Tag: Affirmative Action

Michigan Anti-Affirmative Action Proposal Has 60 Percent Support

A group calling itself the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative began circulating petitions back in November to put a question on the November 2004 ballot on whether or not to ban racial discriminatory admissions policies at universities and colleges in Michigan.

Many of the leaders of the Republican Party came out against the idea. One of their fears is that such a proposal will help increase turnout of Democratic voters in the election that could impact other elections, such as those for the president and statewide offices. A ballot initiative that would have created an educational voucher system in Michigan lost soundly in 2000 and was credited for increasing turnout among Democrats (i.e., it may have cost Bush the state of Michigan).

According to a Detroit News poll, however, the proposal enjoys 64 percent approval today, and the actual support is probably a bit higher given some people’s reticence to discuss racial issues with pollsters. Those actually opposing the initiative are only at 23 percent. That’s a pretty stark contrast with the voucher initiative which was pretty much a losing proposition very early on.

If the group can actually manage to collect the necessary signatures, it looks like this proposal has a good shot at passage in November.

Source:

Michigan voters want affirmative action ban. Charlie Cain and Mark Hornbeck, Detroit News, January 20, 2004.

Bush vs. University of Michigan

I just don’t understand the reaction to the Bush administration’s decision to oppose the University of Michigan’s “affirmative action” admissions program.

When Trent Lott makes a statement approving of government-enforced racial discrimination, he was criticized for such backward views by pretty much everybody. But when George W. Bush comes out against government-enforced racial discrimination, Tom Daschle and others complain about the administration’s failure to support such policies. Dick Gephardt even announced plans to file a brief on behalf of state-supported racial discrimination in the University of Michigan case.

Apparently state-supported racial discrimination isn’t such a bad thing after all. Who knew?

Source:

Bush criticizes university ‘quota system’. CNN, January 15, 2003.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend on Affirmative Action

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is running for governor of Maryland. At a recent debate with her opponent, Robert Ehrlich, Townsend pointedly accused Ehrlich of opposing race-based affirmative action. Here’s her stunning defense of such initiatives,

He opposes affirmative action based on race. Well, let me tell you, slavery was based on race. Lynching was based on race. Discrimination is based on race. Jim Crow was based on race., and affirmative action should be based on race.

And she thinks that’s a defense of affirmative action. Oy.

Source:

Gloves come off at political debate. Associated Press, September 27, 2002.