From the Associated Press
Presidential candidate John McCain on Sunday endorsed a proposal to ban affirmative action programs in his home state, a policy that Democratic rival Barack Obama called a disappointing embrace of divisive tactics.
You know what’s more divisive? Allocating resources and benefits based on race and ethnicity. Obama should be expressing disappointment toward those that endorse racial preferences. When a government hands out special privileges based on skin color, it basically undermines the idea that “There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.” Race becomes much more relevant to individuals when it is a deciding factor in who gets what.
Barack went on to tell the AP, “‘I think in the past [McCain] had been opposed to these kinds of Ward Connerly referenda or initiatives as divisive. And I think he’s right.’”
Referenda and initiatives are supposed to be divisive. For every ballot measure or candidate, there will always be those in support and those in opposition. Disagreement is the essence of politics. So Obama is basically upset that McCain has an opinion about something. By exaggerating the inherent divisiveness in McCain’s opinion, Obama continues to portray himself as the exceptional uniter who is above politics as usual. So far, it has been an effective narrative for the Obama campaign. Instead of rebutting the points made by McCain, Obama retreats to his boilerplate “hope” and “change” rhetoric, in an attempt convince people that substantive policy debates are wrong to engage in to begin with. It’s actually a brilliant move for a candidate with little substantive experience to be Commander in Chief.
And what exactly is in the Arizona Initiative banning affirmative action that upsets Obama so? Behold the text of the proposed amendment to the Arizona State Constution that seeks divide us all:
Looks ok to me. Maybe Obama thought his white grandmother wrote it. Typical.
