Political Analysis: Supreme disappointment in Sonia Sotomayor 

Sonia Sotomayor is imminently qualified for the Supreme Court. Educated at Princeton, and Yale Law, an experienced jurist nominated by George H.W. Bush, and William Jefferson Clinton and twice confirmed. She is perhaps the most experienced and best prepared nominee since Robert Bork. Aside from her judicial philosophy being 180 degrees from mine, she could have been a great pick for this president, in fact a defining pick. What is first troubling though is how President Obama set up this choice so badly managing the message around it. And Sotomayor didn’t need the “help,” as she has troubles of her own.

It all began during the campaign when Obama first used the “E word,” of empathy. He said it was a critical component for a judge, as was a rich life experience…not to be confused with experiencing a life of riches. So it was he picked this Latina woman.

In a nation where Lady Justice is our symbol, we needed no condescension to women in the law. They can make their own way, and do. And with Lady Justice blind, it is clear the law is to be applied as written, without regard to empathy or life experiences.

In fact, President Obama in accepting his post swore to “preserve” the Constitution, not to change or interpret it. He swore to “protect” the Constitution, presumably from those who would alter its meaning. One wonders how he could take that oath while at the same time admitting he does not believe the Constitution should necessarily mean what it says.

None of this is helpful to Sotomayor. She of course also believes that her gender, sex, race, and life experiences unequaled by any other uniquely prepare her to look at Constitutional language such as “No State shall make or enforce any law which…,” and decide empathetically that perhaps states should make such a law.

Sotomayor may read “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied…(etc.)” and apply her rich life experiences to the issue helping her reach a supreme decision lesser people with no life experience could never reach. It is hooey of the worst sort.

The shame is that she is a bright and supremely educated person who disqualifies herself from the judiciary by stating and standing on the very biases she is to ignore as a judge. Those very biases President Obama picked her because of.

It is unlikely the Republicans in the Senate have the will or the fight to “Bork” Sotomayor. Assuming as with all Obama picks that she is a tax fraud, but if she has not hired illegal domestic help, she likely will be confirmed. Then begins the unwriting of the Constitution, which must be the change we were to believe in.

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