I would rather see the country have more political parties than fewer. Accordingly, I am pleased to discover that cooler heads might prevail regarding the Republican opposition to Sotomayor. Conservatives and even so-called liberal commentators have employed some interesting tropes to describe Sotomayor. Specifically, they have labeled her a racist, extremist, and intellectual lightweight.
The irony is too much to bear. Some people in a political party that barely contains any nonwhite members believe they can win a public relations battle describing a Latina as a racist. Mike Huckabee, who last year insisted that the nation amend the Constitution to reflect "God's standards," believes appointing "Maria" Sotomayor would lead to an "Extreme Court." And people with far fewer accomplishments (and much longer lives) have dismissed the summa cum laude Princeton graduate and Yale Law School alumna as an intellectual lightweight. The whole mess was an avalanche of hypocrisy.
As Professor Nan Hunter reports, many conservatives previously opposed her nomination to the court of appeals on the sole ground that it would enhance the likelihood that she would later move to the Supreme Court. Thus, Republicans have always opposed her for nonsubstantive reasons. The pattern has continued. But, as the Politico reports, it might soon come to an end.
No comments:
Post a Comment