An Associated Press article this week documented a sentiment held by some of those who support civil rights initiatives in Colorado, Nebraska and Arizona: after the Democratic primaries, what glass ceilings need yet be broken?

“The primary rationale for affirmative action is that America is institutionally racist and institutionally sexist,” said Ward Connerly, who is orchestrating the various efforts. “That rationale is undercut in a major way when you look at the success of Senator Clinton and Senator Obama.”

The article makes some good points. No one in America could argue that minorities have lifestyles or incomes equitable with whites. But the real question is whether they have nearly equal opportunities, and whether it is just to remedy their misfortunes by penalizing the hard work of other classes and races.

Whether you support their policies or candidacies, the successes of Obama and Clinton are evidence of an America moving more toward the equity that, ideally, defines this nation. That movement, however, requires a reconsideration of the need for racial and class preferences, and of the ever-stronger arguments against them.