Flip Flop Hypocrisy: McCain To Oppose Sotomayor For Supreme Court

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS |
Huffington Post 08/ 3/09 03:14 PM |

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. John McCain says he'll oppose Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor when the Senate votes on her confirmation this week.

The Arizona senator calls Sotomayor a judicial activist who tried to walk back from that record during her confirmation hearings. He says President Barack Obama's nominee has used her position as a judge to try to change the law.

McCain is one of several Republicans from states with heavily Hispanic populations to come out against Sotomayor, the daughter of Puerto Rican parents raised in a New York City housing project and educated in the Ivy League.

McCain says Sotomayor's life story is inspiring and compelling, but he says that's not enough to qualify her for a position on the high court.



MCCAIN TO VOTE AGAINST SOTOMAYOR

Posted: Monday, August 03, 2009 3:14 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Congress, Courts, Republicans
From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and Domenico Montanaro


Arizona Sen. John McCain said today he will vote against Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's pick to be the next U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

McCain's no vote is interesting because he holds the view that "elections have consequences" meaning a president should get his nominee approved if qualified.

McCain voted for Bill Clinton nominee Ruth Bader Ginsberg, for example.

McCain is also up for re-election next year, and not only does Arizona have a large Hispanic population, McCain also has a primary -- against Chris Simcox, one of the founders of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, an anti-illegal immigrant activist group.

"There is no doubt that Judge Sotomayor has the professional background and qualifications that one hopes for in a Supreme Court nominee," McCain said in a statement today on the floor of the U.S. Senate. He added, "And obviously, Judge Sotomayor's life story is inspiring and compelling."

But, "an excellent resume and an inspiring life story are not enough to qualify one for a lifetime of service on the Supreme Court," McCain said. He cited, as have other Republicans Miguel Estrada, a Hispanic who was nominated by President Bush for the DC Circuit Court but blocked by Democrats. He added that he does "not believe that she [Sotomayor] shares my belief in judicial restraint." And: "Though she attempted to walk back from her long public record of judicial activism during her confirmation hearings, Judge Sotomayor cannot change her record." For McCain's full statement click here.

Editorial Note: A day ago, John McCain, in story below acknowledges that the GOP needs Hispanic voters or the Republican party will sink into a deep hole. Today in one breath he acknowleged Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor had an excellent resume and strong professional background and qualifications, then in the next breath he joined Sen. Kyl and said that her resume and inspiring life story were "not enough." John McCain, if you really want Hispanics to join your party and vote for you the next time around, you have a funny way of showing it!



McCain: Without Hispanic Voters, GOP In "Very, Very Deep Hole"

By Sam Stein
Huffington Post
stein@huffingtonpost.com

08- 2-09 11:41 AM | Updated: 08- 2-09 11:52 AM

Having attempted to put together a voting coalition broad enough to get elected president, Sen. John McCain (R-A.Z.) knows better than any other lawmaker the shortcomings and vulnerabilities of the Republican Party.

So his declaration on Sunday morning that the GOP faced a dire situation unless it did more to bring Hispanic voters into its ranks is likely to be treated as a blaring warning siren, not mere political analysis.

"On the issue of the Hispanic voter, we have to do a lot more. We Republicans have to recruit and elect Hispanics to office," McCain told CNN's State of Union. "And I don't mean just because they're Hispanics, but they represent a big part of the growing population in America. And we have a lot of work to do there. And I am of the belief that unless we reverse the trend of Hispanic voter registration, we have a very, very deep hole that we've got to come out of."

While he was one of only a handful of Republicans willing to tackle immigration reform in 2007, McCain faced a massive deficit with Hispanic voters in the 2008 election. His aides have said that, were he not the home state senator, he would have lost Arizona to Barack Obama, in large part because Hispanics had left the Republican Party in droves.

Certainly, Democrats are aware of the massive electoral ramifications that could come from this development. In an interview with the Huffington Post last week, DNC Chair Tim Kaine suggested that Republican opposition to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and comprehensive health care reform could end up costing the party dearly with Hispanic voters down the road.