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Published Thursday, May 28, 2009 | 2:08 p.m.
Updated Thursday, May 28, 2009 | 2:09 p.m.
John Ensign
WASHINGTON -- Considering Nevada’s robust Hispanic population, the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court poses a very telling political challenge for Nevada’s Sen. John Ensign.
As chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in the Senate, Ensign will play a serious role in crafting the tone and substance of his party’s approach to the confirmation process.
Ensign has already made it clear he intends “to make sure she has the right intellect and understands the proper role of a judge – to interpret and apply the written law, not to decide cases based on personal feelings, politics or preferences.”
Yet as a Nevadan, he must also be careful not to offend the state’s growing Hispanic population. Republicans have alienated Hispanic voters in recent years, notably with their hard-line on immigration.
Ensign offers a new face for the Republican Party – a rising, conservative national figure.
Ensign will stand for re-election (or higher office) in 2012. His actions in the Sotomayor process could compound his party’s problems with Hispanic voters or signal a fresh era.
As political guru Chris Cillizza writes on his blog "The Fix" in Thursday’s online editions the Washington Post:
Does Ensign “hold back on criticizing her in order to preserve his chances at another Senate term? Or does he go all-out in opposition to Sotomayor to raise his national profile and prove his conservative chops to Republican activists who have an outsized say in the identity of the next presidential nominee?”
Cillizza says Ensign will be among the top five senators to watch as the confirmation process begins.
Once again, what's important is personal gain for oneself or one's party...not what's good for the country. So many in this country has utterly lost their way...
You can pretty well count on politicians to do the political thing
All the spray on tan in the world will not change the Ensign reality!
What Ensign needs to acknowledge is that Nevada is chuck full of Mexicans...
Mexicans aren't the only hispanics in Nevada. The state has a healthy crop of Puerto Ricans, Cuban-Americans, and many Central and South Americans. Sotomayor is a Puerto Rican, but liberal in her politics. That is the area of interest that Ensign has to concern himself with, not her race.
A good discussion has been going on about the Sotomayor nomination at http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/may...
Sotomayor is trouble -- other than being a Hispanic female, she's not really qualified and her temperament has been questioned. If Obama wanted a Hispanic on the court there are far better candidates, likely right here on the 9th Circuit.
"Not really qualified?" Please, go on. Please list the qualifications she's lacking.
She has a better batting average in front of the Supreme Court than Alito did. Both of his opinions that were later heard by SCOTUS were overturned.
But please, in light of Alito, tell me what qualifications she is missing.
She ruled big time against gun rights.
Obama and the Democrats are soooo happy for her.
Gun owners need to vote Republican.
"She has ruled big time against gun rights."
Actually, she upheld that the federal government cannot restrict gun ownership. She, along with two other justices, affirmed a lower court ruling that the second amendment is not incorporated via the fourteenth amendment.
Number of guns restricted under Sotomayor's ruling: 0.
Debunked again, jfNance32. Too scared to use your real name, all of a sudden?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12435404...
I don't want this racist on our supreme court.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/05/27/...
Oh look, she did try to take guns away after all. Please fact-check yourself.
if this guy is a rising conservative star, the dinosaur party is long gone.
This is a direct quote from tsume's first link: "We're not suggesting that unqualified people be hired," Judge Sotomayor told Ms. Torre at the argument's end. But "if your test is going to always put a certain group at the bottom of the pass rate so they're never, ever going to be promoted, and there is a fair test that could be devised that measures knowledge in a more substantive way, then why shouldn't the city have an opportunity to try to look and see if it can develop that?"
How is this a racist's comment?
Judge Sotomayor makes racially based judgements(Latinos over whites), is opposed to Second Amendment rights for individuals to bear arms, and believes it's OK to legislate policy from the bench--she's also mean spirited and ill tempered for the position--but she will be confirmed anyway. If Ensign does not point these issues out he'll be on my s++t list. I don't care how many Latinos are in Nevada--this is about selecting the best jurist for the vacancy.
Sotomayor is a problematic choice--most of Obama's choices are the same.
No public/government official should be selected because some special group will be offended - that smacks of racial blackmail. How many of the states Hispanics are actually legal citizens anyway? Anyone have any numbers on that? It is my hope that those legal hispanic citizens realize the importance of selecting intellegant, fair and honest officials, not ones who represent their race.
Are we forgetting that they are in the United States now?...How do you think it would go over if an American was running for a high seat in Mexico?...it would not happen!...everyone is screaming for rights...Black, Yellow,Red,White...no matter the color or race we need people who will stand up for what is right in this country...we are the ones who vote these people in...Anyone elected should live, breathe , and eat the American way no matter what their national back ground is. You think that if diversity continues the way it is that us White people will become the minority? We certainly will. My father born in Hungary, my mother in Puerto Rico and I ONLY speak English...we were taught that the American way was the only way..we never flew Hungarian or Puerto Rican flags...we flew only the American flag...No matter how many Hispanics we have here...it is a small majority that vote cause the rest of them are illegal...