I Stand With Sotomayor

Here's the message we sent to our members asking them to stand with Judge Sotomayor against racist and sexist attacks from the right wing.

Dear Presente.org member,

The right wing wants to tear down President Obama's historic nominee

Will you stand with us against their attacks and urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to confirm Judge Sotomayor?

On Tuesday, President Obama announced his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor—a proud Puerto Rican and Latina—to be the next Supreme Court Justice. Within hours, the right wing began attacking her—not based on her record—but through thinly veiled racist and sexist rhetoric:

“This is someone who clearly was picked because she’s a woman and Hispanic, not because she was the best qualified.” – Curt Levy of the Committee for Justice¹

“I have heard that she is is almost a bully at times, that she has the image of not being that intellectually bright.” – Glenn Beck, FoxNews ²

“Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse racist and now he’s appointed one … Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court.” – Rush Limbaugh, Talk Show Host³

The reality is that Sotomayor is an accomplished judge who would have more federal judicial experience than any Supreme Court justice in 100 years. These attacks are not just insulting to Sotomayor, they’re an affront to all Latinos and anyone who believes that a nominee should be judged on their record, not their heritage, skin tone, or name.

We want to make sure that everyday folks know the truth about Sotomayor, as well as the bigoted nature of the criticisms being thrown at her. Please take just a moment to show your support for Sotomayor and to take a stand against her attrackers, and ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://presente.org/campaigns/sotomayor

Judge Sotomayor’s credentials are truly impressive. Here are just a few of them:

• She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University, was an editor of the Law Journal at Yale Law School, and worked as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

• In her nearly 400 opinions on the federal bench, she has consistently protected the rights of working Americans; she’s ruled for freedoms of religious expression, assembly and free speech; and she has a strong civil rights record, ruling for plaintiffs who had been discriminated against based on disability, sex and race.

• Judge Sotomayor even “saved baseball” in 1995, when she stopped the owners from illegally changing their bargaining agreement with the players, thereby ending the longest professional sports walk-out in history.

• People who have worked with her describe her as "...an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind,”⁴ “highly qualified for any position in which wisdom, intelligence, collegiality and good character would be assets,”⁵ and “a role model of aspiration, discipline, commitment, intellectual prowess and integrity.”⁶

The attack from the right wing is predictable and offensive. Their objection clearly stems from a fear that Sotomayor will get in the way of their agenda. Instead of being honest about that, they’ve attacked Sotomayor’s character and are using the kind of coded language that appeals to those who fear anything but a white male on the Supreme Court. They should be ashamed, and we should be outraged.

We can push back by speaking clearly and loudly. Please join us in combating the hateful rhetoric from the far right and standing strong in support of Judge Sotomayor:

http://presente.org/campaigns/sotomayor

Thank you and Adelante!

- The Presente.org Team

References

1. “Conservatives Blast Obama’s Hispanic SCOTUS Nominee As ‘Not The Smartest’ And An ‘Intellectual Lightweight,’” Think Progress, 5-26-2009.
http://tinyurl.com/q23gxl

2. “Glenn Beck: Roger Pilan about the Sotomayor nomination,” GlennBeck.com, 5-26-2009.
http://tinyurl.com/ndwv2f

3. “Limbaugh calls Sotomayor ‘a reverse racist,’ appointed by ‘the greatest living example of a reverse racist,’” Media Matters, 5-26-2009.
http://tiny.cc/zhL4n

4. “White House Fact Sheet on Sotomayor,” CQ Politics, 5-26-2009
http://tinyurl.com/n59z2r

5. “Sotomayor Is Highly Qualified,” Wall Street Journal, 5-9-2009.
http://tinyurl.com/nujph2

6. “The President’s Nominee: Judge Sonia Sotomayor,” WhiteHouse.gov, 5-26-2009
http://tinyurl.com/ktdh6v