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Hispanics Warn GOP To Back Sotomayor
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| President Barack Obama announces federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor, right, as his nominee for the Supreme Court on Tuesday in Washington. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press) |
By MICHAEL P. TREMOGLIE, The Bulletin
Several Hispanic leaders held a press conference yesterday about President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor.
If confirmed she would be the first female Hispanic Supreme Court justice. The leaders expressed their pride at the nomination of a Hispanic and their desire to have her confirmed.
Maria Cardona, founder of Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary, which The Associated Press called a “nonpartisan group,” was one of them. Ms. Cardona issued a warning to Republicans saying an opposition to a Hispanic would damage their party with America’s Hispanic population.
“Republicans are going to have to tread very, very carefully on this one. They have already alienated 70 percent of the Hispanic community in this country with the whole issue of immigration,” she said.
But in 2005, Ms. Cardona, who was a consultant for the 2004 Kerry campaign, had a different attitude toward a Hispanic candidate nominated by a Republican president.
“It’s not enough for the president to put forward a Latino name for the court,” she said in a July 15, 2005 Scripps Howard article in the bilingual newspaper La Prensa-San Diego. “What is important to us is that the person who ultimately gets nominated will be fair, will protect the rights of the people.”
She did not warn Democrats about the perils of opposing President George W. Bush’s Hispanic potential judicial nominees, despite the fact Democrats were clearly trying to ruin Republican Hispanic judicial candidates.
Mr. Bush had made inroads into the Hispanic vote both times he was elected. This was something that disturbed Democrats so much that they met with activist groups such as People for the American Way and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. They were in crisis mode about Miguel Estrada.
A Nov. 15, 2003 Wall Street Journal story quoted from internal Democratic Party communications about opposing Mr. Estrada as a judicial nominee. The liberal interest groups warned the Democrats to delay Mr. Estrada’s nomination because he “is Latino, and the White House seems to be grooming him for a Supreme Court appointment.”
But the double standard thus far exhibited by the leadership of the Hispanic community does not seem to matter to them. Their reaction is the same as the black community, which is monolithically Democratic.
As Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, said, Judge Sotomayor’s nomination was “a monumental day for Latinos.”
But La Raza’s ethnic pride did not extend to Bush’s nominee, Mr. Estrada. The organization was “neutral” about the nomination of Mr. Estrada.
For Republicans who want to heed Ms. Cardona’s warning, commentator Rush Limbaugh reminded them during his broadcast yesterday that John McCain, who championed amnesty for illegal immigrants, lost the election. He also let Republicans know that President Bush appointed many Hispanics to high level positions in his administration. It did not help them in the election.
Conversely, the first Hispanic U.S. Attorney General was a Republican. Alberto Gonzalez was appointed by George W. Bush.
Although Hispanic groups praised Bush for appointing Mr. Gonzalez, he was villified by Democrats. The Democratic Party did not suffer at the polls because of their demonization of Mr. Gonzalez or their opposition to Mr. Estrada.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be reached at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
If confirmed she would be the first female Hispanic Supreme Court justice. The leaders expressed their pride at the nomination of a Hispanic and their desire to have her confirmed.
Maria Cardona, founder of Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary, which The Associated Press called a “nonpartisan group,” was one of them. Ms. Cardona issued a warning to Republicans saying an opposition to a Hispanic would damage their party with America’s Hispanic population.
“Republicans are going to have to tread very, very carefully on this one. They have already alienated 70 percent of the Hispanic community in this country with the whole issue of immigration,” she said.
But in 2005, Ms. Cardona, who was a consultant for the 2004 Kerry campaign, had a different attitude toward a Hispanic candidate nominated by a Republican president.
“It’s not enough for the president to put forward a Latino name for the court,” she said in a July 15, 2005 Scripps Howard article in the bilingual newspaper La Prensa-San Diego. “What is important to us is that the person who ultimately gets nominated will be fair, will protect the rights of the people.”
She did not warn Democrats about the perils of opposing President George W. Bush’s Hispanic potential judicial nominees, despite the fact Democrats were clearly trying to ruin Republican Hispanic judicial candidates.
Mr. Bush had made inroads into the Hispanic vote both times he was elected. This was something that disturbed Democrats so much that they met with activist groups such as People for the American Way and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. They were in crisis mode about Miguel Estrada.
A Nov. 15, 2003 Wall Street Journal story quoted from internal Democratic Party communications about opposing Mr. Estrada as a judicial nominee. The liberal interest groups warned the Democrats to delay Mr. Estrada’s nomination because he “is Latino, and the White House seems to be grooming him for a Supreme Court appointment.”
But the double standard thus far exhibited by the leadership of the Hispanic community does not seem to matter to them. Their reaction is the same as the black community, which is monolithically Democratic.
As Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, said, Judge Sotomayor’s nomination was “a monumental day for Latinos.”
But La Raza’s ethnic pride did not extend to Bush’s nominee, Mr. Estrada. The organization was “neutral” about the nomination of Mr. Estrada.
For Republicans who want to heed Ms. Cardona’s warning, commentator Rush Limbaugh reminded them during his broadcast yesterday that John McCain, who championed amnesty for illegal immigrants, lost the election. He also let Republicans know that President Bush appointed many Hispanics to high level positions in his administration. It did not help them in the election.
Conversely, the first Hispanic U.S. Attorney General was a Republican. Alberto Gonzalez was appointed by George W. Bush.
Although Hispanic groups praised Bush for appointing Mr. Gonzalez, he was villified by Democrats. The Democratic Party did not suffer at the polls because of their demonization of Mr. Gonzalez or their opposition to Mr. Estrada.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be reached at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
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