Umm... needs to solidify the Latino base perhaps? The consistent drumbeat of feedback on Sotomayor is that she is not very smart. For someone to come out and say that probably really means she's incredibly stupid. It's kind of insulting for the libs to think that all Latinos are like-minded and as easily fooled as the Sheeple. Puerto Ricans are not Mexicans, who are not Cubans, who are not Spanish, etc. But there was no way in heck that Obama wasn't going to use this opportunity to bolster his reelection chances. No chance.
Because she is Hispanic. This along with previously appointing Bill Richardson can only be seen as a positive for the fatest growing segment of the population. Obama is only going to continue to gain more and more of the Hispanic vote. I personally think every Supreme Court nominee has a political motivation behind it. It doesn't mean they aren't qualified for their positions though. She seems very highly qualified based on everything I've read. She was even originally appointed a federal judge by HW. I hope the Republicans don't try to filibuster this. It would be suicide politically, and cement them as a party of "no."
^Let me just describe for the BBS what is happening Jorge likes to call out minorities who have stellar resumes as not smart and imply that they are the product of affirmative action. He does this with Obama, he's doing it with Sotomayor, he'll continue to do it forever and ever and ever no matter who is out there. I guess he does this in hopes that somebody will snap, call him out for being a sniveling ******* (which is warranted) and then he can "Report this Post!" Pretty lame Jorge...honestly do you act like this in real life too or is it just with us characters here?
^^^ ...coming from the party that mercilessly attacked Condi Rice, Clarence Thomas, Alberto Gonzales, Alan Keyes, Michael Steele, etc, etc.... no cred whatsoever. Obama had a totally underwhelming resume for Presidential candidate. Presented blindly, without the great speeches and appearance, and he gets laughed out of the room. The most consistent feedback thus far on Sotomayor is that she is dumb. Not my words, but those of people who have worked with her. Ouch.
Unless Obama's people failed to vet her properly, this is a done deal. Republicans know that and they won't filibuster. This was the safest choice Obama could have made. Of course, if something does comes up, Obama could be injured by a long fight for her confirmation. Her selection will say a lot about his judgement in making big decisions. If she sails through, this is a grand slam for him.
in this case, its even weaker than calling out Obama. this woman's credentials are very well documented and clear. again, lord knows what would happen if obama picked his personal lawyer
RIF http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=4547523&postcount=19 * Judge Richard C. Wesley, a George W. Bush appointee to the Second Circuit, said "Sonia is an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind. She brings a wealth of knowledge and hard work to all her endeavors on our court. It is both a pleasure and an honor to serve with her. "
Thomas is probably the closest parallel here, and it's pretty clear he was not a highly qualified judicial candidate, he had a meager resume on the bench and his performance on the SCt has been unremarkable. About all he had going for him was his Yale degree (which he himself somewhat bizarrely claims was a token product of affirmative action, that never got him anywhere, with the exception of the fact that it was immediately responsible for getting him a number of jobs and basically set him up for life....). Gonzales I recall sailed through his confirmation hearings - he was attacked because he abdicated his responsibilites and pretty much resigned in disgrace Keyes I dont' recall anything about until he ran for president as a fringey candidate. Steele is a punch line these days. I don't know if anybody claimed he wasn't qualified when he ran for office or said he was a product of affirmative action. So there, I gave you a real response, which is more than you deserve but whatever. Anyway why don't you answer my question tho, do you act like this in public? Yes or no.
Seriously? There were attacks on Thomas and Gonzales, but those are fairly warranted. Nobody, not even Republicans, consider Alan Keyes to be anything more than a bit player. And the only attack on Rice and Steele is that they're token minorities. Nice try, but really you just made the "some of my best friends are black" argument.
Except he completely obliterated the GOP with the Latino base, despite having a GOP candidate from the west who actually broke with his party on major Latino issues. Obama doesn't need to solidify the Latino base at all. Perhaps it's your use of race that's politically motivated. And yet, her background and reality suggest the opposite. That's the problem with getting your drumbeat of feedback from biased sources.
BTW Jorge can you please post links to “some of those people” that’ve worked with Sotomayer and characterized her as dumb? TIA
lol. Let's discuss "smarts" and support for George W. Bush and John McCain. That ought to be an interesting comparison from the standpoint of double-standards, methinks.
BOOM The campaign against Second-Circuit Court of Appeals Judge (and potential SCOTUS nominee) Sonia Sotomayor began in earnest when nameless former clerks on that court told The New Republic's legal correspondent Jeffrey Rosen that the Hispanic judge (and one-time George H.W Bush appointee) is too temperamental--and not intelligent enough--to serve on the Court. I've been talking to a range of people who have worked with her, nearly all of them former law clerks for other judges on the Second Circuit or former federal prosecutors in New York. Most are Democrats and all of them want President Obama to appoint a judicial star of the highest intellectual caliber who has the potential to change the direction of the court. Nearly all of them acknowledged that Sotomayor is a presumptive front-runner, but nearly none of them raved about her. They expressed questions about her temperament, her judicial craftsmanship, and most of all, her ability to provide an intellectual counterweight to the conservative justices, as well as a clear liberal alternative. http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/05/anatomy-of-a-sotomayor-scotus-whisper-campaign.php This is one of dozens of similar articles. Read it and weep -- the Democrats are even scared of her intellectual capabilities.
How sad to be nameless. What kind of parents leave the name blank on the birth certificate. I'd be bitter about a beautiful name like Sonia also.
