Comparing Democrats’ campaigning to bad dog food with excellent advertising, conservative journalist Robert Novak criticized liberal ideology with a focus on the November elections at a Monday night speech in Fisk Hall.
“I believe if you give the unadulterated dog food, people will gag on it,” Novak said to more than 150 students and Evanston residents.
Known as the “Prince of Darkness,” Novak is a 50-year veteran of journalism. He is the current host of CNN’s “Crossfire” and “The Capital Gang.” He also appears on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and writes a political column for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Throughout his presentation Novak criticized Democratic candidates of years past while commenting on the media’s liberal bias.
“People often ask me if the press is biased, and I often answer with a question: ‘Is the Pope Catholic?'” he said. “I’m a token. Why else would they keep a 71-year-old man around like that?”
A native of Illinois, Novak attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and served in the Korean War. He began his journalism career covering politics and commerce. His articles appeared in The Wall Street Journal and Sun-Times and his syndicated columns now appear in more than 150 newspapers.
Novak said his favorite outcomes in the November election were the Minnesota senate race, the Maryland governor race and a bill in Northern Virginia aimed at increasing taxes.
In the Minnesota and Maryland elections, Republican candidates won, and the tax increase in Virginia was overwhelmingly defeated.
“What happened across the country was Americans saying no to taxes and saying they could think for themselves,” he said.
Novak also commented on the electorate in the 2000 presidential race. He said while Al Gore received votes from low-income citizens, women and minorities, the majority of Americans wanted to assert their desire for personal liberties.
“More people said to the government, ‘We don’t need your help!'” he said.
Novak also defended President Bush against the media’s negative portrayals. Although he received degrees from Yale and Harvard universities, Bush has the “smallest vocabulary of any president I’ve ever seen,” Novak said.
Novak cited examples where Bush comforted people at Ground Zero in New York despite security concerns and campaigned for other Republican candidates before the November elections.
However, despite his strong conservative views, Novak expressed concern with impending war on Iraq. He said a preemptive attack could cause a long and painful war.
“If we attack Iraq, hatred would continue,” Novak said. “If we don’t, we are told (Saddam Hussein) will stockpile weapons. But I don’t think Saddam is suicidal. I think he likes the good life.”
Likewise, Novak said Bush’s involvement in the war has made him popular but puts him in a precarious position.
“What has made Bush popular is his position as a war leader, but what may save him is backing away,” he said. “Ironically, the strength of President Bush is his greatest danger.”
Novak said Bush has a strong chance to win re-election. Nevertheless, outcomes of prominent elections often are surprising, and predictions are often incorrect.
“No one thought a scandal-prone governor from Arkansas would beat George Bush (in 1992),” he said. “Anything can happen.”
“I thought it was a terrific, phenomenal presentation,” said Katie Althen, president of College Republicans, which co-sponsored the event with Associated Student Government and the Young America’s Foundation.
“It brought a lot of new perspectives,” she added. “He was thinking on his feet and not just reiterating the Republican platform.”
Students said they enjoyed Novak’s unique opinions on politics and journalism.
“He’s a surprisingly charismatic guy,” said Dan Lindberg, a McCormick sophomore. “Most of his opinions were entertaining and still informative.”
