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

[Heru1]

Asking the GOP to not act rac.ist is like asking a p.ig not to grunt; it's in their nature.

[Skiwee]

Their DNA.

[RumiSouth]

Jeff Sessions is a fossil. Unfortunately, the Senate has become his museum.

http://www.osborneink.com/2009/07/sessions-session.html

[IDIOTA]

All week I was trying to figure out who Lindsey Graham sounds like. Finally, I figured it out. He sounds like that character on Family Guy who says, "Oh, noooo."

[DoTheMath]

Deputy Dog.

[IDIOTA]

Better!

[notyouraveragebear]

No matter who Obama had nominated, the GnoP as a whole would never support her/him.

As per usual, it is all about THEM rather than the candidate. Pathetic.

[Exit]

Without their racist base, the GOP would not even be a party at all.

[Skiwee]

That's for sure!!

[betty22]

get a life leahy....y­ou got to be kidding..g­et to the subject at hand ..and stop with the baby stuff

[sviolette]

Another biggot heard from.

[smacc1]

Another racialist heard from.

[familydad]

the truth ALWAYS hurt!!

[mitsie]

Leahy is one of the best Senators we've had. He is fair, and a complete gentleman. I know him personally.

[xlntcat]

I agree. I'll support Leahy re-election even though I don't live in his state. He is one of the very few statesment in the Senate.

[sviolette]

Why don't people understand that there is only one race that we are talking about?

That would be the human race. That's all that needs to be said about that.

[SpeedRoach]

There are Neanderthal's amongst us...

[hmmmmmer]

Genetics do make a difference, otherwise there would be no Republicans.

[zeezan]

In the best of all worlds, you would be right. Unfortunately, in this world racism exists.

[SensibleJoe]

Judging by Republican behavior lately, racism is to the GOP what black is to the fashion world: it never goes out of style. Thank you, Senator Leahy, for speaking out against it, rather than just ignoring it.

[smacc1]

The irony of course is that there is no party more beholden to Identity Politics than the Democrats.

[johnie2xs]

You got it wrong, "smacc1".

The Democratic Party refers to "their beholden", as their constituency.

You see, we're the party of more than that one color; WHITE.

If you want to consider diversity as being "Identity Politics", then so be it.

[Badger84]

It seems that the Democrats celebrate our diversity where the rs see it as an opportunity to create scapegoats for short term political gain.

[CarbonDate]

You understand that "white" is an identity too, right?

[AmericanWarrior]

I wish Senator Leahy was the Democratic Majority Leader. Then that spineless jellyfish name Harry Reid can sit like droopy dog and cater to the ReThugs on his on time.

[Mark Twaine]

Why would Leahy appear in the same interview with Sessions? It just legitimizes Sessions lack of qualifications to be a senator.

[Polichick66]

Agreed

[ordinaryjoe]

Or it HIGHLIGHTS Sessions lack of qualifications to be a Senator.

[xlntcat]

I meant to say Sessions Sorry for the error, Senator Leahy.

[edwarvir]

Good for Senator Leahy, thank you
sir for cutting to the chase and telling it
like it is.

[rocketman19]

these people are cowards, protected by the rule of law. if these pigs were not protected, if they were not hiding behind these laws they would not have the courage to say the things they do. gop or democrat. men must be responsible for their actions, they must be accountable for their words. and these pigs have gone far to long without accountability, they must be shown that they can be dealt with in ways even a politician can understand. it has gone on too long. these cowards must be shown the error of their ways in a very forceful way. in a very personal way. my hate for how they are is very strong. just how i can express my anger is something that only i can deal with. all i can say here for all of you to read is, FIGHT THE POWER, and to bring back an old chant POWER TO THE PEOPLE. remember that one? GOD BLESS AMERICA.

[AFAN]

Well kkkonservative like Pat Buchanan, Jeff Sessions & some on this board can better look back to the 1967 Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court decision because it open up a huge surge in of multiracial & bi-racial people here in America.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkyRW6N0WKU

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/cb-9xy1ETxXVgbLt4aGII83uVosGmavYM5Q/multiracial_america/

[JakeMontero]

the only real kay kay kay in the senate is a democrat - Byrd brain

[hmmmmmer]

Speaking of which, when will he retire and give someone a chance to vote for these things. The time has come for him to pass the torch, so to speak.

[Matt7]

sneakerlite said: "Give me one LOGICAL reason why a MAJORITY should celebrate becoming a MINORITY, and then we'll deal with your post."

Okay.

If slavery is over, and racism has been neutralized and no longer exists; if everyone in this country has been treated fairly and has an equal sh*t under the law -- in PRACTICE not just theory, then a true American who was formerly in the MAJORITY but now is in the MINORITY would be celebrating the fact that those tenets and precepts that they are so fond of spouting and pretending to believe in ACTUALLY WORK and have been successful in providing equal protection and opportunity under the law. Therefore Democracy has been successful AND HAS NOT FAILED.

However, they know that the aforementioned "ifs" are outside of the realm of reality. And they now fear that those attitudes, privileges and uses of power which have been in the domain of the majority, might continue to be used in the same ways. Only THIS time THEY would be on the receiving end of such beneveloent "equality.­" And it's scary as heck.

Right, sport?

[nubret2008]

True Americans were always the Majority regardless of color or creed

[bluejoni2525]

You are correct !!

[Matt7]

Fortunately for us all.

We were simply attempting to humor shortbus.

[mad1nola]

Please repost this over and over again until they get it in their thick skulls. They don't fear reverse racism they fear competing in a world where the color of "their" skin doesn't matter.

[Rescisco]

Republican opposition to Sotomayor was a given, and it is fair to disagree along partisan lines. But it was less their ideological motivation and more the content of their character that dictated the tone and the general nastiness of their efforts. From that we may fairly conclude that they are remnants of the scarred heritage of ignorance and oppression that has haunted this nation in spite of its noble ideas. If anyone doubts that there is still much work to do in the name of equal justice and equal opportunity, consider these "enlightened" public servants and the people who keep electing them.

[Barrelhse]

Well put; thank you.