Ex-Quayle aide tells of liberalism's demise

A University professorship and a term as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle behind him, William Kristol returned to the University yesterday to speak on "Bill Clinton's America: The End of Liberalism." The former political science professor focused on what he called the discrepancy between the ideals of liberalism and their supporters' currently diminishing confidence in them. "An elite that has lost confidence in itself will not long govern a society that has lost confidence in that elite," he said. Kristol cited the differences between liberalism in the Clinton presidency and that of the Kennedy presidency. "There was a genuine confidence that liberal solutions could solve problems [during Kennedy's presidency,]" he said. He contrasted this with statements from "the high priestess of liberalism," Hillary Clinton, whom he said recently called herself "a conservative on values." "You would not find liberals in the 1960s, in my view, saying this," he said. "They were proud to be liberals." Kristol was an assistant professor at the University from 1978 until 1983, moving on to Harvard and then to the U.S. Department of Education during the Reagan Administration. Political Science Chairperson Oliver Williams said Kristol's presence as a "conservative intellectual" in the department was "reflective of a major change which had begun in academia at that time?when few intellectuals were conservative." He also compared the state of today's liberalism to that of Communism in the Soviet Union during the late 1970s. Although it seemed powerful, he said, "it was extraordinarily hollow and weak. It didn't take much for the whole structure to collapse." He attributed this vulnerability to the fact that the people under its rule "did not believe in Communism or its promises." Kristol likened this to contemporary perceptions of liberalism. "It does not command the loyalty of most Americans," he said, claiming that the majority of Americans who do not identify as moderate identify as conservative. "Faith in the government is at an all-time low," he said. "People tend to want to pay fewer taxes and get fewer services from the government." He explained that this indicates a lack of support for liberal ideas about "active government and the welfare state." Audience members commented on the unique perspective which Kristol brought into an academic setting. "It's interesting to see what someone can do who's in academics, and then go into the policy field," said Political Science graduate student Akiba Covitz. "We think of ourselves as more interested in ideas than in practical results." Political Science Professor Graham Walker agreed, saying it is unusual "to hear someone speak who is out of sync with campus ethos."