BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Amos
Date: 29 May 09 - 06:35 PM

"The radical right wing has launched a vicious campaign of racist and sexist attacks against Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's selection to replace the retiring Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court. Sotomayor's "compelling life story" involves a brilliant legal career after being raised in a South Bronx public housing project by parents who moved from Puerto Rico. Sotomayor graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude, edited the Yale Law Journal, then served as a "fearless and effective" New York City prosecutor and corporate lawyer before being appointed to the bench by President George H. W. Bush in 1992. "Since joining the Second Circuit in 1998, Sotomayor has authored over 150 opinions," only three of which have been overturned by the Supreme Court's conservative majority. During her time as an appeals judge, "her influence has grown significantly." Public reaction to the nomination of the first Latina and third woman to the nation's highest court is "decidedly more positive than negative." Former Bush adviser Mark McKinnon remarked, "If Republicans make a big deal of opposing Sotomayor, we will be hurling ourselves off a cliff." However, "the same right-wing extremists who drove the country into the ground," Salon's Glenn Greenwald writes, "continue to attack Sonia Sotomayor with blatant and ugly stereotypes." Right-wing pundit Pat Buchanan called Sotomayor an "affirmative action candidate," and Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes claimed she "has benefited from affirmative action over the years tremendously." As hate-radio extremist Glenn Beck described the nomination: "Hey, Hispanic chick lady! You're empathetic ... you're in!"

'WISE LATINA WOMAN': "[L]ess than 24 hours after President Obama's nomination of Sotomayor," right-wing hate merchants seized on a 2001 speech about her Latina heritage and the courts, calling her "a racist" and a "bigot." In a 2001 speech before the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal's annual symposium, Sotomayor argued that judges' gender and race can influence their decisions on gender and race discrimination cases, saying she "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." However, she cautioned she owes the parties who appear before her "constant and complete vigilance in checking [her] assumptions, presumptions and perspectives." Pulling out the "wise Latina woman" phrase, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich attacked Sotomayor on his Twitter feed as a "Latina woman racist." "Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse racist," hate-radio host Rush Limbaugh complained, "and now he's appointed one...to the U.S. Supreme Court." Former Republican House member and anti-immigration extremist Tom Tancredo agreed that Sotomayor "appears to be a racist" and called La Raza the "Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses." Curt Levey, executive director of Committee for Justice, "a conservative legal group active in judicial nominations," said that "I wonder whether she knows the difference" between being a Puerto Rican advocate -- Sotomayor served on the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund in the 1980s -- and being a judge. Some of the racist attacks on Sotomayor are simply absurd. Mark Krikorian of the right-wing Center for Immigration Studies blogged on the National Review's Corner about his outrage over people "[d]eferring" to Sotomayor over the "unnatural pronunciation" of her own name.

'SORT OF A SCHOOLMARM': Right-wing extremists have also launched vicious attacks on her intelligence, temperament, and demeanor.  Karl Rove, President Bush's "political brain," has led the sexist slurs, claiming that Sotomayor is "not necessarily" smart and has acted "like sort of a schoolmarm" on the Second Circuit. "I'm not really certain how intellectually strong she would be," he opined on Fox News. In the Wall Street Journal, Rove argued she is one of those judges selected "for their readiness to discard the rule of law whenever emotion moves them." Citing anonymous attacks promoted by the New Republic, Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes said that Sotomayor was "not the smartest." The New York Times writes that "to detractors, Judge Sotomayor's sharp-tongued and occasionally combative manner -- some lawyers have described her as 'difficult' and 'nasty' -- raises questions about her judicial temperament and willingness to listen." But a fellow Second Circuit judge, Guido Calabresi, "kept track of the questions posed by Judge Sotomayor and other members of the 12-member court" and found that her "behavior was identical." "Some lawyers just don't like to be questioned by a woman," Judge Calabresi added. "It was sexist, plain and simple."
" (The Progressive Report)

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Riginslinger
Date: 29 May 09 - 06:55 PM

Sotomayor and Condescending Identity Politics

Froma Harrop,

Identity politics are not good for the country or for the groups they purport to advance. This is not to undercut Sonia Sotomayor, who, as the news reports all start out, is the first Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court and, if confirmed, would be the third female justice. From what we know about her so far, she seems qualified for the job.

But turning such appointments into political payback for an ethnic group or gender makes an unseemly spectacle. It undermines real achievements and infantilizes the candidate.

The important part of Sotomayor's time at Princeton wasn't her struggle as a Bronx-raised, working-class Puerto Rican among the Ivy League flowers. After all, Sotomayor did attend a good private Catholic high school. (And had she been born of poor Chinese immigrants, little fuss would have been made of her academic success.) The essence of Sotomayor's Princeton experience was that she graduated summa cum laude and went on to Yale Law School, where she was an editor on the law journal.

In recounting Sotomayor's "extraordinary journey," though, President Obama treats her as a daughter, not a colleague. His mention of her girlhood passion for Nancy Drew mysteries draws sweet laughter from the audience. And he repeatedly refers to Celina Sotomayor as "Sonia's mom."

Could you imagine a formal nomination speech that talked of John Roberts' mother as "John's mom"? And would anyone note that the chief justice enjoyed "Winnie the Pooh" as a boy, which he probably did?

When President Bush named his two male Supreme Court nominees, he invariably called them "Judge Roberts" and "Judge Alito." Sotomayor is every bit as much a judge, but Obama calls her "Sonia."

As in: "Well, Sonia, what you've shown in your life is that it doesn't matter where you come from, what you look like or what challenges life throws your way — no dream is beyond reach in the United States of America." That hackneyed line would feel right in place at a high school graduation.

Obama no doubt reasons that he has picked someone whom the Republicans would not dare attack, given their recent poor electoral showing among Latinos.
Embedded in this assumption is that Hispanics vote as a unit and on ethnic grounds.

Latinos are themselves a diverse group and don't all agree, even on immigration. Yet in writing of the politics of this nomination, Politico repeats the accepted wisdom that Republican stands on immigration "dramatically increased" the Democratic Party's share of the Hispanic vote last November.

Harsh, ethnically tinged comments during the immigration debate surely turned off some Latino voters. But what about the collapsing economy, which has disproportionately hurt Hispanic families? Democrats made significant gains among blue-collar Americans of all ethnic backgrounds.

It helps to remember that in the 2003 race for California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger won 30 percent of the Latino vote — even though he was a Republican opposed to granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. A third candidate to Schwarzenegger's right took another 9 percent. Furthermore, the Democrat, Cruz Bustamante, was an open-borders advocate who would have been California's first modern Latino governor.

As for Puerto Ricans in New York, a New York Times-CBS News poll that same year found that only 19 percent wanted even legal immigration increased, while 36 percent said it should be reduced. Puerto Ricans are automatically American citizens.

And so identity politics can be misinformed as well as patronizing. This particular narrative turns the female nominee into everyone's little girl. And its treating of high achievement in only some groups with awe is offensive. Let's examine Sotomayor's record with a straight gaze, and leave identity politics at home. Won't happen, but let's try.

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Janie
Date: 29 May 09 - 09:42 PM

Spin from the left
Spin from the right
Stand up. Sit down.
Fight, fight, fight!

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Riginslinger
Date: 29 May 09 - 09:54 PM

Froma Harrop is neither left nor right. She just doesn't think identity politics is a good idea. If confirmed, however, she would be the third Roman Catholic in a row.

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Genie
Date: 30 May 09 - 06:36 PM

Though Sotamayor is obviously highly qualified and having another woman (the third in all) and Hispanic would be a plus in terms of the diversity of the court, I think it would be poetically ironic if the Republicans could successfully block her appointment to the court. That would clear the way for Obama to nominate a true progressive, in the vein of Thurgood Marshall, in her place.   
Just as Harriet Miers (sp?) turned out to be a sort of sacrificial lamb for Dubya so he could put another true corporatist right-wing activist ideologue on the court, Sotamayor could draw the fire of both the Right and the far Left and give Obama license to name someone who truly is a left-leaning activist.

The court right now is not populated with either true "strict constructionists" or moderates. If at least 4 of the 5 justices are clearly ideologues on the right, why try to temper their power by putting more "moderates" on the court?

Genie

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Art Thieme
Date: 30 May 09 - 06:42 PM

This nomination could be a start in the correct direction.

What is needed is a resurrection of the Earl Warren led Supreme Court--in all it's glory.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Bobert
Date: 30 May 09 - 06:52 PM

What, and Alito is Menza stuff... I'd put Sotomayer up against his lame ass any day of the week... Alito is just a white Clarence Thomas... Hey, Scalia is a jerk but at least he's a bright jerk... Thomas and Alito are like Mo and Curly yes-men...

And I agree with her that with he background that she will be able to bring a perspective to the court that the white guys can't... That ain't racism... That's reality...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Genie
Date: 30 May 09 - 11:01 PM

Mo Alito and Curly Thomas -- Love it!!   LOL

Genie

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Azizi
Date: 31 May 09 - 08:05 AM

Excerpt from http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Thomas_C__Goldstein_74F06E35-B146-4FD4-B8B5-F0E24BD5AFB9.html:

Sotomayor's record on race-related cases

..."in an eleven-year career on the Second Circuit, Judge Sotomayor has participated in roughly 100 panel decisions involving questions of race and has disagreed with her colleagues in those cases (a fair measure of whether she is an outlier) a total of 4 times. Only one case (Gant) in that entire eleven years actually involved the question whether race discrimination may have occurred. (In another case (Pappas) she dissented to favor a white bigot.) She particulated in two other panels rejecting district court rulings agreeing with race-based jury-selection claims. Given that record, it seems absurd to say that Judge Sotomayor allows race to infect her decision making."

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Bobert
Date: 31 May 09 - 08:25 AM

Not to mention but if I have it correct, Ms. Sotomayer just might be responsible for single-handedly saving thr national past time, professional baseball... Hey, sports fans... Doesn't she get credit for that???

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 31 May 09 - 10:25 AM

Bobert, that's the one thing I hold against her.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Bobert
Date: 31 May 09 - 10:57 AM

Not a baseball, fan, Dave???

Actually, it's no fun on TV but being at the games is much different... Well, that's my recollection seein' as I haven't been to game in a hundred or so years...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Riginslinger
Date: 31 May 09 - 11:00 AM

Okay, I'll bite: how did she save baseball?

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Bobert
Date: 31 May 09 - 11:14 AM

Well, Rigs... Back whenever it was tghat baseball players went on strike she was the judge who ordered everyone back to work with an additional court order to continue negotiating a settlement... Had she not done that then the baseball season would have been lost and that wouldn't have been a good thing for anyone...

Just MO... I like baseball...

B;~)

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Riginslinger
Date: 31 May 09 - 11:31 AM

Yeah, well we can put that one in the plus column for Judge Sotomayor.

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Bobert
Date: 31 May 09 - 12:06 PM

... that is if ya' like baseball... Which I do... Even being a Nationals fan (lol)...

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Genie
Date: 02 Jun 09 - 12:58 AM

As I understand it, her ruling in the baseball suit appeal, like her ruling in many other appeals, was basically procedural. The appeals courts seldom (if ever?) attempt to retry lower court cases. Their role is, at least usually, to determine whether proper legal procedures were followed in the lower-court cases -- e.g., whether a fair trial was had. Sometimes when a case is brought before them, their ruling is as to whether the plaintiff has "standing" to bring the case. Anyway, it's often not on substantive issues.
Her ruling in the baseball case doesn't necessarily reflect on her evaluation of the relative merits of the players v. the owners/managers of baseball teams.

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Riginslinger
Date: 02 Jun 09 - 10:28 PM

Personally, I hate free-agency. The idea of having the same guys playing for the same team year after year made the whole thing a lot more exciting for me. Though I know labor people will hate me for saying that.

Subject: RE: BS: Sonia Sotomayor, US Supremes Nominee
From: Bobert
Date: 03 Jun 09 - 07:41 AM

Can't argue with that, Rigs... I just hate it when you get all these warm and fuzzy feelings for certain players 'cause they seem to be such team guys and then they bolt for more money so "they can take care of their family"... What??? Ya' can't live on the the $30M our team is offering??? Maybe you need some financial advice...

Or they say, "Well, ___________ (pick a sport), this is afetrall a business." Yeah, I'm tired of rich players parroting those lines as if they made them up themselves...

Don'g get me started on free agancy... Grrrrrrrrrr!!!

B~