Affirmative Action Quotes
Will is criticizing the Identity Politics movement.
Then Senator Biden, commenting on the 1991 nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court by President Bush.
1st Earl of Beaconsfield
They were the “untouchables”. Under English rule and law, they had more opportunity, equality and protection than ever before. They opposed the idea of home rule and passing rule to an Indian parliament and ministers as ol the upper castes would dominate and control the government and would discriminate against them as they had always done before English rule. What they worried about came of to pass, but the Congress Party which dominated much of Indian politics was opposed to the Caste system and went out of their way to make it illegal and to institute affirmative action. However, regardless of the law, the Cast System still exists, and the discrimination is a current problem for India and the untouchables.
Wilson is perhaps the only President in American history who actually presided over a reverse affirmative action. Other post Reconstruction presidents have either increased the degree of affirmative action in Federal positions or ignored affirmative action and did not pursue it. But only Wilson rolled it back.
The recent FBI directors have had a difficult legacy to cope with. In the 1930s throughs the 1960s, the FBI (under J. Edgar Hoover), worked very closely with Southern, Racist, Law enforcement agencies who were constantly covering up and often participating in assaults and lynching of Blacks. Hoover, despite the fact that he was a closet gay, projected a very masculine FBI image and would not have female agents. Even in the Civil Rights movement local FBI offices were working closely with Southern law enforcement to suppress the Civil Rights demonstrations. Nationally, the FBI was not only illegally surveilling Martin Luther King, but Hoover who despised King actually had agents try and blackmail him and pressure him into committing suicide. So the legacy was not good for hiring women of Blacks and Jews, Hispanics, Asians and other minorities as well. Even when Comey made this statement, he was dealing with a group of highly conservative and racist FBI agents who were illegally leaking information that would help to swing the Presidential election to Donald Trump, who was opposed by most women and almost all blacks. So Comey had to persuade new recruits to enter the Bureau despite the legacy and existing component that would not be very comfortable for them. At the same time, the educational qualifications for the FBI were very high (unlike most local and stat law enforcement agencies). Most people who could meet them, could easily qualify for other jobs that paid more than the FBI so it took a good bit of desire and commitment to get anyone to join.
The first Jew to run for the Vice Presidency on a major party ticket.