Still, I’m not crazy about this quote in today’s NYTimes:

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” she said in a 2002 lecture.

Sotomayor “The rule of law is the foundation of our individual rights”

Sadly the GOP may not have to do the hit job. Looks like the white boy “liberals”on teevee are going to do it for them.

Good for Obama. I hope the republicans squeal loudly and often enough that their deep racism comes out loud and clear.

I caught a second of Turley sounding like he didn’t like the choice but I didn’t catch why. Anyone see that?

I was really dismayed at Dave Letterman’s gag, usually he’s more astute but this time he really gave the bad guys a boost.

CNN has posted an unimpressive ‘resume’

Miss McConnell’s statement via Orange:

Senate Republicans will treat Judge Sotomayor fairly. But we will thoroughly examine her record to ensure she understands that the role of a jurist in our democracy is to apply the law even-handedly, despite their own feelings or personal or political preferences.

Our Democratic colleagues have often remarked that the Senate is not a ‘rubber stamp.’ Accordingly, we trust they will ensure there is adequate time to prepare for this nomination, and a full and fair opportunity to question the nominee and debate her qualifications.

THE DOOMED REMNANTS OF THE REJECTED PARTY OF BIGOTRY, HYPOCRISY AND FAILURE

What’s left of today’s GOP is a genetically and or psychologically deviant mélange of morally and ethically defective mutants, miscreants and kamikaze loyalists who are crashing and burning all things Republican. They are the figurative buzzards and hyenas fighting over the last scraps of a carcass riddled with maggots and festering clumps of putrefied viscera. They are the opportunistic parasites whose very existence is and always has been dependent on sucking blood from the engorged bellies of alpha predators. The prevalence of fear, paranoia and irrational hatred in today’s GOP represents the antemortem gasps of a doomed species struggling to survive in evaporating pools of their own toxic waste as they mercilessly slice and dice one another in futile attempts to become the biggest fish in an increasingly smaller and smaller pond.

I’ve all ready heard
“she doesn’t play well with others”

Let’s remind the Republics that on May 23, 2005 Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) made the following remarks on the Senate floor.

Let me start by reminding the Senate of my principle, a simple principle that I’ve come to this floor day after day stating, stressing. And it is really this: I fundamentally believe that it is our constitutional responsibility to give judicial nominees the respect and the courtesy of an up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate.

Investigate them, and question them and scrutinize them and debate them in the best spirit of this body. But then vote. Up or down, yes or no, confirm or reject, but each deserves a vote.

Which ones are those? Ben Nelson? Other Bayh Dogs?

Too bad VP is such a grinning motor mouth – did I imagine it or did the President’s jaw tighten perceptively at his blather.

Over at Think Progress there is a lot of discussion about this; mostly in response to a troll citing the rosen article. These comments and the responses to the rosen article show just how shallow the attacks on Sotomayor are, and how “liberal” and “progressive” TNR really is.

Well said!

Appears Obama chose someone who’s life story parallels his…and then there’s this from Greenwald: UPDATE: Charles Krauthammer is already snarling on Fox News, warning viewers of the possible danger that — as he put it — Sotomayor’s “concern for certain ethnicities override justice.” He said that although her confirmation is certain, conservatives should oppose her nomination on principle and highlight that the type of justice Sotomayor allegedly represents — justice that is unfair to white people in favor of “certain ethnicities” — is deeply pernicious. That is a such a baseless and ugly attack on her, but almost certainly what will be a focus of the right-wing strategy. http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/

Is Krauthammer talking about Sotomayor or Obama? POTUS continues to keep me guessing on his long game strategy.

What a great description. thanks

Am I wrong, or is McConnell’s “…despite their own feelings…” code for an emotional woman who can’t do the job? And so far I’ve heard the GOP puke funnel smear is already spewing that Sotomayor “lacks intellectual depth” and comparing her unfavorably to Harriet Meiers and Alberto Gonzales (suddenly Bush’s inner circle are unqualified?). So let’s see, they’re saying she’s a flighty woman like Meiers and a mindless servant of an agenda like that other Hispanic, Gonzales.

This is going to be a fight over nothing but sexism and racism, isn’t it? Ugh.

I think this is a bold and BRILLIANT move by Obama. If the GOP thinks they can derail this nomination they have no clue about race and politics. They will rightfully lose the hispanic vote forever. The media will catch on soon enough that they are at risk as well.

The early nastiness only serves to innoculate the nomination process. The hits on Pelosi reinforce this: they’ve gone to this fetid well too often this month alone.

Go Sonya!

None of their shit holds any water … Miers? Gonzales? Give me a freakin’ break.

And she’s NOT and ”intellectual” elite!!! Oh, wait …

They get trapped by their own nonsense each time. It’s *fun* to watch!

Criticizing her on the basis of some affiliation with Obama ends up critisizing our President for the color of his skin.

That’s a losing argument too!!!!

See. It’s brilliant.

Ewww. Burris and brother Blago wiretap coming out…

Jane, get your video with Burris ready!

Sotomayor has had the reputation of being about a little above average for a long, long time.

Bravo!! To The Selection.

“Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.
King Whitney Jr.”

Jesus….Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, (Miers)Alito….Christ. Hope Sotomayor answers the Judiciary’s questions like the Chief Justice had…speaking of stealth candidates…but a little better then Alberto did…holding Democrats to the standards this country was founded on. Shoot me.

AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

I think we’re about to see the Washington “village” get hit with an Obama search and destroy mission…it’s been clear for some time now that all the fascists have left is control of the video images of political issues and CIA torture and assasination teams (no small factor in a President’s political calculations). Considering Senator Klobechar’s remark that she expects the confirmation by July 4th (”…when the corn is knee high”) and that the Minnesota SC may decide for Franken in time for him to vote for her, we may be seeing the politiical Battle of Gettysburg and the end of the Republican Party as we have known it since 1860…”not with a bang but a whimper.”

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, REMEMBER THIS IS A BATTLE BUT THE WAR GOES ON AND ON AND…

new post
Prop 8 Decision: What to Expect from the California Supreme Court

OT but on my mind. I was discussing the torture stuff and the recent ‘disappearings’ with some French friends last night, when one of them reminded me that the same sort of stuff happened in Algerie during their war for independence. Some very bad stuff went down, and not everyone got punished for it. But France survived. The only real stain se hasn’t been able to wipe out is Vichy. So there might be hope for us yet.

What’s all this stuff about Sotomayor being the first Hispanic on the Court? Doesn’t Cardozo count?

according to wiki:

Some of Cardozo’s ancestors were Portuguese Jews who immigrated to Britain’s North American colonies in the 1740s and 1750s from Portugal

Last I checked, Portugal was on the Iberian peninsula. Maybe it was in a different place in the mid-18th C what with continental drift and all.

Or maybe if your ancestors came over before the American Revolution you don’t count as Hispanic? I would not recommend going up to Mora or Espanola here in NM and saying things like that.

I guess it depends on which definition of Hispanic one uses.
And perhaps what he considered his identity to be?

Well, Cardozo is looking at the daisies from the wrong side, and has been for quite a while. So we can’t ask what he considered his identity to be. But he was definitely part of the Establishment: his father was an attorney and served for a long time on the New York State Bench.

Hispanic is an ethnic description, though. It doesn’t mean poor or disadvantaged.

true true, I don’t mean to be sounding like I’m arguing with you, was trying to give you an explanation why he wasn’t considered the first Hispanic.

To some, Hispanic is someone from Latin America, to others; someone from the Iberian Pennisula -and he is of there.

No doubt back then, his Jewish ancestry was the Big Deal.

–And this is the point where I suggest you do an Oxdown diary, it would be enlightening ;)

I’d write one if I thought I could do justice to the topic.

Ah, yes. The wingnuts have been flogging that out-of-context quote around for weeks now. Cower in fear, FEAR I tell you! RECONQUISTA!!!!!

Quote: ‘THE DOOMED REMNANTS OF THE REJECTED PARTY OF BIGOTRY, HYPOCRISY AND FAILURE

What’s left of today’s GOP is a genetically and or psychologically deviant mélange of morally and ethically defective mutants, miscreants and kamikaze loyalists who are crashing and burning all things Republican. They are the figurative buzzards and hyenas fighting over the last scraps of a carcass riddled with maggots and festering clumps of putrefied viscera. They are the opportunistic parasites whose very existence is and always has been dependent on sucking blood from the engorged bellies of alpha predators. The prevalence of fear, paranoia and irrational hatred in today’s GOP represents the antemortem gasps of a doomed species struggling to survive in evaporating pools of their own toxic waste as they mercilessly slice and dice one another in futile attempts to become the biggest fish in an increasingly smaller and smaller pond.”

May I quote you?

She is so liberal that Jesse Helms voted for her.

You have some links for that impression?

I understand they’ve been flogging the quote. Independent of that, I don’t like the quote. Do you?

No links. Long, long-time NYC legal/academic word of mouth.

Taken in context, it could be used as (as an example) that Judge Sotomayor might well have voted with Justice Ginsberg in support of Lily Ledbetter.

That is the most prominent example of how being a woman with some empathy and knowledge of the real world comes into play for me. I’m sure I can come up with more examples if I felt like doing the necessary research.

Would you prefer more stealth candidates like John Roberts and Samuel Alito, who vote as doctrinaire conservatives, even after claiming to believe in Stare Decsis?

Face it — the “liberals” and “conservatives” are only such UNTIL their ox is being gored. (In many cases.) Yes, the white boy lawyers who screamed when right-wingers whined about their rights being taken away — are now whining themselves. (And since when is it a RIGHT to be considered first for any post, just because you are white?)

Hey boys! How does it feel? How about getting some spine there?