Watching the Sotomayor confirmation hearings I cannot help but react to the "two wise Latinas" testifying. Clearly there was a somewhat radical Chicana that sat on the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund and that the La Raza group is salivating to see seated. Remarkably, there is also a stoic judge here that purports to be an impartial strict legal constructionist. It's that dichotomy that is driving the right-wing Repubs crazy. Sotomayor is tap dancing as fast as she can to distance herself from any radical comments she might have made while inspiring young Latino legal wannabes.
I find it kind of amusing. Italian and Irish Americans got their "come-uppin's" years ago. It was not politically astute to be an angry Irishman (or woman). We had to amalgamate into the American melting pot and like a well-trained dog accept our Anglo label (which still gets my Irish ire up.) A good-looking, clean, calm, affluent Irish American John F Kennedy was acceptable to be elected president in 1960. My dad, who had to change his name from O'Hagan to Hagans (in the early 1900's) was amazed. Nearly fifty years later, a good-looking, calm, affluent, well-spoken black man was acceptable material for President. The obvious question that is veiled in these politically-correct hearings, is whether the Senate is ready to confirm a card-carrying La Razan to the Supreme Court.
Let's be honest -- a lot of Americans are as intimidated by a La Raza/Chicana/Puerta Rican radical as they were a fist pumping black man named Obama. But if the real goal of La Raza Cosmica (One Race) is to be realized, we're all gonna have to stew in that U.S. melting pot that is "us." America has more minorities than "white" people (whatever that means). The One Race is not going to be Aryan the way Nazi's or the Klan wanted, nor Hispanic of the Iberian Pennisula variety. It's going to be a big mish-mash of everyone. So, with Hispanics or more correctly Latinos the largest growing population group, just confirm her. I just wish she would embrace her heritage rather than act like the milk-toast namby-pamby politicians interrogating her. Political pandering sucks!
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PS - I wanted to say somewhere in there it would take a PhD in Sociology to figure out all the roots and heritage of the "Raza" / Latino labels. Click the title (or here) for one perspective on "Raza."
And, it would require another entry to wax activist on arms and abortion -- the other major topics at the hearing.
PPS -- if we're going to analyze the definition of Raza, perhaps good to review the term Aryan, also. Click for the famous Wiki definition ;)
The hearings are something of a joke, from all I read, but fortunately I haven't actually seen any of it. It's a circus I can do without, having plenty of pointless circuses to attend and distract without adding another one.
However, I'm not too concerned that Sotomayor is pandering, as you say, to the clowns. There's a reasonably intelligent set of commentaries at the NY Times from legal minds on these proceedings (http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/the-sotomayor-hearings-a-waste-of-time/) and Charles Fried (professor of law and former US Solicitor General) made an revealing comment about this pandering:
"Tom Korologos, who had been assigned by the Reagan Administration to guide me through my confirmation hearings to be solicitor general, explained to me at the time that for a nominee the purpose of a confirmation hearing is to be confirmed, not — as Judge Robert Bork evidently thought — to engage and best the senators in debate."
Of course, Sotomayor having to suck up so much hot air and pretend to be a refrigerator must indeed be frustrating and debilitating. I'm sure the temptations to let fly and indeed engage in debate must be present.
What's interesting (and not necessarily so flattering to Sotomayor) is a point Greenwald makes: that her record of being a mechanistic adherent to the law is something that republicans of all people should embrace. Greenwald says that republicans, if true to their own philosophies, should be her greatest supporters.
To me this indicates that the old boys club, that white male domain, runs more deeply and powerfully in these boobs than their partisan sentiments. As indeed racism and tribalism runs more deeply in us as a species than any ideation will ever reach. So naturally, right wingers, being more honestly devoted to our animal natures than liberals, would feel threatened by a female Hispanic infecting the group think of such an august body.
I suppose, whatever my reservations about her judicial record, that I'd have to agree with you - that melting that supreme court pot and blurring the racial and ethnic lines can only be to the good in the long haul.
But as for supreme court decisions, with her or without her, we're still going to be in trouble for some time to come.
Thank god for NY Mayor Bloomberg who said aloud what many of us have been thinking -- isn't it about time to have diversity on the Supreme Court? Isn't that the point of having nine members? Coming from a wealthy white male politician it's even more poignant.
Terry, as for the boobs -- hmmmmm ;) Thx, tho for posting!!
Oops -- wanted to add I haven't really felt the hearings are a circus. Everyone has been very respectful and professional. Not like the crazy coke can comments and outrageous testimony for Justice Thomas. So far, it's been dignified and fun to watch, actually. Perhaps the most "fun" was when the Alabama (R) Senator Sessions lost his mind and yelled out to Wade Henderson, black Civil Rights leader testifying at the hearing, "We're gonna do that crack cocaine thing!" ???
I saw it and it was unbelievably strange. He later apologized and said he "mis-spoke." Hard to bring up the wise Latina line after that ;)
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