No filibuster, but Sotomayor battle still looms

Thursday 28th May, 07:00 AM JST

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SezWho2 at 09:21 PM JST - 29th May

Well, I strongly believe that judges should rule on what is in the Constitution. For Supreme Court justices, that is exactly what they often have to do.

That is the question: what is in the Constitution?
smithinjapan at 09:39 PM JST - 29th May

teleprompter: "is a Rasmussen poll taken during our last presidential campaign:"

So, we have a guy quoting polls when only yesterday he says:

"(teleprompter at 06:20 PM JST - 28th May - "Polls" are important in Europe, where they are one of many devices used to tell the sheeple what to think, but in America they mean little."

So which is it, teleprompter? Which of the flip-flops you've been doing day in and day out do you actually believe... or does it just change when it suits you, like your support of, ahem, in the words of biggest Republican in recent history, "...a goddamn piece of paper!"?

Hahaha. That was a rhetorical question. But it does beg the question of how you could possibly convince yourself that someone doesn't know about the article when he points out a quote saying, “Republicans actually believe the Constitution means something" and counters that with two of the biggest Republicans in history saying, "It's outdated", and just a "Goddamn piece of paper". Sorry, but spin all you like, that certainly doesn't sound like it means much to them at all.

But, once again, I challenge you to explain how the constitution means more to men like bush, who say what he said and pi$$ed on the constitution with the Patriot Act, and less to people like the Democrats who actually stand up for it and deride such comments like those made by bush and gonzo, and then fight against the Patriot Act to defend the rights guaranteed by the constitution.

Again, try not to spin, and try directly to answer my questions. I know you won't be able to, because it would require you to admit that your logic on this thread is fundamentally and utterly flawed.

Gawd, man, you still haven't denied you linked the idea that an African-American president (first ever) nominating a Latino woman for Supreme Court judge somehow means Liberals want 'blacks' back at the plantations!

Seriously, dude....

At least your last post to yabits made a LITTLE bit of sense.
JoeBigs at 10:06 PM JST - 29th May
teleprompter at 01:39 PM JST - 29th May Sotomayor is a member of National Council of La Raza, which is basically a supremacist group advocating secession. http://www.abanet.org/publiced/hispanic_s.html She's a racist who needs to be borked.

Oh my god NOOOOOooOOOOooooOOOo, this can not be, she is a member of a Hispanic civil rights group! I can not believe this, the world is going to be subverted by this evil far left wing nominee! The very fabric a wholesome red blooded Americans is in danger!.....

Hey I have a great idea, let us see who are partners with this Stalin like group!

Ok let's see who are the Companies who support this evil group!
1. The Allstate Corporation
2. Bank of America
3. The Coca-Cola Company
4. Citi
5. Fannie Mae
6. Freddie Mac
7. Ford Motor Company
8. General Motors Corporation
9. PepsiCo Foundation
10. The PMI Group, Inc.
11. State Farm Insurance Companies
12. UPS
13. Univision
14. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Ok, let's make sure every red blooded American boycotts these far left groups......

OK now let's see what the agenda of this pinko group is!

the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States – works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.

errrr wait, wait a minute....Ah La Raza is a Hispanic civil right group!

Ah Teleprompter, is there something wrong with civil right?

I did not get the memo you got, so could you please share with the rest of us, what is wrong with civil right?

http://www.nclr.org/
smithinjapan at 11:32 PM JST - 29th May

Again, good on Obama for choosing someone based on qualifications, and adding a little mix to the others on the Supreme Court. Despite teleprompter saying for three days that a certain Hispanic Civil Right's Group is a group of racists, we all know he made a good choice, and we know it's a choice the GOP or the very, very small group that would fight her simply to stand up against Obama cannot win.
teleprompter at 10:48 AM JST - 30th May

Ouch!

Associated Press: “Sotomayor did not live her entire childhood in a housing project in the South Bronx — she spent most of her teenage years in a middle-class neighborhood, attending private school and winning scholarships to Princeton and then Yale. And Sotomayor’s life and lifestyle after law school largely resemble the background of many lawyers who rise to powerful positions in Washington.” But there’s also this: “Her ethnic consciousness was apparent in the earliest days of her career, in the New York City prosecutor’s office.”
yabits at 01:16 PM JST - 30th May

Sotomayor did not live her entire childhood in a housing project...

LOL! No. Only MOST of it. And the neighborhood she moved to for Catholic high school was blue collar, lower middle class.

She's a real American success story, and an inspiration.

As for "her ethnic consciousness" being apparent, what doesn this mean outside of the fact that she spent a lot of time as a volunteer to help members of the Puerto Rican community? I guess that's something only a Republican could hate.
yabits at 01:23 PM JST - 30th May

What is very interesting about the AP story on Sotomayor that teleprompter quoted is this tidbit:

"Yet years ago, during a recruiting dinner in law school at Yale, Sotomayor objected when a law firm partner asked whether she would have been admitted to the school if she weren't Puerto Rican, and whether law firms did a disservice by hiring minority students the firms know are unqualified and will ultimately be fired."

Anyone want to guess about the ethnic background of this "parter?"

When Sotomayor, who graduated from Princeton with highest honors, talks about white men who "haven't lived the life," you can bet she's referring to incidents like this.
teleprompter at 01:46 PM JST - 30th May

When Sotomayor, who graduated from Princeton with highest honors, talks about white men who "haven't lived the life," you can bet she's referring to incidents like this.

She's one quarter "Puerto Rican." She looks "white" to me. I couldn't care less.

The idea that her skin pigmentation and gender make her somehow more qualified to interpret the Constitution is ludicrous.

It's particularly galling coming from the Left, still patting themselves on the back because Obama has cleared funding for a single line of stem cell research, legislation which supposedly proves "liberals" are champions of rational, scientific thought.
JoeBigs at 02:28 PM JST - 30th May

teleprompter at 10:48 AM JST - 30th May Ouch! Associated Press: “Sotomayor did not live her entire childhood in a housing project in the South Bronx — she spent most of her teenage years in a middle-class neighborhood, attending private school and winning scholarships to Princeton and then Yale.

Oh my god, no! A Hispanic family going from the projects to a middle class neighborhood! What would the neighbor think?

I do not know about anyone else but I think her story is a success story. More positive is she did not forget her families roots....

BRAVO ZULU to her and her family for living the American dream. Too bad not all Americans see it that way...
smithinjapan at 03:07 PM JST - 30th May

"It's particularly galling coming from the Left, still patting themselves on the back because Obama has cleared funding for a single line of stem cell research, legislation which supposedly proves "liberals" are champions of rational, scientific thought."

Hey, talk to your Republican ex-president if you want to ask who are more the champions of scientific thought. Granted, even 90% of bush fans were against his stance on stem-cell research and science, but since you brought in that off-topic little tidbit to show your utter disdain for bush, just thought I'd counter.

As to the person in question on the thread, it doesn't matter whether your Republican or Democrat, or not American altogether, Obama made a good choice for all Americans, including you. Good choices for the US often reflect on other nations in a positive manner. If countries as supposedly great as the US are willing to reflect the multi-ethnicity of their society, others cannot ignore their own. It's even better that she's as qualified as anyone else, and therefore the idea that it's preferential treatment based on race/gender (and don't forget when bush chose Rice you guys were jumping up and down about how far advance the bush White House is) is sheer and utter foolishness -- THAT's why the Republicans can't win in an attempt to filibuster, and would only come off looking more like morons.

Good job, Obama.
teleprompter at 04:47 PM JST - 30th May

A Hispanic family going from the projects to a middle class neighborhood! What would the neighbor think?

Funny, I don't recall Clarence Thomas' rise out of truly abject poverty to SCOTUS nomination - and by the sort of patriotic old "white" Republican that race hustlers like Sotomayor insist don't appreciate life's hardships - making the liberal media reach for their little hankies to dab their tear-filled eyes.
JoeBigs at 07:49 PM JST - 30th May

teleprompter at 04:47 PM JST - 30th May A Hispanic family going from the projects to a middle class neighborhood! What would the neighbor think? Funny, I don't recall Clarence Thomas' rise out of truly abject poverty to SCOTUS nomination - and by the sort of patriotic old "white" Republican that race hustlers like Sotomayor insist don't appreciate life's hardships - making the liberal media reach for their little hankies to dab their tear-filled eyes.

"What you talking about Willis?", We went from talking about a nominee to now talking about a Supreme Court justice.......

OK since you asked, Justice Thomas had it rough and he too is a shining example of America. He was very poor and his family had nothing and he rose to the highest office in the land. His story is truly American.

Teleprompter you do bring some very confusing things to the table......

Now can you get back to talking about your points, or should I say talking points about the present nominee......
Hopfly at 09:21 PM JST - 30th May

>

When she goes on to add that she "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," the key words are "wise" are "experiences" not "Latina woman" or "white male".

No, the key word here is "better", that was her mistake.
SezWho2 at 08:31 AM JST - 31st May

No, the key word here is "better", that was her mistake.

Not so. Substitute "white male" for "Latina woman" and it's very clear what she is talking about.
yabits at 09:11 PM JST - 3rd June

[The New Republic] published their reservations about Sotomayor weeks before Obama nominated her.

Here is what Jeffery Rosen has updated, regarding Sotomayor: "In my view the strongest case to be made for Sotomayor is not her inspiring life story: Clarence Thomas overcame similar personal obstacles, but far from giving him a sense of empathy, his background has created a sense of anger and ideological rigidity. Instead, the strongest case to be made for Sotomayor is the idea that the range of her experience--as a trial judge, appellate judge, and commercial litigator--might give her the humility to recognize that courts participate in a dialogue with the political branches when it comes to defining constitutional rights, rather than having the last word. This hope, however, flies in the face of the idea that she will be a liberal counterpart to Antonin Scalia--a fierce and eloquent advocate for liberal views. And she does not have the range of political experience of the politicians Obama considered--Janet Napolitano and Jennifer Granholm. For these reasons, the role she will, in fact, play on the Court is difficult to discern from her record.

"Conservatives are already citing my initial piece on Sotomayor as a basis for opposing her. This willfully misreads both my piece and the follow-up response. My concern was that she might not make the most effective liberal voice on the Court--not that she didn't have the potential to be a fine justice. Questions of temperament are often overlooked, but history suggests that they are the most relevant in predicting judicial success. (Justice Scalia may be a brilliant bomb-thrower, but has failed in his attempts to build coalitions and bipartisan majorities.) Now is the time to think more broadly about the role Justice Sotomayor is likely to play on the Supreme Court, and I look forward to doing that in the weeks ahead.

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2009/05/26/the-sotomayor-nomination.aspx