Apr 05, 2008 12:40PM GMT
Question
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Politics - Other
Is McCain really supporting Blacks and other minorities?
On this date, 40 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Was assassinated in Memphis. It's a day when many of us will celebrate his legacy, the values he espoused, and his vision for a better America. Some will talk about the King who challenged America's unlawful war in Vietnam, who found common ground with Malcolm X, and who became more aggressive in his push for improving America. But the media will likely focus a great deal on politicians who give speeches where they try to align themselves with his legacy.We wanted to make sure that today when Senator McCain speaks, you and your friends and family know who's talking.
McCain will bring his "Service to America" tour to Memphis on Friday, but many people don't know the service he touts includes voting against the federal holiday honoring Dr. King. In August 1983 he fought the holiday, voting to block a piece of bipartisan legislation honoring him that was supported by even conservative Republicans--including Dick Cheney--and signed into law by President Reagan.
McCain went on to resist recognizing a King holiday in his home state of Arizona. When Arizona's state legislature failed to pass a bill recognizing a holiday honoring Dr. King, the governor at the time, Bruce Babbit, created the holiday by executive order. Babbit's successor, Gov. Evan Mecham rescinded the order as his first act in office, doing away with the holiday. John McCain's response? He defended the governor, not Dr. King. (After undoing the holiday, the same governor went on to publicly support referring to Black people as "pickaninnies").
In 1990, seven years after his initial vote, McCain went along with establishing a King holiday. On the campaign trail in 2000, facing questions about his history on this issue, McCain declared he had "evolved."
Looking at the rest of McCain's public record, even recently, it's hard to see much evidence of an "evolution". In fact, McCain has consistently opposed a civil rights agenda:
He voted an amazing FOUR times against the Civil Rights Act of 1990--a bill designed to make it easier for employees to prove job discrimination and imposing harsher penalties on bosses who discriminated.
In 2004 he opposed affirmative action in college admissions--a key component of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that is among King's key legislative victories.
He has voted at least 8 times against raising the minimum wage.
And as recently as last month, he argued against federal intervention to help Americans, disproportionately Black Americans, who have faced foreclosure during the housing crisis.
If John McCain has evolved, he hasn't evolved much. Instead, we see a consistent and troubling pattern. From campaigning against Dr. King's holiday to undermining important civil rights laws, John McCain has not stood side by side with King's vision, he has stood in its way.
Today, we hope that everyone will take a moment to pause and remember Dr. King's legacy, recognizing his contributions of words, deeds and ultimately his life. And we hope that all can see past political posturing (regardless of who it comes from) and embrace the bold, challenging vision that King actually projected. We believe that in doing so, we honor both his legacy and his sacrifice.
-- James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, Mervyn, Andre, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
April 4th, 2008
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raves +1 posted May 04, 2008 10:23PM GMT
Answered No
no way. he is supporting us because he needs our vote. after the election he will need someone to clean his house and serve his food. that is all he thinks we are good for. he will get what he deserves when Obama is president, thrown out of power at last. -
raves +2 posted Apr 18, 2008 11:49AM GMT (edited)
Answered No
Other than the African-American and other ethnic men and women he has been forced to tolerate while serving in Congress and the military, I doubt that John McCain has ever had any sincere interaction with minority Americans. He and his heiress wife are surely too busy entertaining their white, male neo-con cronies in one of their eight homes, having a good time bashing "f*cking gooks" and stuff, to actually give a thought to the plight of "everyday" Americans - black, white and everything in between. -
raves +2 posted Apr 06, 2008 08:18AM GMT (edited)
Answered No
McCain is only doing what has been done for years, when it came down to the Black vote; he is saying what is politically correct. The Republican Party has a terrible track record when it comes to understanding the African American community. That is not to say that they can't change; but just like a zebra IT WON'T BE their stripes (beliefs), it will only be there location (how they carry out that belief). FOOL ME ONCE…….. -
raves +1 posted Apr 05, 2008 02:42PM GMT
Answered Yes
Why would we hold a man accountable for something he voted on 25 yrs ago?? Doesn't mean he was against blacks maybe he was against making MLK day a federal holiday? Making a federal holiday and all the gov't employees getting paid for that day to not work is alot of money and no production. I don't know why he was against it but I can think of other reasons than him not liking minorities. -
raves +5 posted Apr 05, 2008 02:18PM GMT
Answered Yes
Since all minorities are not the same person and the community of minorities is made up of individuals I would say yes. No politician can be totally for or against a group by action even if they are by words since each member of the group has an individual agenda. McCain may be a big help to wealthy minorities who do not want to pay for other peoples lack of success. He may be the candidate of choice for minorities who believe in the war effort and are against another large social program in the form of national health care. Being against helping people who made personal mistakes with their finances is not like being against the whole group of people. Maybe the government should help all of us keep our homes regardless of why we lose them. -
raves +5 Apr 05, 2008 03:07PM GMTThen we could also say that in looking at John McCain's overall history of service to ALL Americans he has done many things for the country as a whole. We have proof that he has at least worked to change from his work on ethics reform that politicians from both sides have praised. He was also quicker to come to Obama's defense after the Rev. Wright garbage than Obama was himself. Did the two of them work together for a time on some legislation and offer words of praise for one another? If that is the case either Sen. Obama thinks he is a decent man or he had a lapse in judgment working with a man who is against black America.
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raves +1 Apr 05, 2008 03:48PM GMTThen I would say you are correct if you lump all minorities into one group with common thoughts, opinions and success levels but incorrect if we agree that minorities are as individual as the majority. Since some minorities are wealthy and have chosen to separate themselves from their community he could be a fine representative of those individuals. We could say this question can only be answered in a very broad sense like most other race related polls or surveys.
Nothing like a good back and forth discussion. Thanks. -
raves +1 Apr 05, 2008 04:21PM GMTSo, since a person is born into a certain racial group they cannot be appropriately represented by someone who does not speak for the whole group even if they have different views or agendas? Money may not separate you from the issues that plague the group but it can separate you from the candidate that represents the lower end of that group. It can also get you into a differen
Answered Yes
Since all minorities are not the same person and the community of minorities is made up of individuals I would say yes. No politician can be totally for or against a group by action even if they are by words since each member of the group has an individual agenda. McCain may be a big help to wealthy minorities who do not want to pay for other peoples lack of success. He may be the candidate of choice for minorities who believe in the war effort and are against another large social program in the form of national health care. Being against helping people who made personal mistakes with their finances is not like being against the whole group of people. Maybe the government should help all of us keep our homes regardless of why we lose them.