Sotomayor Hearings

Kevin Drum of Mother Jones comments on the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

The almost manic eagerness of the right to inject race into the Sotomayor nomination at every opportunity is enough to make you ill. It started within minutes of her nomination being announced, and it's continued ever since. Sen. Jeff Sessions took up the reins today.

There's never been any reason for it, of course. It was ostensibly based on one sentence in a speech and one court decision out of hundreds she's made. In reality, it's just because she's a Hispanic liberal and conservatives figure that a race-based attack is the one most likely to resonate with their base. And I suppose they're right, aren't they?

With even Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) acknowledging Sotomayor's impending confirmation "unless you have a complete meltdown," these hearings have taken on more than the usual flavor of political kabuki theater. The statements and "questions" from Senators are addressed less to Sotomayor than to their respective political bases for the purposes of re-election and fund-raising.

Drum's point that GOP Senators are appealing to old conservative themes of alleged "liberal judicial activism" and race-baiting is valid. Given that there is increasing evidence of conservative judicial activism as well as Sotomayor's long and solid judicial record, these appeals come off as cheap demagoguery.

UPDATE: CQ's Craig Crawford has a similar take:

Racially-tinged inferences, snide liberal bashing and the shameless pandering to anti-intellectual sentiment that once won the day for Republicans are now falling flat. The Sotomayor nomination has proved to be yet another test case for the efficacy of traditional conservative attack lines.

Republicans might have hoped to use this hearing to put limits on how far the President can safely go in picking liberals for future openings. Instead, they showcased just how narrow and out of touch their political base has become. It is stunning that the GOP did not learn this lesson in the election of Barack Obama. Until Republicans get past calling 1-800-HATE there will be fewer and fewer voters on the other end of the line.

--Ballard Burgher