tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post9215021690480523360..comments2024-03-27T15:44:43.564-08:00Comments on What Do I Know?: Dr. Brokenleg Lecture - Belonging, Mastery, Independence, GenerosityStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10498066938213558757noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post-60874934223897495392009-05-30T16:05:02.117-08:002009-05-30T16:05:02.117-08:00Thanks Jay. I heard those 'bias' comments too and ...Thanks Jay. I heard those 'bias' comments too and I've been thinking about how to write about what's wrong with their reasoning. The obvious is, "As if white males don't come to the court with a bias too." But then that's not 'bias' because that's 'reality' as they know it and as it is generally reflected in school, in the media, at home, etc. Still working on this.<br /><br />There's also the issue of fighting every nominee for the sake of making the Dems spend time and energy and money fighting back, even though they know they will lose. They can argue that Democrats fought hard against Republican appointees as well, but I think the argument can be well made that the Republican nominees were often less qualified and/or far more ideologically extreme than most Americans and the Democratic nominees. I think the Democratic appointees have tended to be more consistently first rate AND closer to the mainstream ideologically. But that's a lot of work to establish.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10498066938213558757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30897652.post-47849997591248152752009-05-30T01:12:47.511-08:002009-05-30T01:12:47.511-08:00From a supreme court appointment reaction story in...From a supreme court appointment reaction story in today's Guardian, quoting nominee Sotomayor: <br /><br />"I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life," she said. "Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences, our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging."<br /><br />To some Americans, Sotomayor's comments appear self-evident. They point to the personal experience that Thurgood Marshall brought as a black man elevated to the supreme court during the civil rights era. But conservatives said her comments are evidence that she will be biased against whites and men.<br /><br />Gingrich, in a Twitter feed to more than 340,000 followers, said she should resign. "Imagine a judicial nominee said, 'My experience as a white man makes me better than a Latina woman.' New racism is no better than old racism," wrote Gingrich.<br /><br />---<br /><br />Good grief...Jacob Dugan-Brausehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06287631724339961459noreply@blogger.com