The attack on affirmative action. In California, Assemblyman Bernie Richter has proposed a constitutional amendment to prohibit the state from giving preferential treatment to anyone in the public sector on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. If the measure passes the Assembly and the Senate, California voters will have the final say in a March 1996 vote. Jesse Jackson has already equated Gov. Pete Wilson's support for the measure with the racism of former Alabama Gov. George Wallace.
Many feminists attribute the movement to white male sexism.
The State Legislature's African-American Caucus chalks it up to racism. State Democrats charge Republicans with political opportunism. The last accusation has some basis. In Washington, leading Republicans suspect that Clinton's civil-rights policies may be his lethal weakness. If congressional debate on anti-affirmative action legislation can be scheduled for next fall, the issue is certain to become an election flash point.