Analysis
This story is based upon an independent media article exposing the White Supremacist groups supporting Proposal 2 in Michigan. The Council of Conservative Citizens posted a picture of their organization leader shaking hands with Ward Connerly, the main financial backer of Proposal 2. Both a representative of the CCC and someone from the independent group Media Mouse are cited, along with MCRI spokesperson Jennifer Gratz. One national group the Southern Poverty Law Center also is cited and confirms the analysis of the Media Mouse article. What would readers learn from this story that might be useful in making an informed vote? Was there any bias in this story?
Article Text
The photo shows Ward Connerly, the California activist who brought an anti-affirmative action campaign to Michigan, shaking hands with beaming Caledonia resident John Raterink.
What’s the fuss?
Raterink chairs the Michigan chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a group that opposes most immigration and “all efforts to mix the races of mankind.”
One national watchdog group calls it a “patently white supremacist group.”
The council also embraces the November ballot measure, known as Proposal 2, championed by Connerly, who seemed glad to shake Raterink’s hand during a visit to Grand Rapids earlier this year.
It is proof, critics say, of the measure’s appeal to political extremists.
Proposal 2 would put in the state constitution a ban on considering race and gender in college admission and state hiring or contracting. With the vote just two weeks away, the rhetoric on each side is rising.
A local opponent of the measure, Jeff Smith, alerted media to the Connerly and Raterink photo. He said the proposal plays into some people’s fears.
“It is playing into this fear (that some whites have of) being stomped on by these special interest groups. It’s a very effective strategy.”
Responding, the executive director of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, which backs Proposal 2, said the group “didn’t ask for (the council’s) support.” Added Jennifer Gratz, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
Raterink rejected the assertion that his group is racist, saying its chief goal is to “represent the interests of what we feel is middle America.”
“The left, I think, refers to anybody being racist who looks out for the interest of European Americans. There is a difference between supremacy and separatism. We are more along the lines of a separatist organization.”
As for banning affirmative action, Raterink said he is after equality, not discrimination.
“What exactly scares them about a level field?” he asked.
Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project for the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, called the Council of Conservative Citizens a “patently white supremacist group.”
The Michigan chapter Web site notes that it opposes “all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called ‘affirmative action’ and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races.”
Responding by e-mail, Connerly said he “didn’t know of (Raterink’s) background when he shook my hand and asked if he could have his picture taken with me at a public function.”
Connerly — who led the fight for a 1996 California ballot measure to ban certain types of affirmative action — said that charges of racism are a distraction from the real issue.
“I have nothing but contempt for separatist groups based on race that have done so much to hurt black people throughout American history,” he said. “Proposal 2 is about equality and fairness, not separation and preferences.”
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