Next, I am annoyed at these elitists who only talk about affirmative action as a program to get black kids with lower grades into schools. Elitists went to college, so they obsess on that.
Do the elitists (liberal or otherwise) realize that there is a world outside of their own direct experiences? There are civil service jobs at various levels all over the country in which there is a legacy and a present of not hiring minorities. (I presume the New Haven, CT fire department is one such place.) If these departments don't hire black people, then a circumstance or needs-based affirmative action program won't do any good. The whole POINT is to implement a race-based affirmative action program to get minorities into these positions.
David
As for being an "elitist" and focusing on affirmative action in education rather than in all aspects of our lives, sure. I will certainly give examples that are obvious to me, with which I have experience, and that are of value to me. That doesn't mean, however, that I've ignored all of the other places that racial discrimination can occur. It just means that I might not have the time to write about all of them.
