I streamed much of the first day of the Sotomayor hearings in my office today. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) wins the award for most realistic Republican on the Judiciary Committee. He told Sotomayor that her confirmation was essentially a given as long as she didn't choke, and he hinted that because he thought presidents deserve deference regarding their judicial picks, he might be a Yes vote. (I agree with him. If I were in the Senate, I would have voted at least for Roberts, and maybe for Alito.)
Other Republicans spent the afternoon telling Sotomayor how she is a bigot and a racist and that her biases might be too much to overlook when deciding how to cast their vote--this in front of her mother who worked two jobs to put food on the table.
But here's the thing. The Democrats have 58 active senators right now, excluding Byrd and Kennedy. That is enough to secure confirmation. I understood the reasoning behind the bluster about opposing her nomination in the build up to today's hearing: to raise money for conservative interest groups (even at the expense of sacrificing some Hispanic support for the GOP). But I don't see why they persist now that the moment is at hand. She's in, guys. Bullying her today in front of the cameras and in front of her family was incredibly self-defeating, and it made her look even more sympathetic than she already did.
Cartoon: Kristi Noem's dogs
1 hour ago
I watched as well. You wonder why they made her sit through that today. She could’ve watched on TV from the Marriott. Tomorrow will be slightly more interesting. Instead of grandstanding for ten minutes like they did today, the senators will grandstand for nine and a half minutes – and then ask either a softball or a grossly unfair non-question about “judicial restraint”, “legislating from the bench” or the cockfights run by her great, great grandfather’s cousin’s babydaddy in Puerto Rico.
ReplyDeleteBut I’ll be tuned in. Cause I’m a nerd like that.