Professor of Sociology Daniel Chambliss lead a discussion titled "George W. Bush: Not At ALL A Conservative" as part of the Think Tank Brown Bag lunch series on Feb. 27. Chambliss outlined the ways in which President Bush and his administration have strayed from the traditional conservative ideology of preserving the status quo, conserving resources, and restricting the power and reach of the federal government.
Chambliss began by saying that as he has grown older, he has become more conservative in some ways. He has come to believe that stability is important and drastic change upsets peoples lives, as well as becoming more anti-utopian and being wary of the power of the federal government. George W. Bush, argued Chambliss, is not conservative in any of these ways. Instead, the only ways in which the President and his administration can be considered conservative are their social policies and the ways in which they seek to perpetuate the wealth and power of a few. In terms of spending and the use of resources, the Bush administration is anything but conservative, spending the country into debt and expending our military resources all in one place.
On a more philosophical level, Chambliss argued that Bush has also squandered 60 years of productive U.S. foreign policy, the unity of Americans and the good will of foreigners after 9/11, and our future economic security. In terms of expanding the reach of the federal government, Chambliss mentioned the Patriot Act, which greatly extends the powers of the Justice Department, as well as the No Child Left Behind Act, which he said is not only an infringement upon local control of schools but actually an attempt to slowly destroy public education.
Overall, Chambliss said, Bush is spending down the resources of the country, yet surviving politically by depending on a strange alliance of the super rich and the socially super conservative. The thing that bothers him most, he said, is that he does not get a sense that the Bush administration has any limits.
Think Tank is an informal gathering of students and staff over lunch to discuss issues pertinent to Hamilton College and the country. It is sponsored by the Levitt Public Affairs Center. Coming up in the Thank Tank series, Professor Doug Raybeck will talk about Michael Jackson, and Gordon Hewitt and Mary O'Neill will also lead discussions.
--Caroline O'Shea '07
