Friday, June 5, 2009

Insiders, Bloggers See Political Problems For GOP

Sonia Sotomayor's nomination is a big lift for Democrats and something of a problem for Republicans, according to National Journal's new poll of members of Congress and top political bloggers.

Democratic Insiders and left-leaning bloggers were in close agreement on Sotomayor: A little under two-thirds of each group said her nomination would be a major benefit for their party, and just under one-third called it a minor benefit.

"We can't brag about having a representative democracy and not follow through on that. She will help build confidence in our judicial system," remarked one Insider who predicted a major benefit. Another, who saw a minor benefit, said Sotomayor "would provide much-needed balance to the seven Republican-appointed justices, as well as (and this is key) represent the fastest-growing and most hotly-contested demographic in the country."

Another common theme was political advantage over the GOP. Greg Dworkin of Daily Kos wrote, "The Republicans can't win on this issue, and they are already showing they can lose... lose Latinos, lose women, lose votes."

On the right, 33 percent of GOP Insiders said Sotomayor would be a minor benefit to them, while 41 percent said the nomination would do them minor harm. The divide was more pronounced among right-leaning bloggers, of whom 25 percent said it would produce a minor benefit and 58 percent a minor harm.

Those who predicted a benefit saw the opportunity to rally the right. "Conservatives awaken to Obama's judicial philosophy: one part empathy, two parts identity politics," said one Insider. But the flip side was evident in the responses of those who predicted harm. "Having some of the more vocal conservatives call her a racist was beyond dumb," lamented one Insider. Walter Olson of Overlawyered commented, "Her actual rulings don't bear out the 'scary radical' meme. That Senate Dems were equally unfair to Miguel Estrada will, along with $3.26, buy you a latte at Starbucks."