Fox's Lawrence Jones and students from the AstroTurf funded wingnut project called "Campus Reform" are very upset all that money they've been spending trying to turn college students into conservatives isn't working. On this Wednesday's Fox & Friends, Jones cited from some reporting from Politico that the growth and dominance of Democratic voters in college towns in some traditionally red or swing states could mean trouble for Republicans:
In state after state, fast-growing, traditionally liberal college counties like Dane are flexing their muscles, generating higher turnout and ever greater Democratic margins. They’ve already played a pivotal role in turning several red states blue — and they could play an equally decisive role in key swing states next year.
[...]
The American Communities Project, which has developed a typology of counties, designates 171 independent cities and counties as “college towns.” In a combined social science/journalism effort based at the Michigan State University School of Journalism, the ACP uses three dozen different demographic and economic variables in its analysis such as population density, employment, bachelor’s degrees, household income, percent enrolled in college, rate of religious adherence and racial and ethnic composition.
Of those 171 places, 38 have flipped from red to blue since the 2000 presidential election. Just seven flipped the other way, from blue to red, and typically by smaller margins. Democrats grew their percentage point margins in 117 counties, while 54 counties grew redder. By raw votes, the difference was just as stark: The counties that grew bluer increased their margins by an average of 16,253, while Republicans increased their margins by an average of 4,063.
After griping about the statistics, Jones brought on three guests who he described as a "Republican Gen Z voter panel." Two of the guests were identified as being part of the AstroTurf group "College Reform." All three complained about how supposedly "radical" college campuses have become, accusing colleges of "liberal indoctrination" who just want to "cancel" conservatives, carped about diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and complained about their right to free speech being shut down, despite the fact that all of them are apparently very free to come on Fox and spout right wing propaganda and complain that college students aren't being fed a constant stream of right wing Republican talking points day in and day out.
Of course, what didn't come up is what this group "College Reform" is and who's funding them. As Media Matters reported back in 2017, there are a number of groups that have been infiltrating campus politics, "College Reform" just being one on a long list, and it's all of the usual suspect footing the bills:
Campus Reform And The Leadership Institute
The Leadership Institute is a decades-old nonprofit that trains young conservative activists and policy leaders to sell right-wing ideals through seminars on media, fundraising, communications, and campaigning. It also operates a campus leadership program that “identifies, organizes, and trains conservative college students to promote and defend their values on campus.” The institute’s “national field program” boasts “more than 1,878 campus groups” that advocate for “limited government, the free market, traditional values, and national defense.”
The Leadership Institute also operates Campus Reform, a website where student reporters write about perceived instances of liberal bias on college campuses. Known as “Higher Education’s Internet Outrage Machine,” Campus Reform posts several poorly sourced “articles” each day alleging professorial bias against conservative students or policies. Examples of “bias” on campus from this week include: a professor who reached out to a black student about an upcoming class that would focus on slavery and white nationalism; a school supporting an “emergency fund” for immigrant students; and a school hosting a seminar on pay inequity and salary negotiation for women students. The unvetted work from Campus Reform also served as the sole evidence for Turning Point USA’s recent McCarthyist “Professor Watchlist” project, which publicly listed photos and details about specific college professors and administrators who “discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.” Top contributors to the Leadership Institute in recent years include the anonymous conservative donor funds Donors Capital Fund and DonorsTrust, and the Charles Koch Foundation.
The Intercept did some in-depth reporting on Campus Reform in 2021 on their funding and their targeted harassment of college professors.
DeSmog has more on The Leadership Institute, their funding and their stance on climate change. And Don Moynihan, a professor at Georgetown, has more on some personal harassment he and others have received from Campus Reform and what it's like to be on the tail end of that.
Fox loves to do stuff like this where they bring on panel members and don't let their audience know who they're listening to and who is funding them. I'm happy to see for once it's because their efforts are failing and they're wasting a whole lot of money.
