Not only is Sotomayor not qualified for the Supreme Court, she is not qualified for… jury duty:
Would Judge Sotomayor be qualified to serve as a juror? Let’s say she forthrightly explained to the court during the voir dire (the jury-selection phase of a case) that she believed a wise Latina makes better judgments than a white male; that she doubts it is actually possible to “transcend [one’s] personal sympathies and prejudices and aspire to achieve a greater degree of fairness and integrity based on the reason of law”; and that there are “basic differences” in the way people “of color” exercise “logic and reasoning.” If, upon hearing that, would it not be reasonable for a lawyer for one (or both) of the parties to ask the court to excuse her for cause? Would it not be incumbent on the court to grant that request?
Should we have on the Supreme Court, where jury verdicts are reviewed, a justice who would have difficulty qualifying for jury service?
Obama is seriously the luckiest man on the planet to have these guys as the opposition. I wonder when McCarthy will get around to asking her about her birth certificate.
Gordon, The Big Express Engine
I assume you mean after Lou Gehrig.
Postlethwaite Windschitl
I’m wondering when McCarthy will start claiming that Bill Ayers wrote all of Sotomayor’s opinions.
You know–like he did with Obama’s books.
TenguPhule
You mistake an all encompassing secret liberal conspiracy planned for generations for luck.
Next, Obama will stop an anti-matter bomb with the power of non-prayer.
Sam
That’s funny. I was on Facebook earlier today and I checked out some anti-Sotomayor groups. One user said that very same thing, that she’s not fit for jury duty. Now I know where that user got it from.
Jay B.
McCarthy “reads” and “writes” like a “clueless” “racist” “Zagat’s guide” to “idiotic posturing” and “wholly fucking stupid political arguments”.
eric
Just think, not long ago the MSM thought Dean’s “scream” was evidence of some sort of instability….my word.
did you see the Newt and Liddy comments? (go to TPM)
Zifnab
@TenguPhule:
And the conservatives will call him a plagiarist for it.
@Jay B.: Yeah, I noticed that too. Hey, if you take enough words out of context, everyone sounds like a crazy nutter. Fortunately, with McCarthy you can just use full block quotes to get the same effect.
Zifnab
I’ll say this. The timing is actually very nice. While Obama is getting hard line with the Israelis – practically begging the GOP to label him an anti-Semite – the ‘Pub mouthpieces are going full steam trying to come across as anti-Hispanic assholes.
I’ll be happy if this news cycle never ends. Nothing but win.
Balconesfault
We know Andy’s favorite jurors are those who would lie so they get a chance to string up some (insert racial epithet here) sumbitch …
Isn’t empathy for the wealthy white person just kind of a default setting at NRO?
gypsy howell
If they keep up with it, maybe we’ll get single payer health care out of it too.
That would be awesome.
Zam
I wonder how many times these critics have wondered out loud if it’s possible, genetically, that non-whites are inferior. I know I’ve heard almost every supporter of theirs do this.
Unemployed Poster
John Cole:
Shit, we have a President who couldn’t get hired by the FBI or the Secret Service. Why can’t we have a Supreme Court Justice whose public statements since her last elevation in public office might conflict with a juror’s oath?
Zifnab
Listen, this is no place for Bush bashing. You just get your head on straight and learn to watch your manners.
The Moar You Know
@Unemployed Poster: Third one in a row, actually. Clinton and Bush couldn’t have been hired, either.
jake 4 that 1
Oh now. I’m sure he’d be just as concerned if Scalia had shown he couldn’t tell the difference between fiction and reality before he was confirmed.
steve s
presumably you’ve all seen what Liddy’s added to the discussion?
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/29/liddy-sotoyamor-menstruating/
Racism AND Sexism–It’s a twofer!
asiangrrlMN
Oh, Andrew McCarthy, how far you have fallen. I remember you from the eighties when you were just an actor–oh wait, different Andy McCarthy? Whew.
How absurd. So, a jury should consist of nitwits have never thought about how their lives are affected by their circumstances? Yes, that’s a jury of my peers, all right.
By the way, what the fuck is up with the “random” placing of quote “marks”? It’s really “bothersome”.
dmsilev
This current batch is making Alan Keyes look sane by comparison. I didn’t really think that that was possible.
-dms
gypsy howell
Just wondering — does Rosetta Stone offer “illegal alien?”
Unemployed Poster
Zifnab/Moar:
You have to live in the now, and let go of the past.
Bill E Pilgrim
ACORN!
Sorry, I panicked.
eric
i guess the “nation” is not quite in the post-racism phase of its development. wow.
people wonder about how things got out of hand post 9/11, well here you go. crazy right wingers, check; compliant media — luckily the other party has remained sane (other than than that butt plug Lanny Davis).
eric
Bill Ayers
see what my boy is doing. viva la revolucion
(eric)
dmsilev
@gypsy howell:
Yes, but you only have one chance to impress the illegal supermodel, so study hard.
-dms
El Cid
I want to see the next Republican spokespersons appear on TV dressed up as Frito Banditos and talking like Slowpoke Rodriguez, and then doing a hate dance while eating tacos.
Just because.
Zach
How long as it been since he’s actually practiced law? He doesn’t seem to have any clue what does and does not disqualify someone for jury duty. Even if her quote were being correctly interpreted as saying that Latinas make better decisions than white dudes, generally, and that the white man just doesn’t understand, that wouldn’t disqualify her for jury duty in any trial that’s ever been held.
KRK
The idiot doesn’t even know what the Supreme Court does. Here’s a hint, they don’t review jury verdicts.
The Moar You Know
@El Cid: At the rate this is going, I’m betting you’ll get your wish by 9:00 PDT.
El Cid
You know what? We could probably get the grassroots right wing to start arguing that Puerto Ricans are a threat to the security of the United States given their dual loyalties and so Maria Soda-lady can’t be a Supreme Court justice. That would be awesome.
Zach
@KRK: I didn’t even notice that part of the quote. I can’t believe he was ever in charge of prosecuting terrorists.
eric
i can tell you who the happiest guy in DC is right now…….Jeffrey Rosen…just think, two days ago he was the worst of the the worst for his despicable smear, now he is an afterthought….he would not even make the top ten and the GOP wants this to go on til AUGUST!!!!
eric
Bill E Pilgrim
@asiangrrlMN:
Those are all presumably quotes from Sonia Sotomayer that McCarthy is citing. Doing so with such broken up two-word bytes is a way of inserting his own meaning. I mean some of that is just convenience but to do it to the extent he did here is clearly a way of making it sound exactly the way he wants. Plus as you say it’s jangled and annoying to read.
For example in that piece, McCarthy asserts that “single” “judges solemnly instruct” “American citizens to perform”, and he insists that “If a person is unwilling or unable to do that” “based on” “sex,” then the person is “not qualified”.
What? He said it, not me.
El Cid
I like to imagine that at the quotation marks he leans forward, opens his eyes up real wide, and sticks both hands up to shoulder height and double motions the quote signs at the beginning and end of each quoted word or phrase.
JohnR
psh – birth certificate? Don’t be silly; of course nobody’s going to go on about any birth certificates. She’s obviously Mescan, you silly Liberal; by definition she’s an illegal. I thought everybody knew that.
The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge
@El Cid:
God, I miss Chris Farley.
whiskey
I agree that Sotomayor is unqualified for jury duty. I mean, she’s a judge, of course she’ll never get on a jury in her life.
Jay B.
@whiskey:
Shit, that’s one reason I should have went to law school.
Kevin
Right now, nearly the entire corner front page is post after post about affirmative action. Gee…I wonder what they’re saying.
Honestly, to say that someone who graduated top of her class at one of the best schools in the world, whose been a federal court judge for 16 years only got there due to affirmative action says so much about these clowns.
Really, they should stick to the food angle. The Hamburgler stands no chance of winning his class action lawsuit for free food (he wouldn’t have to steal if McDonalds would just give him those things for free!) when Maria is on the bench thinking of tacos and burritos.
And of course they should focus on her menstruation cycles. Ginsburg was able to time all of her periods for the summer recess, but a spicy latina like Maria Sotomayor will just period all over the place once a month.
El Cid
@whiskey: I think you’re forgetting that her magic affirmative action Latina Puerto Rican Bronx heritage is like a free pass to sit on any jury or corporate board she ever wants.
Jason
Well, ABC and Tapper just announced that the Obama administration has “changed its tune” about the “growing controversy” over the comments – one, I note, having a place nightly on the national broadcast this week, and in which Gibson has described the comments as saying: “A wise Latina woman would make a better decision than a white man,” no ellipses, tyvm. So then they played tape of Gibbs’ suggestion – wait, breaking: concession! That she “misspoke.” So who’re the lucky ones, exactly?
vishnu schizt
yes she is not qualified for jury duty but some numbfuck who’s skills are limited to back rubs and driving what ever he touches into a ditch is qualified to be president. How in the name of christ these people function is beyond me. I’ve always thought of most right wingers as sexually repressed functional morons, but now I’m fully convinced they are simply insane. Batshit crazy. Irredeemable. Frankly if Rush Limpdick spent the entirety of his show speaking in tounges while sitting naked in a bucket of his own urine, I’d find that more rational than anything he has said for probably 7 years.
KCinDC
I’d say anyone who’s qualified to be a Supreme Court justice is almost certainly going to be excluded during selection for jury duty. Lawyers generally don’t want people who think that much about the law and have their own strong opinions about it on their juries. Hell, they generally exclude anyone who’s a lawyer, except here in DC, where if they did that they might not have enough people left to form a jury.
Dennis
Hey John, from your blog to dog’s ears.
This is from americanconservativedaily.com
http://www.americanconservativedaily.com/2009/05/sonia-sotomayor-another-wretched-legacy-from-the-bush-family/
Wow. Just wow.
Zuzu's Petals
Searching for McCarthy’s 2006 post on Alito being unqualified for jury duty because he “takes into account” his family’s ethnic status and history when judging discrimination and immigration cases.
Searching, searching …
evinfuilt
Well if you speak to “sane” Republicans, they’ll explain that if we end Affirmative action, they won’t use it as a weapons in the media.
Zuzu's Petals
@El Cid:
Dennis Miller with a squash blossom in his mouth while snapping his fingers might be as good as we’ll get.
asiangrrlMN
@Bill E Pilgrim: Still “damn” annoying. Harumph. I like your judicious use of quotation marks much better.
lamh31
Here’s what Obama said about the “Latina” statement:
http://www.politico.com/singletitlevideo.html?bcpid=1155201977&bctid=24707737001
I would have wished they had said nothing, but on the other hand, they DID NOT SAY that what she said was wrong did they? It’s the same thing with Obama’s bitter remarks during the primary, they did not say that Obama was wrong, but they did say that his wording could have been better. I think what they are saying is that the words being bandied about could have been worded in a “better way”, but in context, they were NOT RACIST or OFFENSIVE.
Maybe Gibbs said what he did not for the GOP’s benefit (I truly believe that this admin could give a rat’s azz about the GOP blowing up over this), but to assuade the fears of the ConservaDems, who have been earily quiet since the announcement. Maybe they will have more to say once they are back from recess!
gwangung
@lamh31: Wonder if he had that “Why do I have to explain this to you idiots” expression on his face….
mak
Gee-whiz, McCarthy hit the pubtard trifecta – Assholes, Clown Shoes AND Republican Stupidity.
Elie
If the Republicans continue to shoot their wads, so to speak, on this nominee — and in the end cannot stop it — truly — where do they go? Talk about powerlessness! Gingrich must be crazy — which I always thought but thought that he was at least shrewd and ambitious enough to know when to cut his losses. Instead he has amped up. What is the goal here? I don’t see the end game outside of the context of assuming that the tribe is in some sort of spiritual and mental breakdown.
As for Sonia — I am sorry that the administration walked back her comment. In its full context, there was nothing to apologize for and by apologizing, they give credence to a completely dishonest characterization.
Anyway, I think that she will survive this and I look forward to reading some day how she yanked Scalia’s chain over and over…
yet another jeff
I think the best part is how even if the quote wasn’t out of context, they act like this is basically her catch phrase, that she’d just go around saying that to everyone all the time…waiters, department store clerks, the mailman, etc…. They can’t even villainize worth a damn…resorting to bad cartoons where every damned thing is a Jack Chick tract.
Brachiator
@steve s:
Wow. Just wow. I go out with friends and come back to see if the Republicants have dialed it down any over Sotomayor. But instead, they are now in a feeding frenzy of teh racist, sexist stupidity.
Despite this, I’ll bet that the Sunday pundit shows will be more devoted to the “controversy” over Sotomayor’s nomination, instead of the unhinged lunacy of batshit crazy wingnuts.
Mnemosyne
@Elie:
Gingrich gets thousands of dollars in donations for every hour he continues to milk this. Long-term health of the Republican Party? Who cares as long as Newt is making a profit? That’s capitalism, baby!
slightly_peeved
Of all the books, news reports and movies written about US and world politics of the past few decades, I never thought that the most prescient work about the US political system, the sharpest deconstruction of the US political discourse in 2009, would be Blazing Saddles.
chopper
man, this just gets better and better.
tony smith
Um: Andrew McCarthy’s Argument Against Sotomayor Would Disqualify O’Connor and Scalia as Well!
Pug
did you see the Newt and Liddy comments?
How about Tancredo and Limbaugh?
Tancredo is comparing La Raza to the KKK on MSNBC. You do all remember those poor white people lynched by La Raza, right? And that time in Tulsa when all those Latins went nuts a killed hundreds of white people, right? You remember.
Limbaugh has come to the conclusion that Obama “hates white people”. All this from one sentence uttered by that despicable Spic eight years ago. This is stupidity on a breathtaking scale.
jcricket
This really is great. Democrats win lots of House and Senate seats in 06. Democrats win more House and Senate seats, and the Presidency in 08 (while running a black guy with a single mom and a Kenyan dad and a muslim sounding name).
Obama finds a great moderate judge, with an incredibe life-story, and phenomenal educational background, who’s also a woman and Hispanic.
In response every single wingnut attempts to out-do each other in who can make the dumbest, most offensive racist, sexist, xenophobic or just plain stupid remark. . Top it off with the people getting press being Gingrich, Limbaugh, Rove, Buchanan and other unelected/disgraced idiots.
I couldn’t be happier. All we have to do is be sane, pragmatic and even slightly left of center (hell, left of Erick Erickson seems to be enough) and Republicans go absolutely ape-shit.
I hope Democrats in Congress learn from this and start aping some of Obama’s political skills (not necessarily his politics, but his ability to drive wingnuts insane). Will drive the left-leaning independents into Democrats and more Republicans into independents.