| It's never happened before. Since 1996, every statewide drive to end race preferences - if it made the ballot, passed. But in Colorado this year, that all changed. In an election counting process that took two days and is still counting but "called" based on the spread differential, the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), which was one of two remaining ballot drives partially sponsored by Ward Connerly similar to Michigan's 2006 MCRI (Proposal 2-06), failed in a 50.4 to 49.6 margin. In Nebraska, the margin favored NCRI by a 58-42 spread, identical to Michigan's. Here's an AP story summarize some of the first thoughts of Connerly, and a Colorado Independent (part of the Michigan Messenger, Soros-funded Center for Independent Media network) article suggesting that Connerly will now move on to prison reform issues and abandon mostly his work on equal protection. The authenticity of that or real nature of Connerly's plans, or whether it is exaggerated, has not been verified. As a participant in the 2006 Michigan process and outside-observer to the five states attempted this year, I have alot of thoughts about this turn of events. Some of those thoughts are bitter-sweet and emotional, and others I believe insightful. I'm sure there are many causes and reasons for what happened - and like Republicans, anti-preference supporters need to learn some lessons from Colorado. Lessons I believe could be seen in some form as early as during the Michigan campaign. Nonetheless, I will withhold serious commentary and analysis until some time and more information comes in. But I do hope Ward doesn't completely stop his statewide efforts, although I'd certainly support him "diversifying" some of his issue interests - both as a matter of what is right and a matter of being good for the movement (talking about more than one type of civil right might be part of just what he needs to do). |
