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SPELLING BEE
CHAMP PLAYS STUMP THE CABLE NEWS
JOURNALIST THIS HOUR.
BUT WE BEGIN WITH THE RATCHETING
UP WITH THE RHETORIC AGAINST
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FIRST SUPREME
COURT NOMINEE.
OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST
WEEK, THE CASE CONSERVATIVES
HAVE MADE AGAINST SONIA
SOTOMAYOR HAS FOR THE MOST PART
FALLEN APART.
YOU WANT TO ATTACK THE MAN WHO
NOMINATED HER FOR PRAISING HER
EMPATHY?
YOU'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND
ATTACK GEORGE H.W. BUSH FOR
PRAISING THE SAME QUALITY IN
CLARENCE THOMAS.
YOU WANT TO ATTACK HER FOR
BRINGING HER BACKGROUND?
YOU'LL HAVE TO ATTACK ALITO FOR
DOING THAT AS WELL.
YOU WANT TO ATTACK HER FOR
BRINGING HER GENDER?
A 1981 INTERVIEW WITH SANDRA DAY
O'CONNOR CONFESSED TO THAT GRAVE
SIN AS WELL.
THE ARGUMENTS THIS WEEK HAVE
LARGELY FALLEN APART.
DESPITE THAT OR MAYBE BECAUSE OF
THAT, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATORS
HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE THEIR
OPPOSITION TO ANOTHER LEVEL.
THEY'RE NOW ALL BUT CALLING FOR
A RACE WAR OVER THIS NOMINATION.
TODAY CONSERVATIVE TALK RADIO
HOST RUSH LIMBAUGH HAD THIS TO
SAY ABOUT WHY JUDGE SOTOMAYOR
GOT THE JOB.
>> HOW DO YOU GET PROMOTED TO
THE BARACK OBAMA ADMINISTRATION,
BY HATING WHITE PEOPLE, OR
SAYING YOU DO OR PUTTING THEM
DOWN OR WHATEVER.
MAKE WHITE PEOPLE THE NEW
OPPRESSED MINORITY AND THEY'RE
GOING RIGHT ALONG WITH IT
BECAUSE THEY'RE SHUTTING UP.
THEY'RE MOVING TO THE BACK OF
THE BUS, SAYING I CAN'T USE THAT
DRINKING FOUNTAIN, OKAY.
I CAN'T USE THAT REST ROOM,
OKAY.
>> RACIAL RESENTMENT MUCH?
MR. LIMBAUGH DIDN'T STOP THERE.
HE WITHIN THE ON TO COMPARE
SOTOMAYOR TO DAVID DUKE.
>> SHE BRINGS A FORM OF BIGOTRY
OR RACISM TO THE COURT.
I DON'T CARE, WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED
TO SAY IT, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO
PRETEND IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
WE'RE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AT OTHER
THINGS BUT IT'S THE ELEPHANT IN
THE ROOM.
HOW CAN A PRESIDENT NOMINATE
SUCH A CANDIDATE?
AND HOW CAN A PARTY GET BEHIND
SUCH A CANDIDATE?
THAT'S WHAT WOULD BE ASKED IF
SOMEBODY WERE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO
NOMINATE DAVID DUKE.
>> WE HIGHLIGHT THESE COMMENTS
TODAY NOT TO MAKE MR. LIMBAUGH
AND HIS RADIO SHOW THE ISSUE,
BUT HIGHLIGHTING THESE COMMENTS
BECAUSE THEY ARE REPRESENTATIVE
OF HOW THE CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT
IS TALKING ABOUT THIS NOMINATION
NOW.
IT'S NOT JUST RUSH LIMBAUGH.
HERE'S RADIO HOST G. GORDON
LIDDY.
>> THE LANGUAGE IS ACTUALLY
CALLED SPANISH.
IT'S NOT CALLED ILLEGAL ALIEN.
BUT POINTS TO YOU, SIR, FOR
MAKING A DAVID DUKE REFERENCE
SEEM APPROPRIATE.
THEY SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK YOU
WOULD HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN FOR
THINKING A FEW UNHINGED COMMENTS
FROM TALK RADIOLAND DEFINED THE
FRINGE OF THE OBJECTIONS TO
SOTOMAYOR.
IT TURNS OUT IT'S NOT THE
FRINGE.
>> REPUBLICAN NEWT GINGRICH, THE
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER ENTERED THE
FRAY TOO IN A WIDELY CIRCULATED
ENTRY ON HIS TWITTER WEBSITE, HE
SAID WHITE MAN RACIST NOMINEE
WOULD BE FORCED TO WITHDRAW.
LATINA WOMAN RACIST SHOULD ALSO
WITHDRAW.
THEY'RE JUST LIKE, HEY, HISPANIC
CHICK LADY.
YOU'RE EMPATHETIC?
SHE SAYS, YEP, THEY SAY, YOU'RE
IN.
THAT'S THE WAY IT REALLY WORKS.
>> SHE'S ALSO AN AFFIRMATIVE
ACTION PICK, CHRIS.
THE PRESIDENT WAS DOWN TO FOUR
CHOICES.
ALL FOUR OF THEM WOMEN AND HE
PICKED THE HISPANIC.
>> I'M TELLING YOU, SHE APPEARS
TO BE A RACIST.
SHE SAID THINGS THAT ARE RACIST
IN ANY OTHER CONTEXT.
>> THIS IS THE CONSERVATIVE CASE
AGAINST JUDGE SONIA SOTOMAYOR.
AND NOW APPARENTLY RECOGNIZING
BEE LATEDLY THAT THIS IS A
LITTLE OVER THE TOP FOR THE 0s
OR THE 1990s OR POSSIBLY EVEN
THE 1890s, SOME REPUBLICANS AND
CONSERVATIVES ARE ATTEMPTING TO
PUT A LID ON THIS POT THAT'S
ALREADY BOILED OVER.
KARL ROVE EARLIER THIS WEEK
LAUNCHED THIS ATTACK ON JUDGE
SOTOMAYOR.
>> I'M NOT SURE HOW
INTELLECTUALLY STRONG SHE WILL
BE.
SHE HAS NOT BEEN VERY STRONG IN
THE SECOND CIRCUIT.
SHE'S NOT LIKED BY HER
COLLEAGUES OR PARTICULARLY
RESPECTED BY HER COLLEAGUES.
>> THAT WAS EARLIER THIS WEEK.
NOW HE SAYS IT'S TIME TO TREAT
JUDGE SOTOMAYOR WITH SOME
RESPECT.
>> I THINK REPUBLICANS NEED TO
TAKE HER ON IN THE APPROPRIATE
FASHION WHICH IS ABOUT HER
JUDICIAL PHILOSOPHY, HER RECORD
ON THE COURT, WRITINGS AND
STATEMENTS.
THEY NEED TO DO SO WITH RESPECT.
>> IS THIS A BAD TIME TO BRING
UP THAT MR. ROVE ALSO CALLED THE
JUDGE A SCHOOLMARM EARLIER IN
THE WEEK AND SAID SHE WOULD
DISCARD THE RULE OF LAW WHENEVER
EMOTION MOVED HER TO DO SO AND
SAID ABOUT HER THAT HE KNOWS A
LOT OF STUPID PEOPLE WHO HAVE
GONE TO IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS?
THERE'S ALSO RNC CHAIRMAN
MICHAEL STEELE.
TWO WEEKS AGO EVEN BEFORE JUDGE
SOTOMAYOR WAS NOMINATED M STEELE
HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT THE JUDGE.
>> SHE'S NOT -- SHE'S NOT A BELL
RINGER.
SHE'S NOT ONE OF THESE JUSTICES
WHO'S REALLY KIND OF
DISTINGUISHED HERSELF AND MADE A
NAME FOR HERSELF ON THE APPEALS
COURT.
THE WORD ON THE STREET IS SHE'S
RATHER ABRASIVE AND THAT'S THE
ONE THING A SUPREME COURT IS NOT
A PLACE FOR ABRASIVE
PERSONALTIES.
>> SUPREME COURT, DEFINITELY NOT
THE PLACE FOR ABRASIVE
PERSONALTIES.
THAT'S WHY THEY MAKE SCALIA TELL
COMMUTE FROM HOME NOW.
THAT WAS TWO WEEKS AGO.
NOW?
>> NOW IT'S TIME TO TAKE A STEP
BACK FROM THIS, AFTER YOU'VE
CALLED HER ABRASIVE AND
UNDISTINGUISHED?
REPUBLICANS ON THE SENATE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE ARE TRYING
TO GET THIS BOILING WATER BACK
INTO THE POT AS WELL.
SENATOR JOHN CORNYN OF TEXAS
SINGLED OUT RUSH LIMBAUGH AND
NEWT GINGRICH LAST NIGHT DURING
A RADIO INTERVIEW.
>> NEITHER OF THESE MEN ARE
ELECTED REPUBLICAN OFFICIALS.
I DON'T THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE
AND I CERTAINLY DON'T ENDORSE
IT.
I THINK IT'S TERRIBLE.
THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF TONE
THAT ANY OF US WANTS TO SET WHEN
IT COMES TO PERFORMING OR
CONSTITUTIONAL DUTIES.
>> IT'S WRONG, IT'S TERRIBLE.
VERY GLAD TO HEAR THAT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT GLENN
BECK CALLING HER HISPANIC CHICK
LADY?
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT G.
GORDON LIDDY, CALLING IT THE
LANGUAGE OF ILLEGAL ALIEN?
WAS IT TERRIBLE WHAT HE SAID
ABOUT WOMEN JUDGES?
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT KARL
ROVE CALLING HER STUPID?
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MICHAEL
STEELE SAYING SHE'S
UNDISTINGUISHED?
THIS IS NOT SOME ISOLATED
PROBLEM WITH MINOR FRINGE
FIGURES, THIS ISN'T A PET
PROJECT OF MICHAEL SAVAGE ON
SOME COLLEGE RADIO STATION
SOMEWHERE, THIS IS THE CHARACTER
OF THE OPPOSITION TO SONIA
SOTOMAYOR'S NOMINATION FOR THE
SUPREME COURT.