That time Pence criticized Bush 41 for signing the Civil Rights Act
Mike Pence was against the bill that built upon earlier civil rights legislation to provide workplace protections.
The act was supported by 93% of the Senate and 88% of the House of Representatives. Only 33 Republicans voted against the bill. The bill was passed in response to a handful of cases in the Supreme Court that made it harder for women and minorities to win discrimination cases against employers.
While the bill passed through Congress with overwhelmingly bipartisan support, it was opposed strongly by many in the conservative movement, including commentators like Pat Buchanan who argued it would create “reverse discrimination.” Bush had previously vetoed a more comprehensive version of the bill in 1990, saying he feared it would establish quotas.
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Pence’s 1992 op-ed in a local Indiana paper, uncovered by BuzzFeed News, is an early example of the activism that would make Pence a favorite among many in the conservative movement. Donald Trump’s decision to pick Pence as his running mate was made in part to appeal to conservatives who had been hesitant to back him.
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