Lindsey Graham: "I'm Deeply Troubled" By Sotomayor Nomination

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday that he remains "deeply troubled" by Sonia Sotomayor's ideology and record after a 30-minute closed-door meeting with the judge.

Politco reported on Graham's press conference following the meeting:

"I was very direct," Graham told reporters gathered outside his office. "I have to decide how to play this game, quite frankly. If I use the same standard that Sen. [Barack] Obama used, then I would not vote for you, quite frankly."

Graham's comments were the most critical so far during Sotomayor's dozen visits to key Senate offices over the past two days. [...]

"[Obama] used a standard, I think, that makes it nearly impossible for a person from the opposite party to vote for the nominee," said Graham.

"When I look at her record, her ideology, I'm deeply troubled," he added.

Graham had previously criticized Sotomayor for her 2001 "wise Latina" remark. On Wednesday, Graham said the remark offended him as an "every-day white guy."

The Washington Post reported on Graham's comments today:

"My criticism about her comment and the speech that she gave wasn't that I think this lady is a racist," Graham said, later continuing: "There is no evidence of that, but this statement is troubling and I did tell her this, 'If I said it, it would be over for me. No matter how well-intentioned I was and no matter how much I tried to put it in context, that would be it.' And you all know that."

He added, "being an average, every-day white guy ... that does not exactly make me feel good hearing a sitting judge say that."

"... She needs to explain herself and she needs to understand she offended some people," Graham said."

Interestingly, Sotomayor made the same speech in the 1990's, and her words were disclosed to Republican Senators as part of her 1998 Court of Appeals confirmation. There's no sign that any of them objected to it.

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Comments

[ibsteve2u]

Lindsey Graham is an "average, every-day white guy"??!?!?!?

lolllll....the policies of Lindsey Graham and his Republican Party have put enough "average, every-day white guy" out of work - and even out of house - that good ol' Lindsey better not stay in working-class bars filled with "average, every-day white guys" past 10 PM, when the restraints on behavior began to fall away under the assault of tequila shots and beer.

[oaklynne]

I'm deeply troubled that he was elected a Senator -- where do they find such loons?

[JMBrodie]

South Carolina, man. They are still proud of being that one state that refused to ratify the Declaration of Independence unless that pesky "free the slaves" clause was removed...

[MichelleDenise64]

Oh these comments are hilarious I mean wow. I thought I had a mean streak but you guys really let it loose on here.

[sheila]

I'm pretty sure the "everyday white guy" (who is a multi-millionaire with a massive pension and the best healthcare taxpayers can buy him) is fairly well represented on the Supreme Court, so you'll be just fine, Lindsey, honey. You've got Scalia, Alito, Stevens, Breyer, Kennedy, and Roberts all checking for you, and until now, you've also had Souter (not to mention the sad spectacle of Clarence Thomas, desperately playing your shoe-shine boy). So, that pretty much leaves Ruth Bader Ginsburg to represent the other 80% of us. With about 20% of the population and about 80% of the positions of power in this country, "everyday white guy" is doing just fine...

[joshuahmcdonald]

Lindsey Graham is "an average, every-day white guy"? Now THAT'S funny!

[TexasDem0]

Lindsey, Lindsey, Lindsey . . . what are we going to do with you?
She said every-day white guy, not every day white wuss.

[rbenjamin]

Odd photo, Graham seems to be channeling Peter Lorre.

[MichelleDenise64]

I thank you for a wonderful observation, I made me laugh out loud for real.

[BlueFloyd]

oops, my right, his left. funny, how i never confuse right and left when i look at what they say.......

[Bronxdude]

Carl Rove stated that Judge Sonia Sotomayor lacks the intellectual ability to sit on the Supreme Court. What makes Carl Rove (high school graduate and Bush minion) competent to critique Judge Sotomayor’s intellectual attributes? Let’s review the facts. After graduating valedictorian from New York’s prestigious Cardinal Spellman High School, Judge Sotomayor graduated summa cum laude from Princeton, and later received a law degree from Yale, where she was also elected Editor of the distinguished Yale Law Journal. In comparison, Bush was a legacy admission to Yale and survived with a paltry C average. Why are minorities (Thurgood Marshall, Clarence Thomas, and Sonia Sotomayor) nominated to the Supreme Court criticized by republican pundits as being intellectually incompetent? Even though Judge Alito was affiliated with a racist organization (he denied knowing the group was racist) while at Princeton and had an unremarkable tenure as a Yale law student, not one republican has ever questioned his intellectual ability, or his bigoted history.

[BlueFloyd]

his right eye is a bit like m e.d.ve.d

[Bronxdude]

I'm deeply troubled by South Carolina’s long and continuing history of racial intolerance and horrific brutality against Black Americans!

[WilliamProc]

Is it that hard being white?

Is Graham's lament the epitamy "White Man's Burden"?

[JMBrodie]

He and Pat Buchanan are witnessing the end of privilege. For years, people like them have said and done some rather nasty things to people who did not fit within the "average white guy" category. It was a given that they would always enjoy such sway.

But the world is changing.

My hope is that old hatreds will not be replaced by new ones. I am willing to step out there and work toward that possibility, but I am truly ready for the old ways to come to an end.

[mudbones]

"being an average, every-day white guy" ......... my foot

[Bronxdude]

As a Puerto Rican, Judge Sotomayor represents the sum of her unique experiences and, as such, would certainly know better than someone White what it means politically, sociologically, economically, and culturally to grow-up and live life as a Latina in America. Similarly, as a White Southerner, Senator Jeff Sessions represents the sum of his unique experiences and, as such, would certainly know better than a Puerto Rican what it means politically, sociologically, economically, and culturally to grow-up and live life as a Caucasian male in America. Differences in ethnicity, cultural heritage, and life experiences from person to person do not automatically render someone incapable of being able to objectively assess a particular situation, respond impartially, do the right thing, and offer a fair and unbiased opinion. Because she is Puerto Rican does not mean Judge Sotomayor will behave as an automaton and allow her life experiences (good or bad) to subjectively influence how she interprets the law and renders judgments involving people of Hispanic origin. Conversely, just because he is the product of a segregated and Klan controlled Alabama that forged racist attitudes and beliefs specifically designed to brutalized, subjugate, and denigrated Black Americans does not mean Senator Sessions will behave as an automaton and allow his Southern heritage, childhood beliefs, and unique life experiences to interfere with and taint his ability to make objective and race-neutral decisions involving Hispanics and Blacks. If this is not the case, both Judge Sotomayor and Senator Sessions should resign immediately.

[adoantarel]

The true irony here is the Graham is seemingly exactly what Sotomayor was talking about. Graham is largely unable to put himself in the shoes of other people, specifically minorities, and thus is poorly qualified to make decision about or for them. He seems unwilling to even truly try to do so.