Black MBA - Summer 2008 - (Page 20)

COVER STORY Politics of Change 2008 Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, William H. Pryor Jr., John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Obama voted against each of them. The next president is likely to appoint one or two Supreme Court justices. In the political process, Supreme Court appointments are frequently viewed through the lens of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision governing abortion, and whether justices appointed might overturn it. Obama has said he supports the Roe decision; McCain has said he opposes it. ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Affirmative action, after surviving a split decision in two University of Michigan cases that made it to the Supreme Court, is also in play. Obama is a strong supporter of affirmative action, though he and his now-supporter Hillary Clinton missed a golden opportunity in the Philadelphia debate to clarify their views on the subject. In the debate, Obama correctly observed that “race is still a factor in our society.” Then he fumbled the ball. “So if they look at my child and they say, you know, Malia and Sasha, they’ve had a pretty good deal, then that shouldn’t be factored in,” he said. “On the other hand, if there’s a young white person who has been working hard, struggling and has overcome great odds, that’s something that should be taken into account.” He added, “I still believe in affirmative action as a means of overcoming both historic and potentially current discrimination, but I think that it can’t be a quota system and it can’t be something that is simply applied without looking at the whole person, whether that person is Black or white or Hispanic, male or female.” The Philadelphia debate offered additional proof that most of the confusion over affirmative action is because it is frequently incorrectly defi ned. Affirmative action, as defi ned by current U.S. law, is not the same as a quota. Executive order 11246 outlawing discrimination in federal contracting, signed by President Johnson in 1965 and extended by every other president, forbids the use of quotas in affirmative action programs. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights defi nes affirmative action as “a contemporary term that encompasses any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory practice, which permits the consideration of race, national origin, sex and disability, along with other criteria, and which is adopted to provide opportunities to a class of qualified individuals who have either historically or actually been denied those opportunities, and to prevent the reoccurrence of discrimination in the future.” McCain has not been an ardent supporter of affi rmative action, but has voted to continue special programs for women and minorities, including a 10 percent highway set aside. At other times, he has voted against affi rmative action programs, such as supporting former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm’s (R-Texas) proposal to prohibit federal contracts 20 BlackMBA • Summer 2008 • www.nbmbaa.org The results are in – both for our poll and for the fall presidential race. It’s down to Barack Obama vs. John McCain and November is right around the corner. Here are the issues you said impact you the most during the 2008 election. What single issue from this year’s election affects you the most? 59% 12% 10% 8% 3% 8% ECONOMY WAR IN IRAQ HEALTH CARE GAS PRICES/COST OF LIVING NEED FOR CHANGE OTHER ISSUES (EDUCATION, RACE, TAXES) 2008 Political Poll “ The economy affects me the most. Consumer products prices have increased due to high gas prices. The consumers are absorbing the high cost of gas in the purchase of daily items such as food and clothing. What is the most critical issue facing the new president? 56% ECONOMY 27% WAR IN IRAQ 11% REPAIRING HOW AMERICA IS VIEWED BY THE REST OF THE WORLD ” 6% OTHER ISSUES (HEALTH CARE, GAS PRICES) There are so many issues that I don’t want to be specific about any of them at this time. I would not want to be president! Trying to clean up Bush’s mess is devastating to say the least. “ COMMENTS FROM INDIVIDUAL SURVEY RESPONDENTS ARE INCLUDED IN QUOTES. ” http://www.nbmbaa.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Black MBA - Summer 2008

Black MBA- Summer 2008 Contents Mailbag Up Front From the President & CEO Politics of Change Catalyst for Change: Results of our 2008 Political Poll Know Whose Shoulders You Stand On: The Legacy of H. Naylor Fitzhugh Howard University: Changing With the Times Straight Talk: CEO to CEO Creating Your Own Sandbox Dual Threats Avoiding the Faux Pa Invest in Your MBA Everything You Need to Know About...Estate Planning On Campus Plan Ahead The Big Show What's in a Name? On the Move Market Forecast Jeff Friday Keith Wyche Life Lessons On the Ground Real Biz A Golden Opportunity Entrepreneurial Institute Tech Tools Read for Success Stacey Tisdale Advertiser Index

Black MBA - Summer 2008

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