DEMOCRAT DISCRIMINATION?
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James Joyner | Saturday, May 31, 2003 |
Human Events reports that a conservative legal group calling itself the Committee for Justice charges that Senate Democrats are discriminating against women and minorities:
Democrats fear confirming qualified conservative nominees who are not stereotypical middle-aged white males. Democrats will have a harder time politically trying to stop a female, non-whitenominee if Bush later tries to elevate one to the Supreme Court, he said.âThey donât want to see a conservative woman judge who may, for example, oppose Roe v. Wade,â he said. âThat doesnât fit the script for them.â
While it is true that the Democrats have reserved the filibuster for a white woman and a Hispanic male, the evidence for this charge seems rather thin. For one thing, as best I can determine, Charles Pickering is a white male–from Mississippi, no less. By the CFJ thesis, the Dems should be falling all over themselves to get him on the bench, since he’s a stereotypical Republican.
Further, race and gender consciousness go both ways. Clearly, the Republicans are trying to groom qualified women and Hispanics to create a pool for future Supreme Court nominees. It isn’t surprising that the opposition party is scrutinizing appelate court nominees who are considered “rising stars” more closely than other nominees. If there is a disproportionate percentage of women and minorites in that pool, it stands to reason that a lot of them would be under heavy scrutiny.
I tire of the “race card” being constantly played in American politics. While the Democrats have certainly gotten a lot of mileage out of it the past 25 years or so, charging racism whenever they can, it is among the dirtiest of tactics and not one I like seeing the GOP use.
(Hat tip: RealClear Politics)
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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