Posted on 05/28/2009 6:56:11 AM PDT by Zakeet
President Obamas selection of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for a seat on the Supreme Court has put the Republican Party in a bind, forcing it to weigh the cost of aggressively opposing the first Hispanic named to the court against its struggle to appeal to Hispanic voters.
The Republican Party has been embroiled in a public argument over whether to tend to the ideological interests of its conservative base or to expand its appeal to a wider variety of voters to regain its strength after the defeats of 2008. Many conservative activists and political strategists came out fiercely against Judge Sotomayor as soon her name was announced, denouncing her as liberal and promising Mr. Obama a tough nomination fight.
The G.O.P. has to make a stand, said Scott Reed, who managed Bob Doles 1996 presidential campaign. This is what the base and social conservatives really care about, and we need to brand her a liberal with some out-of-the-mainstream positions. Forget about cosmetics and ethnic heritage, and focus on her record.
But some Republicans warned that the image of the partys throwing a roadblock before a historic nomination could prove politically devastating. Republicans saw a dip in Hispanic support in 2008, after eight years in which President George W. Bush and his political aides made a concerted effort to increase the Republican appeal to Hispanics, the nations fastest-growing group of voters.
If Republicans make a big deal of opposing Sotomayor, we will be hurling ourselves off a cliff, said Mark McKinnon, who was a senior adviser to Mr. Bush and has long advocated expanding the partys appeal. Death will not be assured. But major injury will be.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
And remember the days when the Democrats were concerned about too many Catholics on the Court?
Well, Judge Sonia is Catholic; but I’ll betcha she’s pro-choice.
So her “faith” doesn’t matter.
OMG.
I’m sure the NY Slimes has nothing but the best interests of the Republican Party at heart in giving us advice about how to handle this racist nominee.
Regardless of race, anyone supporting a DUmocrat is already a slave and not likely to escape the DNC plantation to vote GOP no matter how much the RINO candidate panders to them.
Supporting the Sotomayor nomination solely to pander to Hispanics isn’t a tactic that will work.
Its been tried before, the results were negative.
McCain last year tried to pander to the African American community by attending the liberal NAACP confab- a turnaround from candidate Bush’s absense from the NAACP. He didn’t embarrass himself or commit any big gaffes while he was there.
In spite of this, McCain did worse than President Bush among blacks in the election. A lot worse, only getting about 1% of the black vote compared to Bush’s totals in the low teens.
The only way the Republicans can win is to stick by its principles, that’s the historical record.
YEAH....wouldn’t want to give any “hispanics” a chance to NOT be ON the Democrat PLANTATION!!!
The kind of Hispanics who support Soto Mayor would NEVER vote Republican anyway. Those who do, will support opposition to this socialist gun grabber.
The number of conservatives who formed the bulk of GOP votes in the past were increasingly turned off by the GOP’s leftwards drift in 2006 and 2008. Failure of the GOP to vigorous attack this blatantly unqualified candidate will result in even MORE conservatives leaving GOP ranks.
Its time for the GOP to start having its policies directed by its constituency and not by by its opponents like the NY Times.
Mark McKinnon......RINO Trainer....
Remind me again, someone: how did that plan work out for them?
Lesson: don't ever take advice from people who really want to hurt you.
GOP "Moderate": A masochist with a well-deserved inferiority complex.
With that they need to go on the offensive and expose this woman for what she is without fearing anything from Hispanics or Hispanic women specifically. If they make a good legitimate case their are lots of Latinos that will understand. America is full of Latino people who are not sympathetic to the socialist cause.
Place ads and run sound bites. Prove our case and use the media. Beat them at their own game. Pick a leader and stick with them, then get more air time than Obama.
Like the democrats hurled themselves off a cliff by torpedoing Estrada and Gonzalez?
Predictions:
1) the courtly white male RINO wing of the GOP will tiptoe around Sonia’s lack of qualification as a Supreme Court Justice so they don’t hurt latino feelings
2) hispanics will vote for the handout-democrat party in 2010
3) the USA for the next 30 years will have an ethnic obssessed underqualifed latina who renders legal decisions based on her feelings- as one of the 7 Justices
Its always wise to follow the advice of Old Gray Whore - who knows, if we do then maybe Arlen Spector will come back to the GOP.
The non-Cuban “Hispanics” are not, and never will be, conservative Republicans.
They come from lands where they are not secure in person or property, and America is the land of the “Free Services to them.
Note that the SCOTUS “Person” Ears is trying to pollute the Supreme Court with has a demonstrated body or prior rulings demonstrating a clear distain for the Constitutional role of the courts.
She has said she believes policy is set by the judicial sector of government, that the 2nd Amendment is a collective right, ad nauseam.
Another talking points memo from the Old Decrepit Gray Lady.
Since the GOP has never gotten a majority of Hispanic votes, and continues to lose “market share” with them, while simultaneously continuing to lose their onservative base by pursuing policies and ‘principles’ desgned to attract Hispanics and other voting blocs, why NOT oppose Sotomaoyor, given her world view, judicial philosophy and record?
See:
http://judiciary.senate.gov/about/members.cfm
Hatch, Grassley and Graham are bad news. RINOS ro just plain wimps.
Agreed.
*MEGA PING*
...Which is one of the primary reasons (aside from my wallet being empty) I will not donate any money to the GOP. They still continue to allow the MSM to define who they are and act like crybabies if some Leftist Nut job calls them 'racists.' It makes me want to puke.
How many black voters did the Democrats lose for opposing Clarence Thomas?
How many hispanic voters did the Democrats lose for opposing Miguel Estrada?
How many women voters did the Democrats lose for opposing Priscilla Owens?
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