This week a man who is described as the father of Affirmative Action passed away. Arthur Fletcher served as an advisor to 4 Republican presidents (Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and H.W. Bush) and in 1996 was a presidential candidate himself. Mr. Fletcher is credited with coining the phrase "A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste" while executive director of the United Negro College Fund.
It seems like Fletcher was a very pragmatic person:
Mr. Fletcher favored taking race into account to remedy discrimination as a practical matter, despite its loftier ideal of leveling the playing ground.
"It's not about social justice," Mr. Fletcher said at a church assembly in Peoria in 2001, according to The Peoria Journal Star. "Social justice is nice, but I've got something in my pocket that can buy all the social justice I need."
Amen, brother.
Please do read the NY Times obituary linked above. Mr. Fletcher led a courageous life. His political beliefs as a Republican are completely anathema to the neo Republicans of today and his passing only brings the devolution of the Republican party into sharp contrast. The Reagan wing has fully taken over the party and concerns itself only with making money. I don't think today's GOP would have a place for Arthur Fletcher. Fletcher sounds like he would have been a "good Republican" and I'm hard pressed to name too many of those now. Hell, even Nixon created the EPA. What good thing could we say about Bush or any of his blood thirsty supporters?
Safe passage Arthur Fletcher.