Barack Obama

Ward Connerly: ‘This is like my son’

January 30, 2009

Kathryn Lopez of National Review interviewed the American Civil Rights Institute‘s Ward Connerly on Inauguration Day. Connerly notes that when he and his wife were married, interracial marriage was outlawed. He knows what Barack Obama’s parents went through. To see the product of an interracial marriage become president of the United States is indeed historic. [...]

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Let’s Keep Talking…and Talking…About Race

January 23, 2009

While “dialoguing” about race relations in the wake of the election of America’s first biracial president, we hope people will seriously discuss whether race preferences, which typically involve lowering standards for certain racial minorities, are necessary. Voters in California, Michigan, Nebraska, and Washington answered the question with a resounding NO. According to a CNN poll, [...]

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NPR Hosts Future of Race Preferences Roundtable

January 20, 2009

NPR hosted an interesting roundtable discussion about the future of race preferences (although it uses the misnomer “affirmative action”) in the context of the election of a biracial president. NPR did a fair job selecting participants for this panel. Writer Dahlia Lithwick sounds only slightly pro-preferences, BAMN’s Shanta Driver is pro-preferences, and John McWhorter is [...]

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Economic Affirmative Action: Change We Can Believe In!

November 20, 2008

The people have spoken. On November 4, 2008, 51 percent of Colorado voters defeated a measure that would have ended state and local government race- and sex-based discrimination and preferences in hiring, contracting, and admissions. Fifty-eight percent of Nebraska voters passed a similar measure, and 53 percent of the nation’s voters chose Barack Obama over [...]

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Ruben Navarrette Frets Over ‘Affirmative Action’

November 18, 2008

Lowered standards supporter (although he says he isn’t) and columnist “of color” Ruben Navarette thinks it’s absurd to think Barack Obama’s election signals the end of race preferences. (Source) “That kind of thinking starts with the epidemic of Americans patting themselves on the back for being enlightened enough to elect an African-American president.” Using the [...]

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Ward Connerly: Election Validates Faith in Americans’ Fairness

November 18, 2008

Writing in the Sacramento Bee, the American Civil Rights Institute’s Ward Connerly reflects on Barack Obama’s election, what it means for black Americans, and what it means for the entire country. Obama’s win serves as validation for blacks who’ve had to endure demeaning treatment and discrimination in America. Connerly believes his victory “represents a potentially [...]

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Is the Bradley Effect Effectively Debunked?

November 10, 2008

According to the Associated Press, the Bradley Effect didn’t rear its head last Tuesday. The Bradley Effect is the phenomenon of the discrepancy between voter opinion polls and election results. Voters tell pollsters they’re undecided or that they’ll vote for the black candidate, but choose the white candidate come election day. Whites who don’t want [...]

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Will Obama Presidency Signal End of Preferences?

November 4, 2008

In an interview with The Politico, Ward Connerly said he was hopeful that Barack Obama would support economic affirmative action and oppose race preferences. “[Obama] is a very, very bright man who thinks through the nuances of issues and I cannot help believe he realizes the inherent flaw in race preferences. If you listen to [...]

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Vote for Values and Policies, Not Skin Color

November 3, 2008

A black woman admonishes blacks who plan to vote for Barack Obama just because he’s black: The same can be said for blacks who plan to vote NO on Amendment 46 in Colorado and Initiative 424 in Nebraska. Both would bar state and local governments from discriminating against and granting preferences to people in hiring, [...]

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Is the ‘Bradley Effect’ A Myth?

October 27, 2008

The “Bradley Effect,” also known as the “Wilder Effect,” is a phenomenon of the discrepancy between voter opinion polls and election results. Voters tell pollsters they’re undecided or that they’ll vote for the black candidate, but choose the white candidate come election day. Whites who don’t want to seem racist may say they’re voting for [...]