The Bush-ites and most Republicans now are anti-information, they want to base everything on belief. It's a faith-based view of the world: "I believe therefore it is" Most Ivy professors on the other hand, need to continually base their work on information and knowing things; they know that the Republicans have become over the last 25 years the enemies of judgment based upon information. So they are siding with the party that at least, we hope, puts a higher premium on openness to the world of information and facts.

The real story is not what professors give. It's a pittance compared to what AIPAC gives mainly to Hillary. Why do you think she can't stop triangulating about her votes on Iran and Iraq? Why do you think she won't commit to stopping the war? Because Middle Eastern dominance is what Israel and the Jews want, and they contribute roughly 60% of the campaign financing Democrats receive. Hillary receives much more than 60% from AIPAC-related donations, Edwards much, MUCH less.

Getting back to William Buckley,he is indeed a bright man!I used to play tennis with a guy very much like him,he too was a devoted fan of the harpsichord.He also had a Doctorate in the clasics(whatever that means)and taught at a local colllege.
I would describe them both as someone once described Col. Burty McCormack,the long time managing editor of the Chicago Tribune,during it's editorial policies of ultra Consrvatism;"three of the greatest minds of the eighteenth century".
I never could understand how someone who is against the policies of Neocons,Ultra Conservatives,or whatever you want to call these benighted idiots,is often labeled"leftist".My mind always asks ,"left of what?"How can using good basic common sense be labeled anything other than just what it is, Good Basic Common Sense?!

If Ivy League Profs are soo liberal, why doesn't it translate to the grads coming out of these schools?

The people cutting our economic and political throat are largely grads of these schools. Dubya is a grad of 2 of these institutions.

Giving to the Democrats by Ivy League professors is ass-covering.

Sure the current pack of rabid, reactionary Republican curs has threatened academic freedom, but the Ivy League universities are all beholden to federal grants, especially Pentagon-funded research programs. MIT and Harvard are so tied in with the military-industrial complex that both institutions are counted among Massachusetts' top defense contrators!

And since the current (mis)administration has so thoroughly mismanaged everything it has touched, from the Iraq occupation to the economy, smart money is on Hillary to pull the national fat out of the fire.

The professors don't want to end up teaching creationism and flat earth Republican history.
Thye want to teach the truth, that we invaded Vietnam, not that we went to the rescue of Vietnam.

I don't think it purely coincidental that the higher one's educational degree, the higher one's score on reading and math tests and the higher one's IQ, the more likely it is to be on the political left

While there are certainly notable exceptions to this (The name William F. Buckley, Jr. springs readily to mind), every study of such has had roughly the same result

"With professors, however, we assume that these are more ideologically driven than economic."

and that is the difference between the left and the right. The left wants a fair deal for all, an ideal. The right wants to get rich quick (at anyone's expense) and assumes that the left is foolish.

Just curious, and Id like to see someone do a story on this. We know that legally the government and journalist , and illegally identity thieves and hackers can find out all personal banking, investment and personal information. I mean, it was even easy enough for journalist to find out what was being traded in the Blind Trust of Senator Frist, right? What I would like to know is what percentage of personal investments does President Bush have Off Shore? It would really interesting. Hell, do it for each and every candidate as well. After all, I think its important to know if they really believe in the US economy as much as they tout it. Dont you??

Hell ya they will. They are not dumb. They can see that Demorats are very easy to buy. So put your money where it will do the most good.

leave stanford out of that mix as they love warmongers like rummy and condi.

This always baffled me. I'd be curious what the data are for Computer Science academia. Because I tell you what, there has never been a more conservative and/or libertarian bunch of people as CS Professors.

"I don't know how much this ideological persuasion translates into intellectual bias," said Ristch. "I don't think these professors are skewing their teaching because they want to see a particular candidate in the White House. If this were the case we wouldn't have as many conservative college students as we do." Liberal denial. They just aren't as persuasive as they like to think. No one is more intolerqant than a liberal professor.

The Republican Party has become singularly anti-intellectual and anti-science to the point of seemingly unbelievably stupid and backward. Anybody in their right minds, including moderate Republican academics, would shift their money to Democrats in this ideological climate. Did I ever think we would have to re-fight the battles won during the Enlightenment? The last seven years is proof that Progress is not inevitable.

Who cares what the Ivy League Admin. think and support? I think they represent the wealthy and corporate interests and always have.

I've voted demo since 1972, but am troubled by the demo's allegience to corporate interests. Well, what else is new.

If the repubs and demos support corporate interests it means no one is supporting the interests of 95% of the American people -oening the door for a nut-case like ron paul to make some headway.

That's generally what happens when you get educated.

I'm skeptical about the story. A majority of college faculty probably don't make political donations. Perhaps the story meant to say that 86% of faculty who actually make political contributions give to Democrats. If 86% of all college faculty (including non-contributors) give to Democrats, I'd like to see a credible source.

Let's see. The folks that actually believe in science, read books, conduct research, know the Constitution, and study history and policy support the Democrats. Who would have thought?

This is exactly what makes the remaining majority of the population to vote the other way.

Well? These people stake their reputations and their careers, regularly, on judgments concerning the competence of students, the quality of research and the probity of objective description of facts and ideas. You think they're going to prefer the party whose President puts forth Clarence Thomas, Harriet Miers, Dan Quayle, Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales as the 'most qualified' people available? The wonder, apart from the protecting of vested self-interest, is that 29% gave anything but their fingers to the Republicans.