Donald Kagan: Dems protest his selection as 9/11 speaker at Yale
The choice of history professor Donald Kagan to give the keynote address at today’s Sept. 11 memorial service provoked the Yale College Democrats to withdraw its sponsorship of the event.
The College Democrats, who had co-sponsored the event last year alongside the College Republicans, declined to participate in the service after Kagan, a noted conservative, was invited to speak by the event organizers, Laura Marcus ’10 and Luke Palder ’09. The Dems said Kagan was too partisan a figure to speak at a memorial event, but Marcus and Palder said they invited Kagan because of his three-year stint as Yale College dean and not for his political views.
College Democrats President Eric Kafka said his organization would not sponsor the event because Kagan has “politicized” Sept. 11 and questioned the patriotism of liberals, making him an unsuitable choice to speak at a nonpartisan memorial service. Kagan also would not provide a copy of his speech beforehand and would not guarantee that his address would be free of references to the Iraq war, Kafka said.
Marcus and Palder emphasized that Kagan was chosen because he is a respected historian and a former administrator, not for his political opinions. Kagan’s views do not represent those of the organizers or the sponsors, they said, and the organizers are not privy to the content of his speech in advance. Yale President Richard Levin, Yale College Dean Peter Salovey and University Secretary Linda Lorimer were their first choices for a keynote speaker, but scheduling conflicts prevented them from attending, Marcus and Palder said in a letter to the News published today....
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The College Democrats, who had co-sponsored the event last year alongside the College Republicans, declined to participate in the service after Kagan, a noted conservative, was invited to speak by the event organizers, Laura Marcus ’10 and Luke Palder ’09. The Dems said Kagan was too partisan a figure to speak at a memorial event, but Marcus and Palder said they invited Kagan because of his three-year stint as Yale College dean and not for his political views.
College Democrats President Eric Kafka said his organization would not sponsor the event because Kagan has “politicized” Sept. 11 and questioned the patriotism of liberals, making him an unsuitable choice to speak at a nonpartisan memorial service. Kagan also would not provide a copy of his speech beforehand and would not guarantee that his address would be free of references to the Iraq war, Kafka said.
Marcus and Palder emphasized that Kagan was chosen because he is a respected historian and a former administrator, not for his political opinions. Kagan’s views do not represent those of the organizers or the sponsors, they said, and the organizers are not privy to the content of his speech in advance. Yale President Richard Levin, Yale College Dean Peter Salovey and University Secretary Linda Lorimer were their first choices for a keynote speaker, but scheduling conflicts prevented them from attending, Marcus and Palder said in a letter to the News published today....