Leahy To GOP: "Stop The Racial Politics" On Sotomayor

The two top officials on the Senate Judiciary Committee left niceties at the door when they held a joint appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.

Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) accused the Republican Party of playing "racial politics" with the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Sonia Sotomayor, even declaring that the leaders of the GOP had called her a "bigot" and the "head of the KKK."

"I have no idea how many [Republican votes] she'll get in committee or on the floor," said Leahy. "But she will have Republican votes... She deserves it. Now, I understand [Sen.] Mitch McConnell and I've worked with Sen. McConnell on different things. But like the other leaders of the Republican Party, he came out very, very early against her and he doesn't want to change his mind. You had one leader of the Republican Party call her the equivalent of the head of the Ku Klux Klan. Another leader of the Republican Party called her a bigot. To Sen. McConnell's credit, he has not used those things, but the leadership of the Republican Party came out against her long before we ever had the hearing, long before they had a chance to look at her record. I think that's unfair."

"I hope we don't go back to the day when we used to put African Americans up for confirmation and say yes, but you belong to the NAACP so we're really suspicious of you," Leahy added later, refering to Republican concerns about Sotomayor's involvement with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund. "Come on, stop the racial politics," he said.

Leahy later explained that he was referring to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich when he accused the GOP of labeling Sotomayor a bigot.

It was a fiery segment, during which Leahy talked over the protests of his colleague Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the committee's ranking Republican member. When the Alabama Republican finally got the chance to speak, he pleaded that Leahy had greatly distorted the tone and tenor of the hearings.

"Pat, I want to correct something," Sessions said. "No Republican leader said she was a bigot. You've overstated that. There's nothing wrong with us asking about her personal views about positions, legal positions that she took as a member of any organization. That's a normal thing to do. And I don't think that was unfair. She said that she thought she was fairly treated. Other commentators, objective leaders, civil rights leaders have said that. We gave our absolute best to make sure this was a fair hearing, but it had to be vigorous. We had to ask about things that people cared about, her speeches, her prior pleadings that she did and some of her decisions, which are troubling. But Pat, you gave us a fair hearing. I appreciate that. A lot of people felt we were pretty tight on time, but you -- when the hearing came up, we had an opportunity. And I appreciate that."

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Comments

[me again]

Sessions reminds me of the character Henry Gibson played in the "Blues Brothers" movie....have a look, it's uncanny. See the youtube link below.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkkXHjQSyEI

[Buddy McCue]

Except that he doesn't come from Illinois, I'd say you were right on the money.

[ezeflyer]

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Repugs infantile tactics have long been to accuse Dems of doing what they do themselves. A sort of reflexive "bounces off me and sticks to you" sort of thing.

[Grunty1]

The term is "projection". It is all they have to offer these days.

[libsrunhappy]

yes weave can

[oldgeek1]

Be there no mistake, there have bee nominees for the court who had strong opposition, most often based on their opinions on some policy. I could go down the list but to no end.

This hearing had less to do with Sototomayer's qualifications than most with some Republicans wanting to demonstrate the relevance of themselves and their Party to win their next election.

McConnel was not going to be confused by any facts, his mind was made up. Several other Republicans pandered to Rush, others were pragmatic.

Yes, far too many within the GOP are bigots and will destroy anyones reputation. Saxby Chambliss was shameless in his campaign to win his senate seat, perhaps in the most disgusting display. Pat Buchannan questioning Sototymayers' academic credentials was and is not only absurd but tells you the length that the GOP is going and how far they have sunk. Oh by the way she passed the bar exam and had been once before confirmed by a Republican Senate.

There is no shame.

[vet-of4renwarz]

This new republic (neo-con) party will crumble from within...

[garymc8]

Will? HAS.

[ggmome]

I have been saying for more than a decade, that the country was being dominated and controlled by supremist groups as well as a Klan, and Sotomayers Confirmation Hearings proved that without doubt!

[GoldenAgeMaster]

You are officially out of you're mind.

[AFAN]

He actually has a point in the form of the GOP.

[AFAN]

This is what I think of Clarence Thomas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwA2J3ehKqU

Remember what Ice Cube said?

[Zengeist]

I've known such people as you, who've said uninformed, truly dense BS for decades and were never open to learning anything beyond it. It is a common achievement.

[Grunty1]

[uninformed, truly dense BS for decades and were never open to learning anything ]

Where do you get the idea that ggnome is a Rushpublican?

[FROG1]

you mean you admit that you are as st*pid now as you were more than a decade ago? I believe you

[swimbiker]

What the heck are you talking about? Are you saying she's in the Ku Klux Klan? No? Then what exactly are you saying?

[schoolmaster]

The republican members of the committee proved to be more racially biased by the pattern of their questioning

[mlaiuppa]

No, Leahy. Let them continue to talk hate. It will just lose them more voters.

[drdubski]

It's racism like this that has made both sides of our family abandon our Republican roots. They are truly the party of racism and hate...good riddens!

[FROG1]

what are you ridden these days?

[huffingt]

if they belong to K K K , ?
but if they belong to NCCAP or Latino - stu pid Rethugs.

[OnReflection]

Sonia Sotomayor will be the best Supreme Court Justice weave seen in a very long time!

Those who attempt to diminish her are cowards and racist !

It cannot be said any clearer !!

[Fanboy615]

"weave"? oh, dear ... ;-)

[StillIRise]

Oh yes it can be said clearer ....

"Weave?"

[FROG1]

have trouble passing Grade 3, did you? oh, you're still there - and after all these years!

[Lexie]

Leahy is absolutely right. These Republicans have no capacity for self-observation and no shame. They ALL came off as backward, ignorant racists last week. It was like the lid came of their collective id.

[GoldenAgeMaster]

Then you have a very closed mind.

[kagenin]

You must not have been watching the hearings. Lexie is right on all counts.

[FROG1]

It certainly revealed the fact that soto was clearly a r@cist with gender and minority bias

[weatherwaxx]

All Sessions did was prove that one wise Latina can outclass a bunch of southern bully-boys. Viva Sotomayor!

[GoldenAgeMaster]

So now you are equating raclsm and lying with wisdom and class?

You need to do some soul searching

[OnReflection]

You still alive, go into the light already !!

The world needs you to leave, as in NOW !

[jmby]

I believe the soul-searching might have to be done by you. Take a look at who you are defending, who you are apparently afriad of, and honestly examine why.

[johnr49]

No, we're contrasting the racism and distortions of the GOP senators with her wisdom and class.

[urweatherman]

your definition of wise fits to Sotomayer and Obama......the ability to never answer the question as it was asked......she was obviously tap dancing through the whole process and has things to hide.

[treetracker]

Her answers were comparable to Roberts and Alita. Her's was no more a show trial than theirs.

[weatherwaxx]

The whole thing is a stylized ritual. The members of the committee ask questions that are meant to show their following that They Care About the Right Issues, and the nominee answers with a formal statement that declines to give a general answer because s/he is not dealing with a specific case. Something to hide? If they had anything to use against Judge Sotomayor they would have done so. They didn't. That "wise Latina" quote taken out of context, was the same as, for instance, some rich-boy Republican telling a bunch of southern racists that he understands how it feels to be a poorly educated white man in a country where the manufacturing jobs have been sent overseas. EXCEPT.... Sotomayor has actually had to work for a living, and has had the experience of being a minority, where the GOPoseurs have mostly been rich white boys who never did an honest day's work.

I don't think anyone who was born rich should be able to run for office until they've lived for 6 months on a minimum-wage job.

[swimbiker]

All nominees try to conceal things. What did Alito or Roberts or even Clarence Thomas reveal that wasn't previously known? Or, is it you think only a Democratic appointment should bare her soul for you? That's a double standard....

[sandiegoconservative]

Everyone should take a look at the questions and comments made during Justice Thomas's confirmation. Compare them to the questions asked during Sotomayor's confirmation hearings.

Then figure out who has racial issues.

[GoldenAgeMaster]

AMEN TO THAT!

[CJ1]

I don't think u understand the comment...but maybe its the whole hearing thing you don't understand--lol

[chronic]

Bytch pa-leaze!

[GoldenAgeMaster]

Bytch pa-leaze!

This sure is silly, but I can do this as long as you. Unless of course you have something intelligent to add to this conversation.

[LisainNYC]

The ABA rating of Thomas was split between "qualified" and "not qualified." He did not have the stellar academic record that Sotomayor has. Thomas was accused by a black Yale Law School trained lawyer of sexual harassment. The questions asked of him delved into his knowledge of case law, his judicial philosphy and his actions toward Ms Hill. They were not racist.

The great irony of Thomas is that he is against affirmative action, yet he benefitted not only fron affirmative action but from quotas as well: Had Thurgood Marshall not stepped down, he never in a million years would have been nominated.

Clarence Thomas was and is unqualified to be on the Supreme Court.

[GoldenAgeMaster]

Lisa,

That's a bit unfair to use the ABA rating. The ABA has traditionally gone left for a long time. Plus they hate the idea that someone might limit their ill-gotten gains.

[roshni]

agree and he only had administrative experience when he came to the bench. He is not qualified to be on it.

[sandiegoconservative]

How is a vote of 13-2 a "split"?

[roshni]

As far as I know Judge Sotomayor did not sex.ually harass anyone. Clarence did.

[joceeco]

And he'll do it again, if left alone with the "right" kind of female or male.....he is a republican ya' know!

[paulita]

Insert southern drawl--Mr. Sessions: Im "concerned," that you thought it was appropriate to scold a Supreme Court nominee like a child because she was a minority and a woman.

Mr. Sessions: Im also "concerned" that you never really asked any questions about the law, and the only one of your Republican colleagues who asked her about the law is Senator Grassley.

[wthomas]

Doesn't he have that Foghorn Leghorn air about him?

[amiri1]

Sessions smokes a crackpipe.

[kagenin]

As well as a vernacular that sounds like a rooster.

[joceeco]

The little imp looks like he smokes crack!!!