The following statement comes from
the Braun campaign website. It was originally published by the Sun Times, so I'm going to play it safe and snip it. The particular issue she's addressing, btw, is what I think are called minority set-asides, an affirmative action program that gives minority and women-owned business an opportunity to fairly compete for city contracts. The issue is clear enough if you read the whole piece, so do follow the link. Anyway, here are some highlights.
....
The global issue, of course, is what kind of civil society we want to have. Are we, as a nation, prepared to move in the direction of the noble intent of our Declaration of Independence, when it asserted that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," or are we still comfortable with the inherent hypocrisy that kept women and blacks and other non-whites from the "blessings of liberty"? Women could not vote until 1920, and for all intents and purposes, blacks weren't enfranchised throughout America until the 1960s. Power, control and economic opportunity have not yet "trickled down" to fully embrace the talent, capacity and potential that the majority population (e.g., women and minorities) has to bring to bear on business.
....
Affirmative action serves the interests of the whole community--not only the women or minority contractors who may get an opportunity. Businesses that are owned and operated by women and minorities are statistically more likely to in turn give opportunity to other women and minorities, and so a ripple effect takes place.
Women and black or Asian or Hispanic or other minorities leverage their opportunity by bringing in others who might not otherwise have a chance. Lawyers, suppliers, employees, managers; the entire panoply of economic actors becomes more diverse, more creative and often more productive because of the stirring of the competitive pot that occurs when the contracting of public dollars is spread out to a population that looks like America.
....
The survival of affirmative action creates hope that opportunity exists for those who have not yet had a chance to lead and that performance and talent will be rewarded. That hope keeps our society on a path toward progress and the fulfillment of the promise of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The Supreme Court's recent decision regarding the challenge to the University of Michigan's law school program kept alive the light of that hope. May it guide the district court in its decision-making regarding the pending challenge to the City of Chicago's effort to support affirmative action in contracting.
On a final note, just in case anybody is curious, Braun opposes the death penalty, supports gun control, has fought and spoken against racial profiling, and refrains from personally attacking her fellow Democrats.
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