Rasmussen reports that the Supreme Court’s reversal of Sonia Sotomayor’s decision in the Ricci case has caused her public support to slip badly:
A heavily publicized U.S. Supreme Court reversal of an appeals court ruling by Judge Sonia Sotomayor has at least temporarily diminished public support for President Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, conducted on the two nights following the Supreme Court decision, finds that 37% now believe Sotomayor should be confirmed while 39% disagree.
I find that rather stunning–both that so many people apparently have followed news reports about the Ricci case, and that a plurality–for the moment, anyway–actually say she shouldn’t be confirmed. My guess is that this isn’t so much because she was reversed as because people found out about her ruling in Ricci. Despite all the fine words with which liberals surround race discrimination, it remains unpopular with most Americans.
PAUL adds: Exactly. Americans have this quaint idea that people should be judged by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin.
It’s also unlikely that they believe in the concept of the “wise Latina judge” who by virtue of her life experiences outshines her white male counterparts.
Sotomayor is a very solid bet to be confirmed, but Republicans may have an opportunity not just for a “teaching moment” (as John and I have said), but to exact a political price from at least some of the Senators who vote for her and perhaps even the president who nominated her.
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