Civil Rights Panel to Wait to Discuss Bush (Repubs block)

[Nlighten1]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041009/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/civil_rights_report_2

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted Friday to wait until after next month's election to discuss a report critical of the Bush administration's civil rights record. Republican members had objected to the report's timing. The report remains posted on the commission's Web site, however, despite objections from GOP commissioners who sought to get it removed.

"I think it's an unfair report, and I think it's a politically biased report, and I think its release at this time is politically motivated," Commissioner Jennifer C. Braceras said after the commission voted to postpone discussion of the report until Nov. 12.

Another Republican commissioner, Abigail Thernstrom, said she was "concerned about issuing a report that looked as if it was driven by an impending election."

Commission Chairwoman Mary Frances Berry said later that she didn't mind waiting to discuss the report "since they felt so strongly." She disputed the contention that the timing had anything to do with the election.

"Everybody has known for months that the staff planned to have this report finished," she said.

[rogue emissary]

1. Reading the Executive Summary,

its clear Bush should never open his mouth to suggest he's doing anything for African Americans or any minority communities. I can see why the Republicans don't want this report to get out before the election. There are some conclusions in the report I wish would get more attention from the media. Specially when Bush try's to say he's for diversity.

From the report
http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/bush/bush04.pdf

Sub-Cabinet Appointments
Beyond Cabinet-level positions, approximately 1,200 presidential appointments require Senate
confirmation (known as PAS appointees).115 Overall, the number of President Bush’s
nominations of women and African Americans to these high-level positions has not equaled that
of the previous administration.116 President Bush joins President Reagan as the only Presidents
since the Johnson administration to appoint fewer women than their predecessors.117 Of his first
264 political nominations requiring Senate confirmation, 26 percent were women. This is
markedly lower than President Clinton’s first 512 PAS appointments, 37 percent of whom were
women. President Bush continued to select women at approximately the same level through his
first 448 nominees. Of those 448, 115 (nearly 26 percent) were women.118
Similarly, while President Bush has appointed several African Americans to prominent posts in
the administration, his overall appointment rate of African Americans is less than that of
President Clinton. Fifteen percent of President Clinton’s PAS appointees were African American
compared with 9 percent of President Bush’s PAS appointees.119 Conducting a detailed analysis
for all categories of appointments is not possible owing to variable agency reporting

Hispanic Underrepresentation
The low number of Hispanic employees in the federal government is noteworthy. Hispanics
represent roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population, but only 6.9 percent of the federal
workforce.138 Hispanic women are even more underrepresented, comprising only 2.9 percent of
all federal employees. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao has recognized the relatively low
employment rate of Hispanics and publicly committed to increasing their presence in the federal
workforce. In remarks in early 2002, Secretary Chao affirmed the Department of Labor’s
commitment to OPM’s Hispanic Employment Initiatives, which were launched in 1997.139