February 5, 2008

No Valentine's Dinner Reservation for Ward Connerly and Ms. Magazine

The latest issue of Ms. Magazine, published by the Feminist Majority Foundation, has a package of stories criticizing Ward Connerly and his campaigns against the use of affirmative-action preferences in public education, public employment, and public contracting. The general tone of the articles is evident in their headlines: “Good Ole Boys,” “Contracting Connerly,” and “A Preference for Deception.”

The magazine argues that while much of the news-media coverage of Mr. Connerly’s campaigns has focused on their impact on public colleges, at core his efforts are driven by a desire to help companies owned by white men gain an upper hand in the competition for government contracts. In “Contracting Connerly,” it alleges extensive financial ties between Mr. Connerly and building-industry trade associations that have supported his campaigns.

In a statement e-mailed to The Chronicle, Mr. Connerly dismissed as “totally bogus” the magazine’s assertions that his campaigns were heavily financed by construction associations with a vested interest in the elimination of affirmative-action preferences.

“While it is true that such entities generally oppose preferential treatment for women and ‘minorities,’ it is not true that I am aligned with them or received anything more than token financial support from such sources in our campaigns,” he wrote.

“Had the Feminist Majority been interested in facts, instead of character assassination, it could have easily obtained information to refute the conclusions that it set out to prove,” he said.

He described the magazine articles as part of a long-running campaign of opposition from the Feminist Majority Foundation, whose views on affirmative action he called “self-serving and extreme.” —Peter Schmidt

Comments

1. What an irony, to hear Ward Connelly make the statement about Feminist Majority Foundation article as “self-serving and extreme”. It is also interesting to note that in reference to construction associations, Mr. Connelly says “While it is true that such entities generally oppose preferential treatment for women and ‘minorities,’ it is not true that I am aligned with them or received anything more than token financial support from such sources in our campaigns.” A TOKEN financial support? Could Mr. Connelly tell the country what amount is this “token” financial support since he is “interested in facts”?

   — Anene    Feb 6, 01:42 PM    #

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