Loyola University Says No Political Speakers - Unless They Work for Obama (Updated)

by Michael Coyne - Former Bush advisor bad, current Obama advisor good: Will leftist/liberal hypocrisy on college campuses will ever cease? Can a university block a conservative speaker and permit a liberal one? That, after all, is exactly what Loyola University Chicago has done recently. The Young America's Foundation noted on July 22 that Loyola University Chicago squashed plans to host Karl Rove, former Deputy Chief of Staff and political strategist under President George W. Bush. Their stated grounds: Political speakers are not to be allowed on campus so close to an election, with November 2 not that far off. This was, of course, an outright lie, since, as YAF noted:

University officials denied the request to host Karl Rove, arguing that due to their 501(c)(3) tax status, they cannot host a “political” speaker before the midterm elections. Those with even the faintest knowledge of tax law understand that is simply not the case... As if that weren’t egregious enough, Loyola University Chicago has a history of hosting partisan speakers on election years. On September 1, 2004, Howard Dean was allowed to speak on campus. Just a couple weeks later, third party candidate Ralph Nader not only spoke on campus, but it was also advertised as a campaign event and donations were solicited

Today, emails were sent out to Loyola students announcing the following (emphasis added):

On Friday, August 27, Eboo Patel, PhD, the founder and executive director of Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core and a member of President Obama’s advisory council of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, will deliver a public lecture on the Lake Shore Campus. Patel will discuss “Interfaith Leadership and Transformative Education” at 7 p.m., in the Mundelein Center Auditorium.

Patel has spoken at Loyola previously. He and a number of other notable liberals was one of the speakers for their 140th annual commencement ceremonies in the Spring of 2010. Patel spoke at The Graduate School and Institute of Pastoral Studies. Other liberal speakers included Kevin Bales, PhD (President & Co-Founder, Free the Slaves), Susan Sher (Chief of Staff for Michelle Obama), and Clarence Page (Journalist, Syndicated Columnist). Source: Loyola Student Dispatch's Blog, April 27, 2010. What does Loyola have to say about this blatant hypocrisy? We can be sure more will follow soon. About Eboo Patel: A religion adviser to President Obama has close ties to the imam who wants to build a 13-story Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero. The two have been documented together discussing America as "the ideal place for a renewal of Islam," WND has learned. In February, Obama named a Chicago Muslim, Eboo Patel, to his Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Patel is the founder and executive director of Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core, which says it promotes pluralism by teaming people of different faiths on service projects. Full Article here... RELATED: Loyola University Refuses to Let Karl Rove Speak CNB Loyola to host interfaith leadership expert Loyola Student Dispatch The Real Jeremiah Wright, by Eboo Patel Washington Post Loyola Interfaith Youth Corps Facebook group Obama adviser: U.S. 'ideal place for renewal of Islam' World Net Daily Catholic Colleges and the Political Left CatholiCity Hindu puts Eboo Patel in his place Jihad Chat No Eboo, It Is About Fundamentalism NewsReal Blog Obama Adviser Eboo Patel: 'Van Jones, Faith Hero' NewsBusters Eboo Patel's Articles Muslim Voices

In Defense of Scott Lee Cohen

by Michael Coyne I don’t like to make a habit out of defending the opposition party, but it seems that our side needs to seriously get a better grip on things. Recently, I was forced to defend Rahm Emanuel against Sarah Palin. Now, I may very well be forced to defend the new Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, Scott Cohen, from media criticism and conspiracy-hunters on my own side of the aisle. Cohen was apparently arrested five years ago for a domestic abuse allegation. The charges were dropped, and the accuser was a known prostitute. Now, Cohen is being called on to explain the allegation and may very well be forced to recuse himself of his party’s nomination. This is ridiculous. If the allegation is true, Cohen is a monster. Welcome to Common-sense-land. But, given that the charges were dropped because the so-called “victim” failed to even show up to court—notwithstanding the known credibility of the prostitute community—we should be willing to move past this nonsense and onto matters of actual significance. Cohen vehemently denies any wrongdoing, and says that he did not harm the woman. It is understandable, from a journalistic standpoint, to follow this story. But it is unlikely that anything substantial will come of it. In the realm of reasoned debate, this is a non-issue. Cohen should not be Illinois’s Lieutenant Governor. However, I reached this conclusion because his party has failed the state. It has nothing to do with a supposed controversy. Let’s let cooler heads prevail. Debate the issues, not a five-year-old dropped case. The past is the past; let’s live in the present. For more of Michael Coyne's conservative commentary, visit his website, RepublicanBlue. Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Quinn, Hynes Vie for 'Church Clown' Title

By Michael Coyne This past Sunday, January 31, the two Democratic primary candidates for Illinois Governor—Pat Quinn and Dan Hynes—spent the day courting a crucial part of any Democrat’s electoral strategy: the Black Vote. African-Americans break heavily for Democrats according to all polling data available in recent history. Therefore, it is no surprise that both Quinn and Hynes were relying on this critical group to break for them. What is amusing is the fact that they both spent their Sundays in prominent black churches on Chicago’s South Side. Trying to be ‘relatable’ Taking this move at face value and ignoring the religious aspect for a moment, it makes sense, in an ironic humor sort of way. Politicians have to go where the voters are, and, in this case, they were at church. The message of both campaigners was simply, “see, I’m just like you.” This, in itself, is riotous. Two men, who would be remarkably white even if they stood next to the population of Sweden, were jockeying for the black vote by going to a massive black church. No, they did not stand out at all. Dopey PC Stigma When did it become such a crime to be white? Yes, the president is black. I honestly could not care less what color a politician’s skin is, so much as proving that we believe in the same political ideals. It sometimes seems like conservatives are the only ones who actually want to stop using race as a yardstick for successes and failures. Truthfully, I would think substantially less of a politician who came to my church to grasp at votes, regardless of what color he or she was. HWJV? – How Would Jesus Vote? Yes, it is common for Democratic candidates to attend churches to stump for votes. Nevertheless, it is absurd. It is incomprehensible to me that the same party that detests any sort of religious expression in public is completely fine with desecrating a house of God by using it to shill for votes. I could even justify standing outside a church, temple, or mosque to pass out literature as people left. However, attending a service merely to be seen is unsettling. This is little more than a parable of how far today’s political situation has gone. For more conservative commentary, visit Michael Coyne’s RepublicanBlue. Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed