Reprinted from Huffington Post:The GOP’s Mischaracterization of Judge Sonia Sotomayor

July 15, 2009
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sotomayor1Day #2 of the confirmation hearings of Judge Sonia Sotomayor have literally just begun and I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s opening salvo from my party’s ranking leadership (the Republicans).

My concern, as I pointed out in an op-ed yesterday that I penned for theROOT.com, is that I watched a party of middle-aged and older all-white and all-male senators lament against this extremely well qualified, poised, and dignified judge.

According to the ABA, analysts and many judicial observers, Judge Sotomayor is the most qualified judge to approach the Senate for Supreme Court confirmation in at least 70 years. This in and of itself should cause the GOP to take a long “reflective pause” and frankly back off.

Instead, the party that preaches about “colorblind justice” — and rails against so-called “racial preferences” is going after a woman who, as she so eloquently stated yesterday, “studied every night at the table with my mom and brother” and worked “hard” for every educational and professional accolade she has received in her life. She is the classic “up by your boot straps” American story. One that the majority of my party loves to talk about as how we as Americans should build our lives without the intervention of government.

What I find most troubling is that Sessions (who is asking Sotomayor questions now at the Hearing), et al. have made a political decision to once again use the issue of race to divide our country. Sonia Sotomayor is being wrongly characterized as this affirmative action baby gone wild. She has been called by Rush Limbaugh and others a “racist” — a “reverse racist” who is “angry” (I love that word because it is what they call us black women all the time) and who is out to repay white males for their advantages in life. Thus, they say her flawed legal decision in the Ricci case.

This is flat-out wrong, inappropriate and just not an accurate depiction of the judge’s judicial philosophy or her incredible life story. Any objective observer of the facts would have to agree that what Sotomayor said in a moment of candor (e.g., her white male vs. wise Latina woman comment) was that diversity matters. That one’s life experience shapes one’s world view in life and in providing justice under the law. To say that Jeff Sessions or Orin Hatch or others as white men have not been shaped by their experiences and thus dealt with people, places, and life accordingly is silly at best.

I will be watching the hearings as they unfold this week and next, and I will be watching to see if the Republicans provide Judge Sotomayor with the same basic fairness that the Republicans rightly demanded of others when they brought forth nominees for the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court.

Follow Sophia A. Nelson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/http://twitter.

Day #2 of the confirmation hearings of Judge Sonia Sotomayor have literally just begun and I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s opening salvo from my party’s ranking leadership (the R…
Day #2 of the confirmation hearings of Judge Sonia Sotomayor have literally just begun and I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s opening salvo from my party’s ranking leadership (the R…

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    An interesting debate occurred on Rachael Maddow's show tonight (July 16) between Pat Buchanan and Rachael. I don't agree with most of Buchanan's politics but as a debater I think he was on his game. It's just my observation but for one of the few times I can remember I think Maddow was out-maneuvered. She even got flustered a few times and came close to losing it.

    Buchanan claims Sotomayor only got into Princeton because of affirmative action. He cited the Ricci case as proof of reverse discrimination and denounced Sotomayor's appointment by Obama as strictly racist for nominating her.

    Personally, I don't believe someone's grade point average should be the sole criteria for getting into college nor should it be the sole criteria on written tests that measure a prospective job applicant's ability to perform that job. Some jobs require a lot more physical skill than mental, nor is judgment something you can measure numerically on a bell curve. Buchanan feels otherwise and of course that's his argument -- grades and written tests determine all.

    Maddow did a poor job of defending Sotomayor other than asking Buchanan, "Isn't America better off with a female, Hispanic on the U.S. Supreme Court?" The fact is, Sonia Sotomayor may not have had the best scores out of high school for admittance to an elite Ivy League school. She did, however, graduate with honors. Too bad Rachael missed so many opportunities.

    Who is to say that Ricci, who has dyslexia and needed extra preparation in order to take the fireman's test, was better qualified to carry a heavy hose up a 30-foot ladder, put a passed out smoke-asphyxiated body over his shoulder and climb back down to safety better than a non-white fireman? Maybe he might have had to struggle just to pick up a garden hose. But, that probably wasn't on the test anyway.
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    Nice Post I already digged this

    regards
    katiz slop
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    This is the best post on this topic i have ever read.

    regards
    Andrew dong
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    I added your post to my college Report

    Thanks
    Steve Mark
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