The Votes Are In!
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Opinion Nov 20, 2020
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Hispanics in California sent a strong message to Democrats: Help not wanted here. One of the biggest hiccups in the recent election was the emphatic 14-point defeat of Proposition 16 in deep blue California. The proposal would have overturned a ban on affirmative action in place since 1996, impacting hiring, contracting and admissions policies at California’s public universities, community colleges and agencies.
It was put on the ballot by the chairwoman of the California Legislative Black Caucus in response to the killing of George Floyd. As the New York Times noted recently , “the governor, a senator, members of Congress, university presidents and civil rights leaders” turned out to support the measure, calling it a “righting of old wrongs.” A Los Angeles Times editorial enthusiastically endorsed the proposal, claiming that America is not a meritocracy, and that dismantling “the racism baked into our institutions” is essential to providing opportunity to people of color.
Passing Prop 16, the Times argued, would help. In short, the Democratic establishment pulled out all stops for Prop 16, outspent the opposition on advertisements and advocacy by $20 million to $1.5 million, yet it failed. How could that have happened? Defeated advocates of Prop 16 […]
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