The affirmative action provocateur
The Boston Globe
Anita F. Hill
November 5, 2007
In a bid to get voters to identify all pro-affirmative action candidates with liberal immigration policies, Republican Ward Connerly is traveling the country with his “Super Tuesday for Equal Rights” campaign. From now until election time next November, Connerly will try to persuade voters to end affirmative action in five states—Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Connerly appeals to anti-immigrant sentiment with his argument that granting illegal immigrants legal rights will allow them to take advantage of affirmative action policies in education and the workforce, siphoning opportunities away from hard-working Americans. However, it may be a candidate or party the succeeds in coalition building that determines the fate of Connerly’s plan. It remains to be seen whether Democrats or Republicans will best speak across gender and race lines, and whether or not effective coalition building requires personal identification with a candidate.
The full article is available here.
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