Gingrich Admits Err, Retracts "Racist" Labelling of Sotomayor
Washington, DC (June 3, 2009) - Acknowledging a growing GOP consensus that attacking USSC nomiee Sonia Sotomayor as a "racist" was a tactical error, Newt Gingrich began a gradual withdrawal yesterday. In light of strong conservativism in the Black and Latino communities as shown by their opposition to gay marriage, which was clearly reflected in California's recent Proposition 8 battle over gay marriages where the Black and Latino vote are acknowledged to have given the hotly-contested proposition the winning votes, GOP rank and file rumbling began based upon fear of alienating these voting segments over a battle the GOP could not possibly win in any case.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives who has become a leading conservative critic, today backed away from his comments that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was a racist but continued to question whether her philosophy qualified her to become the first Latina on the top court.
In a letter to supporters and a posting on his website, Gingrich said the use of the word “racist should not have been applied to Judge Sotomayor as a person, even if her words themselves are unacceptable."
Gingrich had joined with conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh in calling Sotomayor a racist after a speech she gave in 2001 was widely circulated. In it, Sotomayor said: "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."
Conservatives have seized on the quote to argue that Sotomayor, 54, is an activist liberal judge who would place racial and ethnic characterizations above the law in her decisions. In private meetings with senators, Sotomayor has insisted she would follow law, not personality, in reaching decisions.
"My initial reaction was strong and direct -- perhaps too strong and too direct," Gingrich said today. "The sentiment struck me as racist and I said so. Since then, some who want to have an open and honest consideration of Judge Sotomayor's fitness to serve on the nation's highest court have been critical of my word choice."The use of the word "racist" rankled some Senate Republicans. Top Republicans, including Alabama's Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee, said they wanted a fair hearing and cordial airing of Sotomayor's views.
In television interviews today, Sessions said he was "very glad" that Gingrich had decided to step back from the term. "I think that will help us have a real good discussion about the serious issues that the nation faces and that the court faces," Sessions said.
But Sessions added he was still concerned about Sotomayor's past statement because it raised questions. "It's inevitable that your personal views would affect your decision-making," Sessions said. "And to me, that's directly contrary to our great history of blind justice in America."
Sotomayor today had her second day of meetings with top senators in preparation for hearings on her nomination to replace Justice David Souter, who is retiring.
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