George Soros is making an investment in training, [make that 'empowering'] the next generation of left wing activists. Campus Progress, a project of billionaire George Soros's Center for American Progress, just held a national student conference, supposedly to work on the intellectual foundation of the movement. Jason Mattera reports on NRO that leftist student organizations are reeling from the impact of conservative groups on campus, despite [or perhaps because of] the rule of left wing orthodoxy in the universities.

For the past 30 years on college campuses, the Left has been regurgitating concepts that do not work: socialist, pacifist, redistributionist...you get the tired old idea. Instead of injecting some fresh thinking into the young left—activist bloodstream, panelists at Campus Progress's national student conference rehashed big—government policies, drew ridiculous parallels, and conveyed embarrassing talking points.

The tone of the conference doesn't seem to have been terribly elevated either.

At universities, conservatives are no stranger to being called "Nazis." Thomas Frank decided to keep that spirit alive. According to him, 'They [Republicans] didn't have any problem with Hitler, other than the fact that they thought he rocked.'

Mattera sees the big picture.

It's not the lack of resources, but the tactics used and ideas professed that cause student apathy toward progressive activism. The Left's routine support for divisive concepts such as racial preferences, the banning of ROTC recruiters from campuses, and their widespread commitment to enforcing political correctness will keep them as second—rate activists. Soros's millions will not help.

I find it fascinating that Soros is pouring money down a rathole. Is a foolish old man becoming the sugard daddy of the left, or is there a strategy here?

Soros is dumping millions of his dollars into maintaining the left on life support.

Thomas Lifson   7 18 05