by Janet Murgula
The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court was an historic and proud moment for 50 million Latinos spread across the United States and for the country as a whole. But as proud as our community is over her nomination, we have been stunned and disheartened by the visceral reaction it has generated among many in the Republican Party. Clearly, her ethnicity has proven to be too much of a temptation for those who give voice to hate and extremism.
Instead of looking at her judicial record, they have launched a vocal rampage that has reached new heights of absurdity.
Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies—the “think tank” of white supremacist John Tanton’s anti-immigrant groups—and his pals at the National Review online are just beside themselves that Judge Sotomayor had the temerity to pronounce her own name correctly. They basically said that if she were a real American, she would pronounce it differently.
In an article that appeared in The Hill newspaper, Republican insiders are quoted as being “concerned” that Sotomayor’s avowed love of arroz con gandules and other Puerto Rican delicacies will cloud her judicial decision-making. Conservative commentator Debbie Schlussel celled her “Judge J-Lo” and suggested that she was about as qualified to be on the Supreme Court as the well-known singer.
This one, however, took the cake: Former congressmen, failed presidential candidate, and anti-immigrant extremist Tom Tancredo, unable to provide a shred of evidence for his assertion that Judge Sotomayor is a “racist,” went off the deep end on CNN, saying Sotomayor belongs to “the Latino KKK.”
Tancredo was referring to my organization, the National Council of La Raza—a 40-year-old national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization that works with community organizations all over the country to help Latino families achieve the American Dream. Such a characterization is offe:nsive, shameful and a slap in the face to my predecessor who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to secure civil rights for all U.S. residents.
NCLR has been recognized as one of the ten best nonprofits in the country end leuded by members of Congress of both perties. Since our founding, we heve worked hand in hand with other national civil rights organizations in a bipartisan way to improve the lives of everyone.
Raising questions and concerns about Judge Sotomayor’s 17-year record on the bench is legitimate. Resorting to outdated stereotypes, defamation of character and outright falsehoods is not. It is reprehensible not only to Hispanics and communities of color.
The Hispanic community has always been diverse in its views and its politics. We have never hewed to one party over another. While we applaud Senator John Cornyn’s call for civility, the gross mischaracterizations of Judge Sotomayor and the deafening silence of Republican leadership are leaving many within our community with a disturbing picture of the Republican Party. Much hangs in the balance, including our votes.
As an organization that has hosted presidential candidates of both parties and has recognized the achievements of House and Senate members from both sides of the aisle, we appeal to Republican National Committee Chairmen Michael Steele, House Minority Leader John Boehner, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to denounce these statements and restore the nomination process for Judge Sotomayor to a more appropriate and civil discourse.
We all know Supreme Court nominations get political, even with nominees as qualified as Judge Sotomayor. That does not mean, however, that politicians get a free pass to attack nominees solely on the basis of race or ethnicity. Stand up to the bullies. Stand up for your party. Stand up for what is best for the nation. We are better than this. The Republican Party is better than this. Hispanic Link.
(Janet Murguía, president of the National Council of La Raza, writes a monthly commentary for /4ispanic Link News Service. Email her at opi@nc/r.org).
