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Toobin: Sessions Says Only White Men Are Without Prejudice

Jeff Toobin captured the entire philosophy of the Republican Party, embodied by Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, only white men are oppressed. Only white men are unbiased and without prejudice. Media Matters has the clip:

JEFF TOOBIN: What’s worth noting about what Jeff Sessions -- the line of questioning, was that being a white man, that’s normal. Everybody else has biases and prejudices[,] . . . but the white man, they don’t have any ethnicity, they don’t have any gender, they’re just like the normal folks, and I thought that was a little jarring.

Good on Toobin.

Speaking for me only

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    Bingo (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by jbindc on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 12:48:32 PM
    Glenn nails this:

    At his Senate confirmation hearing, Sam Alito used his opening statement to emphasize how his experience as an Italian-American influences his judicial decision-making (video is here):

    But when I look at those cases, I have to say to myself, and I do say to myself, "You know, this could be your grandfather, this could be your grandmother. They were not citizens at one time, and they were people who came to this country" . . . .

    When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender. And I do take that into account.

    Two weeks ago, Alito cast the deciding vote in Ricci v. DeStefano, an intensely contested affirmative action case.  He did so by ruling in favor of the Italian-American firefighters, finding that they were unlawfully discriminated against, even though the district court judge who heard all the evidence and the three-judge appellate panel ruled against them and dismissed their case.  Notably, the majority Supreme Court opinion Alito joined (.pdf) began by highlighting not the relevant legal doctrine, but rather, the emotional factors that made the Italian-American-plaintiffs empathetic.

    Did Alito's Italian-American ethnic background cause him to cast his vote in favor of the Italian-American plaintiffs?  Has anyone raised that question?  Given that he himself said that he "do[es] take that into account" -- and given that Sonia Sotomayor spent 6 straight hours today being accused by GOP Senators and Fox News commentators of allowing her Puerto Rican heritage to lead her to discriminate against white litigants -- why isn't that question being asked about Alito's vote in Ricci?



    What's jarring... (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by Dadler on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 12:19:27 PM
    ...is that's it's taken this long for these talking heads to figure out these morons in Congress.  Pay attention, listen every day, stop trying to rationalize idiocy and recognize it for what it simply is.  It's just not that hard to understand.  But then, they're so afraid of actually giving honest, unsparing commentary that I guess they just don't WANT to hear it most of the time, so they block it out.

    But, yes, good on Toobin.  

    I wish Sotomayor (none / 0) (#3)
    by mg7505 on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 12:02:17 PM
    would make that argument right to Sessions' face. I have no idea how she would do that without giving the Righties a sound bite. Of course she might also choose not to sink to their level.

    Crossing my fingers that this nomination goes off without a hitch, aside from the inevitable Right wing blowhards/posturers...

    What were the rest of them (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 11:58:27 AM
    talking about though?  They seemed very sinister in a way, like Sotomayor successfully hid that she hates Whitey and makes that a part of her rulings.

    even a stopped clock (none / 0) (#1)
    by Capt Howdy on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 11:55:22 AM
    is right twice a day