Chutzpah

Sorry friends this cartoon seemed so apt for this discussion I just had to re-use it.

David Crisp, editor and publisher of the Billings Outpost, and a blogging acquaintance (BA) hurriedly told me a few days ago that Judge Sotomayor could not be a racist because he, the BA, said so, which is a little more forthright than those who say one can't be a racist if one is not a white male. Actually, he first said "I just don't see the racism in Sotomayor at all," and when I pointed out that "seeing" might be his problem, then he said the same thing more firmly. His shortness of temper may well come from his recently acquired masochistic habit of listening to conservative talk radio.

He must have had second thoughts about the validity of this argument because he wrote a nicely worded and thoughtful blog on the matter a few days later with the provocative title "Racism?" David carefully explains how who you are and especially what color or ethnic persuasion you are makes all the difference. There apparently are at least two standards for those who aspire to our Supreme Court: those who haven't been elevated to this court in the past because of the appalling behavior of CWM in the past now get a free pass for getting even with the descendents of those nasty CWM. I think I prefer "Because I said so."

I noticed another probable conservative white male (CWM) offered the same argument in the Comments section that probably occurs to most of us common people: if a CWM had said the same thing that Judge Sotomayor said, he would be accused of racism. I guess he didn't read the blog carefully enough.

I think Judge Sotomayor is being extraordinarily candid when she says these things, perhaps hoping that those who will question her will go off on the obvious racism slant which she already knows she has won rather than question her ability as a judge which seems to be the more important matter. This is chutzpah of a high order, like borrowing your sister's false teeth and then smiling at her.