And it helps to be cosmopolitan.  A law student in Ireland writes to offer such a perspective:

I have only recently become aware of your weblog so I must confess my first introduction to your post on "the myth of left-wing harvard" was due to your cross-reference in your post about Juan Non-Volokh.

I am from Ireland and had the good fortune to spend a year in [a top law school in the Southeast, name omitted] this year. It came as somewhat of a shock to me that the student body were so conservative (although, to be fair it is [name of Southern state omitted]). In particular, I remember one class in Law and Economics (know your enemy) where a student
advocated a position which the professor (correctly) identified as a socialist one. The student then backed down. I am far from claiming that socialism is "right" but it was also interesting that this signalled the end of discussion, i.e. socialism is "wrong".

I do not mean to suggest that the Prof would not have entertained a discussion about the matter-the student pre-empted him by self-censoring. This, to me, is a perfect example of what you are talking about in both posts. You create a fictitous "left", i.e. Harvard etc.,  which is actually right-of-centre and then self-censor all viewpoints which fall outside this "left" and the true right. Needless to say, this has a very powerful legitimising force by constricting the debate sphere which leads, although this might be a leap, to a situation where most academics, influenced by their surroundings, not to pursue issues with the same intellectual vigour.

I will say, however, that I had a great time in [school name omitted] and met many wonderful people. The education was also fantastic.

I have enjoyed reading your weblog since I found it. Keep up the good work.

P.S. I first noticed this trend when I arrived in the states to find CNN and the New York Times pilloried as left-wing where they would not be considered so in Ireland. Ireland is not an overly-liberal country by any means.

I love Austin and the UT Law School, but can there be any doubt that my perspective is, shall we say, out of sync with that of this country?