May 29


A justice for all?

by Terry 29 May 2009


I’ve been watching the brouhaha over Sonia Sottomayor with a little bit of caution and a great deal of cynicism.  Yes, she’s a woman.  Yes, she’s Hispanic.  I got that part.  Now tell me where she stands on Roe v. Wade and the Lily Ledbetter case.

Liberal women are being patted on the head by the Obama administration and told to relax and trust him.  Sorry, dude.  Your track record doesn’t merit that kind of faith.  Barely 100 days into his administration, Obama is backtracking on too many issues for me to give him the benefit of the doubt on this.

Instead of repudiating the powers that Bush usurped, he’s protecting them.  Whatever happened to putting an end to warrantless wiretapping?  What happened to the promise to hold torturers responsible?  What happened to the idea that Executive Privilege should be invoked seldom and with great reservation?

Instead of getting us the hell out of Iraq his appointee Gates is saying we’re girding for a 100 year stay.

And now you want me to be a good girl and not make any trouble by demanding some answers on basic questions of vital importance to women?  Sotomayor was first nominated to the federal bench by G.H.W. Bush.  What did he see in her that made her an acceptable choice?

Don’t tell me that her gender means she’ll support women’s issues.  Sarah Pallin is also female.  Don’t tell me her race means she’ll be receptive to cases of discrimination.  Clarence Thomas is also a person of color.  I want to know about the judge inside the breasts and brown skin.  Tell me about her convictions and her deeply held beliefs on human dignity and bodily sovereignty.

I’m very afraid that in an effort to win a gold star for non-partisanship he’ll sell out the Left the same way his predecessors have.  To hell with all the patter; I want a litmus test and I deserve to know if she’s pink or blue.

The answer will tell me as much about Obama as it does about her.  Then I’ll decide whether I support her.  And him.

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4 Comments

4 Responses to “A justice for all?”

  1. Have Coffee Will Write » Blog Archive » IS SHE PINK OR BLUE…? on May 29th, 2009 10:22 am
  2. Ahistoricality on May 30th, 2009 12:09 pm

    I’m having a similar reaction, if a little slower. The fact that she’s being attacked viciously and unfairly by rabid rightists tends to dispose me favorably, but reading her decisions at SCOTUSblog leaves me a little cold. She’s very moderate and fair, but — right-wing whinging to the contrary — there’s no evidence of real liberality.

    To some extent the problem is structural: if she is a procedural liberal, she’d be inclined to follow the law and precedent as it’s written. But the law as it currently stands has some really pleasant aspects to it.  (Quote)

  3. Terry on May 31st, 2009 1:56 pm

    I agree, A, that the attacks on her automatically make me lean in her favor. It’s gotten ugly already, with racist and sexist rhetoric flying freely. I appreciate the SCOTUSblog link – it’s the best summary I’ve seen so far. As liberals we’ve gotten so used to being kicked that if a nominee doesn’t actively hate us we think we’re getting a good deal. But we should expect and demand more than that.  (Quote)

  4. Sherry Chandler » Blog Archive » Must reads on June 1st, 2009 10:37 am

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