Sotomayor: In 1994 the “wise woman” wasn’t necessarily a Latina
Apparently during a speech in 1994 Supeme Court nomine Sonia Sotomayor made a statement almost identical to the one from 2001:
“I would hope that a wise woman with the richness of her experience would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion,” she said in the 1994 speech. “What is better? I….hope that better will mean a more compassionate and caring conclusion.”
Supporters are saying that since Republicans likely knew about the quote during her confirmation to the Circuit Court in 1998, they are feigning their shock at her more recent comment. They ignore two key issues: the 2nd Circuit is not the Supreme Court – the standard is higher; and the original quote did not include a racial sentiment.
Whether or not they raised the issue then, it’s appropriate to raise it now. It won’t keep her off the bench, but we should be talking about it, because it is an indication that an attitude which most of us hope is fading from American consciousness will be alive and well on the Supreme court for another generation.
Obama’s deceitful math
Last week the President said that his stimulus plan had “saved or created nearly 150,000 jobs,” including “jobs building solar panels and wind turbines; making homes and buildings more energy-efficient.”
But unemployment numbers are out for the month of May, showing that 520,000 jobs were lost in May (only 18,000 less than in April), driving unemployment to 9.2%. So where are new and recently saved jobs? Is he suggesting that without the stimulus (most of which hasn’t been put into play) there would have been 670,000 jobs lost last month?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics keeps track of a lot of things. Jobs “saved” isn’t one of them. And there’s a uncomfortable lack of evidence for the President’s claim, and a similar lack of scrutiny.
