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America Likes Sotomayor, Especially Democrats and Women
Tweet Share on Facebook May 28, 2009 Comment (2)By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Jack Farrell may argue that Sonia Sotomayor is Sam Alito on the left ("a studious Catholic baby boomer who enlisted in the meritocracy, graduated from prestigious Ivy League schools [Princeton, Yale Law], and served as a federal judge, showing considerable competence, and zero signs of legal artistry or intellectual genius")—and he may be right—but she beats him in at least one regard: initial polling numbers. According to Gallup, 47 percent of Americans rate Sotomayor as an excellent or good choice, while only 33 percent regard her as "only fair" or "poor." (A separate Rasmussen Poll puts the figure at 49-36, with 45 percent favoring her confirmation, 25 percent opposing and 26 percent unsure.) Her net 14 point positive balance in Gallup is only exceeded among this decade's Supreme Court nominees, according to Gallup, by John Roberts (51-34). Alito (43-39) and the unforgettable Harriet Miers (44-41) each received much more mixed initial reactions.
What does this tell us about how Sotomayor would be as a Supreme Court justice? Nothing at all. But it does indicate that the Obama White House handled her roll-out pretty well.
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Newt Gingrich is Wrong--Sotomayor's No Racist, She's Sam Alito of the Left
Tweet Share on Facebook May 28, 2009 Comment (14)By John Aloysius Farrell, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
I disagree with Newt Gingrich.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor's expressed belief that as a Latina who grew up in the public housing projects of New York City, she hopes she makes wiser judgments that the average white guy on the federal bench is far from a disqualifying factor—it is pretty much the best thing she has going for her.
Take away the South Bronx and what do you get: a studious Catholic baby boomer who enlisted in the meritocracy, graduated from prestigious Ivy League schools (Princeton, Yale Law) and served as a federal judge, showing considerable competence, and zero signs of legal artistry or intellectual genius.
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Congress Must Help Military Vote
Tweet Share on Facebook May 28, 2009 Comment (2)By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Keeping active duty U.S. personnel involved in the political process, retired Gunnery Sergeant Jessie Jane Duff told me, is not so much a matter of making sure they vote as it is making sure their votes count.
"A lot of military voters are told they have to get their ballots in 30 days ahead on an election if they are stationed overseas," the 20-year Marine Corps veteran said, "but the mail service that picks up and delivers those ballots is often delinquent. So their ballots often arrive late and, as a result, they're not counted."
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Is Sotomayor Obama's Souter on Abortion Rights?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 27, 2009 Comment (35)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.
David Souter was appointed to the Supreme Court by George H.W. Bush and endorsed by legions of conservatives who thought he was one of them:
Labeled a "home run" for conservatives when he was nominated for a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1990, Justice David Souter has turned out to be anything but. In fact, conservatives now use Souter as an example of the kind of justice they want President George W. Bush to avoid as he deliberates on a replacement for outgoing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.Only one prominent conservative organization, the Conservative Caucus, opposed Souter's nomination 15 years ago. Other conservative groups believed Souter would help overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling legalizing abortion.
Boy were they wrong! Justice Souter became a permanent fixture in the court's most recent four-person progressive minority wing.
Is the same mistake being made in reverse on Judge Sonia Sotomayor?
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Sonia Sotomayor's Mixed Record on Abortion Rights
Tweet Share on Facebook May 27, 2009 Comment (13)By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.
While Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is widely hailed by the right as an activist, liberal judge, there are hints in her record that she may be anything but when it comes to abortion rights.
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Sonia Sotomayor a Role Model for Kids With Diabetes
Tweet Share on Facebook May 27, 2009 Comment (6)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Yesterday, my friends in politics were E-mailing me about the president's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor hours before the announcement. But minutes after his speech, I got another slew of E-mails from a different set of friends: fellow parents of kids with type 1 diabetes. Here's the part of President Obama's speech that was so important to them, no matter what their politics:
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Time to Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell? Most Americans Favor Gays in the Military
Tweet Share on Facebook May 27, 2009 Comment (101)By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
One other item worth noting from the new Gallup poll on Americans' views regarding gays: A huge majority of Americans—69 percent—now support gays being able to serve in the U.S. military.
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The Anonymous Obama Official Fight: Not AP Hypocrisy ... White House Arrogance?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 27, 2009 Comment (5)By John Aloysius Farrell, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Audacity's press secretary, Robert Gibbs, was acting in the finest Chicago tradition when he suggested that bad things might happen to the Associated Press reporter who covers President Obama if she continues to criticize White House aides who hide off-the-record.
Gibbs told the morning paper that he found it "interesting" that Jennifer Loven, the president of the White House Correspondents Association, complained about the background briefings. After all, he said, the AP had relied on unnamed sources when breaking the news that Sonia Sotomayor was Audacity's nominee to the Supreme Court.
"I'm not sure today is the day I'd make that argument," Gibbs said.
Nice business you got here, little lady. It would be a shame if anything were to happen to it.
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New Poll, California Proposition 8 Show We've Got a Ways to Go on Gay Marriage
Tweet Share on Facebook May 27, 2009 Comment (52)By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Yesterday's (correct but frustrating) California Supreme Court decision upholding the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 was such a blow in part because so much progress has been made on marriage equality in recent weeks elsewhere in the country (Maine, Iowa, even New Hampshire, though that progress has stalled). But supporters of gay marriage should not confuse progress with success, a fact reinforced by a new Gallup poll released this morning.
According to the poll, a strong majority of Americans (57 percent) continue to oppose gay marriage (with 40 percent favoring it). The good news is that in digging deeper one can find some reasons for optimism.
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Terry McAuliffe, Huckster or Hustler? The Washington Post Weighs In
Tweet Share on Facebook May 27, 2009 Comment (131)By Sam Dealey, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
In an editorial last week endorsing state senator R. Creigh Deeds in Virginia's upcoming Democratic gubernatorial primary, the Washington Post had this to say of opponent Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee head and Clinton advisor: "Mr. McAuliffe would be an unpredictable choice, a self-described 'huckster' who has vacuumed millions from donors as a Clinton confidante and former head of the Democratic National Committee."
The Post continued:
That's not meant as a dig: Mr. McAuliffe fills a room, and it's easy to imagine him jawboning businesses to move to Virginia or lawmakers to support his agenda. He has proved that he's a quick study who can rattle off facts and figures about the state. Yet, Mr. McAuliffe's promises have been as expansive as his personality, and he has offered no realistic way to foot the bill. It's also unclear whether voters will give Mr. McAuliffe a pass for showing no interest in state politics or governance until setting his sights on the governor's mansion.
Alas, in today's "Corrections," the Post rights a great wrong:
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