Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 16, 1995 TAG: 9503160087
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Adding to the politically charged atmosphere that surrounds affirmative action, a group of advocates for women's rights met Wednesday with aides to President Clinton to press their demands that he not retreat on his commitment to such programs.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Dole declared he would introduce legislation this year to bar the federal government from granting preferential treatment to what he called favored groups.
``After nearly 30 years of government-sanctioned quotas, timetables, set-asides, and other racial preferences, the American people sense all too clearly that the race-counting game has gone too far,'' he said.
He urged Congress to repeal a Small Business Administration program that provides federal contracts to small, ``disadvantaged'' businesses owned by minorities or women and attacked another program that requires federal contractors to develop plans to increase hiring and promotion of minorities and women.
Dole fought to save that program in the mid-1980s when the Reagan administration wanted to eliminate it. The White House seized on that fact to question whether his attack now is politically motivated.
On the legal front, the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia blocked the sale of more than $1 billion in licenses for wireless communication systems pending review of a complaint by an Illinois company.
It is holding up the sale to review concessions that the Federal Communications Commission grants to companies owned by minorities and women.
Following the lead of the House of Representatives, the Senate Finance Committee approved legislation repealing tax breaks given to companies that sell television stations and cable networks to minority-owned companies.
The tax break came under renewed scrutiny recently when Viacom Inc. proposed to sell a cable system to a group of companies headed by a former congressional staff member who is black. The deal would have netted Viacom a tax break valued at $400 million to $600 million.
Clinton has said the White House is ``reviewing'' affirmative action efforts. Dole praised Clinton for initiating the review, which he called ``long overdue.''
The group meeting Wednesday at the White House made it clear that the president will alienate many of the Democratic Party's most loyal supporters if he backtracks on affirmative action.
``No party is so important that we will belong to it if it undermines us on this issue,'' said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who was co-chairwoman of Clinton's 1992 national campaign and is black.
A coalition that includes the nation's most influential feminist groups issued stern warnings to Clinton and Republicans.
In a 90-minute meeting with senior advisers to Clinton, the women's leaders said he risks an electoral backlash if the review produces anything shy of a full-throated endorsement.
The group included such diverse organizations as the National Organization for Women, which has a more-liberal tilt, and the American Association for University Women, which is traditionally more conservative in outlook and membership.
Eleanor Smeal, president of The Feminist Majority, said that while much has been said of the ``angry white male'' who fled Democratic candidates last fall, ``If you want to talk about anger, just threaten the paycheck of every working women in this country.''
The Washington Post contributed information to this story.
by CNB