Topics in the News: Affirmative Action
Joe Biden on Education
: Oct 30, 2007
For longer school day & school year, & 16-year minimum
I proposed it in 1987. We should go to school longer. We should have a minimum 16 years of education. We should be focusing on the socioeconomic disadvantaged, mostly minorities in inner cities. That's something we've ignored. We pay no attention to it.
We pretend they're the same circumstances as every other kid in America. They start off with half. Half of the education gap exists before they set foot in the first classroom. That should be the focus.
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Source: 2007 Democratic debate at Drexel University
Ron Paul on Civil Rights
: Sep 17, 2007
No affirmative action for any group
All rights are individuals. We do not get our rights because we belong to a group. Whether it's homosexuals, women, minorities, it leads us astray. You don't get your rights belonging to your group. A group can't force themselves on anybody else.
So there should be no affirmative action for any group.This violates the principle on the importance of the individual, and confuses us about the importance of individual rights, which is the purpose of the Constitution. Defend our individual rights.
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Source: 2007 GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate
Barack Obama on Education
: Aug 26, 2007
STEP UP: summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged
Differences in learning opportunities during the summer contribute to the achievement gaps that separate struggling poor and minority students from their middle-class peers. Obama's STEP UP plan supports summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged
children through partnerships between local schools and community organizations. Obama supports increasing funding for the Head Start program for preschool children. Obama has called on states to replicate the Illinois model of Preschool for All.
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Source: Campaign website, BarackObama.com, "Resource Flyers"
Hillary Clinton on Civil Rights
: Jul 18, 2007
1965: brought black classmates to all-white church
In 1965, Hillary invited a black classmate to attend church services with her at the Methodist church, a move that raised eyebrows. Don Jones later recalled that the Park Ridge Methodist folks were bothered because Hillary seemed to make the move "not
out of goodwill" but simply to shock a "lily-white church." She told Jones she was genuinely interested in her minority classmates, and today, schoolmates like Karen Williamson speak warmly of Hillary: "She was a friend. As a black woman going to
Wellesley at the time friends were very welcome. All the black students felt we had a close friendship in Hillary." They also sensed something more: "A lot of us thought Hillary would be the first woman president," said Williamson later.It was Martin
Luther King Jr.'s assassination that produced one of the greatest shifts. The trauma seemed to catalyze Hillary's politics. Nevertheless, her classmates insist she was never a radical. Hillary was more willing to work within the system to change things.
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Source: God and Hillary Clinton, by Paul Kengor, p. 28-29
Joe Biden on Education
: Jun 28, 2007
Overcome racial achievement gap with early education
Q: In 2006 the unemployment rate of black high school graduates was 33% higher than the unemployment rate for white high school dropouts. To what do you attribute this inequity? A: One of the things that we all talk about is this achievement gap. We
should remind everybody that the day before a black child, a minority child, steps into the classroom, half the achievement gap already exists. The moment they walk into that school, they are already behind.
And that gap widens. And it widens because
we do not start school earlier. We do not give single mothers in disadvantaged homes the opportunities that they need in order to know what to do to prepare their children.
You've got to start off and focus on the nurturing and education of children
when they're very young, particularly children from disadvantaged families. You've got to invest in starting kids in preschool at age four. And you've got to make sure you have smaller classrooms & better teachers in the disadvantaged schools.
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Source: 2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University
Hillary Clinton on Education
: Jun 28, 2007
It takes a village; American village has failed our children
I really believe that it takes a village to raise a child--and the American village has failed our children. I have fought for more than 35 years for early childhood education, for more mentoring, for more parent education programs, to get our
children off to a good start. I have fought to make sure that schools were fair to all children. That's the work I did in Arkansas, to try to raise the standards particularly for the poorest of our children, and most especially for minority children.
And certainly in the White House years, and now in the Senate, I've continued that effort because I don't think there is a more important issue.
But I also believe we cannot separate the education part from the economic part.
There is still discrimination in the workplace. There are still people who are turned down and turned away who have qualifications and skills that should make them employable. So this is a broader issue that we have to address.
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Source: 2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University
Hillary Clinton on Principles & Values
: Jun 5, 2007
As Goldwater Girl in 1960s, canvassed Chicago slums
In Hillary's junior year, she and Betsy became Goldwater Girls, assigned by campaign aides to check for voter registration fraud in minority neighborhoods in Chicago. Hillary's territory included the new
Robert Taylor Homes housing project. She was a privileged suburban teenager seeing, close up, how thousands of black people lived, and it made a transforming impression.
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Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p. 31
John Edwards on Education
: Apr 2, 2007
Create "Second Chance" schools to get dropouts back on track
There is no challenge more central to the fight against poverty than giving every American the opportunities created by a good education. Our nation is failing to offer an adequate education to every child. Today almost one in three students does not
graduate from high school. The numbers are even higher for minority students, who on average, are four years behind their peers by the end of high school. Meanwhile those students who do graduate from high school are finding college tuition growing
faster than family incomes, student debt rising, and scholarship aid failing to keep pace. Not surprisingly in this environment, qualified students from low-income families are far less likely to enroll in college than their peers. We need to
transform education at every level, from expanding preschool opportunities to paying teachers more to teach where we need them most, from reforming our underperforming high schools to creating 2nd -Chance schools to help former dropouts get back on track
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Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.262
John Cox on Civil Rights
: Mar 6, 2007
Affirmative action based on race is racist
Q: Do you believe in Affirmative Action? A: Affirmative action based on race is racist--plain and simple. I adamantly oppose racism of all kinds. Is there a place to help those who haven't had economic opportunity?
Yes, but we need to be very careful that corruption and cronyism are not part of the equation and unfortunately, that is often the case when government picks winners and losers in the economy.
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Source: Interview with "Small Government Times"
Joe Biden on Education
: Jan 11, 2006
Princeton was last Ivy holdout to admit women & minorities
SEN. BIDEN: I want to set the record straight on Princeton. Many of us are perplexed by your answers regarding CAP, the organization. The thing that puzzles me is that it was, I thought, a pretty widely known debate that in the Ivys, the one last
holdout, fighting to not admit as many women and fighting not to admit as many minorities, was Princeton. And there was a whole battle over it, as you heard referenced in terms of the Wall Street Journal and mailings to alumni. When you listed CAP, was
part of your rationale for listing that on the application that you thought that would appeal to the outfit you were applying to, the people looking at your resume? ALITO: Well, Senator, as I've said, I don't have a recollection of having anything to
do with CAP. So all I can say is that I put it down on the '85 form and, therefore, I must that been a member at around that time. By the time I entered Princeton, there were many minorities in my class. It went coeducational while I was there.
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Source: Sam Alito Senate Confirmation Hearings
Bill Richardson on Civil Rights
: Nov 3, 2005
New Mexico is first "majority minority" state
New Mexico is the nation's first majority minority state, where Hispanics and Native Americans make up 52% of the total population. New Mexico's regions often seem like separate mini-states, with sharply differing characteristics. North-central New Mexic
for example, is heavily Hispanic. Northwestern New Mexico is oil-and-gas country, with large Mormon and Indian populations. Southern New Mexico is the fastest-growing part of the state, with a significant military component.
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Source: Between Worlds, by Bill Richardson, p.290-291
Hillary Clinton on Civil Rights
: Oct 11, 2005
Argued with Bill Clinton about diluting affirmative action
Only a few months after the 1994 election, Bill and Hillary spoke to me about how they should handle this new hot-button issue. Should they side with those who wanted to end affirmative action, or remain loyal to the core constituencies of the Democratic
Party?At first, the president wanted to explore alternatives to affirmative action. He and I discussed modifying affirmative action to grant preferences to those in poverty, regardless of gender and color.
But Hillary soon ended this flirtation with
moderation. She saw great danger in disappointing the black and feminist groups that supported the Democratic Party.
Hillary pointed out that many middle-class blacks and professional women felt they needed affirmative action to get ahead in their
workplace or win government contracts. Diluting the program to give preference to poor people, regardless of race or gender, might strip of their privileges, and they are the core of the Democratic Party.
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Source: Condi vs. Hillary, by Dick Morris, p.120-121
Dennis Kucinich on Civil Rights
: Aug 1, 2003
Affirmative action is necessary & right & must be preserved
Affirmative action is necessary, affirmative action is right, and affirmative action must be preserved. America's diversity is strength.
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Source: Campaign website, www.Kucinich.us, "On The Issues"
John Edwards on Civil Rights
: May 3, 2003
Affirmative Action needed 40 years ago & still needed today
EDWARDS [to Graham]: You and I are both from the South. I believe it's really important for people from the South to lead, not follow, on Civil Rights, that I think it's important for us to have judges that we know will enforce our civil rights laws.
I believe the president is wrong about [opposing] the Affirmative Action program at the University of Michigan. What do you believe we as Southerners can do to lift up and embrace people who today, not 40 years ago, today,
still suffer the effects of discrimination every minute of their lives? GRAHAM: One of the things that I would do, is to see that we put the Civil War behind us.
Frankly, we Southerners have allowed the most extreme groups within our society to steal the images of the Confederacy and then use them as sources of division and hatred within our population.
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Source: [X-ref to Graham] Democratic Debate in Columbia SC
Mike Huckabee on Civil Rights
: Nov 1, 2002
No affirmative action for state contracts nor colleges
Q: Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity, or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on: Q: College and university admissions
A: No.
Q: Public employment
A: No.
Q: State contracting
A: No.
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Source: 2002 AR Gubernatorial National Political Awareness Test
Al Gore on Civil Rights
: Oct 25, 2000
Affirmative Action: mend it, don’t end it
Our future as a nation depends upon whether or not we can break down the barriers that have been used to pit group against group, and bring our people together. We must take extra steps to acknowledge the history of discrimination and injustice, and to
bring all people into the American dream. I am against quotas-they are illegal and un-American. We have to mend affirmative action-to make sure that programs are carefully targeted and fair and that they meet legal requirements-but we should not end it.
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Source: Associated Press
Al Gore on Civil Rights
: Oct 17, 2000
Affirmative action does not mean quotas
Q: What about affirmative action?BUSH: I’ve had a record of bringing people from all walks of life into my administration, and my administration is better off for it. But quotas are bad for America. It’s not what America is all about, which is equal
opportunity and the opportunity for people to realize their potential. So to answer your question, I support affirmative access.
GORE: I don’t know what affirmative access means. Affirmative action isn’t quotas. I’m against quotas. They’re against the
American way. Affirmative action means that you take extra steps to acknowledge the history of discrimination and injustice and prejudice.
Q: Are you opposed to affirmative action?
BUSH: No. If affirmative action means quotas, I’m against it. If
affirmative action means what I just described, then I’m for it.
GORE: He said if affirmative action means quotas, he’s against it. Affirmative action doesn’t mean quotas. Are you for it without quotas?
BUSH: I may not be for your version.
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Source: (X-ref Bush) St. Louis debate
Al Gore on Civil Rights
: Oct 11, 2000
Hate crimes stigmatize whole groups; enforce as civil rights
James Byrd was singled out because of his race in Texas. Other Americans have been singled out because of their race or ethnicity. We can embody our values by passing a hate crimes law. These crimes are different because they’re based on prejudice and
hatred. These crimes that have not just a single victim but they’re intended to stigmatize and dehumanize a whole group of people. We need tough enforcement of the civil rights laws. We still need affirmative action. And I would pass a hate crimes law.
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Source: Presidential Debate at Wake Forest University
Al Gore on Civil Rights
: Jul 12, 2000
Gore emphasizes long-term commitment to NAACP
“I am a member of the NAACP. It’s good to be home,” Gore told the annual convention of the NAACP. Gore said, “I have come here not just in an election year, but year after year. I have worked with you. I have stood with you. I am proud to have won some
battles alongside you.” Hundreds leapt atop chairs as Gore entered. He received standing ovations [as he spoke about] his commitment to public schools, hate-crimes legislation and an end to racial profiling -- where police target minority members.
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Source: AP article in NY Times
Al Gore on Civil Rights
: Feb 21, 2000
Keep affirmative action; reject numerical quotas
Q: How will you re-define affirmative action as an assurance against discrimination? A: In order to make certain that we keep affirmative action, we have to reject the idea of strict numerical quotas. Affirmative action that opens up new opportunities
and makes available the resources, the spots in universities, the loans, the investment capital, that is the direction that we should go in. But we should also understand the importance of communications media; television stations, radio stations.
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Source: Democrat debate in Harlem, NYC
Al Gore on Civil Rights
: Dec 12, 1999
Affirmative action still needed - continue the fight
Gore touted the administration’s record [including] the most diverse Cabinet in history, and a defense of affirmative action against efforts to roll back the federal program. “Anyone who says affirmative action is no longer needed because
we’ve reached the promised land, has confused wilderness with Canaan,” Gore said. “We fought for the black farmer. We have fought for the downtrodden, and we are going to continue fighting for them, because we know what obstacles lie out there.”
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Source: Boston Globe, p. A11
John McCain on Education
: Jul 2, 1999
Supports at-risk programs; homeless ed.; anti-drop-out ed.
McCain’s voting record on at-risk education:- 1998: Co-sponsored the Child Nutrition Act, to create enrichment programs for low-income and at-risk children.
- 1991: Funded educating homeless adults and family literacy programs.
- 1990: Supported
Dropout Prevention Programs legislation, and secured funding for Project Prime to help reduce the dropout rate for minority students.
- 1998: Supported amendment focusing on the unique dropout problems facing Hispanic students.
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Source: McCain for President web Site
Newt Gingrich on Civil Rights
: Nov 1, 1998
Discontinue affirmative action programs
Indicate which principles you support regarding affirmative action and discrimination. - The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
-
The federal government should prosecute cases of discrimination in the public sector.
- The federal government should prosecute cases of discrimination in the private sector.
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Source: Congressional 1998 National Political Awareness Test
John McCain on Civil Rights
: Jul 2, 1998
Affirmative action OK for specific programs, but no quotas
McCain supports the following principles regarding affirmative action and discrimination: - The federal government should continue affirmative action programs only if such programs do not include quotas
- The Federal Government should consider
affirmative action programs if ordered by a court to rectify specific programs.
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Source: Project Vote Smart, 1998, www.vote-smart.org
Barack Obama on Civil Rights
: Jul 2, 1998
Supports affirmative action in colleges and government
Indicate the principles you support concerning affirmative action. Should state government agencies take race and sex into account in the following sectors? -
Q: College and university admissions? A: Yes
- Q: Public employment A: Yes
- Q: State contracting? A: Yes.
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Source: 1998 IL State Legislative National Political Awareness Test
Rudy Giuliani on Civil Rights
: Mar 24, 1997
Dismantled affirmative action program for NYC contracts
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, facing criticism that minority-owned businesses are suffering under his administration, vigorously defends his decision three years ago to dismantle affirmative action program that steered city contracts
to such businesses; says the program had been of questionable legality ever since several court decisions declared such practices unconstitutional
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Source: Randy Kennedy in NY Times "Defends His Decision"
Bill Richardson on Civil Rights
: Nov 1, 1996
Supports minority preferences for government contracts
Indicate your position concerning affirmative action programs. - The federal government should consider preferences to minority-owned businesses in granting government contracts.
-
The federal government should provide affirmative actions programs as long as such programs do not include quotas.
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Source: 1996 Congressional National Political Awareness Test
Dennis Kucinich on Civil Rights
: Jul 2, 1996
Focus on jobs instead of pitting people against each other
Q: your position concerning affirmative action programs? A: I would rather concentrate on creating more decent jobs for everyone, discriminating against no member of our society, rather than get involved with pitting Americans against one another.
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Source: 1996 Congressional National Political Awareness Test
Mitt Romney on Civil Rights
: Oct 1, 1994
Help women thru glass ceiling by requiring annual reporting
Women are concerned about the glass ceiling. My entire life has been one of working with women and helping women thru the glass ceiling. Public companies and federal agencies should be required in their annual report the number of women & minorities
by income category, so we can identify where the glass ceiling is, and we can break through it. The marketplace will say "that company has not promoted women and minorities" and will put pressure on American corporations and agencies to respond.
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Source: MA Senate Debate with Ted Kennedy
Mitt Romney on Civil Rights
: Oct 1, 1994
To compete as a nation, draw on skills of women & minorities
Women that I have seen in organizations have not had the opportunity that they deserve to have in getting ahead in organizations. If we are to compete as a nation, we've got to draw on the skills of women and minorities.
And I have seen organizations from the federal government to corporations that are not drawing on the skills of women and minorities.
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Source: MA Senate Debate with Ted Kennedy
Rudy Giuliani on Civil Rights
: Apr 8, 1989
Supports affirmative action
Some ask, How can the Liberal Party support a candidate who disagrees with the Liberal Party position on so many gut issues? But when the Liberal Party Policy Committee reviewed a list of key social issues of deep concern to progressive
New Yorkers, we found that Rudy Giuliani agreed with the Liberal Party's stance on a majority of such issues. He agreed with the Liberal Party's views on affirmative action, gay rights, gun control, school prayer and tuition tax credits.
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Source: NY Liberal Party Endorsement, in 3/25/05 NY Observer