Despite the best efforts of Gingrich, Limbaugh and others, Sotomayor's confirmation process probably won't be about race.
For the right, that is exactly what her confirmation is about. All one has to do is consider Newt Gingrich's twitter (which Robinson helpfully supplies): "White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw." All they have is their deep fear and loathing of non-whites; all the other stuff - judicial activism, "empathy", whatever else they toss at her - all comes back to their loathing of the simple fact that she is a puertoriquena. Since Mark Krikorian at National Review is already complaining about the pronunciation of her name being difficult for English speakers, I would like to know what, exactly, is substantive in their complaints.
Racism is all they have left. Since, as most people with a cerebellum seem to understand, Judge Sotomayor's qualifications are excellent, they use the only bit they can fling at her. While I feel very bad that she has to endure the slings and poo of outrageous racists attacking her character, I am beginning to see this as an even more canny appointment by Pres. Obama than before. As their true, hooded and sheeted, lack of color unfolds before the country in their limbic rage at this nomination, the politicians become even more separated from the base of the Republican Party, and opportunities for even more gains by the Democrats become clear.
UPDATE: Given my deepening admiration for the political acumen of Pres. Obama as I contemplate the nomination of Judge Sotomayor, this article at Politico.com, which quotes Lanny Davis, shows that there are some Democrats who really need to shut up.
“She misspoke,” said Lanny Davis, a White House lawyer and spokesman for President Bill Clinton. “Every day that goes by that they don’t say she misspoke and she used the wrong words ... they just feed it and give it life and give Rush [Limbaugh] and [Sean] Hannity more airtime unnecessarily.”
Now he's afraid of Limbaugh and Hannity, the Leopold and Loeb of talk radio? What a coward.
UPDATE II: If you think I'm kidding, check this out:
On MSNBC yesterday, Pat Buchanan repeatedly attacked Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor as an “affirmative action candidate,” echoing right-wing claims that she has “been the recipient of preferential treatment for most of her life.” On Bill Bennett’s radio show this morning, Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes argued “that she’s one of those who has benefited from affirmative action over the years tremendously.” When Bennett noted that she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Princeton, which he called “a pretty big deal,” Barnes dismissed it, saying “I guess it is”
