From National Journal's July 18 issue:

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee knew going into the hearings on Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court that they had a weak hand. Given their party's 60-40 disadvantage in the Senate, her confirmation has never been in much doubt -- unless she had a "complete meltdown," as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., acknowledged on the first day of the hearings.

So, with the final outcome near-certain, the seven Republicans on the panel this week chose to emphasize the high stakes at issue in considering Supreme Court nominees, took potshots at President Obama for suggesting that judges must have "empathy" in grappling with difficult cases, and tried to reinforce public doubts, reflected in some polls, about what the GOP portrays as Sotomayor's out-of-the-mainstream views.

Even before the nominee was sworn in to testify on July 13, committee Republicans pledged to be respectful but, at the same time, to pull no punches. The obvious political reality is that they had to thread the needle by aggressively questioning Sotomayor to mollify their conservative base, while avoiding looking like bullies and further damaging their party's deteriorating position with Hispanics, the fastest-growing demographic group among voters.

"At the end of the day, Supreme Court nominations are what ring the bell for social conservatives," said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist who managed Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign. "Supreme Court nominations are for life; they are vitally important."... "That firefighters' issue is big," he said. "That hits every lunch-pail guy and woman in this country. It breaks the commonsense rule -- doesn't make common sense."

But Bill Greener, another veteran GOP strategist, worried before the hearings that if Republicans were perceived as attacking Sotomayor -- the first Latina nominated to the Supreme Court -- the party would face an even deeper hole among Hispanics, who voted 2-1 for Obama in last year's presidential race. "If the Republican Party achieves a level of weakness among Hispanics the equivalent to what exists among black voters," Greener said, "I just don't see how the numbers add up" to win a national election....

By midweek, Greener applauded the Judiciary Committee Republicans for their "very respectful and somewhat circumspect" approach and their willingness "to put on the table serious items, but to make certain it's done in a way that's respectful." Clearly, R-E-S-P-E-C-T was a well-circulated GOP talking point this week.

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