On Monday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “The Record,” Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) stated that while schools like Columbia haven’t acted quickly enough to deal with the encampments and demonstrations on campus, “a lot of voices now are being left out, they’re being diminished, they’re being canceled.”
After host Greta Van Susteren said that there is a lack of debate on college campuses, Phillips said, “And that is a very dangerous sign for the United States, because we only will survive if we encourage debate, if we disagree without being disagreeable, and so far, we’ve done pretty well. But there’s no question, Greta, look, I’m a progressive, I’m a moderate Democrat, but I believe deeply that we should have college campuses that invite debate and differences and deliberation. I’m the former vice chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus here in Congress. I love my Republican colleagues, because I learned from them conservative principles, they learned from we Democrats. That’s the same culture that should be the standard on college campuses, but I know, just like you, a lot of voices now are being left out, they’re being diminished, they’re being canceled. And I think we should re-invent and reinvest in thoughtful debate so that young people in America understand the responsibility to be critical thinkers, to disagree without being disagreeable, and, most importantly, the empathetic understand[ing] that your viewpoint is yours, but you have to walk in someone else’s shoes. I don’t think our schools are doing a good job, and, clearly, based on the events of the past year, there’s a lot of work to do.”
He added, “I was pleased, I should say, that Columbia finally issued that letter, is finally taking steps. I think they should have done it immediately and set the standard for the rest of the country. I think there are going to be some lessons learned about consequences that actually might be very helpful as we move forward.”
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