What will be the impact of the Sotomayor racism charge?

[Bonn1997]

Poll question: What will be the impact of the Sotomayor racism charge?

What will be the impact of the Sotomayor racism charge?

[Bonn1997]

1. I fear it's choice 1 or 2 because she's getting pounded really hard by the media

[rvablue]

8. Well,

If it's number one, it's irrelevant. She'll be on the Court and her vote will count just as much as anyone else's -- for life.

And if you believe there is even a sliver of a chance that she will withdraw -- barring some huge revelation that we are not yet aware of -- based on this silly statement that has been taken out of context, then you are going to be very, very surprised, as the GOP Senate leaders are already inching away from the fringe elements of the party on this.

[BurtWorm]

10. I was just asking myself this very question: what is the net result of these extremist attacks?

From my perspective, it looks like no-win for the GOP, especially as they're not falling all over themselves to disown the assholes making these vile, numbskulled attacks. Do they really want to write off the latino vote? Do they really want to trust that this won't be a watershed event that will motivate latinos to register Democratic and vote Democratic?

Or, more likely, is this a bunch of dumbass old Republican men fooled into believing it's still a Republican world in which it's totally safe to speak from their bilious, bulging guts?

[Bonn1997]

13. We just have to make sure we don't damage the white male vote while they write off the

much smaller Latino vote.

[BurtWorm]

23. White males showed themselves to be pretty damn impotent as a group in the last election.

They're just going to get more and more impotent as a group as time goes on.

I am ostensibly part of that group, but they almost always vote differently from me. The idiots.

[Bonn1997]

25. Several factors converged to give us Dems a huge advantage...

Ranging from Bush's and Palin's incompetence to the economic downturn. Many of those factors won't be operating in 2010 and 2012. We're gonna need every vote (including white votes) IMO if we're gonna take the southern and midwest states we took in 2008.

[BurtWorm]

27. It's definitely not a good idea to rest on one's laurels, but what do you propose "we" do to counter

this appeal to the dregs on the right? Withdraw the nomination?

[Bonn1997]

28. I honestly don't know but it's gonna be a problem if the Obama admin.

has to keep offering clarifications of Sotomayor's comments. Ed Schulz raised a good question just now: Did the Obama admin. simply overlook this statement she made in the vetting process? Certainly they couldn't have anticipated needing to make a statement explaining away her remarks within the same week of her nomination.

[BurtWorm]

30. One clarification. It's just one quote that they're making so much hay out of.

[Bonn1997]

31. I agree and the RW is a bunch of disgusting racists but

what I'm concerned about is what the net effect will be in states like Iowa, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, etc.

[BurtWorm]

32. It's a good question. I don't have enough data to know.

I'm betting the GOP doesn't either. They're making a guess in the dark. I think they've made a disastrous guess. We'll see.

[Bonn1997]

33. Well I really hope you're right.

[MrModerate]

2. It won't matter jack shit.

The wackos who believe it won't be voting on her (except for those who are in the Senate, and there's not enough of them). The media frenzy is the usual piffle: sound and fury, signifying nothing.

It's not like Sotomayor is genuinely unqualified, like Miers. The media can huff and puff all they want. They'll lose interest soon enough.

[ThomWV]

4. Amen Brother!

Half of the country can't remember that the esteemed C. Thomas is an ass-grabber of national note, and if we can forget that in a Judge we can forget pretty much anything.

[Ocracoker16]

6. Amen to that

There is a large difference between the reaction of Senators and the reaction of Rush, Gingrich, and the media. The latter aren't participating in the vote.

[Laelth]

3. She'll be confirmed, and Republicans will further alienate Hispanic Americans.

LOL. Best of all possible worlds.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Bonn1997]

5. Sotomayor just admitted it was a poor word choice. The Obama admin. is spending money

on advertising. They're in damage control mode. You guys are much more optimistic than I am. I actually could see this mattering to crucial swing voters in states we took like Virginia, Indiana, NC. I'm a white male but I think a lot of you are underestimating White Americans' ability (including independent/swing voters) to get charged up over "reverse racism."

[BurtWorm]

7. Swing voters are not voting on her nomination. Senators are.

She's going to be confirmed. She may even turn out to be much more conservative than anyone is expecting her to be, in which case wingers will suddenly be rejoicing and the rest of us will be kicking ourselves for not being careful enough. But she will be confirmed without very much trouble at all.

[Bonn1997]

12. but the news impacts public opinion

[rvablue]

19. Ridiculous, trumped-up lies and smears from the RW are most defintely not NEWS

as the terms "news" and "same old bullshit" are diametrically opposed.

The only ones who should be afraid of the electorate are the Republicans and their ridiculous lies and smears, because look out 2010: Hispanics in Arizona and Florida will vote in a Demcrat and the State Houses in Texas and Florida could be lost. Dems have very little to fear as the Republicans will either shut up or do themselves in once and for all this time.

[BurtWorm]

24. How do you think this strategy is going to play with white women?

[Bonn1997]

34. My guesses:

College-educated white women are turned off by the right wing, but less educated do get charged up by this "reverse racism" stuff.
Same reasoning for younger vs. older women. Those over maybe 40 probably get charged up by "reverse racism" claims.

[rvablue]

9. You need to school yourself. The Obama administration is not spending money on advertising!!!

It's an independent organization that is doing the advertising campaign. It has nothing to do with Obama or his administration.

And, IT IS NOT "damage control." What is it is preemptive action against the longtime, well-oiled RW smear machine that the left knew would spring into action to smear the SCOTUS nominee, no matter who it was.

You're post is either woefully ignorant of basic facts (so go do some reading) or willfully disingeneous. If it's the latter, keep posting and I'll be here to debunk your mistruths.

[Bonn1997]

11. Wow, calm down. I got the funder wrong. You act like I posted a Swastika.

Independent Orgs. did not start doing these damage control commercials until the racism charges were dominating the media, though.

[Political Tiger]

14. Do you see any ads defending her against these bogus racism charges?

I don't, and I think that fact alone blows away your "theory."

[rvablue]

21. Yes, his "theory" seems more like some self-serving "fantasy" he's concocted in his own mind.

The only ad I've seen is one that uses the audio of the President's remarks over a montage of photos of Sotomayor throughout her life with some text that explains her biography.

It was preeemptive. Learned from years of letting the RW smearmongers get out in front -- progressive groups have learned and have launched the first, devastating strike!

[rvablue]

17. The announcement was made on Tues. I saw the first ad on Tues. night.

So, once again you are wrong and writing stuff without having the first clue what you are talking about.

It was a preemptive ad campaign, NOT "damage control." Because no matter who Obama nominated the RW liars had their smearfest prepared well in advance of whoever was chosen. That is how they roll. Lie. Smear. Distort. It worked in the 90s and the progressive left is onto it now. So no, it wasn't a response, it was a preemptive strike on the bullshit lies that were bound to be flung.

Progressives: 1
Repubs: once again, ha, ha: ZERO.

And yes, you were wrong with the funder and the MAKER of the ads. So, why not do a few googles and figure out the facts before posting?

It wasn't a "mistake", it was an ASS-umption.

[CreekDog]

16. what's reverse racism?

:shrug:

[rvablue]

22. That's easy: It's a RW smear being used by Pigboy and Gingrich!!

;)

[Bonn1997]

26. It's right wing garbage. I intentionally put it in quotes.

[TexasObserver]

15. Further decline of the GOP will be the result.

Wow! The party of angry white men is mad about a woman getting the nomination. Couldn't see that coming! Who will like these attacks? Not women. Not Hispanics. Not Democrats. Not rational thinking independents.

NO, the only people who will relish the attacks on her are those who are already part of the tragic 25% of the populace who still think Dick Cheney is a swell guy.

[michreject]

18. option 4

She'll be confirmed and there won't be a lasting impact on the public's perception of either party

People have short memories.

[lpbk2713]

20. Anyone with a brain will say "those nutty, nutty republicans"

They have shot themselves in the foot so many times they are now walking on stubs.

[ColbertWatcher]

29. A distraction. n/t