That's what Barack Obama is saying about Michgan's Proposition 2, which would ban affirmative action in that state. Via The Weekly Standard, here's the text:
This is Senator Barack Obama. And I'm asking you to vote no on Proposal 2. We've made great strides in our society towards fairness and opportunity for all people. But whether we like to admit it or not, there's still barriers to women and minorities reaching their full potential. Proposal 2 may sound like a reasonable way to move towards a Michigan that is blind to differences in sex and race but don't be fooled by the reassuring rhetoric. If the initiative becomes law it would wipe out programs that help women and minorities get a good education and jobs. It would hurt initiatives that help women and minorities build their own businesses. And it would eliminate efforts to help our children enter fields such as science, engineering, and mathematics. Proposal 2 closes these doors to many in Michigan and it moves us further away from a country of full opportunity. Proposal 2 is wrong for Michigan and it's wrong for America.
Worse, as Stephen F. Hayes points out, Obama compares ending affirmative action with 9/11.
"If you could have prevented 9/11 from ever happening, would you have?" the ad asked. "On November 7th there's a national disaster headed for Michigan, the elimination of affirmative action."
It seems to me that shilling for affirmative action flies in the face of the "different sort of politician"--the "post-racial" one--that Barack Obama claimed he would be. Instead, he's the same race baiter as anyone on the Left.
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