One of the biggest areas of controversy regarding Sonia Sotomayor's appointment to the Supreme Court has been her 2001 comment on a wise Latina woman making better decisions. Some on the right, such as Newt Gingrich, have called her a racist for the comment, others have said it was poorly worded.
In reality it wasn't poorly worded, just poorly interpreted. Any one who reads the comment and thinks about it can question it but hardly use it as a basis for calling some a racist. Any doubts? Just look at what she actually said.
“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” she said in a 2001 speech.
The first thing that jumps out at a person reading the comment with an open mind is the use of the word HOPE. She doesn't say DOES, just hope. Also she said "more often than not" meaning more than 50% but not always reach a better. Finally she says "a" wise Latina woman. Was she referring to herself or Latina women in general? One can argue the point but in her discussion she was talking about generalities among judges so it would be easy to argue she wasn"t.
How can the idea that someone with a fuller life experiences will come to a better decision be regarded by anything than logical?
Some on the right have tried to rewrite the quote to fit their needs. Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post rewrote the quote to say Sotomayor said "she believes her Latina physiology, culture and background" make her a better judge. Tucker Carlson in a Washington Post rewrote her quote and claimed "She said that her "physiology" as a Latina gave her wisdom superior to that of the average white man."
The sad thing is this is what the mainstream conservatives are saying. Just think about what the extremists are saying. What the conservatives have figured out that if you don't like what someone says, just rewrite it to make it what you want. Accuracy is unimportant.
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