MTP Transcript for Oct. 29

MR. RUSSERT: You had said that Clarence Thomas is a hero. You still feel that way?

LT. GOV. STEELE: In this sense, that, as an African-American, and the only African-American on the bench. You know, I’ve disagreed with Clarence Thomas on a number of issues.

MR. RUSSERT: Which ones?

LT. GOV. STEELE: Affirmative action, for one. I, I strongly support affirmative action and, and believe...

MR. RUSSERT: You haven’t always supported it.

LT. GOV. STEELE: No, I’ve always supported affirmative action.

MR. RUSSERT: Well, if we go back in 1991, we’ve got a program here called “Affirmative Action that Doesn’t Work,” “Affirmative Action’s Become A Race-Based Quota Formula.”

LT. GOV. STEELE: That’s — but that’s not the same as saying “I don’t support it.” What I was outlining in that quote was the problem of affirmative action. Art Fletcher, who’s the founder, the, the, the, the father of affirmative action, was a mentor to me, and I spent many hours talking to him about affirmative action, and his concern had always been that affirmative action had moved away from the economic empowerment tool that it was designed to be and had, had fallen on race — racial lines. And his goal, and he thought for future leaders, the goal should be to move it back towards economic empowerment to help those. And so what I was pointing out there was the problem with affirmative action in the modern times is that we’ve lost sight of the economic tool that it’s supposed to be, and we’ve gotten caught up in this, in this racial tension that — it skews that opportunity for those who are disadvantaged economically.

MR. RUSSERT: But you support the current system?

LT. GOV. STEELE: I support, I support the current system and I support improvements to the current system, keeping in mind that while we have done very well in affirmative action at our universities across this country, I look at our boardrooms across the country, I look at this — you know, NBC, CNBC, Fox, all these stations, all the corporate, corporate companies — and I don’t see affirmative action necessarily being practiced there when I look at the management, when I look at the leadership, when I look at those who have a decision-making role. So we still have a lot of work to do to make sure that that ladder is available to all to climb.

MR. RUSSERT: Affirmative action?

REP. CARDIN: Well, I agree we’ve made progress, we have a long way to go. When you take a look at where we are, and we’ve see now one million minority owned businesses in this country, $80 billion in revenues, but we still have a long way to go. We need to have policies that will try to make the opportunities of this nation available to all of our citizens. So yes, I support affirmative action. I support programs that will help minority businesses. I support programs that will help in the employment of minorities and opportunities. I think it’s very important.

MR. RUSSERT: Your Web site, Mr. Steele, says you want to control runaway federal spending.

LT. GOV. STEELE: Mm-hmm.

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