Surprise: Graham voting for “bold, edgy” Sotomayor
posted at 3:30 pm on July 22, 2009 by Allahpundit
Conventional wisdom turned on its head: Graham, the guy from deep-red South Carolina, votes yes while Jon Kyl, the guy from a state with a huge Latino population, votes no. Neither one’s up for reelection next year or else that might have (would have?) broken differently. We’ve been over and over the pros and cons of voting no so I won’t belabor the point, but I have to say, I think Grahamnesty played this one exactly right. The GOP potentially had only two things to gain from the hearing: Making the Democrats squirm over identity politics and seizing the high ground of “reasonableness” so that they could point back to this as a precedent the next time a nominee — whether Democrat or Republican — comes up. Graham was more successful in both respects than anyone else on his side.
Could have done without the tribute to our wise Latina’s “edginess,” though, even if it was designed to provide cover for future “controversial” conservative appointees. Click the image to watch.
Blowback
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I hate Rinos
deedtrader on July 22, 2009 at 3:31 PM
Isn’t this exactly what she was afraid to do during the hearings?
lorien1973 on July 22, 2009 at 3:32 PM
eh, I think they did a good job. They brought up good points and asked good questions. There’s not much they can do anyway.
This is a lib for a lib. Save the powder until next time.
darwin on July 22, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Yes, that’s what we need, “edgy” Supreme Court Justices.
Obama is an “edgy” President, how’s that working out exactly?
Competence and qualifications are so 15 minutes ago.
And we wonder why everything’s going to hell in a breadbasket.
NoDonkey on July 22, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Spicy!
BadgerHawk on July 22, 2009 at 3:34 PM
Great. Maybe he can disappear with her to Puerto Rico for a few days just to consummate the deal.
BigD on July 22, 2009 at 3:34 PM
No, we want racist, sexist fools who vote with their biases.
bloggless on July 22, 2009 at 3:34 PM
FIFY.
Steve Z on July 22, 2009 at 3:35 PM
I hate people who think “rino” means anything.
Abby Adams on July 22, 2009 at 3:35 PM
Ditto. Get this guy out of the office by Jan 2013, before any conservative justices retire and maybe, just maybe, some old liberal judges have not left. That well may be the case if they act like statist and cannot give up the power they have.
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 3:36 PM
Exactly. Liberals were saying that Sotomayor was “lying” in her answers to tough questions.
If this is the justification Grahamnesty uses for his “yes” vote, he is even more of a pathetic RINO than I thought.
Norwegian on July 22, 2009 at 3:36 PM
For crissakes, do you honestly think the Dems give a rat’s *** about that? Are you seriously suggesting that they would be cowed by an argument that the Republicans were once reasonable and now they have to be reasonable? Just how naive are you?
PackerBronco on July 22, 2009 at 3:36 PM
Can she read the Constitution?
Cindy Munford on July 22, 2009 at 3:36 PM
*groan*
Spare us the speechifying and get on with it.
evergreen on July 22, 2009 at 3:37 PM
“Do we want milquetoast nominees who are afraid to speak their mind?” … And then blatantly contradict those bold and exciting activist statements? Aren’t those the nominees we want? Huh? Huh? … John?
JKahn913 on July 22, 2009 at 3:37 PM
Spine
Less
Thunderstorm129 on July 22, 2009 at 3:37 PM
…….And, in other news, La Raza announced that they heart Lindsey Grahamnesty.
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 3:37 PM
I don’t care if you think he played it right, I don’t!
Made calls to DC and SC when I heard about his decision.
My biggest problem is lying when I have to give an
imaginary SC address; not just zip code. It would be
wonderful to live at Myrtle Beach where I spent so much
of my younger years being I’m from NC.
spacewife on July 22, 2009 at 3:38 PM
I wish Jim DeMint was the ONLY GOP senator in SC. By the way, DeMint said some VERY complimentary things about Governor Palin today.
ousoonerfan15 on July 22, 2009 at 3:38 PM
hey Grahamnesty where were you when they were attacking our people???
oh that’s right helping the donks.
sven10077 on July 22, 2009 at 3:39 PM
Maybe he’s one of those guys who like “exotic” women.
Wander on July 22, 2009 at 3:39 PM
We need strong leaders who will stand for their principles. I don’t care what “political costs” they are scared of. Too many in Washington are spineless.
golfballs03 on July 22, 2009 at 3:39 PM
He is, the other one is a cross -resser that likes to grab his ankles.
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 3:40 PM
She’ll make a nice token retard on the SCOTUS.
LimeyGeek on July 22, 2009 at 3:41 PM
Right, that will stop the next Borking.
Liberals play to win, and moderates play to lose gracefully. Looks like a match made in Hell.
Chris_Balsz on July 22, 2009 at 3:41 PM
Bastard.
bluelightbrigade on July 22, 2009 at 3:42 PM
He’s incorrigible.
Cicero43 on July 22, 2009 at 3:42 PM
+Priceless
bluelightbrigade on July 22, 2009 at 3:42 PM
There’s nothing quite as edgy as lying under oath.
Jim Treacher on July 22, 2009 at 3:42 PM
I heard that he takes a wide stance in the stall
CMonster on July 22, 2009 at 3:42 PM
Which would be fine except…I’M SICK OF THE POLITICAL GAMESMANSHIP!
Sorry for yelling. I just want politicians who vote in the long-term best interest of their constituents. Too much to ask, apparently.
pugwriter on July 22, 2009 at 3:43 PM
How many times does it have to be said, that the Socialists don’t return ass-kisses? Ass-kissing is a one-way street, and Republicans do it well.
I just want a damned Supreme Court Justice who is aware that Lady Justice is blindfolded, for a reason.
I’ll keep waiting.
OhEssYouCowboys on July 22, 2009 at 3:43 PM
When he made his opening comment about her confirmation-barring-a-meltdown, part of me thought he might be prepping himself to appear as though he’d vote to confirm, only to turn around and (regardless of how she actually performed) declare that her hearings had been a meltdown and that he couldn’t vote yes. Dramatic, of course, but that’s nothing new for Lindsey. Guess I was wrong.
Yeah, exotic like kathoey.
Siobhan on July 22, 2009 at 3:44 PM
O/T, but come on, could the GOP please pick a Senate Minority leader that doesn’t look like the crypt keeper? Geez. They’re talking about healthcare and I am being distracted by his weird teeth.
We need another Boener to take his place.
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 3:45 PM
Maverick’s sidekick wonderboy. Gotta
lovehate ‘em.portlandon on July 22, 2009 at 3:45 PM
And see, I thought the general knock on her performance in the hearings was that it was so nondescript… once you got past all the malaprops.
DrSteve on July 22, 2009 at 3:46 PM
FIFY.
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 3:47 PM
MeggieMac’s pervert uncle.
BigD on July 22, 2009 at 3:48 PM
Sen. Graham you never fail to disapoint.
fourdeucer on July 22, 2009 at 3:48 PM
I wonder. Does Juan Hernandez “advise” Lindsey Graham too?
pugwriter on July 22, 2009 at 3:48 PM
Ultimately Graham was right back when he was confronted about his apparent acceptance of Sotomayor on FNC: She can’t be worse than Souter and she represents the least liberal acquaintance Obama has appointed to __ANYTHING__ so far.
As bad as Sotomayor is (and I agree that her record is consistent with allegations of judicial activism) we’re talking about the same President who appointed Holder as AG and was mulling about HAROLD KOH as a supreme court pick.
Compared to “A-nation-of-Cowards” Holder and Harold “Transnational-Law-should-affect-Constitutional-law” Koh, Sen. Graham is absolutely correct in thinking that not only is she no worse than Souter, but we are NEVER gonna get a better candidate out of Obama than Sotomayor (who was appointed to the circuit court by Bush anyway).
Khorum on July 22, 2009 at 3:49 PM
If she is really as racist and sexist as some people say, why isn’t her record soiled by multiple ethics complaints? Shes been a judge for decades.
Speedwagon82 on July 22, 2009 at 3:49 PM
Squishy.
Che would have been bold and edgy too, suck-up.
mankai on July 22, 2009 at 3:50 PM
O/T just threw up in my mouth a little, Teabag boy, David Schuster thought it was ‘rich’ that the repubs were talking about the CBO, when a couple of years ago, they were dogging them for the price of the WAR!
I think Buttboy should call Teabagboy for a date….they seem to be on the same wavelength.
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 3:50 PM
At least it beats Conservative Until Newly Tempted.
Jim Treacher on July 22, 2009 at 3:50 PM
It’s soiled by reversals.
mankai on July 22, 2009 at 3:50 PM
Bold, and Edgy, but is she ‘wise’?
R’s should be voting against this nominee if, for not other reason, Obama has been pissing in their face since the election.
cntrlfrk on July 22, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Sotomayer was probably in the audience the night Grahamnesty made his memorable speech on the how only bigots and hatemongerers would vote against the Amnesty Bill. Graham is a McCain lapdog, nothing more, nothing less. He is unfit to lead.
volsense on July 22, 2009 at 3:51 PM
He’s exactly right. Now that he’s brought it up, can we expect him to follow through and take his milquetoast butt home?
BobMbx on July 22, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Then President Romney can “reach across the aisle” in a move to be “inclusive” and send up some charmingly ethnic RINO who will immediately turn Red once he’s on the bench.
Not getting my hopes up.
Terry_Dyne on July 22, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Is he talking about a SCOTUS nominee or steak sauce?
BobMbx on July 22, 2009 at 3:52 PM
Room temperature IQs stick together.
tarpon on July 22, 2009 at 3:52 PM
Yeah, for someone who’s pandering to the Latinos/Latinas in South Carolina.
moonsbreath on July 22, 2009 at 3:53 PM
One,s again little lindsey proved he has NO political soul.Just vote which way the wind is blowing that day.What a scum bag he should do the right thing and move across to the Dems.
thmcbb on July 22, 2009 at 3:53 PM
Anyone who votes for Sotomayor should be thrown off of the Earth. Send Lady Lindsey to Pluto, where can’t do any more damage. Moron.
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 3:53 PM
Maybe we should reitirate for the hard of LEARNING:
Republican In Name Only….pretty nifty, huh?
I like yours too, Jim.
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 3:53 PM
It is what it is – we got Roberts – that’s all I care about.
jake-the-goose on July 22, 2009 at 3:53 PM
You guys never cease to amaze me.
Last week you were singing praises of how Graham andled his grilling of Soto. I always figured she’d be approved anyway.
Now it’s back to the “spineless RINO” crud…the kind of crud that will continue to tear the GOP down.
JetBoy on July 22, 2009 at 3:54 PM
+100
Laura in Maryland on July 22, 2009 at 3:54 PM
*handled
JetBoy on July 22, 2009 at 3:54 PM
Si se peude! La Raza’s Buttboy!
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 3:54 PM
As it was explained to me years ago while working in Skokie, IL, the definition of the word Shmendrick is “someone who is a total s#*thead, because they lack the wit or imagination to be anything else”.
Seems to fit Lindsey pretty well.
My Kingdom for a fast moving Bus to throw him under.
paragon27x on July 22, 2009 at 3:54 PM
It’s the way they VOTE, not what they SAY.
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 3:55 PM
He should have put that right back on Obama and his turtle post partisan world
Laura in Maryland on July 22, 2009 at 3:56 PM
Grahamnesty’s voice is like nails on a blackboard… in tenor as well as substance (or the lack thereof). Arrrgh.
creatocon on July 22, 2009 at 3:56 PM
Muy caliente!
Akzed on July 22, 2009 at 3:57 PM
This Rino has got to go. It was bad enough when he attacked Americans that didn’t want their borders crossed illegally, and a miriad of other positions. Him, Collins, Snow and the other Rinos have got to be pushed out of our government, before we are shipped to Gulags in Siberia.
SGinNC on July 22, 2009 at 3:57 PM
Oh. I thought it was supposed to be “addled”.
The point is that there is no reason for Graham to vote for her. That is a vote for stupidity, avarice, affirmative action, empathetic adjudication and the death of the rule of law.
Tell me, why do you think Graham should vote for her?
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 3:57 PM
“Shmendrick” – I like that, and pledge to use it more often.
LimeyGeek on July 22, 2009 at 3:58 PM
Yup.
Patrick Ishmael on July 22, 2009 at 4:00 PM
So he’s not being inconsistent, we are? You’re silly.
Jim Treacher on July 22, 2009 at 4:00 PM
I wonder whether or not a white boy, who had been a member of the “New Order,” would get confirmed?
But, La Raza is ok. Yup, it’s a-ok.
OhEssYouCowboys on July 22, 2009 at 4:00 PM
I expect my Texas Senators to vote to confirm.
And I think with a now “angry” Obama, with #2 you’re going to wish back to the wise latina candidate smarter than any old white dude.
Marcus on July 22, 2009 at 4:00 PM
Because, imagine the possibilities of a different nominee.
Sure, I’m no big fan of her. That Ricci decision she made was abhorring. But…we could do a lot worse, given who’s in charge of nominations.
JetBoy on July 22, 2009 at 4:01 PM
andled
***********************
*handled
JetBoy on July 22, 2009 at 3:54 PM
Funny LimeyGeek should show up just as you were dropping your aitches, JetBoy.
BigD on July 22, 2009 at 4:01 PM
No, we want patriots who boldly stand up for America and the Constitution without fail. Perhaps it’s time for you to head home, Senator Milquetoast.
DrMagnolias on July 22, 2009 at 4:01 PM
Yeah like his fellow South Carolinian Gov Soul Mate Sanford.
Brat on July 22, 2009 at 4:02 PM
LimeyGeek on July 22, 2009 at 3:58 PM
Yeah…. me too!
Someone here used it recently, and I laughed out loud remembering my friend explaining what it meant.
Highly useful and versatile word, “shmendrick”
paragon27x on July 22, 2009 at 4:02 PM
this is really stupid on Grahams part, he has many in his state that hate him, this was a chance to gain back some Cred and its so simple. Just vote No and say you are using the same standards as Barack Obama used with Roberts and Alito
Geez, the GOP plays the game one way and the Dems get away playing the same game with a different set of rules and standards. There is no way we can win playing like this
jp on July 22, 2009 at 4:02 PM
Oh cut him some slack. A Senator has to be flexible due to the vagrancies of shifting and uneasy alliances.
She’s not dumb as far as she knows.
jeff_from_mpls on July 22, 2009 at 4:03 PM
Allah, you’ve been on an exponential plunge downward ever since the NYT mentioned Hotair.
There is no defense for a “Yes” vote on Sotomayor. None.
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 4:03 PM
No, we obviously want spineless, milquetoast, RINO senators instead. Know where we can get any of those Mr. Grahamnesty?
People judge you by your actions (how you vote) and the friends you keep (other RINOS, like McLame), not by your words Senator Douchebag.
Geministorm on July 22, 2009 at 4:03 PM
So has anybody put “wise Latina” into the lyrics for the Macarena yet?
cs89 on July 22, 2009 at 4:03 PM
Byron York pointed out that Republicans never even touched Pearl Def. She made the “wise Latina” comments repeatedly over the years. Even the Ninth Circuit disagreed with some of her judgments, and the Ritchie case shows how her bias colors her decision-making. Even if she had legal precedent, the case was appealed and her ruling was unanimously overturned.
alliebobbitt on July 22, 2009 at 4:05 PM
Reasonableness? You keep using that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means.
I R A Darth Aggie on July 22, 2009 at 4:06 PM
‘Ere! ‘Ave some ‘eart for a diamond geezer! Tosser ;)
LimeyGeek on July 22, 2009 at 4:07 PM
Exit questions: How will Sotomayor, with her diabetes condition, fare under Obamacare? Will she be one of the sob stories that Obama rolls out tonight?
BuckeyeSam on July 22, 2009 at 4:08 PM
I would be shocked and impressed if someone could convince me Grahamnesty enjoyed the company of women….even nasty, racists hags like sotomoron. I’ll never understand how the mind of that turd burglar works.
David in ATL on July 22, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Who cares? You think there is anyone worse than Sotomayor who is going to sail through because The Precedent screwed up his SCOTUS nominations just as he did with his cabinet picks? If he nominates someone worse, then tear them apart, too. Big friggin’ deal. Make him nominate 5 people. 10, if necessary.
This is so far beyond not being “a big fan” of Soto’s. I mean, really, Jetboy.
If a worse one comes, s/he should get even less “Yes” votes. I don’t get this surrender attitude. It serves no good purpose. Letting Soto on the SCOTUSW only opens the door to someone worse next time. Don’t you understand that? Affirmative action, lying, stupidity, and a lack of knowledge have all now been blown away as impediments to getting a SCOTUS spot. Great stuff.
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Maybe they do not mean it to mean the meaning you think it means.
LimeyGeek on July 22, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Can pretty much guarantee THAT ain’t the reason…
Terry_Dyne on July 22, 2009 at 4:08 PM
Better yet… has she READ the Constitution and does she UNDERSTAND it?
CynicalOptimist on July 22, 2009 at 4:09 PM
Sotomayor may be so “edgy” that she’d be disqualified to serve as a juror: “Obama’s First Nominee for Supreme Court Justice Dismissed from Jury Duty Under Anti-Bias Rules” http://optoons.blogspot.com/2009/05/updated-obamas-first-nominee-for.html And here’s a list of model jury instructions Sotomayor’s comments don’t seem to mesh with: http://supportingmaterials.blogspot.com/2009/05/federal-model-jury-instructions.html
Mervis Winter on July 22, 2009 at 4:09 PM
Obama voted No against Alito and Roberts, so did Harry Reid
Why can’t we return the favor? she gets confirmed either way, but atleast we don’t get the talking poitn down the road that she, unlike ROberts and Alito, was not Radical because the GOP voted for her too.
jp on July 22, 2009 at 4:10 PM
I typically loath Graham. But come on, this is the smart move. You can’t stop her. All you can do is store ammo for the next time when the tables are turned. Now, do you actually expect that the Dim’s will care one iota… of f*&%$#! course not. But, hey, that’s why we’re not them.
Sugar Land on July 22, 2009 at 4:10 PM
You know there is absolutely NO downside to any Republican voting against everything that the Democrats put forward. Its not as if they can turn the tide with a 60-40 (if you count the sickly Kennedy) minority, so at worst the proposal/nominee/bill passes and was later deemed a ‘good thing’ because no one will remember who voted against it. However, in every other case, you are seen as a traitor to your party. I recognize that he did a superb job questioning and exposing Sotomayor as unqualified, but it seems moronic that he doesn’t even side with his own argument.
The only way I could possibly understand this vote is if Grahamnesty were getting some quid pro quo vote from some Dem for something that matters, like Obamboozlecare or Cap-n-Kill. Otherwise, I’m back from my momentary insanity of thinking that Senator MeToo had even an ounce of grey matter or principles.
Geministorm on July 22, 2009 at 4:10 PM
Can she read at all?
The way the Dems were gushing about how inspiring her story is, you’d think she was an illiterate moron who somehow miraculously became a judge through affirmative action.
Daggett on July 22, 2009 at 4:10 PM
I wonder how much la raza contributed to this rino’s campaign.
farright on July 22, 2009 at 4:10 PM
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