Senator Lindsay Graham, during the Sotomayor hearing today, had an interesting line of questioning. Huffpo has all the details, so you can click that link and read all about Graham and Coburn and more if you'd like, but I wanted to highlight this story for 2 reasons.
"As Senator [Diane] Feinstein said, you have come a long way. You have worked very hard, you have earned the respect of Ken Starr ... and you have said some things that just bug the hell out of me," Graham declared. Switching to some of her more controversial statements, he asked: "To those who may be bothered by that, what do you say?"
Reason #1: I haven't been able to watch the hearings due to a very busy week at work, but I've been keeping up with the highlights through the liveblog here and the updates at Huffpo. One thing that I've noticed repeatedly is that the Republican members of the Committee don't have any interest in actually participating in a hearing. Instead, Republican members have spent the week organizing and participating in an attempt to put Sonia Sotomayor in her place.
They don't care about her judicial philosophy. I bet if you asked one of them to define "judicial philosophy" in the context of their questions, they wouldn't be able to provide a remotely coherent answer. No, what Republicans care about is making it clear to Sotomayor and to viewers of the hearings exactly what her place is in relation to their own.
Lindsay Graham is annoyed by Sotomayor's comments and statements because she simply had the gall to make them. He's annoyed that she's even sitting in front of him at all. If it was up to Lindsay and the other GOP Committee members, the only people answering SC confirmation questions would be white men.
These assholes aren't asking her questions. They are lecturing her. They want to be sure she knows that she's beneath them. That they are more important and more powerful than her. They want her to beg and apologize and submit to them before they vote on her confirmation. The way Graham ends this particular conversation really says it all:
"I regret that I have offended some people," Sotomayor responded. "I believe that my life demonstrates that that was not my intent to leave the impression that some have taken from my words."
The court nominee was about to elaborate on her point, only to be abruptly interrupted.
"You know what Judge," Graham declared. "I agree with you, good luck."
Graham doesn't give a shit about any part of Sotomayor's response except, "I regret". He thinks he humbled her. He thinks he put her in her place.
Reason #2: The second reason I wanted to highlight this story was to point out how often Republicans say things that "bug the hell out of me".
Let's start with Zell Miller! Hat tip to trifecta who had a diary on this today, Zell Miller Is A Racist Jackass.
Speaking to more than 1,000 conservative - overwhelmingly Republican - lawmakers from around the country, Miller said, "Today, we’re spending like we’re Paris Hilton, regulating like we’re Ralph Nader, nationalizing like we’re Hugo Chavez, printing money like we’re the Weimar Republic and taxing like we’re, well, the Democratic Congress."
And if you weren't offended enough by that...try this (bold is mine):
Obama, “our globe-trotting president,” Miller said, “needs to stop and take a break and quit gallivanting all around. I think (chief of staff) Rahm Emanuel ought to get some Gorilla Glue and put it in that chair in the Oval Office and say ‘Sit here awhile.’”
Next let's move to Chuck Grassley (who says so much stupid shit every week it's hard to keep track of all of it):
The last thing I ever wanted to hear was Grassley talking about sucking on tits and his "ability to turn people on".
G. Gordon Liddy up next - yet another sexist asshole Republican:
Let's hope that the key conferences aren't when she's menstruating or something, or just before she's going to menstruate. That would really be bad. Lord knows what we would get then.
I am amazed when I meet women who tell me they are Republicans. Either they aren't paying attention, or they don't mind being treated like second class citizens - whichever it is, it's sad.
Jeff Lieber has a rec-listed diary on Pat Buchanan, The Imperial Wizard of MSNBC. Pat has a long history of saying stupid shit, you can see a lot of it here. Some highlights:
"Rail as they will about 'discrimination,' women are simply not endowed by nature with the same measures of single-minded ambition and the will to succeed in the fiercely competitive world of Western capitalism." (syndicated column, 11/22/83)
In a 1977 column urging a "thrashing" of gay groups, Buchanan wrote: "Homosexuality is not a civil right. Its rise almost always is accompanied, as in the Weimar Republic, with a decay of society and a collapse of its basic cinder block, the family." (New Republic, 3/30/92)
In a 1977 column, Buchanan said that despite Hitler's anti-Semitic and genocidal tendencies, he was "an individual of great courage.... Hitler's success was not based on his extraordinary gifts alone. His genius was an intuitive sense of the mushiness, the character flaws, the weakness masquerading as morality that was in the hearts of the statesmen who stood in his path." (Guardian, 1/14/92)
On race relations in the late 1940s and early 1950s: "There were no politics to polarize us then, to magnify every slight. The 'negroes' of Washington had their public schools, restaurants, bars, movie houses, playgrounds and churches; and we had ours." (Right from the Beginning, Buchanan's 1988 autobiography, p. 131)
Boy, Pat sure likes to reminisce about the "good old days" in America - when women and Jews and teh gays and "negros" knew their place. Seriously? MSNBC? Really? This is the guy you put on TV almost every fucking night?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!
Add your own stupid, racist, sexist, and generally assholish Republican comments in the comments section!
Let's take a look at our own DKos Top Comments for the day:
From Elise:
Troubadour poses a good question about advertising on the RNC website.
From Julie Gulden:
anothergrunt has a comment in the FP post Va Candidate: Losing elections is Tyranny, subject to Insurrection.
From Angie in WA State:
This comment by boatsie in this diary Chronic Tonic: Humana Insurance denial - denial, by Chronic Tonic. What makes this a Top Comment? For plainly reiterating what is so wrong with our current for-profit insurance system.
This comment, by Russycle, in this diary, by snaxattack should become the Meme of the Day on progressive TV.
From Wee Mama:
An even shorter summary of the judicial hearings, by GreenSooner.
From Dump Terry McAuliffe:
Left Handed Man zings both David Broder and Capitol Hill Democrats with his comment in the Abbreviated Pundit Round-Up thread.
From Adam Siegel:
There were 10s of top comments within the discussion to my diary OMFG!!! The climate models may be wrong!, but EeDan made more than a few of us LOL with his bumpersticker approach to titling scientific articles.
From Im a frayed knot:
bsmechanic with a comment on a GUS diary.
From TheFatLadySings:
boofdah comments on Michael Jackson's PTSD Archetypes
brillig is your collector of Top Mojo, so please give her loads of mojo for all her hard work!
Top 30 Comments excluding tip jars, first comments and stuff:
1) Blue jersey dad has been pushing by blue jersey mom — 299
2) The GOP Doesn't Listen to Itself by JekyllnHyde — 222
3) National Priorities by JekyllnHyde — 178
4) Please listen to Blue Jersey Dad. :) by JeffLieber — 164
5) This is from an email I received today . . . by nyceve — 149
6) Purity Troll by GreenSooner — 138
7) Unhealthy Attitudes by JekyllnHyde — 136
8) We know you're right, Dennis by Dallasdoc — 111
9) I miss THIS guy on a regular basis. n/t by Bene Gesserit1 — 111
10) Thanks Dennis! by Nick Zouroudis — 106
11) Brilliant, horrifying and disturbing diary, by Lisa Lockwood — 104
12) There is no Republican Party that can stand in by funluvn1 — 96
13) Shit Fire - Now by dr fatman — 93
14) God love you Dennis ! by viet vet — 90
15) you should add this story to your diary by drache — 87
16) Thank you for your comment by DennisKucinich — 82
17) That question is ridiculous IMO by Edgewater — 81
18) Orly is quite the gal----she's the "Queen of by dotster — 77
19) and lost his job as a result by dagnome — 73
20) Imagine by flitedocnm — 70
21) Perhaps like many of us, by Big Tex — 69
22) We should prosecute regardless.... by Jay Elias — 69
23) What a moron! Can't believe MSNBC wouldn't fire by karpaty lviv — 67
24) Also see this story... by Troutfishing — 66
25) I was in the front row! by mconvente — 66
26) and welcome by steelman — 65
27) ROTFLMAO@ "Sarah Palin is accomplished by Muzikal203 — 63
28) Oh for the love of your bleached white jesus. by Nick Zouroudis — 62
29) The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as I understand and by VirginiaMom — 61
30) Yes, please, diarist..... by The Termite — 60
Top 30 (plus ties) Comments with no exclusions, aka the Tip Jar list :-):
1) Forever since and forevermore... by JeffLieber — 719
2) Tip Jar by DennisKucinich — 533
3) Tip Jar by nyceve — 392
4) Tip Jar by Ralph Lopez — 375
5) Alms (tips) by Muskegon Critic — 325
6) Tip Jar by blackwaterdog — 307
7) Blue jersey dad has been pushing by blue jersey mom — 299
8) Tip Jar by Troutfishing — 285
9) Tip Jar by clammyc — 275
10) Tip Jar by teacherken — 260
11) Tip Jar by Giles Goat Boy — 242
12) Tip Jar by slinkerwink — 227
13) The GOP Doesn't Listen to Itself by JekyllnHyde — 222
14) National Priorities by JekyllnHyde — 178
15) Please listen to Blue Jersey Dad. :) by JeffLieber — 164
16) This is from an email I received today . . . by nyceve — 149
17) Purity Troll by GreenSooner — 138
18) Unhealthy Attitudes by JekyllnHyde — 136
19) I miss THIS guy on a regular basis. n/t by Bene Gesserit1 — 112
20) We know you're right, Dennis by Dallasdoc — 111
21) Thanks Dennis! by Nick Zouroudis — 106
22) Brilliant, horrifying and disturbing diary, by Lisa Lockwood — 105
23) Tip Jar by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse — 101
24) we will not forget them by a girl in MI — 96
25) There is no Republican Party that can stand in by funluvn1 — 96
26) Shit Fire - Now by dr fatman — 94
27) God love you Dennis ! by viet vet — 90
28) you should add this story to your diary by drache — 87
29) Thank you for your comment by DennisKucinich — 82
30) That question is ridiculous IMO by Edgewater — 81
31) Tips and Rec Beg by Eclectablog — 81