Inhofe Wants to Make Sure Sotomayor Is "Without Undue Influence" From Her Race And Gender
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) released this statement today on the Sotomayor nomination, reminding us all that he voted against her confirmation to the appeals court in 1998 -- and apparently questioning whether she can make rulings independent of her race and gender:
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) made the following statement regarding President Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Inhofe was one of 29 U.S. Senators that voted against Sotomayor's nomination to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in 1998."Without doubt, Judge Sotomayor's personal life story is truly inspiring. I congratulate her on being nominated. As the U.S. Senate begins the confirmation process, I look forward to looking closer at her recent rulings and her judicial philosophy.
"Of primary concern to me is whether or not Judge Sotomayor follows the proper role of judges and refrains from legislating from the bench. Some of her recent comments on this matter have given me cause for great concern. In the months ahead, it will be important for those of us in the U.S. Senate to weigh her qualifications and character as well as her ability to rule fairly without undue influence from her own personal race, gender, or political preferences."
As Dana Goldstein points out, this does raise the question of whether Inhofe thinks the seven white men on the court are immune from any similar questions.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
And who made Inhofe the cheif authority on the subject. Has he looked in the mirror lately?
May 26, 2009 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
What I'd likw ro know is whether or not Inhofe is himself free of "undue influence" about his race or gender. Or, as Eric mentioned above, whether the seven white men already on the court are free of any undue influence from the Good Ol' Boys Club? Doesn't Inhofe represent those who keep reminding us that "This is a White Christian Country?"
Maddening. Absolutely maddening.
May 26, 2009 5:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Completely and utterly maddening but sadly a reality of the times we are livin'.
May 26, 2009 5:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bingo. I had exactly the same thought.
May 27, 2009 2:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Senator Inhofe Reader's Digest version:
"I want to make sure she can make decisions independent of her race, gender and political preferences, because I sure as hell can't!"
May 26, 2009 5:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
The fortune cookie version: "She's different! It's scary!"
May 26, 2009 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Make her say she's really white! That's the only way I'll be comfortable..."
May 26, 2009 6:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I want to know when Jim Inhofe is going to be ruled ineligible for office because he's too white. Man these "reverse-racist" slingers are audacious. Diversity is proof of discrimination. Ethinicity is proof of bias. White Men in all the top positions is proof of meritocracy in action.
I suppose it's a genuinely conservative position. But so is slavery.
May 26, 2009 5:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because he's white? Because he's incompetent is the key word here.
May 26, 2009 6:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
much easier to argue the incompetent point....
May 26, 2009 7:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sotomayor is a heat seeking missile designed to blow up in the Republicans' faces, forcing them to repeat that only white males are unbiased.
May 26, 2009 6:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow! That's good!
May 26, 2009 7:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just watch the sideshow that is the Republican party during this confirmation process. The sad part isn't what Inhofe and others will say, it's that they don't even realize there is anything wrong with what they say. The Republicans will not be able to help themselves from making ridiculous statements like this and the rest of us will not be able to help ourselves from slowing down to watch the same way we might as we pass a car accident.
May 26, 2009 6:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
They really can't help themselves.
It's always better when they take the hood off, you know?
May 26, 2009 6:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
lol--nominated "best off-the-cuff cutting remark" of the day.
If we had actual categories (or if we do, let me know), I'd do an official nod....
May 26, 2009 7:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes indeed...we white men are feeling especially marginalized today :=P
May 26, 2009 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is that what Thomas and Scalia do? "Rule fairly without undue influence from their own... political preferences"
May 26, 2009 6:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you all miss that Inhofe expects the confirmation process to take many months, not just a few weeks? I'm sure she would be confirmed immediately if the nomination were able to be voted on. So, now we get to see who of the Democrats will support a refusal to allow this to come to a vote. I'm betting there will be just enough to keep the nomination on the back burner for several months.
May 26, 2009 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Republicans are a ridiculous joke, they would not stand a chance of election in any other country on earth.
They are kept alive only by the bigots and secessionist wingnuts of white America. Voters need to find others to represent them than the likes of Imhofe, Kyl, McCain and the other useless windbags of the GOP who have hardly ever done a thing to improve the future of this country.
May 26, 2009 7:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
What about The Republic of Texas?
May 26, 2009 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
this is SO TRUE... I have posted on more than one occasion, on more than one blog, that American right-wingers are the most backward-thinking people in the developed world (backward even for many less developed countries too...)
Indeed in no other modern democracy in the world could Republicans win elections the way they do here.. the only reason they win elections here (or used to...;) is that here, for starters, we have more religion and more religious fanatics than in any other developed country in the world (and this is also the reason why this country lags behind more advanced countries in many aspects... think about it: among all developed nations we have: 1) highest murder rate (wacko gun culture not found in any other country); 2) highest rates of poverty; 3) highest rates of income inequality; 4) biggest wealth gap; 5) highest rates of teenage pregnancies (less sex ed here than in other countries thanks to the wingnuts); and now, thanks to right-wingers' aversion to regulation and any methods to check corporate greed, we have singlehandedly caused the world economy to collapse.. all this thanks to our friends the irrational-thinking and backward-thinking wingnuts in this country who are about four centuries behind the rest of the world...
they deserve everything bad that's happening to them, given all the damage they have done to this country...
May 27, 2009 12:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Austria stunned by far-right's election gains
Politicians condemn right-wing Czech TV election ad
I think I can only post two links, but you might also remind yourself about Israel's recent elections. That's not to say that our right-wing isn't messed up, but we're not unique in that regard.
May 27, 2009 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
You forgot highest incarceration rate and highest execution rate.
May 28, 2009 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Jesus H Christ, Inhofe weighs in and, once again, Oklahoma is embarassed. What a fucking douchebag!
Couple of points to ponder:
* This whole republican meme that judges shouldn't "Legislate from the bench" is total bollocks. The judiciary is a part of government and as such performs a vital role in interpreting and/or nullifying laws. If it were up to Inhofe, everything would be decided by a vote and therefore, we'd still be living in the past where women couldn't vote, homosexuality was against the law and an african american would be in every home, as a slave.
* Inhofe is stunningly full of shit. Does he think anyone buys his fake congratulations to Sotomayor? What a total wanker!
Please, please, please don't judge Oklahoma by this tosspot. But if you must, I can't blame you.
May 26, 2009 8:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dump the whole court and run all decisions through a computer. What the fuck?
May 26, 2009 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yikes, she's not from Tulsa...call the witch squads....hide the children...lock the one-room schools......stock up the root cellar...
Neanderthals....good description...Inhofe is and always be the leader of this squad.....
May 26, 2009 8:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does anyone recall if the other two women who have been on the court -- Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- were subjected to the same questioning?
May 26, 2009 8:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just as a note, this should be more towards Inhofe being and idiot rather than him being white.
May 26, 2009 8:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Their "personal gender"?
That's just freaking hilarious, really.
May 26, 2009 8:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
But is it any funnier than having a personal race?
Apparently she has that too according to the intellectual power-house that is Senator Inhofe. (wry grin)
May 26, 2009 11:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
yes and apart from it being totally hilarious it demonstrates so clearly how repugs and right-wingers are truly stupid and irrational thinkers..
what many commentators say here is so true: the right-wingers seem to be implying here nothing less than that only white men can be totally unbiased, that only white mean rule "fairly without undue influence from her own personal race, gender, or political preferences."
what a bunch of retarded morons....
May 27, 2009 12:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
because, inside all of us is a white man, yearning to be free!
May 26, 2009 8:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is simply amazing that back in the 60's the senator from Oklahoma was Fred Harris. Oklahoma has elected some real wingnuts since then. Inhofe and Coburn. What a pair! Of course we have Hutchison and Cornyn in Texas. Not any better.
May 26, 2009 8:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
What, still no batshit crazy, cringe-inducing pronouncement from Michelle Bachmann yet? I realize she's not in the Senate, but I'm not sure she does.
May 26, 2009 8:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
She has to get her "facts" straight before she starts the show. Must have a script ready, ya know.
May 26, 2009 9:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think Inhofe is just confused because he thought it would be Snow White up there with the seven wrinkly guys.
May 26, 2009 10:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
ha ha ... these repugs are SUCH IDIOTS, I swear.. so Scalia and Thomas always "rule fairly without undue influence from her own personal race, gender, or political preferences."??? what -- Scalia or Thomas rule from his own personal political preferences??? NEVER!!!
This moron is kidding, right??????
are repugs getting more stupid by the day or do they just act like it????
May 27, 2009 12:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
And let all Repubic-scum be sure to act without the undue influences of their Neanderthal Religions.
May 27, 2009 7:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sen. Inhofe is under the undue influence of his own personal idiocy.
May 27, 2009 7:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Only when Inhofe is able to make decisions idependent of his stupidity and prideful, aggressive ignorance. And I'm an Oklahoman and he's my senator -- and I won't hold my breath.
May 27, 2009 11:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
As a member of the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee, can Sen. Inhofe make rulings independent of his financial backers in the oil industry?
May 27, 2009 12:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Questioning whether she can make rulings independent of her race and gender.
Shorter - Can you rule like a white man?
May 27, 2009 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Makes sense to him, as he makes decisions with out undue influence from gray matter.
June 5, 2009 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink