In general, conservatives despise professors — they’re usually liberals, socialists, or radical environmentalists — but two legislators elected in 2014 are breaking the mold and leading the conservative movement in Washington.
Senator Ben Sasse and Congressman Dave Brat were both college professors before their election, yet now, they are the fastest rising conservative stars in their respective legislative branches.
Congressman Brat, known for his unexpected and historic primary victory against former Majority Leader Eric Cantor, has demonstrated that his experience as an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College is transitioning well into usable skills in Congress.
A recent profile in his home-area paper, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, showed Brat is using his economics background to focus on lowering the deficit, saying, “We’re $19 trillion in debt, and that’s going to be paid by our kids. We’re having the spending party, and our kids are going to pay off the debt and the interest on the debt.”
Brat was one of only two Republicans to vote against the Republican budget proposed by Speaker Paul Ryan; as you can guess, it was because he felt it didn’t tackle the deficit enough.
In the Capitol’s northern chamber, Senator Sasse came to national prominence when he defined conservatism in less than 90 seconds on MSNBC — and the clip went mega-viral with millions upon millions of hits.
In the clip, with Sasse wearing his University of Nebraska jacket (although he was the president at Midland University), told the audience:
“Most government in history have said ‘might makes right’ and the king has the power and the people are the subjects. And the American founders said, ‘no.’ God gives us rights by nature, and government is just a shared project to secure those rights…”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f_ajPeUKT4]
His definition was in many ways philosophical and academic, yet the message was relatable. It was smart, yet principled conservatism. As a student, you could feel comfortable showing this video to your classmates to define what you believe in.
He is also being called the “conscience of conservatism” by many in the #NeverTrump movement. The senator became the first Republican in the chamber to announce that he would never support Trump.
He penned an open letter on Facebook announcing this decision, and it got more than 15,000 shares. Sasse’s comprehensive list of reasons for conservatives not to support Trump became a rallying cry.
Both Sasse and Brat have separated themselves from others in the party: Sasse for his opposition to Trump, and Brat for his bold stand on the debt.
These unique stances must have students wishing they could have Professors Sasse and Brat as their teachers — but while that may never happen, students can be grateful that these leaders fighting to reduce the debt burden on their future and help foster an economy built for the future.
They prove conservative professors do exist, and we should consider electing more of them to Congress.
