“Troubling”

by digby

According to this article in Roll Call, my instincts about the Republican “concern” strategy on Sotomayor was right. The only problem was that the talk show shriekers jumped the gun a little bit early:

The plan was for Republicans to hit the airwaves with a preliminary set of concerns over Sotomayor’s record and with some of her public statements – and to keep the comments by conservative activists at a distance while not angering the party’s base. Republicans also are keen to maintain at least the appearance of open-mindedness, and McConnell has pushed his members to not make statements prejudging her until the Senate is further along in the confirmation process. Instead, McConnell and his colleagues spent significant time dealing with the controversy and having to distance themselves from the charges while not rejecting them outright. […]
Ironically, conservatives may have inadvertently tipped Senate Republicans’ opening hand to Democrats in attacking Sotomayor for a 2001 speech in which she said she hoped her Latina background could help her be a more effective jurist than a white man. McConnell, Sessions and other Republicans pegged those statements, as well as an affirmative action case she ruled on as a judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, as the “preliminary concerns” at the heart of their initial message strategy. But because conservatives highlighted the speech almost immediately following Obama’s announcement, Senate Democrats and the White House have been able to put together a defense that relies on similar statements by two stalwarts of the conservative movement – Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Sessions, countered Republican complaints by pointing to Alito’s comments during his confirmation hearings that his immigrant background shaped his handling of civil rights complaints.

They had wanted to roll out the racism charge with a little bit more finess and not give the Dems a chance to point out their utter hypocrisy. Unfortunately, Newtie and Rush are on a roll and didn’t want to wait.

I think in the end, they’ll get what they want anyway, which is just to rough her up publicly to boost the morale of the wingnut troops. It’s about all they can hope for.

Update:

from Julia:

Conventional wisdom is that
GOP senators sidestep harsh criticism of Sotomayor

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Philip Elliott, Associated Press
Writer Sun May 31, 4:41 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Leading GOP senators on Sunday offered more subtle criticism of the
first Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court, but passed up the chance to
stifle racially charged critiques of Sonia Sotomayor by some fellow Republicans.

The party out of power in Washington is struggling to develop a unified
political strategy to oppose the Supreme Court nominee.

Sotomayor, an appeals court judge, already faces scrutiny from conservatives
over a 2001 remark that her experiences as an Hispanic woman would lead her to
better decisions than those made by a white man. Talk-show host Rush Limbaugh
has called her a “racist” while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, saying a
“Latina woman racist” is unsuitable for the court, has called for withdrawing
the nomination.

The Senate’s top Republicans didn’t disavow those assessments, although they
urged different language to oppose President Barack Obama’s first nominee to the
high court.

And then the light dawns: GOP senators OK with shrill criticism of Sotomayor

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Philip Elliott, Associated Press
Writer Mon Jun 1, 4:22 am ET

WASHINGTON – Republican Senate leaders won’t call Sonia Sotomayor a racist. But
they’re fine with Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich playing the race card to rile
up an out-of-power GOP.

Republican lawmakers and officials are cobbling together a strategy to oppose
Sotomayor, an appeals court judge and the first Hispanic nominated to the
Supreme Court. While some of Sotomayor’s past comments could pose a challenge
for President Barack Obama’s nominee, elected leaders are navigating a tricky
question of how to object without alienating the nation’s fast-growing — and
increasingly politically active — Hispanic population.

For now, it appears Republican lawmakers will urge respect. But they’ll allow
talk-show host Limbaugh to call Sotomayor a “racist” and former House Speaker
Gingrich to say she’s a “Latina woman racist.”

The two-sided strategy would allow Limbaugh and Gingrich — who hold tremendous
sway among the Republican faithful — to do the political attacks while those
facing election can avoid potential backlash if they derail a historic
nomination.

Ya think?

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