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From the Blog Sonia Sotomayor, President
Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court is imminently qualified and her
credentials and experience are indisputable. And she is a Latino woman. This is
the ultimate “two-fer” for Obama and the Democrats.
The right-wing Republicans were going to protest against any nominee further
left than Antonin Scalia anyway, just to show their ever-shrinking base that the
party is still alive. In the process, their opposition has irritated scores of
women and Latinos. Not a good idea for a party struggling to convince the public
that their tent is getting bigger, not smaller.
That’s bad enough, but how do you make the situation even worse? Start by
claiming that Sotomayor is racist for her comments a few years ago that her
background and experiences made her a better judge. This is basically the same
thing every judge says during their confirmation hearing because it is
reasonable and logical - except if your experiences include being a Latina and a
woman.
It appears that the Republicans are still using the Karl Rove playbook -
attack your opponent for your own weaknesses. I await step two from the
playbook. Accuse Sotomayor of being: a) a terrorist, b) an illegal immigrant, c)
unpatriotic, or d) all of the above.
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Political power is critical to
the advancement of African, Hispanic, and Asian Americans in society. It
provides the avenue to establish and enforce laws that affect all Americans.
Just look at our laws surrounding civil rights, immigration, and affirmative
action.
Ethnic minorities are highly
under-represented in politics. While 13% of the population is African
American, only 7% of the members of Congress are African American.
10% of the population is Hispanic, compared to 4% members of Congress. For
Asian Americans, 3% of the population compared to 1% Congressional members.
It is not just elected
politicians that possess political power. We must also consider political
appointments and the diversity of the staffs of our elected officials.
The interests of African, Hispanic, and Asian
Americans can be properly represented by:
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Encouraging African, Hispanic, and Asian
Americans to run for elected offices and helping them get elected.
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Electing politicians who will support laws
that help African, Hispanic, and Asian Americans in key issues, such as
immigration, education, civil rights, and affirmative action.
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Registering to vote.
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