I've got a question. Does Tyler Whitley of the Richmond Times Dispatch do any research when he writes his stories? Or does he just put whatever he wants down on paper in order to have a good story to tell? Today, it sure seems like the latter to me, based on Whitley's latest article. Bizarrely titled, "Webb shifts position on affirmative action," the article asserts that Jim Webb "appeared to contradict his campaign's earlier assertions about affirmative action as he appealed yesterday for black support." Huh? He did? What on earth is Whitley talking about? Does anyone have any idea?
OK, Mr. Whitley, I'm gonna lay this out nice and slow now. Please pay close attention.
1) Jim Webb supports Affirmative Action for African Americans. Always has. Always will.
2) Jim Webb has believed for a long time that broader "diversity programs" should - if they continue - include poor, disadvantaged whites from Appalachia and elsewhere.
3) As Webb said yesterday, "Once the African-American community comes to understand my views they will see I am one of the best friends they can have in government." This has also been true for a long time, since the days when Webb pushed for an African American statue at the Vietnam Memorial on the National Mall, or when Webb worked pro bono to clear the name of a black marine unfairly court martialed in Vietnam.
So how is any of this a "shift" on Affirmative Action policy by Jim Webb? Short answer: it isn't.
more on the "flip"
By the way, all this was explained extremely well by Conaway Haskins back on April 10. Here's Conaway (bolding added for Tyler Whitley's benefit):
The message that I got from Jim Webb was that, if affirmative action programs are to exist, they should be for their original purposes +óGéĽGÇŁ to overcome the negative effects of targeted, sustained institutionalized racism sanctioned by government against African Americans. Furthermore, if anti-poverty programs are to truly be diverse and reach all who need them, they must also be open to people based on class and economic status, not simply race and ethnicity. Essentially, focusing on poverty reduction and social advancement for persons of color and for disadvantaged whites (who in fact make up the majority of public welfare rolls) is the best way to remedy deep-seated social (racial) divisions and to open up opportunities to even greater numbers of Americans who have been left behind. Regardless of the red-meat rhetoric used in his writings, Webb does indeed have a very strong argument.
Exactly right. Jim Webb is not just a friend of Affirmative Action, of African Americans, and of working class white people. Jim Webb is a visionary on race relations in general. As Haskins noted back in April (bolding added for emphasis and Tyler Whitley's benefit):
Jim Webb once wrote that "the greatest realignment in modern politics would take place rather quickly if the right national leader found a way to bring the Scots-Irish and African Americans to the same table, and so to redefine a formula that has consciously set them apart for the past two centuries."
That's the Jim Webb I have come to know and admire. Which "Jim Webb" are you talking about, Mr. Whitley? Must be a different one.
Its irresponsible reporting and needs to be corrected. Everyone here should write to him and ask for a correction - this cannot go unanswered. And please be courteous and to the point.
twhitley@timesdispatch.com
Well, here are the facts on Jim Webb's various positions on Affirmative Action over the years. They show clearly that Webb has "shifted" his position on Affirmative Action. (God, I hate to agree with the Richmond paper.)
James Webb said:
-- In 1995, Web said that Affirmative Action has failed a exacerbated disparities. -- “Even prior to the major affirmative action programs, there was a greater variation within `white America’ than there was between `white America’ and black America, and the whites at the bottom were in approximately the same situation as blacks…It would be folly to assume that affirmative action has done anything but exacerbate these disparities.” [Wall Street Journal, “In Defense of Joe Six-Pack” May 5, 1995]
-- In 2000, Webb said that Affirmative Action was State Sponsored Racism -- “Affirmative action, which originally sought to repair the state-induced damages to blacks from slavery and its aftermath, has within one generation brought about a permeating state-sponsored racism that is as odious as the Jim Crow laws it sought to countermand.” -- Wall Street Journal, “Taking on the Status of Quotas”, May 22, 2000
-- In April 2006, Webb's campaign manager issued a statement on behalf of Webb that said Affirmative Action should include poor whites as well as blacks -- "To create a program that gives assistance to some poor Americans while excluding millions of other people in poverty can only further exacerbate racial tensions in America." -- Webb Press Release and multiple Virginia media citations, April 2006.
-- Yesterday, Webb said Affirmative Action should be reserved exclusively for African-Americans -- May 30, 2006.
So, what is wrong with Tyler Whitley's story? Webb has been all over the map on Affirmative Action and his statement yesterday DOES CONTRADICT previous statements made by him.
Those are the facts, Lowell. And there are a lot of other quotes to further corroborate Webb's flip-flop on this issue to pander votes from black Virginians.
Yes...republicans refer to this as "flip flopping" because their tiny little brains aren't able to make the shift when presented with new evidence.
We've had six miserable years of a president who is incapable of changing his mind. So if you think this is a good thing then you are in the wrong party!
I try not to use the h word, but I hate that paper, and Tyler Whitley is useless and a waste of good bones.
So not mad, just done.