I stopped by the Roosevelt Institution's policy expo today. Roosevelt, the first student think tank, had a strong program featuring innovative policy ideas from undergraduates across the country. I was especially impressed by their three booklets of 25 ideas on a given topic. In particular, "25 ideas for increasing socio-economic diversity in higher education," presented by Campus Progress's own Zach Marks, had some really strong content. My personal favorite is the argument that colleges should be pressured to practice "wealth blind" admissions, which means that they would eliminate legacy preferences and recruiting for exclusive rich kid sports like squash in the admissions process.

On the downside, I was surprised and disappointed to see a note that the closing ceremony would include a speech by Doug Bailey. Best known for being the chief press flack for the uninspiring Gerald Ford's losing 1976 presidential campaign, Bailey is currently in the news for pushing Unity '08, the movement for a bi-partisan presidential ticket. Unity '08, the product of wanky, David Broder-ish elite handwringing over political polarization and the fetishization of bi-partisanship has been sufficiently revealed for the moronic joke it is on this site and elsewhere, so I won't rehash the takedown. I will only suggest that if an organization names itself after a great liberal president and portrays itself as promoting a progressive agenda, it should refrain from giving a platform to illiberal out of date figures and their silly hobbyhorses.