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Supreme Idiocy
Author: BobR    Date: 05/27/2009 03:45:04

Once again, the knee-jerks on the right have reflexively swung their feet at President Obama's Supreme Court Justice nominee - and kicked themselves in the butt. Even those on the left that are always ready to find the dark cloud surrounding the silver lining are shaking their heads glumly, certain that Obama has "done it again". What he has done in selecting Judge Sonia Sotomayor is picked the right justice at the right time.

The initial brouhaha was over Obama's use of the word "empathy" in a long list of attributes where he described the criteria he was using when coming to his decision. Naturally, the other attributes were ignored by the pundits:
In a May 4 editorial, the [Washington] Times directly asserted that "[Obama] will become the first president in American history to make lawlessness an explicit standard for Supreme Court justices."

"He has boldly proclaimed that he intends to make sure his nominees to the Supreme Court don't harbor any crusty fealty to the written Constitution, or the millenniums of Western law that undergird its principles, or to the timeless truths that underlie our Declaration of Independence," the paper crusades.
[...]
According to [Media Matters], President George H.W. Bush, announcing Clarence Thomas as his Supreme Court nominee, cited Thomas' "great empathy" as a reason for his nomination.

Oops! That one came back to bite them. What next? How about that bastion of liberal media MSNBC? Chuck Todd - fresh from being embarrassed with his stupid questions at the Obama press conference - sinks even further into irrelevancy:
During the May 26 edition of MSNBC Live, NBC News chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd falsely asserted that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor "is on tape saying, I'm not supposed to say this, but guess what, we legislate from the bench." Todd added, "I think that's going to compel a lot of Republicans on principle; that they will actually be sort of -- they would be lying to their own principles if they somehow supported her." In fact, in the "tape" Todd was apparently referring to -- from a February 25, 2005, Duke University School of Law forum -- Sotomayor did not say that "we legislate from the bench." Rather, responding to a student who asked the panel to contrast the experiences of a district court clerkship and a circuit court clerkship, Sotomayor said that the "court of appeals is where policy is made." Moreover, as NBC News justice correspondent Pete Williams noted earlier in the broadcast, "[E]ven some conservatives and followers of strict constructionism have said that [Sotomayor] was only stating the obvious: that trial judges, district court judges, decide only the cases before them, and that appeals courts, because they are the, you know, above the other courts, do set policy; they do make precedent that governs the other courts."

Who else besides Todd is going with this one? You already know the answer:
From the 9 a.m. hour of the May 26 edition of Fox's America's Newsroom:
[...]
KELLY: Well, I mean, a lot of people think she was promoting it and she was advocating it --

ROVE: Sure. Absolutely.

KELLY: -- and she believes court of appeals justices should make policy or make law, and they would counter, "No, that's what we have elected representatives for."

ROVE: That's right.

(bold-face mine)

Chuck Todd - you're in great company! But of course, FAUX News goes the one step further than just misquoting and taking her statement out of context - they attribute something completely out of thin air to her.

The wingers most recent attacks have been against her intellect. This woman graduated 2nd in her class from Princeton, and was an editor for the Yale Law Review. She has more judicial experience than any of the judges now on the court had when they were nominated. Yet these mental midgets have the audacity to call her a "lightweight"??
"This is someone who clearly was picked because she’s a woman and Hispanic, not because she was the best qualified."
[...]
Similarly, over at the National Review, Ramesh Ponnuru calls Sotomayor “Obama’s Harriet Miers.” This morning on Fox News, Karl Rove questioned whether she was smart enough to be on the Supreme Court. “I’m not really certain how intellectually strong she would be, she has not been very strong on the second circuit,” he said. Citing Rosen, Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes said that Sotomayor was “not the smartest.”

(video at the link)

Where did they get this from? I'm not sure about the timing, but another MSNBC staple - talking head Constitutional Law expert Jonathon Turley - said pretty much the same thing:



Turley - who has been very anti-Obama ever since the inauguration - moderated these statements last night on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, which shows a certain cowardice on Turley's part.

Finally, in what might seem to indicate how desperate they are becoming - the bigots in their midst are showing their hands:
Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) said in a statement today that Sotomayor may be subject to the “undue influence” of her race and gender:

[...]In the months ahead, it will be important for those of us in the U.S. Senate to weigh her qualifications and character as well as her ability to rule fairly without undue influence from her own personal race, gender, or political preferences...

So white men don't aren't influenced by being white and male, yet being Hispanic and female does? How does this idiot keep getting reelected??

Ultimately, all the Democrats need to do is parrot the phrase used by Republicans when Bush was bringing nominees to the table: "up or down vote".

Sauce for the goose...

 

71 comments (Latest Comment: 05/28/2009 00:59:47 by livingonli)
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Comment by BobR on 05/27/2009 13:58:28
And away we go...

Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 13:58:50
Nice blog Bobber.

Comment by velveeta jones on 05/27/2009 13:59:04
CA should definitely work on getting an amendment passed to BAN DIVORCE. That is how you protect marriage!! Hell yeah!!

Comment by TriSec on 05/27/2009 14:14:55
Sorry guys, I've got to be all regional and oppose the Supreme Court nomination on the grounds that she went to Yale. George Bush went to Yale. 'Nuff said.







Comment by wickedpam on 05/27/2009 14:16:15
*gets resettled with coffee and choclate rice cakes*



Morning again :D

Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 14:16:42
MGM!



With the sociopath funfact™

Comment by TriSec on 05/27/2009 14:19:09
Child of the 80s confession:



I have never seen Ferris Beuhler.





Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 14:19:55
Sarah Palin has also chosen the Same Lawyer that represents Newt gingrich...

Comment by Scoopster on 05/27/2009 14:25:12
Quote by TriSec:

Child of the 80s confession:



I have never seen Ferris Beuhler.


Tri, life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. :lol:

Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 14:28:30
Anybody mentioning the fact that 2 of those three lemons in the Whiskey Sour Recipe were appointed by Republicans?

Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 14:30:37
Did anyone mention this yet?





Kin Jong-iL is all atwitter!

Comment by velveeta jones on 05/27/2009 14:36:29
Quote by TriSec:

Child of the 80s confession:



I have never seen Ferris Beuhler.





Oh tsk, tsk!



(Says the woman that never saw Star Wars).

Comment by BobR on 05/27/2009 14:38:52
Quote by Raine:

Anybody mentioning the fact that 2 of those three lemons in the Whiskey Sour Recipe were appointed by Republicans?


Personally, I think the right-wingers should have been the lemons, and the liberals the sugar...

Comment by TriSec on 05/27/2009 14:44:32
Thinking about North Korea....



What if they launched a Nuke and no one cared?





Seriously, I say you want nukes, and missiles and junk? Knock yourself out; we won't care, and we shouldn't report it, either. All he wants is attention.



But if "something" happens to South Korea or Japan, well be prepared to no longer exist.





Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 14:53:23
Another Factoid about Sotomayor: Her nomination to the 2nd Circuit was upheld by the GOP for 15 months. Why you ask?



They were afraid she was being groomed for SCOTUS.

Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 15:02:13
BTW, for those that are wondering where the original source of the *She's not that Bright* meme, and all the other BS being spewed from the right, This is the article.



Anonymous Sources, and unamed quotes. It is a simple RW hit piece that the GOP is running with.



This woman graduated at the top of her class, and yet here we are -- listening to the same racial and gender bashing that always seems to happen when a woman is facing a position of power. I tire of this.

Comment by Scoopster on 05/27/2009 15:07:40
And right wing asshats bitched at us when we lobbied against Alito and his false promises to uphold stare decisis.



Yeah, look who was on the correct side there you dipshits. I've got a right mind to email that moron law professor I contacted back when he was being nominated and chew his sorry ass out.

Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 15:35:29
Quote by Scoopster:

And right wing asshats bitched at us when we lobbied against Alito and his false promises to uphold stare decisis.



Yeah, look who was on the correct side there you dipshits. I've got a right mind to email that moron law professor I contacted back when he was being nominated and chew his sorry ass out.


Sadly Even Sotomayor won't tip the balance of the courts, methinks.

Comment by TriSec on 05/27/2009 15:37:02
On to Dr. Maddow! (finally listening to the Whiskey Sour reference.)



I've got to work Mr. Olbermann back into my schedule next.





Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 15:37:53
Prop 8 is going to the Federal courts.

In a bold move that takes a new approach to achieving marriage equality, two attorneys who argued opposing sides of the 2000 Bush v. Gore lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court have filed a challenge to Proposition 8 in federal court, The Advocate has learned.



Theodore B. Olson, the U.S. solicitor general from 2001 to 2004 under President George W. Bush, and David Boies, a high-profile trial lawyer who argued on behalf of former vice president Al Gore, filed the suit May 22 in U.S. district court on behalf of two California gay couples.



The attorneys argue that relegating same-sex couples to domestic partnerships instead of granting them full marriage rights is a violation of the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
:thud:

Comment by livingonli on 05/27/2009 15:38:28
Good morning everyone.



I still ended up going to bed late. I have to get bed earlier if I am going to get anything done.

Comment by Scoopster on 05/27/2009 15:53:51
I didn't think the Prop 8 decision could even be appealed to the Federal Courts, because it was a question involving the state's constitution. I could understand if the initiative were to become a law, but an amendment is an altogether different beast. And knowing this court and the way it bends on issues involving "states rights" they'll probably throw it back anyways saying so.

Comment by velveeta jones on 05/27/2009 15:57:23
"Genital Powell" :rofl:





Comment by TriSec on 05/27/2009 15:58:46
This seal-heart bit from north of the border boggles the mind...



Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 16:03:47
http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/tools/shared/mediahub/01/39/10/orignal_1103912_HU3QXRa_mike05272009.jpg


Comment by Scoopster on 05/27/2009 16:04:18
Quote by TriSec:

This seal-heart bit from north of the border boggles the mind...



Yeah well nothing surprises me.. remember these are the people who invented curling and toques.

Comment by livingonli on 05/27/2009 16:17:38
Quote by Scoopster:

Quote by TriSec:

This seal-heart bit from north of the border boggles the mind...



Yeah well nothing surprises me.. remember these are the people who invented curling and toques.


And oddly enough, Canada also invented basketball.

Comment by wickedpam on 05/27/2009 16:45:54
seriously, I'm tired of the downer talk about Obama, Thom.



The man never said he was a "liberal" he's always indicated he worked from the middle.

Comment by TriSec on 05/27/2009 16:53:13
[WWII geek]



Why, Bismarck was sunk on this day in 1941!



[/WWII geek]



Comment by wickedpam on 05/27/2009 16:56:39
thank you caller!

Comment by Will in Chicago on 05/27/2009 17:27:16
Excellent post, BobR!



Well, bloggers, I think that we will see the GOP try to throw everything at Sotomayor and fail -- except to alienate even more people. If the GOP only has smear tactics left for its argument, than it deserves to join the dinosaurs, the dodoes, and the Whigs in oblivion. (Okay, in the case of Dennis Hastert, Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh, someone might have to make oblivion a little larger to give them enough room to fit in.)

Comment by TriSec on 05/27/2009 17:49:12
*grunt*



I miss streaming.



SomaFM has links that are supposed to work via a proxy....but I'm afraid to try just yet. I suppose I could shlep my vast jazz library here and start loading it back on my computer. (something I spent weeks doing at athena.) At least I'd have a ready source of music....



Listening to ol' WZLX on the terrestrial radio right now. (I know, how 20th century of me.)



Comment by Scoopster on 05/27/2009 18:03:43
Hypocrite.



http://216.87.173.33/media/2009/0905/twitter_gingrich_sotomayor_racist_090527a.jpg


Comment by Scoopster on 05/27/2009 18:16:55
Comment by Will in Chicago on 05/27/2009 18:19:35
Quote by Scoopster:

Hypocrite.



http://216.87.173.33/media/2009/0905/twitter_gingrich_sotomayor_racist_090527a.jpg




So, this is what the GOP has become -- a party that calls anyone with pride in their heritage and their perspective a bigot. Anyone ever remind Newt Gingrich about the "Southern Strategy" of the GOP, the meetings of Republican leaders with the Conservative Citizens Council, and too many other acts to mention that makes Newt Gingrich commenting on racism as logical as Newt holding himself up as a model of marital fidelity.



Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 18:24:12
How exactly is Sotomayor a racist? Have these Mofo's come up with ANY reason to say this-- other than they want to say it?

Comment by Scoopster on 05/27/2009 18:34:10
From the nytimes.com article.. the part Gingrich is citing is bolded.

(in a speech from 2001) ....Judge Sotomayor questioned the famous notion — often invoked by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her retired Supreme Court colleague, Sandra Day O’Connor — that a wise old man and a wise old woman would reach the same conclusion when deciding cases.



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,” said Judge Sotomayor, who is now considered to be near the top of President Obama’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees.




Of course, this is an obvious twisting of the English Language by Newt.

Comment by livingonli on 05/27/2009 18:36:02
When you look up the word hypocrite in the dictionary you can see Newt's picture.

Comment by Scoopster on 05/27/2009 18:39:08


:rage: Fucking Alito. I knew from the moment he was nominated that he was a lying piece of shit on stare decisis...

Comment by wickedpam on 05/27/2009 18:42:07
Quote by Scoopster:

From the nytimes.com article.. the part Gingrich is citing is bolded.

(in a speech from 2001) ....Judge Sotomayor questioned the famous notion — often invoked by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her retired Supreme Court colleague, Sandra Day O’Connor — that a wise old man and a wise old woman would reach the same conclusion when deciding cases.



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,” said Judge Sotomayor, who is now considered to be near the top of President Obama’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees.




Of course, this is an obvious twisting of the English Language by Newt.








I would hope that a wise GERMAN 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 caps mine



Replace Latina with German and by newts logic I would be a nazi - asshat

Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 18:45:06
Quote by Scoopster:

From the nytimes.com article.. the part Gingrich is citing is bolded.

(in a speech from 2001) ....Judge Sotomayor questioned the famous notion — often invoked by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her retired Supreme Court colleague, Sandra Day O’Connor — that a wise old man and a wise old woman would reach the same conclusion when deciding cases.



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,” said Judge Sotomayor, who is now considered to be near the top of President Obama’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees.




Of course, this is an obvious twisting of the English Language by Newt.
I guess the only solution to Racist and Gender politics is to just nominate white men, huh?



Comment by Scoopster on 05/27/2009 19:09:16
This recent publicity blitz by Mr. Salamander has made me do something rash, I'm afraid.. I've making a Facebook group called "1,000,000 Strong Against Newt Gingrich for President 2012".





Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 19:12:56
Quote by wickedpam:

Quote by Scoopster:

From the nytimes.com article.. the part Gingrich is citing is bolded.

(in a speech from 2001) ....Judge Sotomayor questioned the famous notion — often invoked by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her retired Supreme Court colleague, Sandra Day O’Connor — that a wise old man and a wise old woman would reach the same conclusion when deciding cases.



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,” said Judge Sotomayor, who is now considered to be near the top of President Obama’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees.




Of course, this is an obvious twisting of the English Language by Newt.








I would hope that a wise GERMAN 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 caps mine



Replace Latina with German and by newts logic I would be a nazi - asshat
Allow me to make this even more simple...



I would hope that a wise 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.



That is pretty much what Ruth Bader Ginsburg has said in the past. So now ALL women who are not white MUST be racist? And therefore along that line of thinking -- all women MUST be sexist because we actually DO have better experience with things like-- BEING A WOMAN!



Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 19:18:00
I like the fact that she has a different perspective from White men. Sory my fellow bloggy friends. It comes down to that. The GOP is not only attacking the entire hispanic community- they are attacking women. I cannot even begin to tell you how angry I am about this.



I am a woman-- I don't HAVE to be a latina Woman to understand at least PART of her life story. F*CKERS.

Comment by livingonli on 05/27/2009 19:18:45
Quote by Raine:

Quote by Scoopster:

From the nytimes.com article.. the part Gingrich is citing is bolded.

(in a speech from 2001) ....Judge Sotomayor questioned the famous notion — often invoked by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her retired Supreme Court colleague, Sandra Day O’Connor — that a wise old man and a wise old woman would reach the same conclusion when deciding cases.



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,” said Judge Sotomayor, who is now considered to be near the top of President Obama’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees.




Of course, this is an obvious twisting of the English Language by Newt.
I guess the only solution to Racist and Gender politics is to just nominate white men, huh?



Right-wingers are nostalgic for the day when everything was done by white males. Because of their mediocrity that is the only way they stood a chance of getting ahead.

Comment by wickedpam on 05/27/2009 19:25:15
Quote by Raine:

I like the fact that she has a different perspective from White men. Sory my fellow bloggy friends. It comes down to that. The GOP is not only attacking the entire hispanic community- they are attacking women. I cannot even begin to tell you how angry I am about this.



I am a woman-- I don't HAVE to be a latina Woman to understand at least PART of her life story. F*CKERS.






have they even offered up names of people they would have preferred?

Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 19:35:02
Anyone listening to Randi?





Comment by Raine on 05/27/2009 19:36:30
Quote by wickedpam:

have they even offered up names of people they would have preferred?
Of course not.



They are taking this opportunity to show how sexist they really are. They are not just alienating the hispanic voters-- but you betcha cherlie--- Women too.







Comment by TriSec on 05/27/2009 19:52:16
Quote by Raine:

Of course not.



They are taking this opportunity to show how sexist they really are. They are not just alienating the hispanic voters-- but you betcha cherlie--- Women too.











Which is why the President and the Nominee should just sit back and let this play itself out. I said it before; I think this is a rather shrewd choice. Woman and Hispanic, the two most hated things in the GOP cannon. Pity she wasn't a lesbian on top of that, but maybe the next nominee will be gay.



I suppose all we need is Newt or Hannity to hold up a list of "200 women in the State Department" or something like that...