Belkin is an associate professor of Political Science at UCSB, and the director of the Palm Center, which is formerly known as The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (because that is the most pressing issue facing the military these days). However, let his Huffington Post column from 11/4/09 illustrate this case for you:

“I am having a lot of ‘oy-vey’ moments these days. Oy vey, we're not going to get single payer health care, the only option that would save money and expand coverage. Oy-vey, we're not going to get a revival of Glass-Steagal, the common sense firewall that Congress established in 1933 to prevent banks from engaging in risky investment. Oy-vey, we're not going to get meaningful climate change legislation, as cap-and-trade will include billions in windfalls for polluters. Oy-vey, we're not going get real labor law reform, as the card-check provision of the Employee Free Choice Act has been tossed overboard. Oy-vey we'll never get out of Iraq or Afghanistan. Oy.”

Activist over Academic Index: 4.5 of 5

Radical Left Index: 4 of 5

Overall Risk: 4.25 of 5

Links for reference:

http://www.palmcenter.org/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-belkin