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The Senate Judiciary Committee just voted 13-6 to approve Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Lindsey Graham was the sole Republican to break from the pack and vote in favor of the nomination. The vote is expected to go to the full Senate next week.
If I were a Republican voting no on the Sotomayor nomination, I’d be hoping she doesn’t turn out to be an excellent justice. I have a feeling their "no" vote may turn out to be pretty embarrassing. It’s clear this is a political vote for Republicans, much as they invoke the hoary (but meaningless) mantras of "strict construction" and "judicial activism". The funny thing is, I don’t think their no votes even make much sense from a political perspective. Republicans are merely reinforcing their brand as a party that tries to turn race, ethnicity, and gender into political wedge issues.
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You know, the opposite end of a wedge is essentially a ramrod, or a bludgeon, and that is what the reaction of Hispanics is going to be for the lack of respect shown for Sotomayor during the hearings and voting by the Republicans as elections go on in the future.
I guess as extinction nears, creatures get more self-indulgent.
“Two thousand zero zero party over ooops out of time,
so tonight I’m gonna party like it’s nineteen ninety nine″
Party away. pachyderms…
I completely agree–it really makes no sense for the Republicans to have taken the approach they have to her nomination.
Christy points out one factor that may be motivating Republicans here:
“Last week, the NRA said it would consider senators’ votes on Sotomayor when it grades political candidates for its voter guides. That move, Democratic aides said, was likely to deter some Republican senators who were considered possible Sotomayor votes.”
http://christyhardinsmith.fire…..n-13-to-6/
So, which is it–are Republican senators in the back pocket of the NRA, or are they committed to making race and ethnicity into political wedge (or ramrod, as paz3 puts it) issues?
We could draw some striking comparisons between the behavior of the Republicans lately and the way the people on the Titanic behaved as the ship was sinking.
indeed–the thing is, even for progressives — or, at least, for me, as one progressive–it is not such a great thing to have a failed Republican party. I’d much rather see a reasonable, mainstream Republican party, even if it means they had more electoral success, than the current crew of birthers and extremists openly wishing for Obama to have his “Waterloo”