CHICAGO MOB STYLE WHITE HOUSE

The style repeatedly demonstrated by Team Obama since landing in the White House would make Al Capone proud. The thuggery of Chicago politics is now fully on display in our nations capital. We should all be pleased as punch at what Obama has wrought within the Executive branch of our government.

The accompanying article reports the approach being taken by the White House relative to their just named SCOTUS nominee, Latina Sonia Sotomayor. It is unprecedented and it is telling.

What is publicly on display in this instance is the politics of a court nomination by intimidation. The message is unmistakable. It is: oppose us and we will come after you with a vengeance.

It is not an attempt to make the case in favor of Sotomayor. On the contrary! It is a warning that anyone who disagrees with their choice will end up sleeping with the political fishes.

Veiled threats, it would seem, would be far beneath the dignity of the spokesman for the President. It is stunning that this White House deems such behavior as appropriate and befitting of the single most powerful elected official in the world. But those with a background of punk and thug political street training are not really prepared to operate differently. What a travesty.

I doubt that mob style politics is what most "hope and change" voters were expecting. But it is what they, and we, get to live with.

Should we expect that opponents of Sotomayor will wake up to find a horse's head next to them in bed? Apparently the time has come to make good with the Don.


W.H. to Sotomayor critics: Be 'careful'
By: Alexander Burns and Josh Gerstein

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs issued a pointed warning to opponents of Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court nomination Wednesday, urging critics to measure their words carefully during a politically charged confirmation debate. “I think it is probably important for anybody involved in this debate to be exceedingly careful with the way in which they’ve decided to describe different aspects of this impending confirmation,” Gibbs said. He was replying to a question from CBS’s Chip Reid about a blog post by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich accusing Sotomayor of imposing identity politics on the bench and declaring: “A white man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. A Latina woman racist should also withdraw.” “I think we're satisfied that, when the people of America and the people of the Senate get a chance to look at more than just the blog of a former lawmaker… they'll come to the same conclusion that the president did” about Sotomayor’s qualifications, Gibbs replied. In 2001, then-White House press secretary Ari Fleischer drew criticism in the press for suggesting Americans “need to watch what they say” in the overheated aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Hispanic leaders cautioned that critics, such as Gingrich, risked alienating Latinos by seeming to pronounce judgment before Sotomayor has an opportunity to defend herself. “If there is the perception that somehow she is being treated unfairly or they are distorting her record or comments, I think there will be a backlash in the Latino community,” said Janet Murguía, president of the National Council of La Raza. “All we want is for the process to be respectful and fair. There could be great resentment within the Latino community if it is seen somehow that she is not being treated with the respect due to a Supreme Court nominee.” Murguía said Hispanics are “extremely excited” about the nomination. “This is a monumental moment for the Latino community. It’s a milestone moment,” she said. The White House also took shots at politicians and commentators who have questioned whether Sotomayor has the intellectual capacity for the Supreme Court. In a statement Tuesday, Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) said he planned “to thoroughly review Judge Sotomayor’s record to make sure she has the right intellect and understands the proper role of a judge.” “A lot of people in the last couple of days…they've mentioned ‘intellect,” Gibbs said. “I'm not sure what number they graduated in their class at Princeton, but my sense is it's not second.”
Latino activists were up in arms over what one called “innuendo” challenging the smarts of Sotomayor, who graduated with highest honors from Princeton and was editor of the law review at Yale Law School. “Her intelligence is apparent. It is outrageous that she is being attacked on those grounds,” said Ramona Romero, president of the Hispanic National Bar Association. “I’m assuming these folks are grasping at straws….I wonder if she were a white male we would be hearing that about somebody with the same credentials.” Gingrich and other commentators leveling the charge that Sotomayor is racist have seized on her comments in a 2001 lecture about how her Hispanic background contributed to her judicial work. “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,” Sotomayor said.
The Hispanic Bar’s Romero accused Gingrich of deliberately savaging Sotomayor at a time when tradition dictates she maintain public silence in advance of her confirmation hearings. “It reflects extreme attention-seeking behavior,” she said. “He is doing it precisely because he knows the protocol and knows she cannot speak for herself on these issues right now.” Gibbs said critics had taken out of context Sotomayor’s attempt to declare that “she has lived a different life than some people have, based on her upbringing—that she understands that.” He said Sotomayor was simply acknowledging that a different background “could certainly lead to different conclusions.” Journalists at the White House briefing were dubious about the press secretary’s explanation, with several shouting back in unison: “She said ‘better.’” “Look at the totality of it,” Gibbs replied. To build momentum for the nominee, the White House organized a conference call Wednesday with several prominent attorneys who support Sotomayor. They touted her professionalism and fielded questions about rulings she might make in the future. “This is a lawyer’s lawyer,” said Martha Minow, a Harvard Law professor who attended Yale with Sotomayor. “I am so struck by her mastery….This is a pro. This is a very sophisticated person. This is what you see when you have a summa cum laude graduate of Princeton.” Several of those on the White House call argued that one of Sotomayor’s most controversial rulings—the terse dismissal of white New Haven firefighters’ complaint of reverse discrimination—illustrated that she respected her limits as a judge. “That case I also think is an example of her instincts for judicial restraint,” said William Marshall, a law professor at the University of North Carolina and former deputy counsel to President Bill Clinton. “She was part of a panel that decided they were bound by previous Second Circuit decisions.” Minow acknowledged that Sotomayor has a reputation for aggressively questioning lawyers who argue before her. “I think it’s fair to say she is often what you might describe as a ‘hot bench….. She’s very active and if somebody would prefer to have a passive bench, they’re not going to get that with her,” the law professor said. Asked how Sotomayor might rule on gay marriage or admitting gays to the military, Minow said, “It’s just a guessing game…She’s Catholic. I think that she’s had clerks that are gay. There really is no indication about that.” The White House said Sotomayor was making phone calls Wednesday to Senate leaders and was expected to begin in person visits to Capitol Hill next week. Meanwhile, in an effort to build support among Latinos, Obama sent out a Spanish language e-mail Wednesday calling Sotomayor’s nomination a “historic moment” and praising her as “distinguished in the academic field.” Obama’s message, distributed by the Democratic National Committee, urged recipients to join the “conversation” about his nominee. Backers of Sotomayor also rolled out a TV ad campaign Wednesday, while critics launched new Web ads and a Web site to oppose her confirmation.

© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC

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