This policy was a necessary evil in the 1960s, when America was still overtly racist. But such a policy, like chemotherapy, should be administered only as long as necessary, given the havoc it wreaks upon the body politic. More and more thinkers both black and white argue that the time to end it is now. The evidence so far suggests ending affirmative action produces real benefits for minority kids. In California, only when the elimination of racial preferences was clearly permanent did the University of California start serious outreach programs in minority schools to prepare students to submit competitive applications.
Republicans emphasize social conservatism and family values.
As quiet as it is often kept, so do many black Americans. A 1996 Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies survey found that 76 percent of blacks favored prayer in the schools. Black audiences regularly applaud calls for blacks to help themselves. Meanwhile, Bush has substituted for the old handout culture the faith-based and community initiatives, allowing churches to apply for funds to help inner city people rebuild their lives. The inability of so many black movers and shakers to see the promise to blacks in this administration is predictable.