[dirtboy]

Yes, and that is my biggest problem with him. If he is wrong on affirmative action he doesn't really get the conservative agenda of equal treatment for all and special rights for none.

I can find three votes by Fred regarding affirmative action, and it's a mixed bag:

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Fred_Thompson.htm

Voted NO on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women. (Mar 1998)
Voted NO on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business. (Oct 1997)
Voted NO on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds. (Jul 1995)

On the other hand, he has resisted the efforts to make gays a special protected class:

Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)

I'd say Fred's a wash here.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

One thing I'd like to see about these votes is the bill number/name, so that the bill itself, including text, could be looked up on the Senate website. It's very easy to simply give a list of "Voted NO on such and such" or "Vote YES to do such and such", but the problem is that unless a bill was specifically about an issue, the stated position is meaningless. The vote being touted might well have been for a large, omnibus type bill in which the stated issue position in reality only represents on small part of a much larger overall vote.

For instance, it's easy to say "Voted NO on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds. (Jul 1995)", but is that really accurate or even honest to say? Was there one small provision about this in what was an otherwise good, or at least needful, bill that was attached as a rider, and the good outweighed the bad? That's what I'd like to find out.

[MBB1984]

I find his two votes against banning affirmative action far from being a mixed bag. I can only conclude he supports affirmative action for minorities and women.

The issues regarding homosexual rights are different, through related, to affirmative action. I am glad to know his votes against such legislation.

He will probably lose my vote because of his support of affirmative action. I can not classify him as a true conservative.