Over the Transom in the SCOTUS Justice Search

bonnie-goldstein

Bonnie Goldstein

Woman Up Editor
Posted:
05/8/09
The Washington Post's Dan Eggen makes the point today that the battle of the interest groups will be a deeply lopsided fight in the run up to SCOTUS confirmation hearings because "Republicans are in the political wilderness."



Compared to 2006, when the now defunct Progress for America had $18 million to support the John Roberts and Samuel Alito nominations, there is only "a smattering of opposition groups to make the conservative case against whomever President Obama chooses."

During the 1991 Clarence Thomas confirmation, the folksy Wyoming Republican Alan Simpson described the anonymous unsolicited outpouring of scorn that had arrived in his Judiciary Committee office regarding hearing witness Anita Hill, "I've got letters hanging out of my pocket. I've got faxes. I've got statements from her former law professors, statements from people that know her, statements from Tulsa, Okla., saying, 'Watch out for this woman.'"

I guess the current characterizations of Sonia Sotomayor as dumb (spoofed on Letterman!), LGBT speculation, and general diversity bashing of various female candidates is emanating from some spontaneous, agenda-less force, kinda like what Senator Simpson once called "over the transom."