Who is Wendy E. Long? and why is she the face of the Sotomayor opposition?

[underpants]

Wendy E. Long mentioned (and defined) by John King calling into CNN American Morning (1:20)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWjXah-eC7w

Wendy E. Long -On Lou Dobbs getting rebuffed on the New Haven Firefighter case (1:23)
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200905260075

Wendy E. Long also was on CNN's 360 (John King hosting) with Jeffrey Toobin and Obama's former law professor
-no link yet-
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Their own website. The 26 second youtube clip of Sotomayor is front and center.
http://judicialnetwork.com/

The second story includes this telling quote from Wendy E. Long herself

Wendy E. Long, counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network, on nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court:

“Judge Sotomayor is a liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important than the law as written. She thinks that judges should dictate policy, and that one’s sex, race, and ethnicity ought to affect the decisions one renders from the bench.

“She reads racial preferences and quotas into the Constitution, even to the point of dishonoring those who preserve our public safety. On September 11, America saw firsthand the vital role of America’s firefighters in protecting our citizens. They put their lives on the line for her and the other citizens of New York and the nation. But Judge Sotomayor would sacrifice their claims to fair treatment in employment promotions to racial preferences and quotas. The Supreme Court is now reviewing that decision.

“She has an extremely high rate of her decisions being reversed, indicating that she is far more of a liberal activist than even the current liberal activist Supreme Court.”
http://judicialnetwork.com/cgi-data/press_releases/files/98.shtml

"extremely high rate of her decisions being reversed" ????
No of course not quite the opposite
The Truth About Sonia Sotomayor's Reversal Rate
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/5/26/735716/-The-Truth-About-Sonia-Sotomayors-Reversal-Rate
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, though, seems to have something in common with Teddy Ballgame - her average was well above average. Indeed, Sotomayor's decisions were upheld far more frequently than the norm. Apparently, out of the 380-odd opinions she penned while on the Second Circuit, the Supreme Court granted cert on just six. And of those six, Sotomayor was reversed on only three.

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Judicial Confirmation Network
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The Judicial Confirmation Network (JCN) is a "Republican-organized web site has direct connection to the White House and is promoting the meme that the Senate has 'an obligation to bring these nominations to the floor for a fair vote.' The web site is adminstered by Campaign Solutions (whois record), the PR firm for Bush-Cheney '04, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee." <1>

The connection for the DonationReport.com website arrives at a Login page—requiring both a User ID and Password—which belongs to eDonation.com, a member of The Donatelli Group, a fundraising company that has raised campaign funds for the RNC, Republican National Convention, Bush-Cheney '04 Inc., John McCain, the NRA <4>, and an exhaustive list of Republican members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as other political organizations. <5>

The Donatelli Group, using its "primary segment" Campaign Solutions <6>, is associated with Creative Response Concepts, the public relations firm that advised Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the "organization that accused Kerry of inflating his Vietnam War record" during the 2004 presidential campaign. <7>

The Donatelli Group, which produced the RNC website <8>, on July 30, 2004, registered the SWIFTBOATVETSFORTRUTH.ORG website with Connell Donatelli Inc. (a.k.a. The Donatelli Group) as registrant. Connell Donatelli Inc. also registered the SWIFTBOATVETSFORTRUTH.COM website on July 30, 2004, with CD, Inc. as both the website's administrator and tech organization.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Judicial_Confirmation_Network

-----------

Wendy E. Long

Wendy E. Long is counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network and was a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court during the 1997-98 term.
http://www.claremont.org/scholars/id.476/scholar.asp

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Contributor to American Spectator
http://spectator.org/people/wendy-e-long/all
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Wendy E. Long
Counsel

Wendy Long is legal counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network. Until March 2005, she was a litigation partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Wendy was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and to Judge Ralph Winter of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York. She is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law, cum laude and Order of the Coif, where she was articles editor of the Northwestern University Law Review, and of Dartmouth College. She previously served as a press secretary in the U.S. Senate, for former U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong (R-Colo.) and former U.S. Senator Gordon Humphrey (R-N.H.).

http://judicialnetwork.com/contents/about/long/

[NewJeffCT]

1. Her quote saying the current SCotUS is "liberal activist"

automatically ruins any credibility she has. The court is currently a conservative regressionist court.

However, I know why she is the face of the opposition - she's fair skinned, blonde & blue eyed and, while not beautiful, is decent looking. In short, the RW dream woman.

[whathehell]

24. Have you ever noticed how many of these RW women are "blonde & blue eyed"?

I'mn starting to think it's a dog whistle for "Aryan Race".

[Horse with no Name]

2. Because they don't have a Hispanic female republican so they had to settle for her?

republicans are simpletons. They use these tools as human shields because they don't want to be called out for the misogynist racist assholes that they are---so they think that by playing puppetmaster to people like Long, they can say what they want without recourse.

[Catshrink]

16. I was expecting hear from Linda Chavez

she is a very articulate RW spokesperson (of course she still spews BS). When will they trot her out?

[Horse with no Name]

17. Long must be the warm up act for the "real deal"

Just like Ron Christie can criticize Obama unabashedly because he is black, too.:puke:

[Cirque du So-What]

3. 5th rec for excellent research!

We need to get this in front of as many eyes as possible, as anyone watching corporate news is certain to see this person delivering her RW screed.

[underpants]

5. She is everywhere especially on CNN

as John King noted "a name you are going to hear a lot of in the coming weeks and months"

thanks :hi:

[KharmaTrain]

4. This Is About As "Natural" As A Cesaerean...

The right wing has been salivating for this fight since the moment Gramps McCain went down. They knew a vacancy was coming up and good chance it would be a "librul" (translation: anyone but Scalia) and had long targeted likely nominees. Sotomeyer's name has been out there for a long time, plenty of time for the astroturfers on the right to organize yet another "Sponatneous" demonstration and get their sockpuppets out on the teevee.

As has been noted by some, this is also big money. For the next couple weeks, all sorts of wingnut groups will be hopping up and down, sending out "urgent appeals" (with a donation envelope attached) to prevent some evil "librul" from forcing gay marriage, bussing, socialism, smoking bans, seatbelts, Olive Gardens and all forms of evil unto them. The only way you can stop it? Send money and lots of it...NOW!

As always, the corporate media will play the "balance" game that lives in the fantasyworld that this is a "center-right" country and try to whip up food fights and misinformation for ratings and profits.

[underpants]

6. Yeah they have but they didn't get it down to one message

which is very unlike them.

She is a stupid inexperienced radical activist racist from what I have seen of their first day roll-out on her

They are stepping into a minefield
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x451422

[KharmaTrain]

14. A Mere Flesh Wound...

This party's circular firing squad...in their desire to be "ideologically pure" has alienated so many group and their totally oblivious to the long term damage this is causing. They should change the name to the White Man's Last Refuge Party.

At least I give Rushbo credit for getting the racism, sexism and xenophobia out there at the get-go. No pretenses...it's her nationality, her sex and I'm sure there'll be more "questions" about why she isn't married or had children and other whispers to trigger one hate chord or another among their horde.

Yep...to stay "pure" to their shrinking 20%, they're alienating and are sure to piss off over 50%. Not quite the way to work your way back from the political wilderness. But who am I to complain?

Cheers...

:hi:

[Horse with no Name]

7. I, personally, am tiring of the charade that is presented to us

I heard Tweety say that this is enough fodder for the upcoming weeks and months.
Made me almost resolve to turn off the TV for the next few months.
I cannot stand watching grown people evolve into blathering crocodile tears over hyped up rhetoric.
I mean seriously, they can support a man who eats fresh babies for breakfast;)

[underpants]

9. Nothing gets people to turn on their TVs in the summertime ....

like the minutia of Constitutional law and the Federal court system structure

:sarcasm:

I am not saying that they shouldn't but lets face it in 3 weeks the kids will be out of school and sitting inside watching people in suits blather on and on about this is not high on people's list of "to do"s

I think that is part of the reason the right came out so hard and vicious on day one. They had to get messages on Sotomayor stuck in people's heads.

[Horse with no Name]

11. I think you are right

Extreme oversaturation of their message (compliant MSM) which makes hardcore politiholics like me nauseated at the thought of a protracted argument with ignorant mentally deficient boobs all summer...I can't imagine what it does for those that aren't interested in politics.

[KharmaTrain]

13. Think Of It As The Fall Roll-Out

The corporate media would love to ramp up the noise on this issue all summer long in hopes that the hearings will be yet another Anita Hill...millions of eyeballs tuning into every moment. This won't happen if it's a smooth confirmation...they want...correct that...desperately need a big meal ticket to try to cash in for huge ratings.

I'll tune out the noise...I've developed a pretty good filter over the years to tune out the asshats and spinners...unless I want to amuse myself with another game of "how low can they go".

Cheers...

[SalmonChantedEvening]

8. K&R! I'll need this today. :)

The RW dolts will be tossing this up, and I haven't been skeet shooting in a while.

:D

[underpants]

10. PULL!

:bounce:

[SalmonChantedEvening]

12. BOOM!

:hi: :hug:

[Triana]

15. Long: "She thinks..."

HOW DOES Long know what Sotomayer THINKS?

Is this woman some sort of MINDREADER?

Did she ASK Sotomayer what she thinks, or is she TELLING her - and US - what she thinks? HOW does she know? Does Long read minds?

WHAT INTERSTINK definition going on there.

I can sit here and say the grass is purple and that the sky is green and then complain about it endlessly - but that doesn't make it so. THAT'S "definition" and that is what Long is doing.

Long DEFINES Sotomayer, then, she proceeds to debase Sotomayer based on HER definition (true or not) of Sotomayer.

Abusive partners, bosses, spouses do this. Abusive people do this. Conservatives DO IT CONSTANTLY. WATCH OUT for DEFINITIONS - they're a distraction and they are one of the descriptions of ABUSE - (verbal, psychological, emotional). And, politicians abuse their opponents and the public with this tactic - particularly CONSERVATIVES. It's their M.O.

Long never ASKED Judge Sotomayer what Judge Sotomayer THINKS. She doesn't KNOW. She's TELLING her and us what the Judge thinks. The TRUTH is, Long doesn't have a CLUE.

She's just babbling so that she has something to ridicule - whether it's true or not.

[democracy1st]

18. repubs are so full of bs

[Blue_Tires]

19. I've heard her TWICE on NPR in the last 20 hours

once on the drive home and this morning waking up...

[underpants]

20. Wendy E. Long is on Fox News now

she is covered on every network it seems

:eyes:

[Javaman]

21. she's the newest cardboard cut out the repukes are going to

sacrifice to the fire in this current faux passion play they are putting together.

[Jim Lane]

22. They opposed filibusters when the Republicans ruled. Let's see what they say now.

When Bush was nominating right-wing ideologues for judgeships, this was the position of the Judicial Confirmation Network: "JCN works to ensure that the confirmation process for all judicial nominees is fair and that every nominee sent to the full Senate receives an up or down vote." (from on the Judicial Confirmation Network website)

If Mitch McConnell decides to mount a filibuster of the Sotomayor nomination, I predict that that passage will quickly disappear from the site.

[creeksneakers2]

23. On your Lou Dobbs link

She's referring to a widely circulated right wing talking point. They say Sotomayor was criticized by fellow judge and mentor, Jose Cabranes, for not deciding the New Haven discrimination claim on its merits. The right wing offers out of context quotes from Judge Cabranes to back up their point:

"According to Judge Cabranes, Sotomayor’s opinion 'contains no reference whatsoever to the constitutional claims at the core of this case' and its 'perfunctory disposition rests uneasily with the weighty issues presented by this appeal.'" Rush Limbaugh 5/26/09

That's all taken out of context. Here's what happened.

First a district court found in favor of the city of New Haven and published a lengthy opinion. A panel of judges Sotomayor sat on heard an appeal and upheld the district court's decision.Sotomayor's panel only wrote one paragraph themselves in their opinion of the case. In the paragraph, the panel said they completely agreed with the district court's opinion in its entiretly. So the panel attached the district court opinion to the panel paragraph and published.

When Judge Cabranes complained about an opinion containing no reference to constitutional claims or making perfunctory disposition he was criticizing the panel for not writing their own opinion. He was not criticizing the way Sotomayor's panel decided the case.

Just more right wing disinformation from Wendy Long.