Sonia Sotomayar (Princeton, ’76, summa cum laude)
This week President Obama named the first ever Hispanic woman in American history to the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. She graduated summa cum laude – at the top of her class, you cannot get more cum laude than that – from one of the top universities in the country, Princeton. But even that was not enough to keep some from questioning her intelligence!
I saw this exchange between two right-wing Republican talking heads on Mirror On America and Ta-Nehisi Coates:
Fred Barnes (University of Virginia, ’65): I think you can make the case that she’s one of those who has benefited from affirmative action over the years tremendously.
Bill Bennett (Williams College, ’65): Yeah, well, maybe so. Did she get into Princeton on affirmative action, one wonders.
Fred Barnes (University of Virginia, ’65): One wonders.
Bill Bennett (Williams College, ’65): Summa cum laude, I don’t think you get on affirmative action. I don’t know what her major was, but summa cum laude’s a pretty big deal.
Fred Barnes (University of Virginia, ’65): I guess it is, but you know, there’s some schools and maybe Princeton’s not one of them, where if you don’t get summa cum laude then or some kind of cum laude, you then, you’re a D+ student.
Bill Bennett (Williams College, ’65): That ain’t one of them, I know, because I’ve got two boys there…
And Republicans wonder why they do so poorly among blacks and Hispanics!
Barnes is either a racist, a sexist or a fool. Maybe all three. If he is not being racist or sexist, then why in the world is he questioning the intelligence of a Princeton graduate? For what other reason? And if he does not know how affirmative action, university graduation and honours work, then why does he lack the sense to keep his mouth shut?
Sadly it is not just Barnes who thinks like that, far from it. Many white Americans – I would say most, but I have no way to prove it – doubt the intelligence of blacks and Hispanics. So even if you have a degree from an Ivy League university, like Sotomayor, they will still doubt your level of education! It will be pretty much like you were white and graduated from a state school.
It goes beyond just degrees too. It applies to how your ideas and talents are seen. In general you have to be twice as good before whites will say you are equal to them. And even then, like Barnes above, they still might not want to admit it.
Note to white people: Affirmative action or racial quotas helps blacks and others to get into a university but it is not some magic carpet ride to graduation. It is just a foot in the door. They have to study and take tests just like everyone else. Affirmative action affects admission policies, not graduation. Princeton’s good name, and therefore its fortunes, depends on the quality of the people it produces, regardless of colour.
See also:
Hes a Racist, a Sexist, and a Fool…. Especially a FOOL!
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Nice catch, good analysis, though I’m a little surprised you didn’t also go after Bennett’s stance and words. He too seems to be searching for some way to denigrate Sotomayor in terms of race. The lazy, insinuating speculations of both of them are disgusting (“Did she get into Princeton on affirmative action, one wonders.”). These good old white American men have probably never wondered aloud any such thing about the de facto affirmative action of “legacy admissions,” the sort that helps people like GWB get into places like Yale. And never mind, of course, the legacy of 400 years of affirmative action for whites that helped these two gasbags in more ways than anyone could count to get into their center-stage pundit chairs.
(btw, I like the format here. It reminds me of Jackson Brown’s Cake and Potatoes.”)
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LMAO they are mad because her credintials look better than theirs.
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what an idiot
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White women were the group who benefitted the most from affirmative action.
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Wow. Minority women can do very well in universities. Ivy league universities at that. Gee, who knew.
I can understand how all this clashes with their accepted view of the world, the poor dears.
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Thanks for this post. I have some thoughts re: Sotomayor but they’re on another computer and I don’t feel like re-typing them. I’ll post them later.
For now, I’ll note this: Query why the neocons feel a need to mount such a vigorous opposition to Sotomayor. Even if she were ultra-liberal she would not tip the SCOTUS balance, and her record, which is substantial, shows that she is to the right of Souter on some issues. As far as I can tell, the only reason for the vitriol is that she was nominated by a Democratic POTUS.
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Those two morons are the reason I don’t trust American media today. For Mr. Barnes to question Miss Sotomayor’s intelligence, talent, and credentials is way beyond racism and sexism and simple stupidity. It’s upper-class White elitism and old-boy network he has benefitted all of his natural born life. Mr. Bennett should have known better, given his previous racist comments about Blacks and abortion almost four years ago.
La Reyna
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What a tool.
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They are sexist and probably racist jerks. But, I found your assertion that most whites if not all whites think that other races are dumber offensive. I personally think of people with ivy league eduaction – regardless of race are brain washed and incapable of thinking for themselves
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I also find people with the previledge of going to college to be smug elitist who over value a diploma and over look the benift and intelligence of those of us who are not as lucky or previledge. My former boss, when giving a speech recogniting our mail room manager at his 10 year service recognition actually said to me “well he didnt go to college so there isnt much to talk about” like without an alma matter and a fight song you have no life. Ticks me off.
I am the only EA at my company without a degree…and I make just as much if not more than they do…and can do the job just as well if not better than they can.
That smug elitist additude is found in people regadless of race…
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A few thoughts:
“Identity Politics.” Of course the Sotomayor nomination involves identity politics, at least to some extent. So what? Identity is political in the US. There isn’t any way Obama in this circumstance could have made any nomination, even a white male, that did not involve “Identity Politics” at some level.
Qualifications. On paper Sotomayor is better qualified to serve as a SCOTUS justice than any of the other 8 were at the time of their nominations There really isn’t any grounds for challenging Sotomayor on the grounds of qualifications. She is a Type A superacheiver whose career has taken her through a broad spectrum of the legal world, at very high levels. Time will tell whether Obama’s enemies will unearth a smoking gun, but I wouldn’t expect it.
The infamous “Make Policy” quote: In context, the statement was correct. Using it as a basis for attacking Sotomayor makes the attackers look silly and uninformed. The question Sotomayor was answering went to the difference between being a judge on a trial level court and a court of appeal. Her statement about policy being made at the court of appeal level is correct. Appellate level courts are frequently called upon to answer questions of policy, often where there is no clear textual guidance either from a constitution or applicable statute. This is true both at the state and the federal level.
She’s not particularly liberal as judges go. In fact, she has been regarded as moderate by most who have assessed her politics. Greenwald (in Salon.com) has cited some specific opinions making this point. In fact, she could harm Obama because there is some sense that she might vote in favor of State’s rights if the right 10th Amendment case came up.
The “Empathy Thing.” See the context furnished by the Alito confirmation hearing in Greewald’s blog on Salon.
The ruling in the firefighter case: She might be reversed on appeal, or maybe not. Either way, it’s incorrect to accuse her of issuing a ruling that requires discrimination against white firefighters. The challenge alleged that the test itself was racially biased. The trial court found that it was, and the court of appeal didn’t see grounds for reversal. The opinion was written very tightly, and was based on narrow legal grounds. Never mind that fact that it was issued by a three judge panel.
The “wise ruling Latina” quote. Ultimately meaningless. Those who argue that “a white male saying the same thing, blah blah,” miss the point. Even if one were to agree in the abstract that this should be the standard, the reality is that it’s not the standard currently and thus the statement was not outside of the real of acceptable discourse.
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Macon D:
True, Bennett should get some of the blame but in this post I gave him a pass because a) he helped to keep Barnes from going off the deep end and b) I thought it made the post simpler and clearer to talk just about Barnes.
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Dedabets:
What I said about whites looking down on the intelligence of blacks and Hispanics was carefully worded. I said “many” whites do it. I think that is clearly the case. I did not say “most” – only that it seemed that way to me but I had no way to prove it. Which means I could be wrong. Though I doubt it: when you compare blacks and whites with university degrees, blacks make less money and are more likely to be thrown out of work. There might be many reasons for that, but the most straightforward one is the kind of thinking that Fred Barnes shows here.
Note: whether you are offended by what I say does not make it true or false. I am offended by plenty of things, but they still are true.
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Blanc2: I agree: barring any smoking gun I see no reason not to confirm her. It is pretty sad the kind of stuff the Republicans are coming up with.
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I believe their thought process goes like this.
“Well looky here!!! A latina who is educated and elevated to position of power! those people of colour are all in it together!”
There is an evil and untrue train of thought that if you employ people of colour you are compromising on quality, that really diversity is nice, but if you want standards you have to pick whiteness.
It’s all bullcrap but it’s a belief that many have.
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Right, and I think many white Americans apply it to Sotomayor. They think that she is a cut below the other justices on the Supreme Court – not because of anything legitimate they can point to like her education or experience, but just because she is Hispanic and a woman.
But what that sort of thinking says without saying it straight out is that only white men are good enough to be on the Supreme Court!
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Abagond, as a white insider, I can tell you that your suspicion is correct. Many feel that way about Obama too; they expect him, almost subconsciously or instinctively, to “fail” because he’s black, and will find whatever evidence they can that he has. I think the presence of many people of color in positions of power could do a lot toward snuffing out that kind of thinking. Hope I’m not being too optimistic.
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Abagond – in reference to your comment to me…I had an Interesting emotional response.
I was willing to believe the push back on Sotomayer was sexist and wrong. But had issues when you brought race into…thus my comment on being offended. I dont think I am that way – but I certainly believe that other white people do. I reacted personally…because it made me feel like a bad person. I am giving my reaction to your post further thought…not sure where I will go with it.
then I realized that If I took your statement and said “when you compare women and men with university degrees, women make less money and are more likely to be thrown out of work.” I am not bothered by it and belive it to be accurate. Thats because I am a women – in this instance – the one perceived as less simply because of my gender.
This comment isnt very well thought out…I will see if I can sort through my feelings and respond better
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Affirmative action is firmly rooted in the leftist paradigm that views society as composed only of dominators and the dominated, oppressors and the oppressed. And the Left, anointing itself as the agent of cosmic justice that will punish the “oppressors” and remake the world according to the noble standard of mandatory “equality,” justifies preferential policies by citing the purportedly self-evident notions of collective guilt and collective innocence — where race and class ultimately determine who is deserving of blame or grace, and where there are no shades of gray. Working class whites have to be twice as ggod as blacks to get into elite schools. If you’re black you can go to any school you want regardless of grades. These guys are right, blacks and so-called Hispanics are not as smart and only get into high positions based on race not merit.
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There are an estimated 1.5 million Black men in prison and another 3.5 million on probation. Black males make up more than 70 percent of the total prison population, even though they make up only 6 percent of the U.S. population.
Although blacks are 12% of the population in reality it is just 2% of the blacks that commit 50% of the murders and a greater percentage of other crimes. Consider: black females – 6%. Blacks from zero yrs. to 12 yrs. and black males from 50-100 years commit an infinitesimal percentage of the crimes. Therefore we are left with two percent. If we eliminate crimes committed by this two percent from the U.S. statistics our country compares very favorably with all Western countries. Fact — blacks kill 7 times more than whites kill. Fact — blacks kill whites 20 times more than whites kill blacks. Fact — blacks mug or commit group crime against whites 50 times more than whites commit against blacks. Fact — blacks rape white women 2000 (yes 2000) times more than whites rape black women. In New York City, about 300 white women are raped by blacks every year BUT there has not been a black woman raped by a white male in anybody¢s memory (going back over 20 yrs.) Consider: Al Sharpton had to go upstate New York to find a hoax and that was almost 20 years ago. (Source NYT 4/22/05)
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics 2004 report (released May 2006), blacks commit 54 percent of the homicides in America even though they constitute only 12 percent of the population.
An individual black male is seven times more likely to commit murder than an individual white male. It so happens that black felons commit 43 percent of aggravated assaults, 66 percent of armed robberies, 27 percent of rapes and 85 percent of interracial crimes of violence, mainly against whites (this last figure from a Justice Department report 2003). However, it’s not just in the United States. The greatest dicators in recent years have emerged in Africa. People like Idi Amin of Uganda, Hastings Kamuzu Banda in Malawi, Mobutu Sese Seko, in Zaire, self-anointed Emperor Bokassa of the Central African Republic, Mohammed Saidi Barre in Somalia, Sani Abacha of Nigeria, Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe — the list is endless
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to Marcon D- I dont expect obama to fail because of his race – I do because of his political beliefs…I also didnt think clinton was very good..or bush…
But he is my president and I really hope I am wrong.
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Dedabets, if you’re white, then you’re certainly an exception to the common way of thinking that I tried to describe. I didn’t mean that all white people think that way.
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I am indeed white…but my parents raised me to judge a person by what they do – not how they look. I on occasion have prejudice thoughts…but its more a dislike of a cultural aspect than race. I am the type of person willing to see the best in everyone…until they prove me wrong and hurt me.
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@ Dedabets
I agree that these statements directed towards Sontomayor is sexist but she is a woman of color and it’s hard to seperate the two when you are a woman and a minority so yes I do think their comments were both racist and sexist.
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who and what the feck was that troll nicole???
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dani – since I am caucasin…my inital response to the racist claim was to reject it. But then I stopped and thought about why I was okay with the sexist claim but not the racist one and realized…as a women I am okay with someone claiming sexism. As a white person – I am labeled as bad and there fore reject the racist claim…
If I take emotional reactions out…and look at this from the point of view of a Race-Less person…the racism claims have merit – just as the sexist claims do. I was just initally unwilling to accept them because it hit close to home…I felt as if Abagond was saying I was racist by his comments.
Its hard to be objective to something like race relations…because none of us can be…because we are always on one perceived side or another.
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Whites on the whole tend to do that, take the word “racist” way too personally. Partly for that reason they tend to be too quick in dismissing a charge of racism.
I picked on Barnes not to bash all whites. Hardly. Not all whites are like that. But he is a public example of something I find whites doing way too often. Hopefully if they see how foolish it looks in Barnes they will be less likely to do it themselves.
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To Macon D:
Abagond, as a white insider, I can tell you that your suspicion is correct. Many feel that way about Obama too; they expect him, almost subconsciously or instinctively, to “fail” because he’s black, and will find whatever evidence they can that he has.
So how as an insider do you peer into the minds of “many” whites to come to that conclusion and solely base that upon Obama’s skin color..? Why then do black conservatives such as Clarence Thomas and Condoleezza Rice have so much support among right of center whites..? (and correspondingly are called rented Negroes, House Negroes, Uncle Toms, and other derogatory terms among left of center people..?)
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And if he does not know how affirmative action, university graduation and honours work, then why does he lack the sense to keep his mouth shut?
I am not going to defend Barnes, it’s very clear that Ms. Sotomayar was easily qualified to enter law school with her grades. But therein lies a problem with affirmative action and reserving it predominantly for certain groups. (I have already stated my opposition to lowering academic entrance standards for legacy and athletic admissions..) Clarence Thomas stated that his grades were good enough to enter the college and law school of his choice but given the collective boost for black Americans provided by affirmative action there was quiet widespread assumption that the standards had been lowered for him.
As for affirmative action for Latinos.. take a wild guess who added that to government legislation. Richard Nixon. Basically as a way to buy votes with certain Democrats and expanding the GOPs appeal to Hispanics. As I read about Ms. Sotomayar, I have no doubt she struggled quite hard to get where she is (and she would have qualified for my vision of affirmative action based upon class..) but if you have ever traveled to the Iberian peninsula you would know that she wouldn’t look out of place there. IE, she appears predominantly European to me (albeit Southern European..)
Whether one agrees with affirmative action or not, there is a compelling argument for it in so far as it applies to blacks of American descent and American Indians. (A form of reparations, reform/atonement for past slavery, Jim crow, genocide, etc..) But in so far as it applies to Latinos..? That in my opinion is a much harder case. Especially for anyone whose family entered the US in the past 50 years.
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Affirmative action, that is a whole other post, one I shall have to write before Sotomayor goes before the Senate as it looks like it will be a red hot issue, the first time it will have become so in these supposedly post-racial times.
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yall r crazy
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Useless, ugly old white men. Is there anything more pathetic than bigoted old white men? They’ve lived their whole lives never looking inside themselves—sleepwalking—and empowering racist white oligarchy. No one told them about
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