Follow up to Yesterday's post

Tim Hayes sent me this article:
The 'Empathy' Nominee

I felt the need to include it because my argument yesterday was that attacking Sotomayor and Obama is a mistake for the GOP. The article is nicely done, and in a perfect world, one we obviously do not live in, the advice suggested below would be a simple and easy path for the Republicans to follow.

See excerpt:

"As the first nominee of a popular President and with 59 Democrats in the Senate, Judge Sotomayor is likely to be confirmed barring some major blunder. But Republicans can use the process as a teaching moment, not to tear down Ms. Sotomayor on personal issues the way the left tried with Justices Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito, but to educate Americans about the proper role of the judiciary and to explore whether Judge Sotomayor's Constitutional principles are as free-form as they seem from her record."

But alas, it is not a perfect world:
Gingrich: Sotomayor 'racist,' should withdraw nomination

Gingrich, sadly is typically the best of the lot when it comes to the GOP, but I suppose this and his recent caving on the uselessness of TARP, both are fine examples of human imperfection. Read through the comments after the Gingrich article... mind you CNN readers probably lean left, but I think the response, preconceptions exhibited of the GOP, and simply the anger and indignation of the readers, not towards Sotomayor.... but towards him shows what a major blunder that the conservative handling of this issue has become. Even barring some remote chance that Sotomayor is not approved, the taste of an intolerant, if not down right childish response by many Republicans will be what average people take away from this.

The Democrats have mastered the art of letting the GOP destroy themselves.

I will however point out that the "Clarence Thomas" example described above in this right leaning editorial, is a fine example of a loyalist's inability to take off their rose colored glasses. Levying personal attacks is politics 101 and there is plenty of it going around. And lets not kid ourselves, these attacks need to be on the table. However, there is political backlash against an ill conceived attack with little potential for support from the masses. In the provided examples: It is easier to get the public to turn against someone who may have been dishing out sexual harassment, than it is to paint a proud Latina woman into a racist, because she may have been lazy with her words in expressing pride in her heritage. The latter argument has "poor sport" written all over. People want to support the underdog, and Sotomayor is just that. Attacks such as the one currently being administered by Gingrich only serve to enhance that standing.

I know it isn't as glamorous, but as suggested in the article, the GOP needs to try and stick to policy instead of trying to create momentum for the tough-to-stomach concept of reverse racism, relevant as it might be.