UW News

October 27, 2014

Political scientist Christopher Parker: ‘If it were not for big government…’

UW News

Christopher Parker

Political scientist Christopher Parker: ‘If it were not for big government…” Christopher Parker, University of Washington associate professor of political science, rarely minces words when debating about American politics and government.He has done much research on philosophical differences between the tea party and traditional conservatives, and was co-author, with fellow UW political scientist Matt Barreto, of the 2013 book, “Change They Can’t Believe In: The Tea Party and Reactionary Politics in America.” He also has some new research about conservative divisions on foreign policy.

Here’s a clip from a recent discussion about the polarization of politics that was held at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center – one of many in the center’s American Forum National Debate Series. You can watch the whole debate online.

Here, as pundit George Will looks on, Parker discusses why he supports on the historic value of “big government” by mentioning that were it not for big central government, he’d “be a slave right now.”

Watch the video: