The Supreme Court high hurdles contest

By Michelle Malkin  •  May 27, 2009 09:33 AM


Able to leap tall life obstacles in a single bound!

Not all “compelling personal stories” are equal
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2009

Since when did securing a Supreme Court seat become a high hurdles contest? The White House and Democrats have turned Second Circuit judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination into a personal Olympics event. Pay no attention to her jurisprudence. She grew up in a Bronx public housing project. She was diagnosed with childhood diabetes at 8. Her father died a year later.

And oh, by the way, did you hear that she was poor?

It’s a “compelling personal story,” as we heard 20,956 times on Tuesday. Sotomayor’s a “real” person. Why, she even read Nancy Drew as a young girl, President Obama told us. She’s “faced down barriers, overcome the odds and lived out the American dream that brought her parents here so long ago,” Obama said.

If Sotomayor were auditioning to be Oprah Winfrey’s fill-in host, I’d understand the over-the-top hyping of her life narrative. But isn’t anybody on Sotomayor’s side the least bit embarrassed by all this liberal condescension?

Republicans are not allowed to mention Sotomayor’s ethnicity lest they be branded bigots, but every Democrat on cable television harped on her multicultural “diversity” and “obstacle”-climbing. President Obama made sure to roll his r’s when noting that her parents came from Puerrrrto Rrrrico. New York Sen. Schumer stated outright: “It’s long overdue that a Latino sit on the United States Supreme Court.” Color-coded tokenism dominated the headlines, with blaring references to Sotomayor as the high court’s potential “first Hispanic.” (Not true.)

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill – one of the leading Democrats tasked with guiding Sotomayor through the nomination process — carried the “compelling personal story” talking points to the tokenist extreme in an interview on Fox News:

“If you look at what this woman has been through, and the obstacles that she has had to overcome, I think she does have a richly, uniquely American experience that makes her incredibly qualified to pass judgment on some of the most important cases in our country,” McCaskill asserted. “Overcoming incredible odds and I think that is new to the courts. There have been a lot of privileged people that have landed on the Supreme Court. The fact that she has lived the life of the common American, trying to grow up in public housing, reaching for scholarships, reaching for the courtroom as a courtroom prosecutor, all of those things will make her a better and wiser judge. And I don’t think that is identity politics. I think that is the American experience.”

Clever. Challenging Sotomayor’s credentials and extreme views on race and the law is not merely anti-Hispanic. It’s anti-American!

More significantly, Sen. McCaskill waved the high-hurdle card after being asked to defend Sotomayor’s infamous statement at a 2001 University of California at Berkeley speech asserting brown-skin moral authority: “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.” McCaskill actually denied that Sotomayor had make the remarks, then argued the words were taken out of context.

You want context? It’s even worse than that soundbite. As National Journal legal analyst Stuart Taylor reported, “Sotomayor also referred to the cardinal duty of judges to be impartial as a mere ‘aspiration because it denies the fact that we are by our experiences making different choices than others.’ And she suggested that ‘inherent physiological or cultural differences’ may help explain why ‘our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.’” The full speech was reprinted in something called the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal. “La Raza” is Spanish for “The Race.” Imagine if a white male Republican court nominee had published in a law review called “The Race.”

The selective elevation of hardship-as-primary qualification demeans the entire judiciary. If personal turmoil makes one “incredibly qualified to pass judgment on some of the most important cases in our country,” let’s put reality-show couple Jon and Kate Gosselin on the bench. Millions of viewers tune in to watch their “compelling personal story” of life with eight children on television. It’s a “richly, uniquely American experience” of facing obstacles and overcoming the odds. Get them robes and gavels, stat.

McCaskill’s assertion that “overcoming incredible odds” is “new to the courts” is ridiculous. Is she arguing that Thurgood Marshall, Felix Frankfurter, and Sandra Day O’Connor faced lower hurdles than Sotomayor? And how about Clarence Thomas, a descendant of slaves, grew up in abject poverty in the South without a father. The object lesson, of course, is that not all compelling personal stories are equal. Thomas’s crime, of course, was embracing the wrong ideology. So his incredible set of odds and obstacles don’t count in left-wing eyes.

Democrats are eager to celebrate diversity, you see, as long as the diversely-pigmented pledge allegiance to the Left for life.

***

Slublog in the Green Room spotlights the NYTimes editorial on Sotomayor today, which illustrates my point precisely.

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Posted in: Supreme Court

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Comments


  1. #1
    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:44 am, tarpon said:

    Spot on Michelle — But doesn’t every Supreme Court need a racist kook on the team? If not, who will represent to views of the kooks and racists?

    OK, if that truth is a little strong for you, how about half-arsed lawyer.

  2. #2
    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:48 am, regularguy said:

    What I find offensive about this empathy nonsense is that it is tacitly implied that none of the rest of the Supreme Court Justices are empathetic, or they cannot possibly understand the plight of the (poor, gays, black, hispanic….whatever) unless they are that color, orientation, gender etc. All white males are supposed to be complete empathetic dunderheads according to Sotomayor or Obama, even though empathy doesn’t qualify you for cr*p regarding interpreting the Constitution. These two people got where they are due to the BS of affirmative action, not because they were exceptional academics, you may rest assured. Hence, the mediocrity of the makeup of America’s leadership these days. May identity politics die a quick death.

  3. #3
    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:50 am, NJ-Aviator said:

    We knew Obama would pick a racists or a sexist as a nominee. Seems he got two for the price of one.

    Watch that video where she says that the Appeals Court is where policy is made. Is that bumbling, unprofessional diatribe what we expect from our Supreme Court Justices? No… would be the correct answer.

  4. #4
    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:50 am, Paul Revere said:

    Bravo, Michelle! As usual, you are smack dab on the head of the nail!

  5. #5
    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:53 am, bradley said:

    Sotomayor meets the three defining requirements for an Obama nominee for this position: (1) she has a vagina, (2) she’s a minority, and (3) she’s liberal. Judicial impartiality and legal competence is immaterial, and anyone bringing up that fact is racist and a bigot and stuff.

  6. #6
    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:56 am, CleanGuy said:

    A friend of mine just commented on Facebook:

    believes that the conservatives vehement opposition to Sotomayor means that she is probably the right choice for the job.

    Sometimes I wonder why do I bother having friends…

  7. #7
    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:59 am, RedRepub said:

    No one in mainstream America knew this woman two days ago, but now everyone liberals and those who don’t know better is talking about what an inspiration she is. They know nothing except her gender and skin color.

    Where were these people when Miguel Estrada was nominated to a high court??

  8. #8
    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:59 am, happyscrapper said:

    It is really sickening to listen to all the lib commentators trying to justify her previous statements. They try to say they were taken out of context, even though the actual tape is played. Ellis Henniken (sp) actually managed a foolish smile as he spewed his nonsense. You could tell by the look on his face that knew he was talking out of his a$$. Bob Beckel and his ilk are falling all over themselves trying to justify her comments and they all come across as morons. There is no taking back remarks that have been video recorded.

  9. #9
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:00 am, CantCureStupid said:

    Here’s yet another opportunity for the gormless RINO castrati to wring their hands and worry about offending people instead of properly vetting this woman. It’ll be like the damned POTUS campaign all over again, except now dissenters get to be both racists AND mysogynists. Yipee!!

  10. #10
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:02 am, happyscrapper said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:56 am, CleanGuy said:
    A friend of mine just commented on Facebook:believes that the conservatives vehement opposition to Sotomayor means that she is probably the right choice for the job.

    Sometimes I wonder why do I bother having friends…

    I think you need to re-think that “friends” thing. Some friends are not worth the aggravation. I have found that out.

  11. #11
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:04 am, no2pcbs1 said:

    zero and sotomayor, a quota taking care of another quota. the affirmative action administration. you don’t have to accomplish a thing or have done anything of merit, so long as the right box had a check on it.

  12. #12
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:05 am, Living in the PSRK said:

    Hey Michelle,

    Maybe you could’ve thrown in the fact that about 60% of her rulings were overturned by higher courts.

    Just what we need on SCOTUS – a legislative activist.

    *sigh*

  13. #13
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:07 am, fluffy said:

    This woman has already risen to the level of her own incompetency. Of all the judges in the country, she is the best Obama can find?

  14. #14
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:10 am, happyscrapper said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:07 am, fluffy said:
    This woman has already risen to the level of her own incompetency. Of all the judges in the country, she is the best Obama can find?

    For his purposes, yes.

  15. #15
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:14 am, Dexter Alarius said:

    “I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [TITLE] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.”

    How can judges like her take that oath and keep a straight face?

  16. #16
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:15 am, wendy said:

    You know Larry Summers simply posed a similar thought in the form of a question something and got fired from Harvard. But then again he is a white male and had the temerity to ask a question (and I am paraphrasing here) “Does the physiological difference between men and women explain the gap in achievement in math and science fields?” His problem was that he voiced a question and was a male. I think it is a valid question and would make an interesting study but asking questions that might undermine the feminist movement cannot be tolerated. I wonder how he feels now that Sotomayor got a pass for saying the same thing he questioned while he was vilified.

  17. #17
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:16 am, NJ-Aviator said:

    Anyone that touts their race or gender as part of their qualification, should be immediately disqualified and branded a racist or sexist.

    At this point, the media, Obama, and Sotomayor herself, are trying to promote her racism as an asset. But they don’t call it racism…. they call it “experience”.

    This woman shouldn’t be a judge of any kind. She actually believes that since she’s a hispanic woman, she is capable of making better decisions than a white male.

    That is absolute proof that this woman is tried and true racist. Period. There is no room for any other conclusion.

  18. #18
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:25 am, txvet2 said:

    Has anybody but me noticed the absence of Obama defenders the past few days? The silence is deafening.

  19. #19
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:28 am, iamsaved said:

    Schumer had his chance to put a Hispanic on the Supreme Court with Eric Estrada. He had a “personal compelling story” and had an idea what being a judge meant – adjudicating based on law and not empathy.

    Guess we’ll see if the Republicans will show some backbone or roll over and play dead because “it’s the right thing to do” by fighting this nomination.

  20. #20
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:31 am, PhredE said:

    MM wrote:
    “It’s a “compelling personal story,” as we heard 20,956 times on Tuesday.”

    Yep. Everyone is a ‘compelling personal story‘ to some degree….big deal, so what?

    NJ-Aviator wrote:
    “Anyone that touts their race or gender as part of their qualification, should be immediately disqualified and branded a racist or sexist”.

    Couldn’t agree more. Actually, I think the reality of what she said is even worse than that. She implied that to be a ‘wise Latina woman’ she is able to make a better decision than a white male.

    Her quote:

    “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

  21. #21
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:32 am, RetFireman said:

    The headline on Drudge said it all. “Would Republicans Dare Vote Against The First Hispanic Woman?” Apparently that is the angle NBC has taken, and of course, this is the entire reason Der Fuhrer chose her in the first place. How DARE anyone do or say ANYTHING against her or else, just like with Thane MacBeth, the dreaded claim of “RACIST” comes out.

    Of course, that did not matter when it came to former White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and the witch hunt the Democrats put him through during his confirmation, let alone how they treated him after he was confirmed.

    There were no reports questioning whether the Democrats would dare say anything against, let alone cote against, this Hispanic man as he was going for te head of the U.S. Justice Dept. There were no cries of “RAAAACIST” as they attacked him at every turn, before, during and after the process.

    However, because now the Dems are in control, anyone they use of minority status, which if you look at the Democratic leadership, including the Clinton Administration all the way through to Obama’s nomination is a relatively new thing for them, regardless of all their claims, no one is allowed to question them or else they might as well go get fitted for a white hood and robe as far as te Liberals are concerned.

    The fact she is Hispanic and a woman means NOTHING. It is the fact that she is unashamed about the fact she not only legislates from the bench, she encourages it and is herself a racist in that she has stated several times that, in essence, only minorities are capable of interpreting…or in her way…reinventing the Law. Amongst other issues as to why she is one of the worst candidates for the position.

    However, all that will be obscured by the Obama minions in the MSM. Good luck getting ANYONE worth a damn into the S.C. while Obama is President.

  22. #22
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:33 am, iamsaved said:

    This woman has already risen to the level of her own incompetency.

    I believe the Peter Principle states that a person will rise to one level above their competency (their first level of incompetency). This woman has disproved the Peter Principle by rising two or three levels above hers.

  23. #23
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am, sbw999 said:

    You are right on the money Michelle. The left is 100% form over substance. You could teach a college class wholly on the non sequitor logic of the imbecilic left. They are all about advancement on the basis of skin color or ethnicity as opposed to qulaifications. I read a lot the other day about how she is not quite up to par intellectually with her fellow jurists. This according to her peers. Should this not matter??? Nope…not if she grew up poor in the Bronx.

    The Hallmark Card set in this country will oooh and ahhhhh as they embrace what good people they are for wanting an underprivilged Latina to sit on the high Court. It is all such an insult to a normal person’s intelligence. But maybe not..afterall Im just a dumb male caucasion; what do I know?

  24. #24
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am, lgm said:

    And oh, by the way, did you hear that she was poor?

    Yes, and I heard that she: graduated with a B.A., Summa Cum Laude, from Princeton in 1976, and received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1979, where she was an editor at the Yale Law Journal.

    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

  25. #25
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:45 am, TXGator said:

    I’m just a dumb (mostly) white male. How do I go about being as smart as a poor Puerto Rican woman from the Bronx?
    Is it possible that I could ever make as informed decisions as she?
    What if my empathy bladder is all tapped out?
    Call me crazy, but I believe we should not consider anything but the facts and the law in adjudicating any case. If we have different rules for different people and take into account our personal feelings based on our experiences, race, ethnicity, socio-economic background, we will never have a level playing field.
    I’m starting to think the dems don’t really want that….

  26. #26
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:46 am, fluffy said:

    I read that 60% of her rulings have been overturned. Not a stellar record.

    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

    What does skin color have to do with it? Isn’t justice blind?

  27. #27
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:49 am, DBNinKY said:

    Yes, and I heard that she: graduated with a B.A., Summa Cum Laude, from Princeton in 1976, and received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1979, where she was an editor at the Yale Law Journal.

    Sotomayor’s credentials are irrelevant – what counts now are her written opinions on the various cases she has adjudicated and according to Charles Krauthammer and Fred Barnes, she has expressed nothing of significance in any of her opinions or dissents, especially on abortion. For all the Left knows, as a Catholic Hispanic, Sotomayor could be a closet pro-lifer.

    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

    Yikes! Are you sure about this statement?

  28. #28
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:49 am, conservativesRus said:

    Do we really want judges with empathy or judges with consistency. I vote for the latter as consistency doesn’t change but empathy changes all the time. Empathy is subject to the whims of the person making the decision. Very scary if you ask me.

  29. #29
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:51 am, nail49 said:

    vanilla white bread justices

    lgm: You mean like Clarence Thomas?

  30. #30
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:51 am, b-cat said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am, lgm said:
    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

    Racist.

  31. #31
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:52 am, sbw999 said:

    I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

    This is such an offensive statement on so many levels it’s hard to know where to start. Republicans better hit her with the racist sentiment, and sheer stupidity and audaciousness of this statement.

    One way to start would be to question this fool on past Court Decisions made by “white males” on the Court and ask her how her life experiences would have yielded a better Decision? Tell her to be specific. Ask her if her statement only applies to Decisions made by white male conservatives? Did Thurgood Marshall come to better Decisions because he was black? How would the fact that her father died when she was 8 y/o help her better decide questions brought before the Supreme Court? How does the fact that she is Latina help her better interpret constitutional law? Or the Patriot Act? Or Miranda rights cases? Or the Internal Revenue Code?

  32. #32
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:52 am, TXGator said:

    a little color might help

    I always heard having a brown nose helps you in your career, but isn’t this a bit too literal?

    Am I to believe that the simple qualification of being a certain race (minority, in this case) would lead you to offer better legal decisions? Didn’t we use to call that racism?

  33. #33
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:53 am, PhredE said:

    Thanks b-cat, you just beat me to it.

    Maybe RAAAACIST!!! is more in order (?)

  34. #34
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:55 am, conservativesRus said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am, lgm said:
    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

    OK – I’ll bite. Exactly what “damage” is it that Alito and Roberts have done?

  35. #35
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:55 am, ackvil said:

    I get it. Her experience is what makes her the “logical” choice. Isn’t this the same standard the libs used for Bork? [Sarcasm intended]

  36. #36
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:56 am, Dexter Alarius said:

    There’s really only one qualification for Supreme Court in the libtard mind. You have to be able to smell new, previously undetected rights from emanations of penumbra from the Constitution.

    (sniff, sniff) There’s Abortion!

    (sniff, sniff) There’s sodomy!

    (sniff, snort, sniff) Funny, I don’t smell any personal property rights.

  37. #37
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:57 am, DBNinKY said:

    Isn’t justice blind?

    Exactly! How can justice equal and uniform if it is meted out through the prism of empathy, rather than constitutional precedent?

    Equality under the law, rendered without regards to class or position, stands on the firmament of the Constitution – not the ever shifting sands of empathy!

  38. #38
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:58 am, TXGator said:

    Exactly what “damage” is it that Alito and Roberts have done?

    You have to ask? Millions of brown kids see Justices that don’t look like them, therefore prohibiting them from following their dreams of one day becoming a lawyer. Just like Sotomayor. Her dreams were denied because this country is so mean and unfair to minorities, never having a chance to rise above their original station in life.

  39. #39
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:04 am, Truesoldier said:

    If you look at what this woman has been through, and the obstacles that she has had to overcome, I think she does have a richly, uniquely American experience that makes her incredibly qualified to pass judgment on some of the most important cases in our country,” McCaskill asserted. “Overcoming incredible odds and I think that is new to the courts.

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am, lgm said:
    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

    None of this seemed to matter when Janice Rodgers Brown was nominated by the Bush Administration in 2003.

  40. #40
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:05 am, sbw999 said:

    LGM: I normally dont respond to trolls, but you are indeed a useful idiot. You demonstrate through every one of your brain dead posts the puddle deep intellect of the average liberal.

    I guess you think a butterfly and a plane are similar because they both have wings? Wowwwwwwww…think about it mannnnnnnnnn. It’s mind blowing…butterfly….airplane…wings….wowwwwwwwwwwww. There is some meaning in there; some leftwing mantra, right?? Something like that lame bumper sticker that said: “You can’t hug a child with nuclear arms.” Ya know, hug, a parents arms, “arms” meaning weapons? Wowwwwwwwww….cleverrrrrrrrrrr…..

    Vanilla white? Guess you dont mind Decisions by white Judges when they adopt liberal views? Guess you wouldn’t have been so impressed had Bush named a conservative Hispanic to the Supreme Court?

    Now go away little one, back to whatever bridge you sleep under. A 4th grader could rip apart your “logic”.

  41. #41
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:08 am, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    And oh, by the way, did you hear that she was poor?

    And when I was a child and my parent were poor just about everybody we knew was poor including white males. But we can Proudly state one thing: We did not live in public housing nor live on the dole.And now we are not poor and I know fewer of them.

    In the last 24 hours I have hear the Term Latina more than I have heard it in the last 60+ years and am more than a little offended. When the Race War does hit, and I have long know it would, it will be Identity Politics, Sonia Sotomayor types and the White Guilt Cult responsible. They are the RAAAACIST.

    Muerte aguarda (Death awaits).

  42. #42
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:09 am, DBNinKY said:

    OK – I’ll bite. Exactly what “damage” is it that Alito and Roberts have done?

    I’d like to know the answer to that one as well. Based on their sagacious opinions, Alito, Roberts and Scalia are reputed to be the three most prolific justices the Court has seen in some time .

  43. #43
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:10 am, NJ-Aviator said:

    lgm said:

    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

    Excuse me you racist piece of filth. What did race have to do with ANY of Alito’s or Robert’s decisions?

    If you want to promote your bigoted points of few, I suggest you go elsewhere.

  44. #44
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:16 am, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    You have to ask? Millions of brown kids see Justices that don’t look like them, therefore prohibiting them from following their dreams of one day becoming a lawyer.

    Well TXGator several of my granddaughters are Brown Brownies as opposed to their friends who are White Brownies and at least two Yellow Brownies.
    But Oh Lord TXGator PLEASE don’t tell me my Brown Brownie Granddaughters have to be lawyers! Oh Lord PLEASE Make it stop!

    (Want to buy some Girl Scout cookies TXGator? I have a closet full.)

  45. #45
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:22 am, TXGator said:

    Girl Scout cookies sound awesome right now. Or any other time, for that matter.
    I am tired of hearing how mean and unfair this country is. Here, you have the absolute luxury of following your dreams. Now, your parents’ life choices will affect that, but it doesn’t have to decide it. Life is the sum of the choices you make. It is how you react to things that happen. We all know life isn’t fair, but some of us deal with adversity better than others. We are not victims of our environment, only products of it.
    We are destroying this once great nation with the focus on something as trivial as ‘race’.
    I don’t see race in an individual until they make it an issue.

  46. #46
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:23 am, RetFireman said:

    OK – I’ll bite. Exactly what “damage” is it that Alito and Roberts have done?

    None. That’s not the point. They do not NEED to do any damage. The accusation and/or assertion that they have, based on who nominated them and their alledged political leaning, is MORE than enough in the mind of the Liberal.

    In the Liberal world, no one need actually be guilty of any misdeed if they are a non-Liberal. They need only be accused of it, and thus they are tainted forever and worthy of destruction.

  47. #47
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:27 am, jsr said:

    Can we assume liberals would agree that a Latina woman would be a better, say, mathematician than some white male with equal educational background but lacking with her rich diversity of personal experience and compelling life story (which everybody knows is essential to solving higher order differential equations and a mastery of linear operator theory)?

  48. #48
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:28 am, RetFireman said:

    From the deepest, darkest depths of poverty to the hallowed halls of Princeton and Yale…yes, she truly does understand things better than most, such as how if you are born into poverty you can NEVER get out.

    Now, if someone could just explain it to these morons that the Supreme Court does NOT make law, but is there to decide the Constitutionality of the cases brought before them?

    Is Civics even taught in school anymore?

  49. #49
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:33 am, sharinlite said:

    There but for the disgrace of no assistance go I: her story and mine are much the same except for an 11 year age difference. However, my folks didn’t divorce, had 6 children and also lived in New York. They were Latinos too. I have three siblings that have Master’s Degrees; one a Phd and my folks did it without the help that Sotomayor got from the Feds as Michelle Obama did also. Wrong time for me. But her story is not “compelling”, it is the story of millions of Americans.

  50. #50
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:34 am, sharinlite said:

    Forgot: this is not anybody to really worry about unless the next one is more of the same. Then we need to worry.

  51. #51
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:49 am, WarEagle82 said:

    Well, if they can’t find a left-handed homosexual transvestite I guess she will do for the “diversity” candidate…

    I grew up poor in a single-parent family too. What does that qualify me for in Obamaland?

  52. #52
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:52 am, happyscrapper said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:25 am, txvet2 said:
    Has anybody but me noticed the absence of Obama defenders the past few days? The silence is deafening.

    Apparently you haven’t check in with the MSM. They are still drooling over him, you can be sure!

  53. #53
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:53 am, pueblo1032 said:

    Here in PHOENIX, the local RAG is pining because she AIN’T MEXICAN!!! Kinda like the classic line from “THE SOPRANOS”… Uncle JUNIOR to TONY, about TONY’S MOTHER “She has a Virginia ham under her arm, and complaining because she hasn’t got any bread”…

  54. #54
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:53 am, happyscrapper said:

    lgm…How did Ms. Sotomayor afford to attend all those prestigous schools? Oh, and who got bumped from the rolls so this minority could attend? Just curious.

  55. #55
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:53 am, Jet Jaguar said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am, lgm said:

    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

    What is your favorite color? I like purple.

  56. #56
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:58 am, jrgdds said:

    “overcoming incredible odds”

    See Clarence Thomas Autobiography

    He’s a perfect. Except his philosophy disqualifies him from being worshipped by the Democrats.

  57. #57
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:59 am, b-cat said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:53 am, Jet Jaguar said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am, lgm said:

    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

    What is your favorite color? I like purple.

    Red, you can be sure.

  58. #58
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:01 pm, MrOlympia said:

    PRESS RELEASE:

    Today Osama Bin Ladin applauded Hussein Obama’s pick for SCOTUS. He said, “It helps our cause” to have someone like Sotomayor on the court as we slowly progress in converting the USA to Islam and Sharia Law. We have confidence that in any matters concerning Muslims she will empathize with our position.

  59. #59
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:01 pm, marybel said:

    Just what America needs…Oprah-Latina in a robe.

  60. #60
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:04 pm, happyscrapper said:

    Not only did Clarence Thomas overcome incredible odds, he also overcame the democrat smear machine who threw everything they had at him…yet he prevailed. A very strong man, no matter what color you paint him! Color and race have absolutely NOTHING to do with ANYTHING!! How hard is that to understand?? Your politics and viewpoints, your standards and morals are what count. When did this country become so racially obsessed? Oh yeah, when this half-black man ran for POTUS. We had some racial bigotry before then, but his Presidency has created a tidal wave of this crap!

  61. #61
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:05 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    What is your favorite color? I like purple.

    As for me it was Green but Gold and Silver are looking mighty good right now. Purple is nice as it rhymes with Maple Syurple.

  62. #62
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:06 pm, JDinTX said:

    I think most of us have overcome some difficulties in our life. The difference is that we overcame them by working and doing better. We didn’t have it handed to us on a silver affirmative action platter. In the real world, hard work equals success. This will be a real mess when someone like her issues opinions that give everything away just because someone is black, hispanic, gay, etc.

  63. #63
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:08 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    Funny, but when Italians came here they weren’t considered “white” and suffered exactly the same discrimination that Puerto Ricans experienced when they came here. Oddly enough, without the benefits of “Affirmative Action” Italians simply became Americans, and then “white” over time and have moved into the prestigious positions of influence throughout the country.

    I find lgm’s statement incredibly racist and would take offense if I thought for a minute lgm had a working brain cell left in his/her head. Perhaps lgm will secure the first ever SCOTUS nomination for the mentally retarded…

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am, lgm said:

    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

  64. #64
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:20 pm, b-cat said:

    From IMAO:

    Clarence Thomas is a race-traitor since he doesn’t imitate the politics of a rich, white liberal.

    Thought I’d share. 8)

  65. #65
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:21 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    I find it curious that lgm and his/her ilk object to Thomas even more than Alito and Scalia. Obviously in their narrow-minded, racist world “diversity” is good only when it comes to skin color and not thought…

  66. #66
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:37 pm, 11B said:

    Senator McCaskill said “…There have been a lot of privileged people that have landed … The fact that she has lived the life of the common American,…I think that is the American experience”

    I wonder if she said that about Palin?

  67. #67
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:39 pm, Southpaw said:

    “I would hope that a wise Latina woman Norwegian man with the richness of her his experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male anybody who hasn’t lived that life.”

    Thank you Sonia Sotomayor. Praise the Lord I am free at last. With your quote, you have now lifted the burden off of the last great oppressed class in America, the white male.

    “We should never have let that hick from Laramie take Rhetoric and Judo classes at Berkeley. He sees through our facade and knows the rules of the game. It’s dangerous.”

  68. #68
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:41 pm, Danceswithdachshunds said:

    “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’s a bigot. Imagine if John Roberts had said: “I would hope that a wise wise white man the richness of his experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a Latino woman hasn’t lived that life…”

    I think republicans should show her all the respect and admiration that was afforded to white man Robert Bork.

  69. #69
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:43 pm, txvet2 said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:08 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    Funny, but when Italians came here they weren’t considered “white” and suffered exactly the same discrimination that Puerto Ricans experienced when they came here.

    The difference is that Italians wanted to assimilate. I grew up with many third generation Italians. The first generation were factory workers who spoke little English. The second generation were barbers, plumbers, electricians, etc. who spoke both Italian and English fluently. The third generation understood some Italian, spoke English as their native tongue, and are college educated. There were Italian neighborhoods in the cities, but there was a general movement upward and away. Not so with many Hispanics.

  70. #70
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:49 pm, Send_Me said:

    Antonio Gramsci would be proud to see his ideas of cultural hegemony coming to fruition. Barack Obama is the culmination of our culture’s descent. Obama fills many of today’s virtues. What are today’s virtues? Primarily, openness and equality, as they are now defined for us. As Allan Bloom stated, “Openness used to be the virtue that permitted us to seek the good by using reason. It now means accepting everything and denying reason’s power. The unrestrained and thoughtless pursuit of openness, without recognizing the inherent political, social, or cultural problem of openness as the goal of nature, has rendered openness meaningless. Cultural relativism destroys both one’s own and the good. Culture, hence, closedness, reigns supreme. Openness to closedness is what we teach.” Then you have equality, which now trumps excellence, for one can be no better than another, have more than another, regardless of disparities in the amount of time and effort one spends to accomplish their goals.
    So, here we have Obama, who doesn’t “flip-flop,” but rather is “open” to all sides, which is now more virtuous than being right. In our culture now, he’s also the personification of equality. Regardless of his, or his appointees’, lack of skill, intellect, character, and leadership credentials, Obama and those like him still carry the day in terms of equality by showing that despite all of their deemed “hurdles” of race, mishaps of character, coming from a broken home, etc., he shows that we’re “good” enough to support him, which provides more people “hope,” since no longer do you need to have the aforementioned qualities or a strong work ethic to be successful. All one needs now is an “open” mind and the most average, or even “disadvantaged,” background.
    So when we ask ourselves where our culture has gone, I answer with two words: Barack Obama.

  71. #71
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:53 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    All these high hurdles are giving me the high hurls! (retch!)

    “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would make me another sandwich!”

  72. #72
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:56 pm, rightwingrocker said:

    So any bigot that can jump gets a spot on the court now??

    RWR
    http://www.rightwingrocker.com

  73. #73
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:58 pm, Regulus said:

    When it comes to the underpinnings of this country’s governing system, the donks have long shown that they are capable of thinking only in terms of symbols, tokens and rationalizations.

    Anyone who respected the Constitution would never affix the words “Living, breathing” before it.

    Anyone who understood and respected the role of the judiciary in general, and the Supreme Court in particular, would be ashamed to use sex and skin color as their primary criteria for who would make a good Justice.

    But donks do both of these things. And they do them unashamedly. Their whole approach of, “Do you DARE vote against a Latina?” is revolting in its racist condescension and thuggish mindset, and — typical of donks — has nothing at all to do with equal justice under the law.

    Watching the donks dismantle the Republic one piece at a time is like watching kids play a game of pick-up sticks: thinking themselves clever in their self-congratulation for having removed still another piece without yet causing everything to collapse, while willfully ignoring the fact that with every piece they take away the remaining structure grows weaker still.

  74. #74
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:00 pm, olsantaroy said:

    After reading Ruben Navarrette’s column this a.m., could not wait to get to the comments posted above. He wrote a very positive opinion, but failed as so many in the MSM will fail in not mentioning the rule of law which is going down in flames during this Obama administration. Libtards apparently like it that way.

  75. #75
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm, lgm said:

    WarEagle82 said (#63):

    I find lgm’s statement incredibly racist and would take offense

    Grow a thicker skin, or better yet, some ears and a brain. Then read the offensive stuff posted yesterday.

    There’s a good reason to have diversity of backgrounds on the Supreme Court. If there were no upper class white men on the court, we would try to find one who was qualified.

  76. #76
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:13 pm, conservativesRus said:

    lgm: Please state the damage done by Roberts and Alito.
    You’ve made an accusation without any backup.

  77. #77
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:15 pm, conservativesRus said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm, lgm said:
    There’s a good reason to have diversity
    of backgrounds on the Supreme Court.

    Another unsubstantiated statement. Please tell me what the “good reason” is.
    Then please tell me what “diversity of backgrounds” means.

  78. #78
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pm, rocketman said:

    ***
    I always listen carefully to Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King’s I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH on his holiday. His message was that God sees us as all the same–regardless of skin color, background, ethnic or social group, etc.
    ***
    I read Justice Clarence Thomas’s great book MY GRANDFATHER’S SON–Justice Thomas applies the law–not his “feelings” or “background”.
    ***
    Sonia Sotomayor’s BIGOTED RACIST / SEXIST STATEMENTS should disqualify her for SCOTUS. Ditto for her often reversed “legal” decisions.
    ***
    We are toast on this one–President Obama (PBUH) and his democratic / liberal / socialist / marxist / communist congressional minions will vote her in. They could put in the Messiah’s Portugese Water Retreiver if they want.
    ***
    Fight this–we will lose–but put Sonia in front of the people so all can see what is coming down.
    ***
    Then worry about what will happen when one of the four conservative justices retires, dies, or is assassinated. The new U.S.S.A. will be a 5 to 4 liberal disaster when the last firewall of our liberty is breached.
    ***
    John Bibb
    ***

  79. #79
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:18 pm, b-cat said:

    If there were no upper class white men on the court, we would try to find one who was qualified.

    Again a racist premise. What about poor white folks? Ever hear of them? Do they not need “representation” on the court?

  80. #80
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:22 pm, misterbee241 said:

    I read somewhere she is a single mom too. That right there is enough to win confirmation since single motherhood is all the rage these days.

  81. #81
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:25 pm, rambler said:

    txvet2 – ditto.

    I grew up with Italian and Portuguese immigrants. The worked hard to be “americanized”. They learned english and were proud to be in this country. They didn’t feel entitled to get something from their new country. I didn’t see the “Ivies” handing out scholarships out to these immigrants
    I’m tired of all the racial whining. Is this woman even thankful for the opportunities she was given? How many others have a similar story and had to make it without the “Ivy” handout? I’m tired of whinny affirmative action recipients reminding us what a mean country we are.

  82. #82
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:26 pm, happyscrapper said:

    Since Obama is quoted as saying that the Constitution puts “restraints” on us and that it served a purpose but the country has changed, and that “it tells us what not to do, but doesn’t tell us what to do”, we know where this is going. He is very methodically destroying the credibility and viability of our Constitution. Without honoring and revering that founding document, we are doomed. I just pray we can defeat this man and his minions before he can complete his task. He is evil, as are many in congress today. Radicalism has taken root in DC and we are going to have a very hard time fighting it.

  83. #83
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:27 pm, txvet2 said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm, lgm said:

    There’s a good reason to have diversity of backgrounds on the Supreme Court.

    Which is why you on the left opposed Thomas so strenuously, right? Too many conservative blacks.

  84. #84
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:28 pm, PhredE said:

    If there were no upper class white men on the court, we would try to find one who was qualified.

    Again a racist premise. What about poor white folks? Ever hear of them? Do they not need “representation” on the court?

    Add: “Classist” to Racist, Sexist.

  85. #85
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:32 pm, misterbee241 said:

    “If you look at what this woman has been through, and the obstacles that she has had to overcome, I think she does have a richly, uniquely American experience that makes her incredibly qualified to pass judgment on some of the most important cases in our country,” McCaskill asserted.

    So, having a hard life is now the only qualification for J-SCOTUS? How and why exactly does this qualify her to pass judgment on important cases? I never expected anything less from Obama. She fits the racial profile, never mind that she might be the dumbest J-SCOTUS in History she fits the profile.
    Is there anybody in America who hasnt had a life experience whereby you were on the bottom and had to pull yourself up? My dad was a mechanic, my mom worked in a shoe factory. I wore patched overalls to school. I didnt get to go to college because we couldnt afford it and we knew nothing about scholarships and grants. And I’m a pretty squishy guy too – a sucker for a sad look and a sob story. Therefore, I qualify as a J-SCOTUS. Never mind I know nothing about law. Oh, wait – I’m also a white, straight, non-disabled Bible believing male who works for a living. I guess that disqualifies me right there.

  86. #86
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:34 pm, iamsaved said:

    I am amazed that she thinks herself wise and actually trumpets the fact. Usually people who truly are wise leave the acclamation to others. They don’t pronounce their own wisdom.

    1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

  87. #87
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:38 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Given the damage our recent vanilla white bread justices have done (Alito, Roberts), a little color might help.

    A typical liberal bigot.

    http://townhall.com/cartoons/2009/05/27/b65c2987-d166-47ae-ba5c-0e8a72f3e6a4

  88. #88
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:40 pm, misterbee241 said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:53 am, bradley said:

    Sotomayor meets the three defining requirements for an Obama nominee for this position: (1) she has a vagina, (2) she’s a minority, and (3) she’s liberal. Judicial impartiality and legal competence is immaterial, and anyone bringing up that fact is racist and a bigot and stuff.

    If only she had a disability and/or is a lesbian. But I guess the nominee cant be perfect.

  89. #89
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:46 pm, tomg51 said:

    A 12 justice Supreme Court.
    Is this possible?

  90. #90
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:14 pm, sonofdy said:

    There’s a good reason to have diversity of backgrounds on the Supreme Court.

    And there I was thing that actualy being a good judge and having a firm understanding of the constitution was the requirement instead of gender and skin color. Silly me. I guess that explains why she thought that white men can’t be promoted unless a black man also gets promoted reguardless of the test scores.

  91. #91
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:20 pm, Ragspierre said:

    A 12 justice Supreme Court.
    Is this possible?

    Yep. FDR used the mere threat to expand and pack the Court to effect his fascist constitutional revolution.

    Did you miss that revolution? It happened. Research just the Commerce Clause, and how it was up-ended during the FDR reign.

  92. #92
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:30 pm, tiredofit08 said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:02 am, happyscrapper said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:56 am, CleanGuy said:
    A friend of mine just commented on Facebook:believes that the conservatives vehement opposition to Sotomayor means that she is probably the right choice for the job.

    Sometimes I wonder why do I bother having friends…

    I think you need to re-think that “friends” thing. Some friends are not worth the aggravation. I have found that out.

    sometimes in life you just need to move on and find new friends…I know I certainly did when the friend placed his musical ego ahead of our friendship…

  93. #93
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:40 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    Wow! How does lgm type with both feet in his/her mouth? And while you’re at it try responding to what I said. Your statement IS blatantly racist. I don’t take offense because you are obviously a moron incapable of understanding how ignorant and racist you are.

    I don’t need a thicker skin. You need better reading comprehension and logic skills…

    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm, lgm said:

    WarEagle82 said (#63):

    I find lgm’s statement incredibly racist and would take offense

    Grow a thicker skin, or better yet, some ears and a brain. Then read the offensive stuff posted yesterday.

    There’s a good reason to have diversity of backgrounds on the Supreme Court. If there were no upper class white men on the court, we would try to find one who was qualified.

    What WarEagle82 actually said:

    I find lgm’s statement incredibly racist and would take offense if I thought for a minute lgm had a working brain cell left in his/her head. Perhaps lgm will secure the first ever SCOTUS nomination for the mentally retarded…

  94. #94
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:40 pm, rightwingrocker said:

    “If you look at what this woman has been through, and the obstacles that she has had to overcome, I think she does have a richly, uniquely American experience that makes her incredibly qualified to pass judgment on some of the most important cases in our country,” McCaskill asserted. “Overcoming incredible odds and I think that is new to the courts. There have been a lot of privileged people that have landed on the Supreme Court. The fact that she has lived the life of the common American, trying to grow up in public housing, reaching for scholarships, reaching for the courtroom as a courtroom prosecutor, all of those things will make her a better and wiser judge. And I don’t think that is identity politics. I think that is the American experience.”

    how conveniently they leave out that Justice Clarence Thomas even more “uniquely qualified” based on these criteria.

    What really pisses me off is that these people will get away with this.

    RWR
    http://www.rightwingrocker.com

  95. #95
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:44 pm, rightwingrocker said:

    And how about Clarence Thomas, a descendant of slaves, grew up in abject poverty in the South without a father.

    And during a time when racism was still running rampant in the South – lest we forget THAT little tidbit!

    And justice Thomas is and always will be more impartial to the case and more partial to the rules than Sotomayor will EVER be.

    RWR
    http://www.rightwingrocker.com

  96. #96
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:46 pm, Marc said:

    If George W. Bush had nominated Sotomayer, the New York Times editorial would have begun with this sentences: “Once again, George W. Bush has failed to nominate a Mexican-American for the Supreme Court. Republicans have once again showed their insensitivity to the growing Mexican population in this country.”

  97. #97
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:47 pm, rightwingrocker said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:53 am, bradley said:

    Sotomayor meets the three defining requirements for an Obama nominee for this position: (1) she has a vagina, (2) she’s a minority, and (3) she’s liberal. Judicial impartiality and legal competence is immaterial, and anyone bringing up that fact is racist and a bigot and stuff.

    It’s a sad day in this country when something like this must be recognized as true, let alone just how true it is.

    A sad day, indeed.

    RWR
    http://www.rightwingrocker.com

  98. #98
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:52 pm, rightwingrocker said:

    How can judges like her take that oath and keep a straight face?

    Simple.

    They simply regurgitate the oath as quoted to them without listening to it, and then do whatever they wish when on the bench.

    Kind of like saying “Yes, dear” to your wife …

    RWR
    http://www.rightwingrocker.com

  99. #99
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:02 pm, nail49 said:

    If there were no upper class white men on the court, we would try to find one who was qualified.

    lgm: SNORT!

    We are NOT as stupid as you appear!

    You really need to get out for some fresh air and leave your ‘off-duty’ cigarettes behind once in a while!

  100. #100
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:04 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    It is perfectly fine to criticize, ridicule, mock and demonize a politically incorrect Latino of course:

    Miguel Estrada? Remember Senator Charles Schumer’s little rant? Ungrateful little spic challenging his betters! Perhaps Miguel wasn’t a Credit To His Race (440?) as my Kennedy loving school teachers were wont to say.

    That is my life–Hating Liberals a little more each day and in every way :)

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