How Not To Fight Sonia Sotomayor

It was as if she'd come straight out of casting call. Approximately two seconds after President Obama's announcement of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's appointment, her past statements torrented out, immediately reflecting upon her as a down-the-line judicial activist. The most bombastic statement is being repeated all across the conservative media: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life."

The bait was cast. All over, commentators became victims. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh immediately decried her as a "racist." Sean Hannity complained about "reverse discrimination."

And then comes the switch. All of a sudden, an argument that should be a golden opportunity for conservatives becomes completely unwinnable: Is Sonia Sotomayor a racist? Do white men face discrimination from the courts? Who exactly is going to buy that? As much as Sotomayor's statements are objectionable -- and her judicial philosophy is obviously utter anathema to originalism -- could there possibly be a stupider way to rally Americans against her nomination than on the grounds of anti-white racism? (Clarence Thomas himself, in fact, once noted that his experiences gave him a unique perspective worthy of bringing to the court.)

Sotomayor's nomination is a unique opportunity for the conservative movement to rally all of its factions together -- including centrists who are wary of the court overstepping its constitutional authority. It would be shamefully regretful for us to squander this moment by ignoring the real issue at hand. We have a clear choice: we can use this nomination to rally Americans to the Republican Party -- or we can use it to cast white men as a grievance lobby.

If conservatives believe in racial equality on all levels, we should let her statements speak for themselves, rather than take the victimer-than-thou route. The fight is not over race -- it is over the Constitution. Let's keep our eye on the ball.