ONE WISHES THEY'D GROW UP. A law professor discovers the dynamics of junior high on the faculty.

I have been quite surprised to learn how "silenced" I feel by my many colleagues who are enthusiastically supporting Obama (a wonderful group of whom went to work in South Carolina and are now working hard in Maryland for him, which I think is terrific). On the issues we likely feel mostly the same --end the war in Iraq and bring the troops home, do more to deal with our stubborn problems of poverty, inequality and inequities, restore some sense of a positive reputation for our nation in its internal and external affairs, provide health care for all and restore faith in our beliefs in inclusion, justice, and social equity and opportunity. Yet, in conversation after conversation I feel like a Republican in a Democratic world for expressing any positive views about Hillary (and until yesterday about John Edwards too).

The usual suspects weigh in on the prospects for appreciating or expanding viewpoint diversity on the faculty.

That's probably too adult a concept for the faculty. There is no viewpoint to argue over, there's only wishful thinking. Here's a quick history lesson. Let's back up to 1971-1972. George McGovern's campaign slogans substitute for thinking in more than a few discussion sections, probably because they're precisely the common room commonplaces I put in the blockquote. That campaign flopped, but the same commonplaces were in the air in 1976, and Jimmy Carter's victory was cause for much optimism. Is malaise a color for a cardigan? Next comes twelve years of Reagan and Bush (yet another common room commonplace, and it doesn't recognize deregulation or entrepreneurialism or the end of an evil empire as positive developments in those years.) Then Bill Clinton becomes president, and the spirit of 1976 returns to the common room. You'd think we'd either see some progress toward those goals, or perhaps a reappraisal of the policy solutions in light of reality.