Obama’s supreme court pick

This weekly address is all about Sonia Sotomayor. Obama started talking about her qualifications and the reasons he chose her. He declared, “There has not been a nominee in several generations who has brought the depth of judicial experience to this job that she offers.” Of course it is his pick. He has to defend her. Sonia may be a good judge. But not necessarily the best option out there.

No one clearly knows her position on abortion. I wonder if she has given any sort of promise to the president, to do everything to uphold Roe v Wade. Even though in theory, this might sound illegal, we all know that this sort of thing happens. No president will ever choose a judge who will differ from them ideologically. (At least to begin with. Of course as time passes, a judge can evolve and change his philosophy like we have seen in the past picks by Sr.Bush and Regan)

A Hispanic woman (obviously as one would imagine, with all her emotional influences), will certainly not be objective at all times like a male counterpart would do, regardless of her rich experience. So, the argument that somehow her experience and diverse background will help is not entirely valid. In fact, it is a handicap from that perspective. However, we certainly need someone like her on the bench to represent the true colors of America. A diverse immigrant nation, must and should have at least one member of the supreme court come from a non-white-protestant background. Given the rise in Latino population in the recent decades, this choice is only natural. Obama is certain to get at least 25% more spanish votes in the next election.

Here is the weekly address:

And this is what makes Judge Sotomayor so extraordinary. Even as she has reached the heights of her profession, she has never forgotten where she began. She has faced down barriers, overcome difficult odds, and lived the American dream. As a Justice of the Supreme Court, she will bring not only the experience acquired over the course of a brilliant legal career, but the wisdom accumulated over the course of an extraordinary journey – a journey defined by hard work, fierce intelligence, and the enduring faith that, in America, all things are possible.

In many ways this resonates with the journey Obama himself has taken. Maybe that’s why after the hour long interview, he made his mind to stick with this pick. From a political standpoint, this is a brilliant pick. How this will turn out is something time has to tell. Republicans are saying that she is a liberal. Even though she may hold liberal views on some issues, if you ask any pure liberal, he would say, No Way.