The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court has taken a very severe and dangerous turn of late. The attacks against her as a person, a woman, and a minority have taken on a vicious tone that is not only causing a civil war within the Republican Party, but potentially setting up the first stages of a race war among Americans.`
When Judge Sotomayor was nominated, much was made of the fact that if appointed, she would be the second woman actively on the Court AND the first Hispanic ever appointed. In an historical year when the first African-American ever was inaugurated as President of the United States, the rise of a Puerto Rican woman from the South Bronx to the nation’s highest court was also of great historical measure. But in keeping with their long standing position to “JUST SAY NO” to any and everything Mr. Obama presents, and in their interest to fight the Democrats at every turn in hopes of salvaging their own relevance, Republicans chose to obstruct. But have they gone too far?
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Although RNC Chairman Michael Steele is the “official” supposed leader of the Republican Party, rogue members such as Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich and others have run amok with their own individual agendas and opinions against Judge Sotomayor. Instead of embracing the historical importance of adding the second woman and first Hispanic to the Court, these Republicans are using the nomination to fuel the flames of racial and gender divisions to (hopefully) their own advantage. But these same Republicans have seemingly either forgotten or just don’t care that their national party is in turmoil; that their national party is trying to attract, not alienate Hispanics; and that their national party already has MANY existing Hispanic members, who are taking the attacks against Judge Sotomayor as attacks against ALL Hispanics — and they are NOT happy!
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White male conservative Republicans are aggressively painting Sonia Sotomayor as an unqualified bigot. Pat Buchannan pulled no punches in calling her an “anti-white liberal judicial activist” as well as a “lightweight” who “covers up her intellectual inadequacy by bullying from the bench.” Former Congressman Tom Tancredo, on Friday, called Sotomayor a member of the “Latino KKK.” But these attacks have caused many Hispanic Republicans to cringe, as they are both stunned and outraged at the passion behind the personal choice of attacks being lobbed against a woman who could make history within their community. “Of course this disturbs me,” said Lionel Sosa, an influential Hispanic media adviser in the GOP. “I’m not surprised at Rush Limbaugh but I’m very surprised at Speaker Gingrich because he is one of the key people who knows the importance of the Latino vote to the Republican Party. He must realize how his rhetoric, if it does influence any Hispanics, how damaging it could be. This [confirmation] is something that is going to happen anyway. For a senator to have strong opposition to her, they are either not aware of the impact Latinos will have on the next election or they don’t care.” Former Rep. Henry Bonilla of Texas called these type remarks “outrageous,” saying “credibility goes down the drain when you hear something like that.”`
Taking on the nation’s first Hispanic Supreme Court nominee by calling her a racist is certainly not at all helpful for the GOP’s already shaky roots within that community. It’s political suicide, as it creates huge potential for a massive defection of offended Hispanics to the Democratic party, further crippling the GOP. But with the lack of true leadership within a party that was already sinking, the “every man for himself” mentality that began this budding race war is 100% certain to backfire. It’s only just a matter of time.
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I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: The GOP is on a suicide mission driven by Hatred, and Fear of “Others”. They’re desperate in their use of the most reprehensible tactics to maintain whatever power they still wield over their followers who are gullible at best_and DANGEROUS,paranoid PSYCHOS at worst, capable of committing all kinds of domestic terrorist acts against those they see as "the enemy." Which brings me to another story unfolding: The Death of Dr. Tiller by a Chritianist terrorist:“When Jim D. Adkisson walked into the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church with 76 rounds and a shot-gun, he killed 2 people and was charged with murder. His motive was "he hated the liberal movement" and was upset with "liberals in general as well as gays." He should have been charged with terrorism.” Hat-Tip: Shaynne Moore-Huffpost:Yesterday, Dr. George Tiller, a vocal proponent of abortion rights, was shot… Read more »