As a new semester and a new presidential administration begin, the fraught political climate has some professors grappling with how, or if, to talk policy and politics in class.
Part of the challenge this semester, he said, lies in describing events without appearing to push one particular viewpoint. Some faculty members have to do a “bit of gymnastics,” he said, to avoid making ad hominem or partisan statements, while still pointing out rhetoric or actions that are anomalous to U.S. politics or history.
“I wouldn’t advise just walking in and saying, ‘Today we’re supposed to be learning about geography but instead we’re going to talk about –”
Others said they’ll discuss policy if it’s related to course content, but may not name a particular political party or individual. Some suggested tying current political events to curricula in a deliberate but natural way.
Source: Post-Election, Some Professors Feel They Must Play Mediator
But they never got that chance. In late December, Plouffe and a small group of senior staffers finally made the call, which was endorsed by Obama. The entire campaign machine, renamed Organizing for America, would be folded into the DNC, where it would operate as a fully controlled subsidiary of the Democratic Party. Plouffe stayed on as senior adviser, and put trusted field organizers Mitch Stewart and Jeremy Bird in charge of the new group. Bird says the OFA team was never even told about the idea for Mov
