We often forget that, despite their being elected by popular vote, senators are not typical people. To end up in office, you have to be eloquent, opinionated, and charismatic; or you’re a jackass who beat out a less desireable jackass. Over the past four days, we’ve learned a lot about the white gentlemen comprising this rogues gallery and very little about the woman at the center of these hearings, Sonya Sotomayor.
Much of the question-answer component of the hearings involves Sotomayor carefully dodging two types of questions: pandering queries about her experience and ability from democrats and pointed attempts at discrediting her by republicans using out of context examples from her past. As each question opens, the individual agenda unveils itself, unsurprisingly falling within party lines 95% of the time. It is at occasions such as this that we can marvel at our system of government: one designed to allow us to fight for our right to party, but resulting in the left and right parties simply fighting.
All around party animal Arlen Specter told Sotomayor she would likely be confirmed regardless of her responses in this shitshow. The question is, what the hell was it all for?
