McCain supports ban on affirmative action in AZ
George E Curry/NNPA Columnist
Issue date: 8/3/08 Section: Politics
Despite eating chicken in Selma, Ala. and making the rounds of the NAACP and National Urban League conventions, John McCain is backing a Ward Connerly-sponsored ballot initiative that would ban affirmative action in Arizona.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president disclosed his position under questioning Sunday on ABC-TV's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."
STEPHANOPOULOS: Opponents of affirmative action are trying to get a referendum on the ballot here that would do away with affirmative action. Do you support that?
MCCAIN: Yes, I do. I do not believe in quotas. But I have not seen the details of some of these proposals. But I've always opposed quotas.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But the one here in Arizona you support.
MCCAIN: I support it, yes.
Obviously, John McCain is ignorant about affirmative action. If he weren't, he'd know that the concept of affirmative action does include quotas. In fact, Executive Order 11246 outlawing discrimination in federal contracting forbids the use of quotas in affirmative action programs. The original order was issued by President Johnson in 1965 and extended by every subsequent president, including Ronald Reagan and Bush I and II.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights defines affirmative action as ''a contemporary term that encompasses any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory practice, which permits the consideration of race, national origin, sex and disability, along with other criteria, and which is adopted to provide opportunities to a class of qualified individuals who have either historically or actually been denied those opportunities, and to prevent the reoccurrence of discrimination in the future.''
That's a long way of saying that race, national origin, sex and disability are allowed to be considered along with other factors when looking at qualified candidates for jobs and government contracts. That's what John McCain is opposing.
Barack Obama was quick to note the contrast in his position. Addressing a conference of journalists of color in Chicago on Sunday, Obama said: ''I am a strong supporter of affirmative action when properly structured so that it is not a quota, but it is acknowledging and taking into account some of the hardships and difficulties that communities of color may have experienced, continue to experience, and it also speaks to the value of diversity in all walks of American life.''
The presumptive Republican nominee for president disclosed his position under questioning Sunday on ABC-TV's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."
STEPHANOPOULOS: Opponents of affirmative action are trying to get a referendum on the ballot here that would do away with affirmative action. Do you support that?
MCCAIN: Yes, I do. I do not believe in quotas. But I have not seen the details of some of these proposals. But I've always opposed quotas.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But the one here in Arizona you support.
MCCAIN: I support it, yes.
Obviously, John McCain is ignorant about affirmative action. If he weren't, he'd know that the concept of affirmative action does include quotas. In fact, Executive Order 11246 outlawing discrimination in federal contracting forbids the use of quotas in affirmative action programs. The original order was issued by President Johnson in 1965 and extended by every subsequent president, including Ronald Reagan and Bush I and II.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights defines affirmative action as ''a contemporary term that encompasses any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory practice, which permits the consideration of race, national origin, sex and disability, along with other criteria, and which is adopted to provide opportunities to a class of qualified individuals who have either historically or actually been denied those opportunities, and to prevent the reoccurrence of discrimination in the future.''
That's a long way of saying that race, national origin, sex and disability are allowed to be considered along with other factors when looking at qualified candidates for jobs and government contracts. That's what John McCain is opposing.
Barack Obama was quick to note the contrast in his position. Addressing a conference of journalists of color in Chicago on Sunday, Obama said: ''I am a strong supporter of affirmative action when properly structured so that it is not a quota, but it is acknowledging and taking into account some of the hardships and difficulties that communities of color may have experienced, continue to experience, and it also speaks to the value of diversity in all walks of American life.''
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
veryge
wow gold
posted 8/04/08 @ 5:09 AM EST
Eating chicken.very good!
come here. It better than chicken
Burr Deming
posted 8/04/08 @ 11:17 PM EST
Our site takes a generally supportive view on affirmative action. But Senator McCain's reflexive hostility does have its defenders. Thanks for adding your analysis to the blogging universe. (Continued…)
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