The Lessons of the Michigan Civil Rights Victory

In Michigan last November the voters spoke loudly on the question of race, affirmative action, and “diversity.”  They voted against it.  Ward Connerly gives us a chance to review the state of the fight against race preferences. There are ten points that need to be made, he argues:

1. Just because the Supreme Court votes against “diversity” it doesn’t mean that the fight is over.
2. Self government means that we must listen to “the collective wisdom of the people.”  And they voted against the “exhortations of nearly every component of the Michigan establishment — social, civic, political, and business.”
3. The race industry is now reduced to persuading white women to support affirmative action.  It has now failed in Michigan, California, and Washington State.
4. Americans now believe that affirmative action equals race preferences.
5. Even “larger-than-life” figures like Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, and Barack Obama can’t persuade Americans to support race preferences.
6. The term “ minority” has ceased to have anything to do with numbers.  It just means “social and economic disadvantage.”
7. However nobly it began, “affirmative action is viewed as an entitlement for ‘women and minorities,’ not only to ‘level the playing field’ but to achieve the amorphous objective of ‘diversity.’”
8. The race preference advocates are amazingly disciplined.  It amounts to a “national ‘diversity’ industry.”
9. Republicans who run away from race are despicable.
10. The victory in Michigan is big.

Connerly now proposes that it is time to deliver the coup de grace on affirmative action.  He proposed a “Super Tuesday for Equality” election in November 2008 with a civil rights initiative in several states at once.