The Affirmative-Action Attack

Ward Connerly and his friends in the GOP are up to their old tricks.

In a desperate attempt to cling to power the Republicans are placing ballot initiatives on affirmative action in a number of key swing states in order bring out their voters and wedge independents away from the Dems. These initiatives play on voter resentments and mis-perceptions about affirmative action and the work-place in general. They play on the false premise that but for affirmative action, all people in our society would be hired and promoted on the basis merit and merit alone. How is this notion wrong? Let me count the ways.

First is the myth of objective standards. In my experience, job applicants bring different sets of experience and skills. There really is in most cases no clear formula for determining how to weight one person's experience against another. Once a person has established a certain baseline of competence, the rest is largely subjective.

Second, the old boy network still exists. In every company I have been a part of there is a group of favorites that have the ear and good will of management that for reasons that often personal rather professional. These favorites get the mentoring, exposure and opportunity that others don't. Their successes are recognized. Their failures overlooked or excused. Very often these favorites share many traits with the bosses -- race, class, gender, height, weight, orientation, politics and social outlook. None of these have to do with production or talent. Women and minorities are often unfairly left out.

Finally there is the notion that supporters of affirmative action favor taking unqualified minorities in place of qualified white people. Nonsense. Affirmative action properly executed strengthens the talent pool by making hiring managers look beyond their subjective comfort zones and social preferences to bring in and consider talented and capable people who otherwise would not have been considered.

Unless progressives do a better job addressing these mis-perceptions, we will lose another one we should have won.

Comments

[laylahb]

Sen Obama has not clarified his position on Affirmative Action. I 've heard him say that he does not support quotas, and he's also stated that children from "advantaged families, like his own daughters, shouldn't need Affirmative Action. This weekend, at the Unity event, he said that disadvantaged white kids should be considered.

[pastorhorace]

You are right. I suspect he is trying to stay away from this issue. My impression (he used to be my state senator when I lived in Chicago) is that he is content to leave things more or less as they are. However, I believe he would be supportive of recasting affirmative action programs to be more need based rather than gender or race based. Very little upside to taking that position in a presidential election season. I wish he were more of an idealist. However, idealist don't get to be president. I would have supported Feingold. Yet he had a snowballs chance you know where...

[Playinjured]

The people you refer to who could be persuaded into believing affirmative action takes jobs from whites probably won't read articles like yours and if they did, would have a hard time swallowing it. Look, if people want to believe "them coloreds is stealing our jobs", it is less likely that anyone who is of color will be able to get through to them. Those who love baseball, apple pie and flag lapel pins. The conservative Christians­,neo-cons, religious right, who hold so dear the moral standards and decency of the christian church and the values of the American way of life. These are the ones who have selective memories. The people who have forgotten the plague of molestation allegations out of the catholic church or the early settlers in America that savagely and brutally massacred Native-Americans or the child abuse that led to child labor laws or the slavery that led to the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. I could go on for days, but I won't, plus I don't have enough free space. But, I want to also make it clear that I love this country just like those people and because of that, if for nothing else, we are more alike than not, like divorced parents who still manage to be around each other enough to productively contribute to the well being of the children. America is our child. Whether we agree with each other or not, we have to do what's best for her.

[pastorhorace]

You are right. There are many many people who are too far gone, too self satisfied, and too hypocritical to hear even the most reasonable argument. Still, I believe that there are many people who like to be fair. Progressives have allowed the right to paint affirmative action as reverse racism. What fair minded person wouldn't oppose that? If affirmative action is described as a way to make sure everyone has an opportunity to compete based on their ability a number of these swing voters who do not much pay attention or spend much time thinking through issues could be persuaded.

[4real]

Good points. Bringing up affirmative action is a way for the GOP to play the race card. It is a way to cause divisions and maybe make Obama look like the black candidate. But it will backfire because people are more concerned about the economy, gas prices, housing market, jobs, healthcare, tuition etc. I think affirmative action is not going to rate high on a list of worries for the American people.

The GOP game plan is old and tired. People have more at stake in this election than before.

[pastorhorace]

I hope you are right. Maybe it is the stupid economy this year.