re: #250 FabioC.

Why should Republicans vote against Sotomayor if it is a losing battle?

Maybe to make a stand on a principle - that there is no place in the Supreme Court for a “race and gender-conscious” judge. They must also explain clearly why they do so, and call the media on it if (when) their position is distorted as racist.

Because America has completely turned the corner on issues like race and gender> Because America affords the same laws and protections to women and minorities today and there is nothing left at all to say about it? Don’t get me wrong, America has come an astonishingly long way since Dred Scot, but to assume that these issues still do not exist in this country is delusional and to say it like that only reinforces the “Republicans are racist” meme. Of course given the lurch of the party to guys like Ron Paul and songs like “Barak the magic Negro” it is not too hard to blush in shame and say that the meme has something to it.