Michigan voters ban affirmative action

Inside Bay Area ^ | November 8, 2006

[Clintonfatigued]

Just as California voters did a decade ago, Michigan voters on Tuesday approved a controversial measure to ban affirmative action programs in public employment and university admissions. The Michigan measure, called Proposal 2, was backed by Ward Connerly, the former University of California regent who also backed California's law, Proposition 209, approved in 1996.

Unofficial final election results today said 58.1 percent voted "yes" on Proposal 2, with 41.9 percent against.

University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman said she would investigate an immediate legal challenge to the proposal, which officials said would severely hamper efforts to ensure a diverse student body.

[Aetius]

Along with the defeat of Referendum I in Colorado (the 'gay marriage in all but name' initiative), this is one of the most surprising results from the ballot initiatives. Its sad that the state GOP refused to back it, as that left it going along against almost all powerful groups in the state.

Yet still it won easily. The passage of conservative ballot initiatives makes the GOP-whooping a bit easier to take, and it helps prove that the rebuke of the GOP was not a vote for liberalism. The bad news as it relates to these initiatives is that they are all subject to being thrown at the whim of a few activist leftwing judges.

[Beagle8U]

"And what, exactly, is the benefit of a diverse student body?"

Really tall B-ball players?

[BW2221]

Michigan used to have a lot of Reagan Conservatives, but Bush drove them out of the party constantly supporting business interests and the lack of border security.

Most Reagan Conservatives can't understand why we are waging a war in Iraq and have done nothing to secure the borders.

We need Reagan Democrats in order to win. They are closer to us than Pelosi on most issues, but just like the Dems take the blacks for granted, the GOP does the same thing with blue collar voters that have voted GOP for 25 years.

[Paleo Conservative]

That vote was to amend the Michigan constitution. While entertaining but saddening, I want to hear a judge say that an amendment to the constitution is un-constitutional. lol.

Easy, they make up some legal theory that makes the state constitutional amendment violate the US Constitution.

[Tzimisce]

Affirmative Action was always meant to be temporary.

[pilipo]

I know you want be optimistic, but . . .

[freespirited]

And what, exactly, is the benefit of a diverse student body?

A diverse student body permits U of Michiagn president Mary Sue Coleman and her colleagues to preen at cocktail parties about how virtuous they are.

Any other questions?

[cripplecreek]

Good point. Even when I was a union member I was a conservative voter.

[Brilliant]

Backlash.

[blu]

Those damn morning doves will live to annoy me for another year! I'm not sure which makes me madder, the Canukistani in the Gov.'s office, or those damn birds polluting my hearing!

I'm going to form a group of militant gardeners and find some way to rid us of those damn birds! Don't be surprised if you see a bunch of middle-aged ladies, dressed in Michigan Militia leftovers (we all shop at garage sales!), carrying our pop guns, protesting in Lansing.

Dang, I wish the Gov and those birds would have been "blown away"!

[IamHD]

She has already consulted with attorneys and she is trying to disenfranchise our votes! Well, I would like to get an attorney and have stabenaw, conyers and granholm removed 'cause I didn't vote for them. And a convicted armed robber with a felony as a State Rep. What a joke!

[Wuli]

The libs are fighting for their right to have the government pick individual winners and losers, politically.

And, Ward Connerly, who opposed them? A distinguished black American.

And, the proposition the libs opposed? Language like Martin Luther King would be proud of, reflecting his dream of all persons being judged by merit and not the color of their skin.

[cripplecreek]

And a convicted armed robber with a felony as a State Rep.

What's his name? I need it for the next democrat who talks about "THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION"

[BW2221]

I am not sure Joe Schwarz has any brains. He never would have been nominated in 2004 if it wasn't for the five candidate GOP primary.

[IamHD]

Bertram Johnson State Rep. for Highland Park. Of course, there's no money to be stolen from that city....it was all stolen long ago. He'll steal from Federal money. Here's his record, and the Dems would NOT remove him from the ballot and he was uncontested.

BERTram Johnson

[cripplecreek]

Schwarz had no further intent than to attept to take a few votes away from Walberg.

[IamHD]

And of course, he ran as BERT Johnson, but his name is Bertram. Trying to hide his record maybe?

[ozoneliar]

Folks, If the 9'th Circus didn't overturn Prop 209, the Sixth , certainly won't.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

And what, exactly, is the benefit of a diverse student body?

Careful there, meyer. You are getting dangerously close to hate speech. You are not allowed to ask that question. It is a given that diversity is a positive good for society in all cases.

Unless you want to include white males between 18 and 64 years of age or conservative thinkers of any stripe. People like that are intolerant of diversity and may be excluded.

[yeff]

When my wife worked at UofM 16 years ago, she had to attend "diversity training". Turns out that we're not a melting pot after all, but a salad bowl full of complementary individual ingredients...

Like nuts (and lib profs with tenure).