In an April 6, 2003 op-ed piece entitled "Diversity on Campus and in the Newsroom" David Broder makes the case for affirmative action both within institutions of higher learning as well as in the work place. He claims the affirmative actions leads to a more diverse environment that benefits all those affected by such a policy. With newly established diversity in the workplace as well as in the classrooms, Broder claims that people are able to interact with others of different sexes and races and " their insights and perspectives help sharpen your own understanding." Although Broder presses on some very good points, he fails to capture the downside that affirmative action holds, that being reverse discrimination. His ability to turn a blind eye to the reality of such programs results from the fact that he himself has never been impacted by such a policy because if he had his opinion would most likely be much different than the one expressed in this article.
As the Supreme Court begins to deliberate on the University of Michigan's affirmative action admissions policy, the fight for and against such programs continues to be strongly debated throughout American politics. Recent polls have shown that support for affirmative action has risen in recent years, as 56% today compared to 49% in 1995 say that such policies are needed to counter bias against minorities and women. Sunday, Virginia Tech restored its affirmative action policy as the school's Board of Visitor's voted 7-5 in favor of the program, possibly being fueled by the ever-growing proponents of such programs. Even the Bush administration, which many expected to press hard against such programs, plans on defending a contracting program that uses affirmative action to contract out its work. In addition, the administration has resisted pressure from fellow Republicans to support white students in the Michigan cases who claim that racial diversity is not justified by giving preferential treatment to minorities.
