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Notes -
This may be true for universities – I'm not sure about the exact numbers but I accept your overall point – but do we have any reason to believe this was also the case for Brinton? As I said, Brinton seems to be well qualified for the position. Does the US government regularly do this kind of screening? Do we know about other more qualified people who were automatically rejected for not being diverse enough? Someone with a PhD in nuclear waste management instead of just a master's degree? Without evidence, this is just assuming your outgroup did something bad and then getting angry about it.
That said, you brought up hiring at universities. In another comment, I dismissed concerns that narrow affirmative action would have a significant negative effect on the ability of members of the majority group to get hired, because situations where it may apply are exceedingly rare. However, this has made me reconsider. It is my understanding that, outside a few specific fields, getting an academic job is extremely difficult, and it is often the case that a large number of applicants are equally qualified. Narrow affirmative action could then make it straight-up impossible for some people to get hired. Honestly, as of writing this, I haven't quite made up my mind. But if we had deltas here, you'd definitely get one.
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