Sonia Don't Cave to Limbaugh (and the GOP) in Confirmation Hearings

Earl Ofari HutchinsonPolitical Analyst and Social Issues Commentator
Posted: July 13, 2009 12:05 PM

Sessions and company are not concerned with derailing her confirmation. Barring some monumental gaffe or disclosure, the confirmation is a done deal. The goal is to bully, cow, and badger Sotomayor on the hit points to insure that she toes the line not solely before the panel, but on the bench. The GOP hit plan is to send a firm message to the Obama administration that conservative politics and judicial and legal philosophy remains a potent force in court decisions on issues of race, gender, the environment, consumer, and civil liberties and criminal justice issues that future courts and future justices must decide.

The GOP attackers also are determined to use Sotomayor as their foil in their fierce and on-going battle to influence public opinion. This is especially crucial since there's little chance to stop her confirmation.

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She'll be under tremendous pressure to assure senators that she'll play it strictly by the moderate and conservative playbook on any and all decisions that even remotely touch on race and class issues on the bench, as well as abortion and other issues that are traditional conservative causes.

Sotomayor understands what's at stake, and that her every word will be taken by conservatives as a virtual etching on the Ten Commandment stone. She's already been through the wringer enough to know not to give her conservative hit attackers any more ammunition to take lethal pot shots at her. Hopefully, she'll do that without sacrificing any of her legal and personal beliefs in the process.

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