Sotomayor Cartoon Sparks Outcry

Poll numbers plummeted amid Sotomayor, Gates controversies

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s downward opinion-poll trajectory among whites seems to be linked to the “blackening” of his image, writes Joan Walsh in Salon. It accelerated during two racially charged moments this summer: Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court, marked with debate over her “wise Latina” comment, and the Henry Louis Gates controversy. At such times, Walsh argues, “there's no denying, he got blacker to a segment of the white population.” More»

New characters compared to Jar Jar Binks

(NEWSER) - Critics are comparing Transformers to Star Wars, and not in a good way, E! reports. Twin autobots Skids and Mudflap are causing an uproar over ethnic stereotypes. The new characters are from “da hood,” can’t read, and inspired one critic to describe them as—horrors!—“Jar Jar Binks in car form.” And like Jar Jar, they're annoying. In the words of another critic, they are “a collection of every bad stereotype imaginable.” More»

Calls them 'derogatory' and 'off-base,' praises sister in interview

(NEWSER) - Sonia Sotomayor’s brother considers criticism of his sister “insulting, derogatory, off-base," the Supreme Court nominee's only sibling tells Good Morning America. “Angry is just the beginning” of how he feels about the attacks, Juan Sotomayor said, calling Sonia a “wonderful woman” and “the perfect role model.” Those who have accused her of racism “don’t deserve a response. It’s not even something that should even be mentioned.” More»

Speechwriter used racial slur, karate chop

(NEWSER) - An aide to Tom Tancredo has pleaded guilty to a hate crime, compromising the former congressman's credibility as he helps lead the opposition to Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, the Washington Independent reports. Marcus Epstein, executive director of the onetime Republican presidential candidate's PAC, copped to using a racial slur and karate-chopping an African-American woman in the head on a DC street in 2007. More»

(NEWSER) - Robert Gibbs said today Sonia Sotomayor regrets the way she phrased 2001 comments that have some Republicans calling the Supreme Court nominee a racist, the Hill reports. “I think she'd say that her word choice was poor,” the White House press secretary said. He suggested that Sotomayor was not trying to say Latina women make better judges than white men, but that “your experiences impact your understanding.” More»