Tuesday, May 26, 2009
If Only Susan Boyle Were American [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
Twitter commentary from "The Anchoress":
Howard Kurtz just annoyed me on twitter by passing on the news that the Mainstream Media will be pressing forward on Sotomayer's "compelling life story," and he suggests the press will be wondering if the GOP (given that several Republican senators voted for Sotomayer in the lower court) would dare to oppose this "First Puerto Rican" SCOTUS nominee. Specifically Puerto Rican, mind you, not simply "Latina."
I wasn't annoyed at Kurtz personally, but at the press' immediate willingness to play a race card on behalf of the Democrats. When President Bush nominated Miquel Estrada to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, I don't recall the press wondering if the Dems should dare commence with their successful filibuster because of race.
Moreover I find the posy-bearing "compelling life story" idea to be gag-inducing. Aside from making news reporters sound like they're narrating programming for the LifeStyle network ("...in a moment, a very special story...") it seems manipulative and dishonest, to me. Good heavens, if anyone on the Supreme Court has a "compelling life story" it is Clarence Thomas, but the press didn't feel the need to gush over his rise from dirt-poverty. And if a "compelling life story" is all it takes to be a Justice, then let's just haul Susan Boyle over here and be done with it!
More on the race and gender card in "The Corner" here and here and here.
05/26 12:01 PM
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