On Sotomayor

Far from heralding a new age, one where choices are race-blind, the election of Obama has done the exact opposite. The media still spout with joy over having a black family in the White House. Obama's race excites them; not his character, abilities, policies, record of achievement; no, what brings tears of joy to the liberal eye, is his race. That Obama is not descendant from American slaves, is as foreign as one can be and still be eligible for the presidency, and is half white, does not decrease their giddy delight. This is no exaggeration. We hear of Obama's race all the time.

And to confirm the true nature of the age we are entering, one of ethnic chaos, where each ethnic group vies for power at the expense of others, we have the spectacle of Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court. Does anyone not understand that Obama nominated her because of her ethnic identity? And that surely this is payback to the Latino community for supporting his election? The ethnic aspect of it is so naked and overt, it borders on the grotesque.

Listening to the radio today, the talking heads at CNN and Fox News freely admit that the Republicans must tread on eggs when questioning Sotomayor. Why? Doesn't giving her special treatment defeat the very premise behind her nomination? In other words, we have not become race-blind. It is assumed that the Hispanic community will be enraged if anyone dares question or oppose a person from their ethnic group. All that matters is that Sotomayor is a Latina, nothing more. One commentator today said that everyone knows it is "political suicide" to oppose a non-white candidate to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor may be of purely European heritage, I don't know. But that doesn't change Obama's calculation of her political value, and of his desire to pander to Hispanic voters. Nor does it change the perversion of our system where Senators are constrained by ethnic concerns.

Despite the rise in ethnic politics, white Americans are the only ones voting in a race-blind manner, according to issues other than mere ethnic affiliation. There are no "white" candidates, ones that represent the interests of whites. Ours is the only group that votes against its own self interests; that undermines its own interests with aggressive self-righteousness. And for this reason, there is no doubt that the Senate will confirm Sotomayor.