Californian voters reject Proposition 16

‘Opponents of Proposition 209 wish to roll back the wheels of history, to return to the days where an American was judged by the colour of their skin and not the content of the character’

As Joe Biden prepares to enter office as the 46th President of the United States, those positioned on the conservative wing of the US political spectrum did not escape election night (or election week, I should say) completely empty-handed.

The Republican Party were able to stop the anticipated ‘blue wave’, shrugging off Democratic opposition for vital Senate seats, and have even chipped away at the Democrat’s majority in the House of Representatives. With two likely Republican Senate wins in Georgia next January, the political organs of Capitol Hill and the White House will be in a state of deadlock, limiting Biden’s legislative leverage.

But on the state level, conservatives chalked up a symbolic win in California, the nation’s most populous state, as well as a land unfriendly to Republicans, even with the Democrats possessing a supermajority in both the state Political Assembly (their equivalent to the House of Representatives) and the state Senate. Back in June, these two chambers voted to place Proposition 16 on the ballot for voters to decide whether to adopt or rescind at the 3rd November General Election.

Proposition 16 was birthed to wipe away Proposition 209, which was introduced in 1996, forbidding school admission officials and public sector authorities from considering a person’s race or gender, or both, as part of an application process. In an ambition to fulfil Martin Luther King’s dream, this made racial preference hiring – also known as racism – illegal.

However, opponents of Proposition 209 wish to roll back the wheels of history, to return to the days where an American was judged by the colour of their skin and not the content of the character, having openly asserted that this is their intention. This is all in the name of ‘anti-racism’ of course; Proposition 16 backers even smear their opposition as racists. Do they know that tactic does not work anymore?

Anyways, to those who view all unequal outcomes as having arisen because of discrimination (not the countless other factors), as the identarian left/supporters of Proposition 16 do, Proposition 209 stands in their way.

In a year compounded with economic catastrophe along with the Black Lives Matter movement reaching near political dominance throughout American’s institutions at lightening fast pace, it appeared that Proposition 209 was in the crosshairs. The stage was set for its long-awaited downfall. Nevertheless, Californian voters rejected Proposition 16 by nearly three million votes (57% - 44%) in what has been described as a blow to social justice ‘anti-racist’ activists.

As is the case with ‘right vs left’ political campaigns in the Golden state, Proposition 16 had the backing of the Democratic establishment, including (unsurprisingly) the University system, which has long sought to rid itself of strict colour blind application processes. In a financial David vs Goliath, the Proposition 16 campaign coughed up roughly $30 million whereas $1.5 million was raised by the opposition, who were still able to pull off the victory.

One query that has come to mind at the (near) end of this election cycle: is identity politics beginning to lose its potency? Is the Political Left riding on a train that is quickly running out of steam? Remember that Trump performed much better than expected, and increased his previous vote total, among ethnic minorities across the board. Muslims, Jews, Hispanics, African Americans; it was likely Biden eroding some of Trump’s white support base which turned the tide in his favour.

The political progressives will always have ownership over the umbrella of social justice slogans such as ‘anti-racism’ and ‘Black Lives Matter’, wielding them as an insidious political weapon to mop up minority votes and demonise any dissenters. But this election cycle has revealed that their grip is slipping, and the propaganda is wearing thin in the eyes of many.