Tomorrow’s Attack On Sotomayor, Today
One aspect of the coming conservative attack on Sonia Sotomayor, Obama’s pick for Supreme Court, will almost certainly center on this line about identity politics from a speech she gave in 2001:
“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.”
Glenn Greenwald suggests a rebuttal.
The quote has been circulating since mid-March. This — and the pick of Sotomayor in general — is a reminder that Obama was perfectly willing to ignore those who suggested that picking someone other than a white male would smack of identity politics.
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Here is the funny and ironic thing though Greg. Whether its identity politics or not, the same media figures pointing to identity politic are the same media figures who are quick to point out how much more or less diverse President Obama’s cabinet is that President Bush’s. It wasn’t like President Obama was hurting for support from the Latino community in the election so its hard for me to understand how people can make the claim that this is what Sotomayor’s nomination is all about. I have to say that I am looking forward to this fight with the Republicans.
SG — division is very likely, particularly since seven GOPers currently in the Senate backed her for judge in 1998:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/flashback-three-gop-senators-backed-sotomayor-for-judge/
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