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Senate Republicans ready to oppose Sotomayor

By: Dan Spencer (Diary)  |  June 23rd, 2009 at 07:16 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Senate Republicans to ramp up opposition, in a respectful and fair manner, against Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, will  lead this week’s charge against President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee

In a series of speeches Republican Senators will focus on “Sotomayor’s involvement with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the New Haven firefighters case, as well as role ‘empathy’ and the influence of international law has had on her decisions.”

Respectful and fair opposition doesn’t have to mean nothing substantive.

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COMMENTS

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  • bk

    If nothing else, the GOP should delay it for a few months. After all, since she is the most experienced judge in the history of the republic, and we’ve heard for 8 years that every judicial decision must be reviewed thoroughly before voting, it could take months right?

    • leftylurker

      But Senator Reid actually realized he was the *majority* leader as opposed to the minority leader and went ahead.

      • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

        It’s not like it has a long shelf life in his case.

        • leftylurker

          probably under different circumstances, but…

          =)

          • Michael Dugas

            don’t you think?

      • bk

        Then the Dems will take it straight to the floor anyway, but then that gives the Republicans an excuse to filibuster.

        “We’re not filibustering the nominee; we’re filibustering the violation of Senate process.”

  • thegrognard

    But frankly, I’ll believe it when I see it. We’ve had months of Barry and the Dems in congress entrenching their brand of communism in the US, and the Rs mostly have sat back and done nothing.

    No wonder Rush Limbaugh is the defacto leader of the conservative movement nowawdys. The Lord knows there’s no leadership coming from any of the Rs.

  • melvinwinter

    This parody combines a substantive point with some humor: http://optoons.blogspot.com/2009/05/updated-obamas-first-nominee-for.html

  • jerseymike

    I know many people think that the Republicans in the Senate should fight hard against Sotomayor, but I disagree. Yes, on principal perhaps we should push back, but my point is we need to keep our powder dry.
    Sotomayor will almost certainly be confirmed. She will replace Justice (turncoat) Souter. Her positions are probably about equally liberal as his. Basically, no change in the balance of the court. He wasn’t all that old and seemed pretty healthy, she is a diabetic although perhaps a bit younger than him. Call it a wash. It’s not worth fighting about and setting a bad precendent for the real fight that may still come.
    Think about this for a minute: Justice Scalia – 73 years old, Justice Kennedy – 72 years old (almost 73) Justice Thomas – 60 years old. The life expectency for American men of their ages isn’t much past 80. So each of them has a reasonable shot of making past 4 or possibly 8 years of an Obama presidency. However, the problem is that they ALL have to make it or we may get a gigantic change in the balance of the court. Imagine a liberal Sotomayor clone as a replacement for Scalia or even for the moderate Kennedy. Big difference.
    Statistically it’s like flipping a coin. If each of them has a fifty/fifty shot of living past an Obama presidency, you need to flip the coin three times and get three heads in a row. Far from impossible, but not very likely. No the probability may be better than fifty/fifty, but it doens’t leave me feeling very comfortable.
    We need to keep our powder dry, sit out the fight we don’t need to win and stand ready for the important battle that may still come. Take the long view, not the short one.

    • gekster

      Keeping our powder dry for another fight is just like kepping a ship in the harbor.
      Ships wern’t meant to be kept in the harbor. and the powder wasn’t meant to be kept in the keg forever. So as to that I beg to differ.
      To me, all good fights are worth fighting.

      • jerseymike

        and I do find it tempting to put up a real fight. You are right, what are the ships for if you aren’t going to use them…. But I still fear making too much ruckus and losing our thunder if we need it later.

        • gekster

          Saving our thunder, so to say, may just be another problem conservatives have to deal with.
          When did Uncle Ronnie ever “save” his thunder for something else?
          Not trying to be sarcastic, but if someone knows of him doing this, please share.

        • thegrognard

          This is the perfect time for some thunder. Teddy Kennedy and Bobby Byrd are both sidelined with serious health problems for now, and Franken has yet to be seated and may not for some time if Coleman and the Rs keep up the court fight (which they’d be foolish not to).

          That means no 60 vote majority for the Dems. If the Rs had any spine whatsoever, they’d fillabuster now while they have at least a small chance to do so. Make Barry nominate (potentially) someone less liberal. Settling for another Souter is simply playing the Dem’s game by their rules.

          When its our guys, they attack with all guns blazing. When its our turn as the opposition, we roll over and play dead.

          Thunder is precisely what our current crop of Rs lack.

          When are we going to see some of that thunder? After the re-education camps open (not counting the public schools)? After all business in this country has been nationalized? After employee “free choice” is enacted? After healthcare has been nationalized? After Cap & Trade? After we tuck tail and run out of Afghanistan and Iraq? After we’re hit with another 911?

          When?

    • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

      …you’ve got to start using your powder – the longer you wait without resisting, the wetter your stock will be, and before long you won’t have any powder left.

      If you start firing back, there’s the chance you can find supporters outside – but if you stay passive, there’s no hope.

    • eburke

      the ‘next’ fight. That’s why I read these words and see in them nothing but weasel words to avoid taking a stand *again*. We’ve kept our powder dry so much and so often we should have enuf to last until the 2nd coming.

    • Tanggor

      Keep our powder dry? Save our thunder?

      I keep hearing this twaddle and every time it makes me more and more irritated. What, in the sweet Lord?s name, are we saving it for? Are you under the impression we only have a limited amount?

      News flash ? we?re down in the numbers. The last two election cycles have gone?poorly.

      When you?re in a corner, you fight like a mad, insane beast, with spittle flying and teeth gnashing. You become the Berserker.

      You do not waffle and whine about saving your energy for later. Will you lose sometimes? Sure. Then you get back up and do it again. And again.

      There is no ?next time?. Each battle is now, each is immediate. If it?s worth fighting about, it?s worth fighting HARD.

      Sotomayer is plainly and blatantly unfit for a position on SCOTUS. Decorum be damned.

      The powder was meant to be used.

    • tanstaafl1019

      I’m with all of those who want to put up a fight now. If we’re constantly “saving our thunder,” “keeping our powder dry,” “choosing our battles” or whatever moniker you want to use, no fight will ever seem worth the trouble until the opportunities to fight are gone.

      On the other hand, if we engage every time we have a chance to make a stand, we’ll be standing on principle and self-respect, and no one can say that we never tried. Who knows? We might even convert others and replenish our powder for future use.

    • Common_Cents

      Throwing them a bone for a return favor has one problem, they never return the favor.

      REPS need to learn that war is being waged on them.

      REPS need to learn that Dems are Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown to kick. Don’t give them the damn football.