CNN political race coverage: on Civil Rights
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Domestic partnership but not gay marriage
In a rapid-fire series of questions by radio talk show host Sean Hannity on the nationally syndicated Sean Hannity Show, Schwarzenegger said he does not support gay marriage, but does approve of some kind of domestic partnership.
“I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman,” he said, a misstatement in a rush to keep up with the staccato-like delivery of the questions [implying that marriage should only be between a man and a woman].
Source: CNN.com coverage
Aug 28, 2003
Beto O`Rourke:
Upgrade records of LGBTQ vets who were discharged
O`Rourke also says he would require the Defense Department to upgrade the service records of
LGBTQ veterans who were discharged due to their sexual orientation.
Source: CNN coverage of 2020 Democratic primary
Jun 24, 2019
Bill Bradley:
Posting Ten Commandments in schools seems unconstitutional
Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley believes the legislative amendment passed by the House allowing the posting of the Ten Commandments in schools may be unconstitutional. “It will have to be tested in the courts,” Bradley said Thursday of the
Ten Commandments amendment. “My hunch is it’s unlikely to pass constitutional muster.”
Source: CNN coverage: AllPolitics “Mixed views”
Jun 18, 1999
Dick Cheney:
Voted against ERA in 1983
[In Congress in the 1980s], Cheney voted against the Equal Rights Amendment for women, along with 146 other members of Congress in 1983.
Source: CNN.com coverage
Jul 24, 2000
Ezola Foster:
Confederate battle flag should be honored
Foster founded Americans for Family Values, which calls for the restoration of traditional morals; and she said Friday that the Confederate battle flag "should be honored as part of our history."
"We have been called bigoted and racist and all kinds of names," she said. "Why? Because we are concerned about our American children and our American schools. We are concerned about our American workers."
Source: CNN.com coverage
Aug 11, 2000
Gary Bauer:
Posting Ten Commandments will reduce crime
Gary Bauer took partial credit for [drafting a bill to post the Ten Commandments in schools]. "I believe if more American children read the Ten Commandments and are taught what they mean, they will predictably engage in less crime," he said, noting the
sentiment for religion in the schools after the recent student massacre in Colorado. "I went to Littleton, Colo.," Bauer said. "What you see are little handmade signs everywhere, ‘Let our children pray,' and ‘Bring religion back in to our schools.'"
Source: CNN coverage: AllPolitics "Mixed views"
Jun 18, 1999
George W. Bush:
Condemns anti-Semitic comments of Dallas NAACP president
A Bush spokesman made it clear that Bush did not agree with the statements from Dallas NAACP President Lee Alcorn, who had raised questions about Lieberman's Jewish faith during a local radio interview. "In the strongest terms, the Bush-Cheney campaign
condemns the anti-Semitic remarks made against Senator Lieberman. When it comes to fighting anti-Semitism, Governor Bush and Secretary Cheney stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all Americans in condemning such foolish utterances."
Source: CNN.com coverage
Aug 9, 2000
Hillary Clinton:
Gays deserve domestic partnership benefits
We ought to be providing domestic partnership benefits for people who are in homosexual and lesbian relationships.
Source: CNN.com coverage
Feb 11, 2000
Jack Conway:
Claims Paul questions Civil Rights Act and the ADA
Q: [With regard to Conway's "Aqua Buddha" TV ads]: Why does an incident from 27 years ago matter to voters?CONWAY: There's a direct line from his college days. "The Washington Post" last week did a series of stories about Rand Paul's college letters
to the editor. And he questioned whether or not two people could ever be equal. You know, I happen to think our creator makes us equal. He questioned whether or not women needed equal protection in the law. He questioned nondiscrimination laws and
consumer protection laws. And you can draw a straight line from those attitudes in college to the positions he has taken in this campaign. Rand Paul has said that the federal government doesn't need to be involved in faith-based initiatives.
He's come for a 23% national sales tax that would do away with charitable deductions. He's questioned fundamental principles of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act, too.
Source: CNN "360 Degrees" coverage: 2010 Kentucky Senate debate
Oct 19, 2010
Matt Lieberman:
We need a Voting Rights Act for the 21st century
In 2000 I watched as the Supreme Court stole the election and changed the course of history. We need a Voting Rights Act for the 21st century,'"
Lieberman says in his announcement video referencing the Florida recount battle that ensued following the 2000 presidential election in which his father was on the ticket.
Source: CNN.com coverage of 2019-20 Georgia 2-year Senate race
Oct 3, 2019
Michelle Lujan-Grisham:
Study social distancing practices while protecting privacy
Descartes Labs is a large data firm. They do incredible work managing any huge types of information that can be beneficial. We treat this as a tool that allows us to figure out whether our social distancing, more than just looking at the cases, but
look at where people are traveling, how long they're traveling, and get a sense about whether or not we need to do something else that limits person to person contact and enhances our social distancing.
If there was anything that we thought was breaching already robust federal or state laws protecting privacy, A, we wouldn't have a relationship and, B, we would do the appropriate accountability.
But they're just using aggregate data. We don't have any idea who any of the cell phone numbers belong to. It is a very useful tool to get a sense about how social distancing works and what the benefits of that are.
Source: CNN coverage of 2020 Veepstakes
Apr 12, 2020
Oprah Winfrey:
Credits the civil rights movement for her pathway to success
Oprah has always credited the sacrifice and service of the men and women involved in the civil rights movement for paving a path for a poor African- American woman from the South to transform into a beloved billionaire businesswoman.
In turn, Oprah's success has inspired millions more. "Oprah" opened discussions about race in America.
Source: CNN Entertainment coverage of 2020 Presidential hopefuls
May 20, 2011
Paul LePage:
Confederate monuments are about a war for land
Paul LePage defended monuments to the Confederacy, claiming that 7,600 Mainers fought for the South and that the war was initially about land, not slavery."What was the war? If you really truly read and study the Civil War, it was turned into a
battle for the slaves, but initially--7,600 Mainers fought for the Confederacy," LePage said in an interview with Maine radio station WVOM. "And they fought because, as farmers, they were concerned about their land. Their property. It was a property
rights issue as it began. The President really made it about slavery to a great degree."
Slaves were considered property up to and during the Civil War. LePage also said that removing confederate monuments could lead to the removal of history books
and monuments to the Oklahoma City bombing and the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Two Civil War historians disputed LePage's assertions, noting that the Civil War "was rooted in racial slavery" where "slaves were the property at issue," not land.
Source: CNN.com coverage of 2018 Maine gubernatorial race
Aug 22, 2017
Pope Francis:
Christians owe apologies to gays and others
Pope Francis said that Christians owe apologies to gays and others who have been offended or exploited by the church, remarks that some Catholics hailed as a breakthrough in the church's tone toward homosexuality. "The Catechism of the Catholic Church
says that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally," Francis said. "The Church must ask forgiveness for not behaving many times--when I say the Church, I mean Christians! The Church is holy, we are
sinners!"The Pope spoke expansively, saying the church should seek forgiveness for a number of historical slights: "I believe that the church not only should apologize to the person who is gay whom it has offended," he added, "but has to apologize
to the poor, to exploited women, to children exploited for labor."
The Pope's comments came in response to a question about a German Cardinal who said the Catholic Church should apologize for being "very negative" about gays.
Source: CNN coverage of Papal press conference
Jun 26, 2016
Sam Clovis:
Science on homosexuality is unsettled; behavior is a choice
Sam Clovis has argued that homosexuality is a choice and that the sanctioning of same-sex marriage could lead to the legalization of pedophilia, a CNN KFile review of Clovis' writings and speeches has found. Clovis made the comments between 2012 and
2014 in his capacity as a talk radio host, political activist, and briefly as a candidate for US Senate in Iowa. Clovis has repeatedly argued that the science on homosexuality is unsettled and that "LGBT behavior" is a choice.
The American Psychological Association has said that while there is no scientific consensus on the causes of sexual orientation, "most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation."
Asked for comment on Clovis' beliefs surrounding the science of homosexuality, a USDA spokeswoman told CNN: "The Supreme Court settled the issue in 2015." The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: CNN.com coverage of 2017 Trump Administration nominations
Aug 21, 2017
Sonia Sotomayor:
Wise Latina woman reaches better conclusion than white male
At a 2001 UC Berkeley symposium, Sotomayor said that the gender and ethnicity of judges does and should affect their judicial decision-making. From her speech:"By ignoring our differences as women or men of color we do a disservice both to the law and
society. I accept that our experiences as women and people of color affect our decisions. The aspiration to impartiality is just that--it's an aspiration because it denies the fact that we are by our experiences making different choices than others."
Our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging. Justice O'Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases. I am not so sure that I agree with
the statement. First, there can never be a universal definition of wise. Second I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.
Source: CNN coverage of upcoming Sotomayor hearings
Aug 1, 2009
Steve Forbes:
Posting Ten Commandments is ‘a positive thing'
Steve Forbes called the House's approval of displaying the Ten Commandments "a positive thing. The Ten Commandments, we need to understand and adhere to. The more we see them, the better off we'll be."
Source: CNN coverage: AllPolitics "Mixed views"
Jun 18, 1999
Perry Johnson:
Leftists drives wedges among us in dealing with race
[On Supreme Court banning racial preference in college applications]: "I applaud today's #SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action. Discrimination based on the color of one's
skin is wrong, period. Leftists in America continue to drive wedges amongst us with inflammatory rhetoric and practices in dealing with race. It is time we stand up against it."
Source: CNN coverage of 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Jun 30, 2023
Page last updated: Oct 26, 2024