The media's response to Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court was markedly positive last night and this morning. In addition to front-page headlines across the country, the coverage included the lead stories on all three networks (which devoted a combined 26 minutes and 55 seconds to the story). Overall, President Barack Obama's choice of Sotomayor was warmly received by commentators. Obama was "reaching for history," says the AP. The Politico, meanwhile, says the President "has again swept away historic barriers of race and ethnicity." Calling Sotomayor "a proud project of the Bronx," NBC Nightly News said a "difference is being felt" in her home borough "among those who dare to dream just like she did." ABC World News reported that the nominee is "known as a rigorous inquisitor of lawyers in her court" who "prides herself on staying in touch with her humble origins."
Media coverage tends to cast Sotomayor as hard to pigeonhole as a left-wing jurist -- and her pick as a shrewd political choice by Obama. It was a "savvy political choice," the Wall Street Journal reports, while The Politico says Sotomayor "will greatly please two powerful constituencies in his own party -- women and Hispanics." The Wall Street Journal says in 2008, Obama "received more than 60% of the Hispanic vote, according to exit polls, to 32% for Republican rival Sen. John McCain."
The Wall Street Journal says that Sotomayor's "record...puts her within the mainstream of Democratic judicial appointees. But she also sided with large corporations in some cases that show she didn't always take a standard liberal view." The New York Times describes Sotomayor's "judicial opinions" as "marked by diligence, depth and unflashy competence."
The Politico, in a story titled "Key Cases Reveal Few Clues," reports that on "three of the hottest hot-button issues during her 17 years as a judge -- abortion, gun control and affirmative action," Sotomayor "resolved the cases in ways that complicate critics' efforts to peg her as a liberal."
The Financial Times reports, "If Republicans were secretly hoping...Obama would nominate a liberal ideologue to the Supreme Court, then his choice of Sonia Sotomayor is likely to disappoint." NBC Nightly News also reported that "three years after the first President Bush made her a Federal judge, she ended a Major League Baseball strike in 1995."
The CBS Evening News noted that Obama "met Sotomayor for the first time last Thursday for an hour-long discussion in the Oval Office." Monday evening, "he made his decision among four finalists, all women. He called Sotomayor with the news about 9:00 PM."
In one discordant note, the Washington Times reports that with Judge Sotomayor "already facing questions over her 60 percent reversal rate, the Supreme Court could dump another problem into her lap next month if, as many legal analysts predict, the court overturns one of her rulings upholding a race-based employment decision."
Media reports describe Republicans as caught in a political dilemma on the nomination of Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, and conflicted on how to proceed. The Washington Post says "an all-out assault on Sotomayor by Republicans could alienate both Latino and women voters, deepening the GOP's problems after consecutive electoral setbacks." Yet "sidestepping a court battle could be deflating to the party's base and hurt efforts to rally conservatives going forward."
ABC World News said that "with a solid majority of Democrats in the Senate, Republicans concede they just don't have the votes" to defeat the nomination. Republicans are also "saying privately that" this "first Latino nominee...will be very difficult, politically, to oppose." Also on ABC World News, George Stephanopoulos said of possible GOP opposition to Sotomayor, "As one White House official told me today, he said, 'I dare them to.'"
The Washington Times reports "Republicans kept relatively quiet Tuesday, promising to offer her a fair hearing," while the Financial Times says "Republicans gave conflicting signals as to how strongly they would oppose" Sotomayor, and "business groups were non-committal." USA Today, for example, quotes RNC chairman Michael Steele saying that "Republicans 'will reserve judgment on Sonia Sotomayor until there has been a thorough and thoughtful examination of her legal views.'"
The Hill reports that Sen. Jeff Sessions "told the Hill before Obama made his choice known that whomever the president picked would receive tougher scrutiny from Senate Republicans than former President Bill Clinton's Supreme Court picks." He also "said it would be difficult for the Senate to confirm the pick before the August recess." The Politico reports that the possibility of a "filibuster is a particularly thorny issue for Senate Republicans, who railed against the Democrats for trying the tactic against Alito."
Roll Call says Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) is "warning Republicans against criticizing Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, saying it will hurt their party's standing with Hispanics."
Meanwhile, The Politico reports "conservatives plan to cast Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as a left-wing activist judge who is occasionally blinded by her own feelings and personal politics," or at least "that's the portrait that emerges from the opposition research that began circulating in the moments after news broke Tuesday morning that...Obama intended to nominate her."
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The Wall Street Journal reports conservative groups are "stepping up the battle against Democrats' proposed health-system overhaul with advertising campaigns contending that the changes could result in long waits for surgery and difficulty obtaining prescription drugs." In one example, Americans for Prosperity Foundation, "a conservative advocacy organization, on Wednesday plans to launch a $1.7 million television-advertising campaign that negatively likens the U.S. health-care system envisioned by lawmakers to Canada's publicly administered system."
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports President Obama's campaign "to cut health costs by $2 trillion over the next decade, announced with fanfare two weeks ago, may have hit another snag: the nation's antitrust laws." Antitrust lawyers "say doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and drug makers will be running huge legal risks if they get together and agree on a strategy to hold down prices and reduce the growth of health spending."
ABC World News reported that California's Supreme Court "upheld the ban on same sex marriages, known as Proposition 8, that was approved by California voters last November. But the court said the marriages of 18,000 gay couples who wed while it was still legal in California, will stand." The CBS Evening News said that "for supporters of same-sex marriage, today's ruling was a bitter defeat." NBC Nightly News reported that "at a protest here in Los Angeles, gay marriage supporters promised to take their fight back to voters, continuing the legal see-saw battle into next year."
The Los Angeles Times also says the decision "virtually ensures another fight at the ballot box over marriage rights for gays. Gay rights activists say they may ask voters to repeal the marriage ban as early as next year, and opponents have pledged to fight any such effort." In an analysis piece, the Los Angeles Times says Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he "would abide by the Supreme Court's ruling...but that he believes gay couples should have the right to marry and would obtain it someday through an initiative or the courts."
In The Hill, Rep. Tom McClintock (R CA) is quoted as saying, "It was legally correct, and I think the Court put interpretation of the law above its own policy biases." Rep. Brad Sherman (D CA) said, "From a policy perspective, I'm disappointed. The Court's decision focuses on very technical issues of amendment versus revision in the California Constitution."
Polls Show Attitudes On Gay Rights Shifting USA Today notes that a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll "of 1,015 Americans taken May 7-10 showed 57% oppose same-sex marriage, while 69% say gay men and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military and teach elementary school." The survey revealed "a shift over the past 15 years on these issues, but it also showed that same-sex marriage remains a line that many are unwilling to cross."
However, the Washington Post reports that "a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll showed for the first time more people in favor of legal marriage than opposed. And support for marriage of gay couples is significantly higher among younger adults -- particularly those under age 30, nearly half of whom 'strongly support' it -- than it is among older Americans."
Media reports noted the Conference Board's release of consumer confidence figures showed unexpected strength. USA Today reports consumer confidence "soared to the highest level in eight months in May, trouncing analysts' estimates, as Americans grew optimistic that the job market and business conditions will improve before year's end." The "broad measure of consumer sentiment jumped to 54.9, up from 40.8 in April, surpassing analysts' average forecast of about 43 and marking the biggest monthly increase in six years."
The Wall Street Journal reports stocks "surged on Tuesday, snapping a four-session losing streak, after a jump in consumer confidence offset a weak report on housing prices." The Dow Jones Industrial Average "jumped 196.17 points, or 2.4%, to end at 8473.49, the best point and percentage gains since May 18, as all but two of its components gained." The S&P 500-stock index "rose 23.33 points, or 2.6%, to 910.33," and the Nasdaq Composite Index "rose 58.42 points, or 3.5% to 1750.43."
Home Prices Fall 19.1% On Annual Basis The AP reports national home prices "are at levels not seen since the end of 2002, but a closer look at data released Tuesday shows the worst may be over for some cities." The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller National Home Price index "reported home prices tumbled by 19.1 percent in the first quarter compared to the first quarter last year, the largest drop in its 21-year history." The Wall Street Journal reports, "Separately, the monthly numbers showed 15 of 20 major metropolitan areas posted price declines of more than 10% from a year earlier, with the Sun Belt continuing to be hit hardest."
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The Chicago Sun-Times reports, "In a Nov. 13 conversation recorded by the FBI" and released by a judge yesterday, Illinois Sen. Roland Burris (D) "told Rod Blagojevich's brother he feared he'd 'catch hell,' with the public if he gave the governor money at the same time he was lobbying for a Senate seat appointment. Still, Burris ends the call with a promise: 'I will personally do something. OK? And it will come to you before the 15th of December.'" Burris "did not disclose" that promise "to an Illinois House impeachment panel in sworn testimony after Rod Blagojevich appointed him to the U.S. Senate." The Chicago Tribune adds Burris "even mentioned having his attorney make the donation -- a notion that could have violated state election law against hiding donations. Burris' attorney said he advised against such a move, and Burris never made such a donation and held no fundraisers for Rod Blagojevich." The Politico says "the newly disclosed details raise fresh questions about the circumstances surrounding Burris' Dec. 30 appointment by" then-Gov. Blagojevich.
The AP reports that President Barack Obama on Tuesday "launched a two-day, three-stop Western trip that will devote more time to fundraising than to public policy. At Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Obama headlined an evening fundraiser for" Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and "plans to host a fundraiser for the" DNC "at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles." The Las Vegas Sun says Reid "has proved a pivotal partner in helping Obama shepherd his agenda through Congress in the administration's first 100 days. And, even with Democratic majorities in Congress, the president will need Reid to corral a politically diverse caucus as Obama tackles the more difficult terrain of energy policy and health care reform." In a story headlined "Obama wants Reid around for the long haul, The Hill reports, "Aides estimated the VIP reception and subsequent, larger fundraiser would add about $2 million to Reid's warchest. He has already raised about $5 million and still has no opponent."
The New York Daily News reports a Siena College poll of 622 registered New York Voters shows Gov. David Paterson (D) with an 18% approval rating, and has him trailing state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) 70%-19% in the primary and Rudy Giuliani (R) 59%-41% in the general. CNN says the poll shows Paterson's "re-elections chances remain slender," and the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle adds, "Only 15 percent of voters would elect" Paterson "next year, when he plans to seek election, the poll found. 'Voters are continuing to deliver bad news to the governor,' said Siena poll spokesman Steven Greenberg."
The New York Times reports that Rep. Anthony Weiner (D), "the one-time front-runner" for Mayor of NYC "who became a frustrated sideline player," announces in an Op-Ed page article in today's Times that he is ending his campaign. While Wiener says in his op-ed that he isn't running because he doesn't believe that Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) can be beaten, the New York Daily News reports the decision "follows the Queens Democratic organization's refusal to back him at its meeting Tuesday, sources said. The county party voted unanimously to back city Controller William Thompson for mayor - as the other four county Democratic organizations have done."
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Jay Leno: "Well, the big story is the Supreme Court. President Obama has found his nominee. She is a Federal appeals judge. Sonia Sotomayor, I think her name is. ... A Latino woman, how about that? So, you know what that...means. Ruth Bader Ginsburg no longer the hot chick on the court."
Jay Leno: "Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi over in China right now. Her office says the speaker will not be bringing up human rights abuses to the Chinese. She said that she's going to try to focus on common ground with China, like the fact that they both call the CIA liars."
Jimmy Fallon: "There's a lot of local pride in Obama's pick because Sonia Sotomayor grew up in the Bronx. Yeah, when reached for comment, she said, 'Don't be fooled by the robes that I got, I'm still, I'm still Sonia from the block.'"
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