Senate Republicans will be put in a tough spot with regard to the nation’s first Hispanic nominee to the Supreme Court.
If they are tough in opposing President Obama’s first pick for the court, Federal Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, they risk alienating the growing Hispanic constituency that is already trending Democratic. But if they go too easy on her, the conservative base will rebel.
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This fairly explains the dilemma facing Congressional Republicans in confirming Sotomayor: Bring the proper criticisms to the table without alienating Hispanic voters or the conservative base. The Hill establishes this as a real problem for the Republicans, citing members of Congress and strategists on both sides of the aisle to illustrate the issue.
Adam Segal, director of the Hispanic Voter Project and a professor at Johns Hopkins University, said Republicans have a responsibility to ask tough questions and represent their base, but face real danger if they try to score political points in an effort to damage the president. Segal said Sotomayor’s extensive legal experience and Obama’s high approval numbers make “organized obstruction of her nomination extraordinarily difficult and potentially politically perilous.”
