January 12, 2006
Calling Alito a bigot without saying the words
I have been watching reports on the confirmation hearings for Alito and am beginning to wonder why democrats cannot admit that they are trying to make Alito look like a bigot when almost all of their questioning insinuates that he is a bigot.
Democrats have been going at this from two directions. First, they use the tactics of their favorite whipping boy Joe McCarthy who was vilified for his "guilt by association" tactics by picking at Samuel Alito and his membership in CAP. CAP was not by any stretch the KKK. They opposed Princeton banning the ROTC and implementation of affirmative action requirements. Granted such an organization would probably attract some of the seedier elements but does the support of a bigot in a just cause invalidate that cause? Does this make you accountable for all the writings associated with the group? Then again, opposition to affirmative action and set asides for minorities is considered racism today so I guess in their minds he may be a bigot.
Second, democrats reviewed his case record and determined that he had never ruled in favor of a minority worker and against the employer. This is obviously not true as I know of at least one case where he did rule in favor of a minority claimant. Democrats for whatever reason find they must describe few as none to better make their flimsy case. But, even if he hadn't why would that be an indication of racism? Are judges to ensure that a certain percentage of minorities that come before them must have rulings in their favor? If affirmative action must be applied, how many or what percent of the rulings should go in favor of minorities? Must court judgments now be subjected to affirmative action requirements as well to address historical wrongs?
Lindsay Graham summed it up at the end.
GRAHAM: ...Are you really a closet bigot?At least McCarthy picked on people that were currently in association with admitted communists. The Democrats have to go back 20 years to find a thin association with CAP. If this is true evil they should probably have a talk with Senator Byrd who was an actual member of the KKK. The only thing that could make this democrat showing more ridiculous is if Byrd was asking these questions himself.
ALITO: I'm not any kind of a bigot, I'm not.GRAHAM: No, sir, you're not. And you know why I believe that? Not because you just said it -- but that's a good enough reason, because you seem to be a decent, honorable man. I have got reams of quotes from people who have worked with you, African American judges -- I've lost my quotes.
Posted by Sid at January 12, 2006 12:14 AM | Supreme Court
