Washington — Presidential challenger Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Sunday that he supports a proposed ballot initiative in his home state that would prohibit affirmative action policies from state and local governments. A decade ago, he called a similar effort “divisive.”
The reversal comes as McCain seeks to tailor his policies and rhetoric to independent-minded voters.
“I think that right now he’s desperate and he’s trying his best to get support,” said international relations senior Miles Greengard, a former member of MSU Democrats. “But there are far better things he could start arguing for.”
It would be more helpful for McCain to try to appear less conservative, rather than more conservative, Greengard said.
Both McCain and Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., have accused each other of “flip-flopping.”
McCain was asked specifically Sunday whether he supported an effort to get a referendum on the ballot in Arizona that would “do away with affirmative action.”
“Yes, I do,” McCain said in an interview broadcast Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
The Republican senator quickly added he had not seen the details of the proposal, “But I’ve always opposed quotas.”
Political science senior Ben Morlock, chairman of MSU’s College Republicans, said he is proud of McCain for supporting the referendum.
“If he can associate himself with these kinds of (common sense) issues that resonate with Americans, it will do nothing but help him in election,” he said.
Affirmative action is an out-dated program that many Americans feel is inappropriate, as the government should be choosing people based on merit and not on the color of their skin, Morlock said.
However, advertising senior Lauren Aitch said she thinks affirmative action should be used in certain situations.
“I think it’s a very helpful tool for minorities, and I think it helps equal out some things,” she said. “I don’t support a ban on it.”
Greengard said he agreed that affirmative action is a good idea, when instituted properly.
“If you could reform it so that it could help those that really need it — if it was based on socioeconomic factors, it could be a much better program,” he said.
Over the years, McCain has consistently voiced his opposition to hiring quotas based on race, supporting affirmative action in limited cases. He voted to maintain a program that encourages the awarding of 10 percent of spending on highway construction to women and minorities.
In 1998, a resolution pending in the state legislature would ask Arizona voters to eliminate most preferences based on race, gender, color or ethnic origin. McCain warned against using ballot proposals to outlaw quotas or racial preferences.
“Rather than engage in divisive ballot initiatives, we must have a dialogue and cooperation and mutual efforts together to provide for every child in America to fulfill their expectations,” McCain said.
The 1998 story by The Associated Press said McCain was speaking to a handful of Hispanic leaders in Washington. In his comments, he stopped short of directly criticizing the resolution pending in Arizona.
“He believes that regardless of race, ethnicity or gender, the law should be equally applied,” said Tucker Bounds, spokesman for the McCain campaign. “He has long stood for the protection of civil rights and equal opportunity for all Americans.”
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The Arizona Civil Rights Initiative filed 334,658 signatures with the Secretary of State’s office Thursday, surpassing the necessary number by more than 100,000 to meet the filing deadline to get the measure on the November ballot. State officials are trying to verify that enough signatures are valid to get the initiative on the ballot.
The application for the referendum petition said the proposal would amend the state constitution to prohibit preferential treatment or discrimination by state government, state universities, school districts, counties and local governments to any individual based on race, sex, ethnicity or national origin.
Democratic challenger Obama said he is a “strong supporter of affirmative action when properly structured so that it is not just a quota.”
He said he believes a university or college should be able to take into account race as well as economic class and hardship when making assessments about admissions.
Obama said McCain flipped on the issue of putting affirmative action bans on the ballot.
“These are not designed to solve a big problem, but they’re all too often designed to drive a wedge between people,” Obama said.
Staff writer Allison Bush contributed to this article.
