RateItAll: The Opinion Network

There is a real philosophical shift. . .and he swings a mighty axe in "Hating Whitey" - a book that attacks reverse racism that is considered acceptable towards whites. (There are a few good chapters and a few misses- but the one attacking "Rigoberta Menchu" is priceless.) Give Dave credit for raising good issues, but considering his book and his 'change' he has become as radical as his real and imagined opponents. In the end, his change has morphed him into an activist with some good points counter-balanced (and detracted by) a strange paranoia.

He used to be a leftist radical, now he's a right-wing radical. He never changed; he's just a professional radical. Otherwise, Horowitz is just as contemptible (as an intellectual) and overrated (in his influence) as the other neo-conservatives. Just another patsy/propagandist for the Bush administration.

David Horowitz was raised a communist, and then joined the "New Left" during the 1960s becoming an editor of Ramparts Magazine and sparring with Harry Scheer for control thereof. he became enamored with the Black Panther Party, but lost the faith when a friend of his turned up dead, believed to be killed by BPP members. Nobody was ever arrested or convicted, but he is certain it was ordered by Huey Newton. When the rest of the left didn't back him up on his claims, he moved to the right and eventually voted for Reagan in 1984. He has since been a leader of the "second thoughts" movement of ex-60s radicals turned conservative. He runs a foundation to that end and has of late been focused on increasing conservative influence on universities. He began by demanding that more conservatives be hired, but I think he probably found that not many conservatives apply for such a job. It doesn't make money. He has instead resorted to trying to control curriculem by forcing professors to leave their political opinions out of their lectures. He has compiled a list of the "100 most dangerous professors," and seems to miss the irony of such a list. He's a vey intelligent writer, and he is very thorough in his research. I strongly recommend his book Radical Son, which contains a very good description of the left he was a part of during his switchover. It seems very honest, though I have a different take on some of his broader observations and conclusions.