I NEVER imagined that a die-hard, knee-jerk, bleeding-heart liberal such as myself would be so impressed by the tactics of a Republican presidential candidate. Or that the cynical journalist in me would appreciate any aspect of a down-and-dirty political campaign. But there's a first time for everything. A recent public announcement by a university president proved that politicians -- and the politics they practice -- still can make a difference.
It all started when Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) visited the campus of Bob Jones University on Feb. 2, as the presidential primaries kicked into high gear. The evangelical Christian institution has long faced criticism for its anti-Catholic teachings, hostility toward gays, and, most notably, its ban on interracial dating. Bush chose not to address -- let alone condemn -- any of these issues during his visit, focusing instead on securing the vote of the South Carolina Bible Belt.
In a swift and overtly political maneuver, Bush's Republican rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) publicly criticized the governor for failing to renounce the policies, and the issue picked up steam as several Democrats in Congress whipped up a resolution asserting the widespread intolerance of Bob Jones University.
At first glance, the controversy seemed little more than the usual political rumblings leading up to Super Tuesday. Bob Jones officials initially dismissed the controversy as simple politicking, and GOP leaders and Bush supporters argued that the policies of a private institution should not be a presidential campaign issue.
But on March 3, Bob Jones III, the university's president, surprising the nation and his own campus by announcing on CNN's "Larry King Live" that the administration would lift the ban on interracial dating.
In a time when political campaigns tend to inspire little more than animated dinner conversation and sensationalized "20/20" specials, this development is a breath of fresh air.
As we move into the 21st century, political campaigns have devolved into generic repetition from year to year. Stump speeches have become more nebulous, filled with words like opportunity, equality and reform, but they often are lacking specific goals and plans. Case in point: Bush, who has championed education as a major theme of his campaign, delivered a speech on Monday to a large crowd in California that asserted, "Every child ought to have a first-rate education. There are no second-rate children. There are no second-rate dreams." Only later, at a news conference, did he mention a specific federal program that currently hinders this lofty goal ("Bush Seeks to Secure California's Big Prize," The New York Times, March 6).
Perhaps this has been part of McCain's magnetism -- his attack on Bush's telling silence at Bob Jones was closely followed by an attack on Revs. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, two leaders of the conservative Christian Right. He called the men "agents of intolerance" and, in a statement he later dismissed as a joke, "forces of evil" ("McCain Casts Big Primary Day as Momentum Test," The New York Times, March 6).
McCain's attacks, though clearly motivated more by a desire to crush Bush than a deep-seated moral opposition to Bob Jones and the Religious Right, at the very least were pointed, specific and timely. Whether intentional or not, he helped to effect serious change.
For 73 years, Bob Jones University has operated under a fundamentalist Christian doctrine. Central to many of its teachings is the idea that God opposes a unified, "one-world" government. Interracial dating was forbidden in the early 1950s, on the grounds that different races should remain separate in order to preserve this divided society.
This particular issue is so vital to the core of Bob Jones' beliefs that it led the university to a 13-year legal battle over tax exemption. At its culmination in 1983, Bob Jones University was denied tax-exempt status because it refused to end the dating policy. ("Caught in a Harsh Spotlight, Bob Jones U. Drops Ban on Interracial Dating"The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 6).
And then, suddenly, on national television, Jones revoked the policy the school had clung to -- and staunchly defended -- for half a century. His justification? The bad publicity was potentially harmful to students and alumni. Once the institution and its policy became a campaign issue, it got unbearably hot under the lamp of media scrutiny.
And that's the way it should be. Investigating, renouncing, advocating, reforming -- it's what politics is supposed to be about. We haven't seen much of it lately; we get bogged down in political doublespeak, bickering and spin. Some blame increasingly slick politicians, others the scandal-starved media. Whoever the culprits, their attempts were foiled last week. Something amazing happened on that campaign trail -- something that should have happened a long time ago. Something that just might happen again.
Then again, as I've learned this week in politics, you never can tell.
(Katie Dodd's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily.)
Read More
EDITORIAL: Scapegoating students will not stop hazing
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoInstead of retroactively responding to extreme hazing allegations, we, and especially the University, must begin asking more probing questions about the role of fraternal organizations on Grounds.
EDITORIAL: Celebrating and reflecting on The Cavalier Daily’s independence
By Editorial Board | April 18, 2024Our independence grants us the ability to ask the hard questions and to say what University representatives cannot.
ARRAS: U.Va. must revise the Sexual Assault Prevention Training module
By Aoife Arras | April 17, 2024In addition to its failures in interactivity, the module lacks details specific to the University and discusses key concepts in universal terms.
