Sonia Sotomayor Confirmed As U.S. Supreme Court Justice By Senate

Judge Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed, 68-31, by the United States Senate to become the first Latina justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s a marvelous achievement for a well-qualified judge who has had her name smeared by a number of conservative Republicans willing to stop at nothing to derail her nomination. Personally, I had no problem with people who wanted to vote against her based on qualifications, but for right wingers to try and paint her as a racist by using some out-of-context comments (while ignoring prior Supreme Court nominees who have made similar statements) was appalling.

This is from Think Progress:

By a 68-31 margin, the Senate has confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the first Latina Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Sotomayor’s swearing-in ceremony could take place as soon as tomorrow. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released a statement praising the confirmation:

The confirmation of this immensely qualified individual, with her long history of public service, is an historic moment for the Senate, the judiciary, the Hispanic community, and each and every American. Her life story is the essence of the American dream. Regardless of our differences, this is a moment in which we can all celebrate the belief that in America, all things are possible. History will recall this time when we crossed paths with the quintessentially American journey of Sonia Sotomayor, and when the country took yet another step forward in fulfilling the promise of our great Nation.

The Republicans certainly did damage to themselves in the eyes of many Latinos. Now, only time will tell if those wounds can be healed.

Rick Santorum Tells President Obama How He And Michelle Obama Should Date

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, now a Fox News contributor, had some interesting dating advice for President Obama and his wife, Michelle.

SANTORUM: And you have an African-American community, particularly in the poor inner city areas, we’re looking at out of wedlock birthrates in three quarters to 75 percent (sic) of children being born out of wedlock. Marriage is an institution that’s a bridge too far for too many African-American woman and is not desirable among African-American males.

Here we have a president of the United States who says that marriage is cool. You have respect for your wife, and you treat her with the respect and dignity that she deserves. And she is part of this team. And it’s not just part of professional team, but it’s also part of a personal, romantic team. I think that’s all great. So I think it’s important that he keeps having his date night. [...]

I think he has to realize that flying to New York is…self-indulgent. Go down to the corner bar and have a drink, a shot and a beer. It does not matter where you go with your wife, is that it’s with your wife.

Not all people in the black community go hang out at the corner bar for a drink, a shot and a beer. It’s difficult for some people (and apparently Rick Santorum) to comprehend, but not all black people hang out at the bar getting drunk. Apparently, Barack and Michelle Obama should not have been so “self-indulgent.” Perhaps Santorum feels they should have taken their black asses down to the corner bar. It seems Rick Santorum thinks lowly of black people.

News Hounds:
http://www.newshounds.us/2009/06/03/fox_news_contributor_rick_santorum_offers_condescending_dating_advice_to_obama.php#more

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/02/santorum-obama-dating/

Author Has Fox News Conservatives Going Nuts

Margery Eagan, a columnist for the Boston Herald, probably did not win any friends on the VERY far-right Fox News Web site, Fox Nation, with a recent piece she wrote.

Here’s a small taste of her column:

It’s been such fun watching the right-wing white boys sputtering over the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, a Hispanic woman nominated by a black man!

“Our world domination’s slip, slip, slipping away,” you can almost hear them whimper. “What to do?”

Well, you can’t dump on the woman thing. That’s more than half the country. Can’t dump on the Hispanic angle. They’ll be more than half the country soon.

Knowing how so many people (particularly the loyal hardcore right-wing followers of Fox News) feel about racial issues, you can imagine the controversy this has sparked.

Boston Herald:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view/2009_05_28_Men_in_throes_of_Supreme_panic/srvc=home&position=2

Fox Nation (check out some of the anger-driven responses):
http://www.thefoxnation.com/politics/2009/05/29/right-wing-white-men-threatened-world-domination-slipping

Greg Gutfeld’s Racist Statement

Conservative commentator Greg Gutfeld is at it again with his nasty comments aimed at U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who would be the first Hispanic woman to be confirmed as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. As we know, a growing number of conservatives have been reaching for ammunition (both real and imagined) to use against the well-qualified Judge Sotomayor (this includes taking her statements out of context and, the irony of all ironies, calling her a racist).

Here is an excerpt from a blog written by Greg Gutfeld:

So President Barack Obama just named federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor as the nominee for the next Supreme Court Justice.

So what do we know about her?

Well, she’s Hispanic.

Also, she’s Puerto Rican.

And…she’s Hispanic.

Plus, she’s Puerto Rican.

Case closed.

That’s the joy of racial politics and the media that swallows it– all you need to know about a person is their racial makeup - and in the words of the cop grimly taping off the bedroom in my vacation condo, there’s “nothing more to see here.”

Gutfeld takes a well-qualified judge, a scholar (a 1976 graduate of Princeton and and a 1979 graduate of Yale Law School) who has worked her way up from meager beginnings, and reduces her to little more than a Hispanic/Puerto Rican woman – as if she is just a token pick. It’s a shameful and unfair smear of a well-qualified judge by the same moron who got his smearing practice by disparaging the Canadian military.

Big Hollywood:
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/05/26/daily-gut-the-reign-of-race/

Great Blog By Crooks And Liars On Republicans Calling Sonia Sotomayor Racist

Crooks and Liars has a story about some of the far right wingers laughably trying to portray Sonia Sotomayor as a racist – if not calling her one outright. It’s the usual far-right individuals talking up that aspect. It all begins, as one might expect, from individuals like current Republican leader Rush Limbaugh and former conservative leaders like Pat Buchanan.

Crooks and Liars:
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/look-whos-calling-sonia-sotomayor-ra

Glenn Beck Attacks Sonia Sotomayor On Race And Gender

From conservative Fox News host Glenn Beck’s radio show: “Hey, Hispanic chick lady! You’re empathetic … you’re in!”

Later in the clip, Beck goes on to make jokes about people who some might consider minorities.

Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200905260041

Keep This In Mind When Conservatives Begin To Smear Sonia Sotomayor Over ‘Policy’ Comment

Media Matters for America is on the case to put into context one of the weapons conservatives will attempt to use against Sonia Sotomayor, the woman who is being nominated by President Barack Obama for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Here is a portion of the Media Matters story:

SUMMARY: Fox News host Jane Skinner asserted that Judge Sonia Sotomayor “is coming under some fire for making some comments that were recorded on tape a while back, saying that it’s her job, really, to make policy from the bench.” In fact, Sotomayor did not say “it’s her job” as a federal circuit court judge to “make policy from the bench.”

Check out the entire article to see the comments put into their full context.

Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/research/200905070035