Michael Bloomberg’s Surprise Warning to Liberals at Harvard Commencement

Rob Bluey / May 31, 2014

Billionaire media mogul and former mayor Michael Bloomberg has infuriated conservatives with his attacks on gun rights and nanny-state policies in New York City. But on a spring day at Harvard University’s commencement, his critique was directed at liberals.

“Today, on many college campuses, it is liberals trying to repress conservative ideas—even as conservative faculty members are at risk of becoming an endangered species,” Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg’s attack of liberal intolerance comes amid heightened debates over religious liberty in American life and free speech on college campuses. Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state under President George W. Bush, withdrew from speaking after protests at Rutgers University, for example.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, Bloomberg lashed out at liberals, calling some of their actions a form of censorship. He cited a statistic from Harvard that 96 percent of faculty donated to President Obama’s re-election campaign.

“Ninty-six percent,” Bloomberg said, as he was interrupted by applause. “There was more disagreement among the old Soviet Politburo than there was among Ivy League donors.”

So how were Bloomberg’s remarks received on campus? CNN found students who would’ve preferred he stayed away, including one who called his speech “detrimental” to graduates.