Clinton, Dole joust over affirmative action

The future of federal affirmative action programs, which provide preferential treatment to women and minorities, promises to be one of the most controversial and divisive issues of the November presidential election. While affirmative action programs have been accepted tools of public policy for almost 30 years, polls suggest that a strong majority of voters feel the time has come to rethink the programs' future. In July, 65 percent of those questioned for a Time/CNN poll indicated that the current affirmative action programs should be changed, while an additional 24 percent felt such programs should be halted altogether. Only 1 percent of those polled expressed a desire for the programs to continue in their current form. Following its 1994 takeover of Congress, the new Republican majority mounted the first serious assault on affirmative action in more than a decade. Conservatives like Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, then the Senate majority leader, and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) view affirmative action programs as government-sanctioned discrimination that should be scrapped completely, according to Republican campaign literature. Earlier this year, then-Senator Dole introduced legislation seeking to end all federal programs granting preferences based on race or gender. While that measure ultimately failed to win congressional approval, Dole has made it the cornerstone of his affirmative action proposals during the campaign. "The key is to guarantee the opportunity to compete, not rig the results of the competition with quotas, set-asides and other preferences," Dole wrote in a campaign policy statement. The statement advocates the "conscientious enforcement" of anti-discrimination laws -- instead of any system of racial or gender based preferences -- as the best way to remedy past discrimination. "Americans should be judged as individuals -- not given preferences that favor people because they belong to a particular group," the statement concluded. The congressional assault prompted President Clinton to promise a complete review of federal affirmative action programs. On May 21, in a move that infuriated many within his own party, Clinton announced plans to scale back race-based preferences on federal contracts, end minority set-aside programs for two years and tighten eligibility requirements for minority firms. Despite such measures, Clinton cites statistics showing that the unemployment rate for blacks is twice that of whites as proof that some form of affirmative action is still necessary. "That does not mean [federal affirmative action programs have] always been perfect. It does not mean that it should go on forever," Clinton said in a press release. "It should be retired when its job is done? but the job is not done." In the release, Clinton -- who describes his position as "mend don't end" -- said he believes affirmative action "has been good for America."