President Bush, asserting that every individual has a responsibility to combat bigotry, said Tuesday night that he would support legislation to strengthen laws against discrimination.
But the president was vague in his State of the Union address about what type of legislation he wants and whether he would again veto the civil rights bill being pressed by the Democratic majority in Congress and supported by most Jewish organizations.
“Every one of us has a responsibility to speak out against racism, bigotry and hatred,” Bush said. “We will continue our vigorous enforcement of existing statutes, and I will once again press the Congress to strengthen the laws against employment discrimination without resorting to the use of unfair preferences.”
Bush vetoed a major civil rights bill last year because he said it would lead to hiring quotas. The legislation sought to circumvent recent Supreme Court rulings making it harder for victims of employment discrimination to win legal relief.
Most Jewish organizations supported the legislation and denied that it would result in quotas. Jewish organizations, while supporting affirmative action, have opposed quotas, because they were used against Jews to keep them out of schools and employment.
Only Agudath Israel of America supported Bush’s contention that the legislation would lead employers to institute de facto quotas to avoid costly law suits.
ELIMINATION OF PACS PROPOSED
Supporters of the civil rights bill introduced in the new Congress are stressing additional protection for women rather than the benefits for victims of racial discrimination.
The bill would allow women to seek financial damages for job discrimination. It would also for the first time allow damages for religious discrimination. Up to now only victims of racial or ethnic discrimination could sue.
Bush also called for the elimination of political action committees in order “to put the national interest above the special interest.”
Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-Maine), delivering the Democratic response to Bush’s speech, said that not only should PACs be eliminated but there also should be a cap on political spending. The Republicans, who generally raise more money than Democrats, have opposed any such limit.
There are a number of pro-Israel political action committees, and Jewish voters are among the largest contributors to political candidates.
While Bush did not directly call for limits on the length of service for members of Congress, he pointed out that “one of the reasons there is so much support for term limitations is that the American people are increasingly concerned about big-money influence in politics.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
