congressional district with a generous help from the education he picked up at Claremont McKenna and at the Henry Salvatori Center, where he was a research assistant. Combining a deep interest in America's Founding Fathers, a PPE major here at CMC, and a law and economics education from George Mason, can the 26-year-old from Kansas win the nomination in a crowded primary field?

A Mixed Hand for Liberty's Last Stand

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Recently the Claremont Colleges have been fortunate enough to get a new journal of opinion:, Liberty's Last Stand. And of course the campus welcomess another perspective to the ongoing campus debate. The journal started off with a bang, condeming both left, for spending and bailouts, and right, for its efforts in national security.

New Dean of Students Mary Spellman

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

CMC's new Dean of Students, Mary Spellman, comes to CMC after working as the Dean of Students at Sarah Lawrence College in New York for the past five years. She graciously agreed to sit down for an interview with the CI.

Jesse Jackson at the Athenaeum

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

On January 27, 2010, Jesse Jackson spoke at the Athenaeum. Appropriately, for a speech that was part of the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr, the first half was primarily a history lesson detailing Reverend Jackson's experiences with segregation and his struggle for civil rights.

Helen Prejean Speaks

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Sister Helen Prejean has many redeeming qualities as an anti-death penalty advocate. She presents herself unassumingly, but speaks with passion, earnestly and honestly, when the conversation turns to justice for the weak and vulnerable. A native of Louisiana, she tempers her prophetic zeal with southern charm as she stands behind a vision of the good that is unashamedly inspired by the teachings of the Catholic Church.

A Response to Cocktail Conservatism

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Every political group tries to claim the middle ground by labeling its opponents the extremes. To Jefferson, the Hamiltonians were all monarchists; to Hamilton, the Jeffersonians were all mobocrats. To such thinking, Lincoln becomes an abolitionist, and Douglas is pro-slavery - crude simplifications which fail to capture the depth of each man's political thought.

Censoring the Corporation

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

In late January, the Supreme Court declared a 5-4 ruling in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, declaring that corporations and interest groups have the right to spend freely on advertisements endorsing or criticizing politicians. Already, members of Congress are drafting a constitutional amendment in order to effectively undo the Supreme Court's ruling, and again seriously restrict political speech by corporations.

A Conversation with Gordon Gee

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Editor's Note: the following conversation came out of Ohio State University President Gordon Gee's response to Jason Soll's article, "Shifting the Nature of Change." Named by TIME Magazine in 2009 as the greatest university president in the country, President Gee is the 14th president of the Ohio State University.

Shifting the Nature of Change

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Change. It has become the byword of the New America that Obama has brought us. The promise of it fuels the hope that drives individuals to endure the daily hardships of life. Our expectations of change are higher now than they have ever been. And rightfully so.