Oct. 15—President George W. Bush has failed to lead the nation in protecting civil rights, including voting rights, access to quality education for all students and workplace equality for women, according to a new report.
In its draft report, Redefining Rights in America: The Civil Rights Record of the George W. Bush Administration, 2001–2004, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights says, “President Bush has neither exhibited leadership on pressing civil rights issues, nor taken actions that matched his words.”
The report, which was posted on the commission’s website earlier this month, is a draft by the panel’s staff. The commission is scheduled to discuss the report at a meeting several days after the presidential election.
Voting Rights in Peril
In 2002, Bush did not provide leadership to ensure timely passage or implementation of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the report says. As a result, Congress did not appropriate funds for election reform until nearly two years into the Bush administration. The law sets out new federal requirements on all aspects of voting, including provisional ballots, statewide computerized voter lists, “second chance” voting and access to voting for people with disabilities. While most states have passed legislation to enable these reforms, including provisional ballots, lack of funding has undermined the infrastrucure needed for implementation, according to the report.
“As a result of the president’s inaction, little will change before the 2004 elections, and the problems that linger, unless resolved, will most likely disenfranchise some eligible voters,” the report says.
Instead of promoting affirmative action in federal contracting and education, the Bush administration promotes alternatives that aren’t effective at maintaining diversity, according to the report. Last year, when the U.S. Supreme Court took up challenges to the University of Michigan’s undergraduate and law school admissions policies that promote diversity, the Bush administration filed friend-of-the-court briefs opposing the policies.
During the presidential debate Oct. 13, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) discussed his strong support for the nation’s affirmative action policies. “There are too many people still in this country who feel the stark resistance of racism, and so we have distance to travel,” he said. “As president, I will make certain we travel it.”
Women and Children Last
Bush in December 2002 repealed a rule that allows states to use unemployment compensation funds to provide benefits to workers who must leave their jobs temporarily to care for newborn or newly adopted children. The measure, known as the “Baby UI” rule, took effect in 2000 and was completely voluntary for states exploring new ways to help working families balance work and family responsibilities. In 2001, bills had been introduced in 20 state legislatures to establish birth and adoption unemployment benefit programs.
The administration also ended distribution of information about women’s workplace rights and abolished the Department of Labor’s Equal Pay Matters Initiative, an effort to achieve equal pay for women. In 2002, women earned 77 cents for every dollar men earned working full-time, year round, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The commission’s draft report also says Bush:
“President Bush has not defined a clear agenda nor made civil rights a priority,” the report concludes.
More
Read the
press release on the report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
