When President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to be the next justice on the US Supreme Court, he did so with symbolism as the highest priority over substance. It is undeniable. She has a wonderful story about perseverance and overcoming obstacles and working her tail off to achieve success. This choice is not one I would have made if I had the opportunity. It is his right to do (just as it was Bush’s right to nominate his personal lawyer and Reagan’s right to nominate Bork).
Sonia Sotomayor has made some very interesting comments in public that will raise the ire of conservatives because of the substance of those comments. It has nothing to do with race, ethnicity or gender. It has nothing to do with social status or wealth.
This nominee has stated that she felt that as a Hispanic woman (a Latino) her experiences would help her to make better decisions than a white male who did not share those “experiences”.
When Rush Limbaugh labeled that as “reverse racism” there was a collective gasp heard in media news rooms throughout the country. How dare he (and the GOP) attack this nominee – a certain someone at CNN actually asks this as a poll question.
The reality is – it is true. No white male could get away with THAT one. Of course women are not represented at the highest levels of corporate America because collectively they haven’t got the experience of white men. YIKES! Can you imagine the fallout? My boys retreated just thinking about the swift kick that would follow from my closest feminist confidant (and better half).
But she gets away with it because she has a compelling story to tell. Fine. Why didn’t Bork’s story get him in? He was far more qualified. Why did Clarence Thomas go through the “high tech lynching” to get in by a … hair?
If Sonia is as tough as advertised, she can take the heat. “Bring it on” should be the mantra. Liberals should not hide from their opinions and neither should conservatives. That is the beauty of debate. Issues, ideas and intelligence meet to hash it out and form the basis of a decision. In this case, whether or not to confirm the president’s nominee.
Don’t give me that b.s. about finding GOP moderates to make a comeback. John McCain’s dismal numbers prior to bringing on a conservative running mate proved that no one needs or wants two democrat party machines.
Let the debates begin. There is much to discuss.
What does she think about gun rights? Abortion rights? Religious freedom? School Choice? Gay Marriage? Water boarding? Taxation without representation? Federalism? Death Penalty? Separation of Powers?
***POST UPDATE***
Why is this nomination something foes should be wary of challenging due to her nature as a “Latino” or “Hispanic” pick? George W Bush nominated two Hispanics who were attacked for their views and experiences. The attacks should come to expose what she believes and how she will handle the pressure of making decisions that will impact over 300 million Americans.
