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McCain Reverses Himself on Affirmative Action
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ShareJuly 27, 2008 9:11 AM
ABC News' Teddy Davis and Kevin Kilbane Report: During a "This Week" interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos John McCain reversed himself on affirmative action and endorsed for the first time a proposed state ballot measure which would end race and gender-based affirmative action in his home state of Arizona.
"I support it," McCain declared when asked about the referendum. "I do not believe in quotas... I have not seen the details of some of these proposals. But I’ve always opposed quotas."
McCain has long opposed quotas but his new support for ending affirmative action programs which stop short of quotas puts him at odds not only with Democratic rival Barack Obama but also with the Arizona senator's own views in 1998.
Back then, when the legislature in McCain's home state of Arizona considered sending the voters a measure to end affirmative action, McCain spoke out against it calling it "divisive."
McCain's campaign does not dispute that the Arizona senator spoke out against the 1998 effort to end affirmative action in his home state.
When asked about the apparent change in position, a McCain spokesman was not able to distinguish the two measures.
"I do not have a firm enough grasp on the historical and relevant context of McCain's remark in 1998 to give you the pushback that this question deserves," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds told ABC News.
McCain's critics on the left charge that he has changed his position on affirmative action in order to shore up his support among conservatives.
"This is clearly an election-year flip flop and a pander to a skeptical right-wing base," said John Kraus, spokesman for the liberal Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. "He has put politics first on this issue. There is no other way around it."
Prior to reversing his affirmative action stance during his interview with Stephanopoulos, the ballot measure's proponent urged McCain to take a position in support of the referendum.
Ward Connerly, the affirmative action foe behind the Arizona and other state measures in Nebraska and Colorado, told ABC News last month that McCain was missing an opportunity to draw a sharp contrast with Obama.
On Sunday, at a gathering of journalists of color in Chicago, Obama expressed disappointment that McCain has changed his position of affirmative action. "I think in the past he had been opposed to these kinds of Ward Connerly referenda or initiatives as divisive. And I think he's right. You know, the truth of the matter is, these are not designed to solve a big problem, but they're all too often designed to drive a wedge between people, " Obama said to a question asked from an audience of journalists.
The presumptive Democratic nominee has spoken in favor of developing income-based affirmative action programs. But he also supports maintaining race-based affirmative action programs and has come out against the proposed Arizona ballot measure ending affirmative action. He has also come out against an identical measure which has qualified for the ballot in Colorado as well as one that has been proposed in Nebraska.
McCain's critics plan to argue that his new opposition to affirmative action would not only be a setback to racial minorities but also to women.
"Many of the equal opportunity programs he now supports banning," said Kraus, "are geared towards women: like recruiting more young women to go into engineering programs or making sure women owned businesses get a fair shake with government contracts. That gender part of this is often lost in much of the debate and coverage."
The proposed Arizona ballot measure endorsed by McCain reads: "The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin, in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting."
Here is McCain's exchange with 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 the proposals. But I've always opposed quotas."
STEPHANOPOULOS: "But the one here in Arizona you support?"
McCAIN: "I support it, yes."
ABC's Sunlen Miller contributed to this report.
July 27, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (180)
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FLIP,FLOP,FLIP FLOP!!!!WHATEVER IT TAKES TO PANDER AND GET ELECTED!! THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS NOT THE PARTY FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS.NEVER HAS BEEN, NEVER WILL!!
OBAMA 2008
Posted by: Len | Jul 27, 2008 10:14:11 AM
katerina, I understand what you posted; however, I believe your viewpoint is wrong. Affirmative action is indeed racist, and unnecessary. ALL Americans are protected by the same constitution. No quota system in the world will make up for historical racial inequities or inequalities. That is a romantic and noble notion, but it is also outdated. For instance, why is it "right" to deny a more qualified person of one race a certain positon just to be able to meet a mandate that the position be held open for a person of another race? How does that make restitution for racial inequalities of the past? Few, if any, white people today have ever owned a slave. Few, if any, black people today have ever been slaves. If there is a systematic exclusion of one race from holding well paying jobs, then that travisty needs to play out in the courts. And the liberal courts of today will indeed make the perpetuators of such discrimination pay dearly. There are laws on the books today that protects minorities from discrimination. Use those laws, and use the courts to uphold them. Because those laws apply to ALL of us...not just a chosen few.
Posted by: ncpilot704 | Jul 27, 2008 10:16:45 AM
If you really want to promote discrimination tell a person that is not protected that they lost a bid/job solely based on the color of their skin. I always thought that the purpose of the U.S. was to promote equality among all, that no person was better or worse for who they are. Shouldn’t the laws be written that the best person gets the job based on the merits of their work? Equality is the only thing that will ever get rid of prejudice.
Here is a nice kicker; publicly funded hospitals also use affirmative action to hire doctors. Sorry but that is one position that should always go to the most qualified.
Posted by: Nevada Pundit | Jul 27, 2008 10:19:01 AM
same old same old.
He is just getting worse and worse.
Indies are going to flee...tax flips coming... 180 degree flips on almost every single issue just to win the Presidency...
very sad.
Someone needs to start calling this guy Romney.
these aren't adgustments to the center...or a slight derivation on what he said ...
or slightly changing his mind on and issue
thsi is a guy whose values have suddenly are trumped by his own need to fulfill his military father's dream (sound familiar for his C-/D+ son
to become President.
It's 2000 and 2004 all over again.
ugh.
Posted by: dl | Jul 27, 2008 10:21:33 AM
It's the politics of this that are deplorable. McCain only decided to flip flop on this issue after he realized he could create a divisive wedge. McCain's decision has nothing with the realities of affirmative action, it is purely political.
Posted by: Jeremy | Jul 27, 2008 10:22:30 AM
McCain is old and out of step. Women will rise!!!
Women will no longer take second place to men. Thank you, Hillary for cracking the glass ceiling and now it's Obama turn to break it for all of us, once and for ALL!
Posted by: SUSAN | Jul 27, 2008 10:23:10 AM
this guy really wants to throw women out of the voting booth.
Posted by: dl | Jul 27, 2008 10:23:21 AM
McCain is scared. Now he plays the affirmative-action card. In Sep., it'll be gay marriage. In Oct., it'll be prayer in schools.
The Gas and Oil party (GOP) is up to its same old tricks again. I'm just glad today's electorate can see right through the b.s.
Posted by: Will | Jul 27, 2008 10:24:30 AM
Don't count on it Will. I realy hope you're right but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
Posted by: dk | Jul 27, 2008 10:26:56 AM
Affirmative action is not racist. It is designed to help plenty of minorities, like women, hispanics, and any other groups of people that face discrimination. Its not just solely designed for black people. White women have benefited the most from Affirmative action. You People really need to get informed. Ignorance is bliss.
Posted by: Helena | Jul 27, 2008 10:28:17 AM
ncpilot - I disagree. Workplace inequality still exists - therefore I don't think affirmative action is outdated. Also, I think your perceptions of it are skewed - it's not about denying more qualified people jobs, it's about allowing equally qualified people the opportunity to compete that they might not otherwise have. Alot of racists make this claim as an excuse to save face because they lost a job to a minority; but it's largely an urban legend that "more qualified" whites or men have lost jobs to "less qualified" minorities or women. That's not how Affirmitive Action works. It's basically an urban legend perpetuated by racists.
Posted by: katerina pavlakis | Jul 27, 2008 10:30:06 AM
The people who are defending GW and McBush are people that will never vote for someone who does not look or think like them. Don't waste your time trying to convince them..CHANGE will riegn in January. Instead concentrate on the undecided voters. The stupid and the racist are not the change we can believe in that Obama campaigns for anyway. Sore losers!!
Posted by: dmac1 | Jul 27, 2008 10:33:23 AM
If the US populace thinks our enemies will think differently of us just because we would have a black democrat who has a more "cooperative" foreign policy in the White House, we have another thing coming.
Obama in 08...Osama in 09
Posted by: John | Jul 27, 2008 10:33:47 AM
Never underestimate McCain. He has come back against all odds...repeatedly.
Posted by: John | Jul 27, 2008 10:34:49 AM
McCain doe not know that the economic playing field is NOT yet leveled. This woman will surely for someone that understands that and his name is not John McCain. Democrates relate to the average women and their issue much better. Wake up Republicans, maybe that's why this political party stays so exclusive and can NOT achieve diversity.
Posted by: Carroll | Jul 27, 2008 10:35:01 AM
He claims that he will not change his position to win the election. But as McCain gets battered by Barack he continues to Flip-Flop(which was one of his favorite attacks on Obama a few weeks ago), to win votes. McCain will make the choice obvious by November. And the only people that will vote for him will be extreme religious conservatives.
Posted by: Alex | Jul 27, 2008 10:36:01 AM
About that "disdain for women" comment...
Would you rather hire a man who does the job better or hire a woman who doesn't know what she's doing just to maintain a quota?
How about if people actually DESERVE the job they're getting, instead of getting a free ride based on race or gender? I'm a woman and I'd be ashamed to take a job that I was hired for to fulfill a quota...instead of based on my ability.
More entitlement mentality from the left.
BTW I don't plan on voting for McCain or Obama. They're both worthless.
Posted by: Alexandra | Jul 27, 2008 10:36:16 AM
John - nobody thinks that. What we do think is that Obama will run a smarter foreign policy than a hotheaded warlover like McSame.
Posted by: carolyn K. | Jul 27, 2008 10:36:48 AM
Alexandra, ask the republicans. They voted the worst person in the history of this country into office twice....my bad...helped select a president into office twice I should have said.
Posted by: dmac1 | Jul 27, 2008 10:39:23 AM
I must hire 10 white males, 10 women, and 10 African Americans to meet the quota .. instead of the 30 most qualified! Insane!
Posted by: JG | Jul 27, 2008 10:39:38 AM
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