Eugene Robinson: Grasping at Straws

[babylonsister]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/05/29/grasping_at_straws_96714.html

Grasping at Straws
By Eugene Robinson


WASHINGTON -- President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, is a proud and accomplished Latina. This fact apparently drives some prominent Republicans to a state resembling incoherent, sputtering rage.

"White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich ranted Wednesday on Twitter. My first reaction was that politicians above a certain age should never be left alone in the danger-strewn landscape of social networking. My second thought was: Whoa, Newt, what's that about?

Rush Limbaugh also -- predictably -- bellowed endlessly about how Sotomayor was a "reverse racist," and how Obama was one too. But unlike Gingrich, Limbaugh doesn't ask to be taken seriously. He just asks to be paid.

Gingrich's outburst was in reaction to a widely publicized, out-of-context quote from a 2001 speech in which Sotomayor mused about how her identity might or might not affect her decisions as a federal judge. Far from being some kind of "racist" screed, the speech was actually a meditation on Sotomayor's personal experience of a universal truth: Who we are inevitably influences what we do.

Each of us carries through life a unique set of experiences. Sotomayor's happen to be the experiences of a brilliant, high-powered Latina -- a Nuyorican who was raised in the projects of the Bronx, graduated summa cum laude from Princeton, edited the Yale Law Journal, worked as a Manhattan prosecutor and a corporate lawyer, and served for 17 years as a federal trial and appellate judge.

Given that kind of sterling resume -- and given that she has, according to presidential adviser David Axelrod, more experience on the federal bench than any Supreme Court nominee in at least 100 years -- it's understandable that Republican critics would have to grasp at straws.

snip//

Despite the best efforts of Gingrich, Limbaugh and others, Sotomayor's confirmation process likely won't be about race. Her qualifications are impeccable, her record is moderate and her personality, according to colleagues, is winning. At her confirmation hearings, she'll have the opportunity to supply the missing context for any quote they throw at her. Absent some 11th-hour surprise, I can't imagine that her opponents in the Senate will be able to lay a glove on her.

I also can't imagine that she'll pretend to be anyone other than who she is. Sonia Sotomayor has made clear that she is proud of her identity, and she offers that pride not as an affront, but as an example -- not white, not male, not Anglo, not inclined to apologize. She is the new face of America, and she has a dazzling smile.

[katandmoon]

1. "Her record as a moderate"

Because the Supreme Court just doesn't NEED any more liberals, right, Obama?

[pnwmom]

2. He can appoint liberals in his second term, when he's reelected and

the Senate has more than 60 Dems.

[katandmoon]

3. And monkeys might come flying out of my rear! They won't, but I can pretend they might!

[babylonsister]

4. What a surprising answer-not.

Do you have any common sense that might overrule your 'outrage' at everything Obama?

Sure doesn't sound like constructive criticism to me, but that hasn't mattered, has it. :eyes:

[katandmoon]

5. Don't you have some Obama bubblegum cards to go collect or something?

[HopeOverFear]

6. Damn, I coulda swore I put you on ignore. Oh well, better late than never

[katandmoon]

7. You must have Obama's customary backpedaling from his former progressive positions on ignore too.

[scrappydo]

19. Do you have a brain.....

...or do you just blow hot air out of you a$$?

[katandmoon]

24. What a classy response. Obama should be proud of you.

[LiberalFighter]

15. She isn't very savvy about politics that is for sure.

[Saboburns]

41. Exactly!!

Right Again Sister!!

Why that no good Obama could nominate a hardcore liberal, like you presumably, for SOTUS.

LOL

[LiberalFighter]

11. I expect that Obama will be appointing a few liberals before his 2nd term.

Expect next year to be at least one vacancy. IMO

Maybe more if one dies while still seated.

[katandmoon]

12. The words "Obama" and "liberal" have been proved to be mutually exclusive.

Obama is not at all interested in nominating a liberal judge. He just proved it. But dream on.

[totodeinhere]

38. How do we know there will be any vacancies during his second term?

The five conservatives on the court might very well try to hold on and hope for a president in 2016 who might nominate a replacement more to their liking. The oldest conservative is 73 year old Scalia, who in 2016 would be about 80 years old. Many justices have served to that age and beyond. The ones who are most likely to retire next are Stevens and Ginsburg, both of whom are on the court's left already.

This is a big worry of mine. The court may well continue to hold a conservative majority for the foreseeable future.

[LiberalFighter]

10. There will be plenty of time to appoint liberals. Besides...

these moderates are 1000% better than Scalia, Roberts, Alito and Thomas combined.

Besides, aren't moderates defined as those in the middle? And doesn't the middle in the USA keep changing more to liberal views?

[katandmoon]

13. I didn't vote for Obama to nominate MODERATE SC justices. Did you?

[Bucky]

16. What did he say he'd do during the election?

That's what you voted for, no matter what you want him to do now.

[katandmoon]

23. What he said during the campaign is a 180 from what he's saying now.

[pnwmom]

18. You're not the center of the universe, nor even the center of the

Democratic universe.

Obama was elected by a large majority and that means his supporters comprise millions of people, including even some moderates somewhat to right of center -- and ALL of these millions expect Obama to represent THEM.

So he's appointed a left-leaning moderate. She sounds like she'll make a great Justice.

[katandmoon]

22. Where is the evidence that she's left-leaning?

[pnwmom]

25. She's pro-choice, she's supported by the leading GLBT org, and

she spent 12 years working for a civil rights group. That's plenty of evidence for me.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/erbe/2009/05/29/source-amicus-brief-proves-sotomayor-is-pro-choice.html

I have been told by a well-known leader of a major progressive women's rights group that Judge Sonia Sotomayor is pro-choice. This leader has spoken with many of the judge's associates and clerks over the years. While there is no one this person spoke with who confirmed he or she had had a conversation with Judge Sotomayor in which she self-identified as pro-choice, everyone my source spoke with said it was evident in her personality and attitude.

One person pointed my source to an important piece of evidence that serves to prove this point. In the late 1980s, Judge Sotomayor sat on the board of a group now called, Latino Justice. The group's name at the time she was on the board was used the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund.

While she was on the board, PRLDEF joined with scores of other civil rights groups to file an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case, Webster v. Reproductive Health Services:

SNIP

[solstice]

34. Then why didn't NARAL know much about her?

[pnwmom]

35. It would be stupid and self-destructive for her to be saying anything that could

be considered prejudging the abortion issue. Justices are required to be open minded on the issues before them. If she had the kind of verbal record that would satisfy many of us, she wouldn't be confirmable. As it is, she hasn't had the type of cases come before her that could really indicate her position on abortion -- and that's all the Senate will have to judge her by.

[solstice]

37. Well, she's so "open-minded" that she sided with BushCo on the gag rule. NOT a good sign IMO!

[scrappydo]

20. That's because you didn't vote for Obama!

Anyone with your biased point of view is no liberal!

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[katandmoon]

27. Obama is a fucking liar. Just like all politicians are fucking liars. Tattle on me all you want.

Won't change Obama's mounting record of lies.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[katandmoon]

31. By being honest? Gotcha.

[ProSense]

28. "He was a right/centrist wolf wearing liberal clothing." In other words

you were suckered?

Most people who were paying attention knew what they were getting with Obama. Hint: It's not what you believed you were getting or got.

[katandmoon]

32. I was paying close attention. Such as when Obama said he was a fierce advocate for gays.

He sure fooled me, didn't he?

[ProSense]

36. Was that when he promised

you to fight for same-sex marriage? Obama's position hasn't changed.

[solstice]

30. I sure as hell didn't. I find it scary that the headline on the Wash. Post this morning was that

Obama had to reassure his supporters that she wasn't going to vote to overthrow Roe v. Wade...and then when you read the article further it said he didn't even KNOW what her position on abortion was.

I feel so reassured - NOT.

She may or may not turn out to be OK. But when I voted for Obama, I most certainly did not think that would be something I would ever have to wonder about.

[katandmoon]

33. EXACTLY. Obama purports to be pro-choice but as it turns out, don't expect him to even nominate a

pro-choice justice to the Supreme Court because that just wasn't a priority for him, even though it sure was for millions of people who voted for him.

[Honeycombe8]

39. She's moderate....for a Democrat, is what Robinson is saying. She's not a conservative or a Repub.

There are moderate Democrats, and there are moderate Republicans. One is left, and the other is right. The left one is not far left, which is why she's called a moderate. The right one is not far right, which is why he's called a moderate.

"Moderate" is no more a dirty word than "liberal" is.

It's clear she is a pick by a Democrat. She is not a pick the likes of which would've been chosen by Bush (examples: Roberts, Alito)

[HopeOverFear]

8. GOBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!

:)

[LiberalFighter]

9. Just came to me why they are also upset with her.

With her it is possible for her to change over time based on the life experiences that exist currently in the USA.

With their nominees it is more likely that they would remain Back in the Future stuck with life experiences that are outdated. They want to go back to the time before the 60's where men were men if they were white, women stayed home, rabble rousers didn't have time to rabble, everyone had to go to church, and say "under god" when saying the pledge. (Whoops, the "under god" didn't come into existence until 1954. My intentional mistake.)

[FrenchieCat]

14. Moderate is Relative. A true moderate these days is a flaming

Liberal according to the GOP.

Ms. Sotomayor is most likely as moderate if not more so than is Souter, and that is just fine. She is also a thinking person, and that's what we need on that court.

[Overseas]

17. K&R -- beautifully said by dear Eugene Robinson !! //nt

[depakid]

40. You gotta say that it's just freakin hilarious how the Republicans can't keep their mouthes shut

They HAVE to know that they're screwing themselves- and yet they keep on and on.

[Cha]

42. So my messages get deleted and

the poster who's calling President Obama a "fucking liar" is left standing.

What's up?