Sonia Sotomayor: Trap for the GOP!
Sonia Sotomayor is a left-leaning moderate. She was first appointed to the bench by George H.W. Bush in 1992. She’s also a Latina and a Catholic, and fighting her appointment could cost the GOP three core constituencies in 2010. Will the Republicans stand on principles or pragmatics?
President Obama has made a very clever choice in Sonia Sotomayor. Women and Latinos are important constituencies for the Republican Party.
As noted in the Washington Post:
An all-out assault on Sotomayor by Republicans could alienate both Latino and women voters, deepening the GOP’s problems after consecutive electoral setbacks. But sidestepping a court battle could be deflating to the party’s base and hurt efforts to rally conservatives going forward.
And, as pointed out on Politics Daily:
In 2004, George W. Bush took 44% of the Latino vote. In 2008, John McCain received just 31%. We know that Latinos are the fastest growing voting constituency in the country. There are an estimated 45 million Hispanics in the U.S. today. By 2016, there will be 60 million. If Hispanic migration from the Republican party continues, national elections will be even harder to win than they already are.
Finally, Sotomayor’s devout Catholic background will make her a favorite of conservative Catholics, who would much rather have her on the bench than, say, an Evangelical.
Meanwhile, any Supreme Court nominee will be a left-leaner. The 5-4 conservative balance will not change, since Sotomayor will replace David Souter, another leftist. Is this a battle worth fighting?
It seems the only way the GOP can sidestep this ingenious trap is to demonstrate that Sonia Sotomayor is a lesbian . . . and unfortunately, there’s no evidence to support such an allegation.
Which course will the GOP take? Attack, and lose votes, or let it go, and lose votes? Looks like a no-win situation.
What do you think?
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