Graham: Sotomayor Thinks She's Superior

Senate Republicans air grievances against top court pick

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted May 31, 2009 10:39 AM CDT

(Newser) – Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich have had their say, and today, the senators who will vote on Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation weighed in, Politico reports:

On Fox News Sunday, Lindsey Graham demanded Sotomayor apologize for her “wise Latina” comment, saying the judge thinks she’s superior to people who haven’t shared her experiences and questioning if she “understands what America is about.”

Kay Bailey Hutchison called Sotomayor’s previous statements “troubling” on State of the Union.
In response to comments by Limbaugh and Gingrich, Mitch McConnell said he refuses to be “the speech police.” “I’ve got a big job to do dealing with 40 Senate Republicans,” he told CNN, adding that a filibuster isn’t off the table.
Breaking with President Obama, Chuck Schumer said he didn’t think Sotomayor would distance herself from the “wise Latina” remarks. “I think she’ll stand by the entire speech,” he told This Week.

[Videos (1)]

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

In this photograph provided by "Meet the Press," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., appears on "Meet the Press'" Sunday, July 15, 2007, at the NBC studios in Washington. (AP Photo/Meet The Press, Alex Wong)

Rush Limbaugh has called Sonia Sotomayor a racist. (AP Photo/Rob Carr, file)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Sen. Jeff Sessions tells fellow Republicans to stop calling Sonia Sotomayor a 'racist.' (MSNBC)

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

New, Fightin' Obama Calls Out Foes

No more Mr. Nice President

(NEWSER) - It's hard to imagine that critics once complained that Barack Obama wasn't tough enough. Lately, he's been savaging his opponents by name, Politico notes, tossing verbal jabs directly at Mitch McConnell, Sarah Palin , Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and more. It's a deliberate effort to get back the “spunk and fight” Obama had during the campaign, says one presidential rhetoric expert. “When you campaign, you campaign against people.” More»

McConnell Keeps Low Profile in Health Debate

Conservative critics think Minority Leader should be fighting administration harder

(NEWSER) - Why haven’t we heard more from Mitch McConnell on health care? The Senate Minority Leader has kept relatively quiet on the administration’s reform efforts, a stance that has irked many conservative activists who feel McConnell is ducking his duties as de facto Republican Party leader, writes Stephanie Mencimer for Mother Jones. McConnell “could single-handedly destroy this bill,” says pro-life firebrand Randall Terry. “But so far he has not displayed the backbone." More»

McConnell: White House 'Demonizing' Health Critics

Angry protests 'clearly being orchestrated,' Durbin counters

(NEWSER) - The White House is “demonizing” the fiercely outspoken critics of its health care reform, Sen. Mitch McConnell told Fox News Sunday today. “To demonize citizens who are energetic about this strikes me as demonstrating a kind of weakness in your position,” the Senate minority leader said, but Sen. Dick Durbin countered on State of the Union that the outrage is “clearly being orchestrated.” On This Week, Newt Gingrich advised congressional members to simply let angry attendees “get it out of their system.” More»

Graham: I'll Vote for Sotomayor

'I feel this is the right vote for me, and quite frankly, for the country,' Graham said

(NEWSER) - Lindsey Graham intends to vote for Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, Talking Points Memo reports. "I believe she is well qualified,” said the senator, one of her more aggressive questioners. "She's definitely more liberal than a Republican would have chosen, but I do believe elections have consequences." President Obama "deserves some deference on my part," Graham said. More»

Rush, Newt Push Media to the Right

They're mainstream while progressives are ignored: Dionne

(NEWSER) - Media coverage of Barack Obama is closed-minded and biased—in favor of conservatives. "Rush Limbaugh's sneezes or Newt Gingrich's tweets" circulate like wildfire, but criticism of the president from the Democratic left goes unheard, writes EJ Dionne of the Washington Post. The result is a skewed picture in which "Obama is regularly cast as somewhere on the far left end of a truncated political spectrum." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Graham: Sotomayor Thinks She's Superior

Senate Republicans air grievances against top court pick