Sonia Sotomayor Will Be Confirmed Tomorrow Afternoon-- 31 Die-Hard Republican Obstructionists Will Vote No

In tomorrow's NY Times Timothy Egan, author of The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, explains GOP opposition to the spectacularly successful Cash For Clunkers program:

They hate it, many of these Republicans, because it’s a huge hit. It’s working as planned, and this cannot stand. America must fail in order for President Obama to fail. Don’t be surprised if the tea party goons now being dispatched to shout down town hall forums on health care start showing up at your car dealers, megaphones in hand.

Think about it; Limbaugh's been shouting it from the roof for as much time as it takes to gestate a baby: "America must fail in order for President Obama to fail.

Tomorrow the Senate will vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor. The only Republicans committed to confirmation are Kit Bond (MO), Lindsey Graham (SC), Susan Collins (ME), Olympia Snowe (ME), Mel Martinez (FL), Richard Lugar (IN), Lamar Alexander (TN) and Judd Gregg (NH). They've all said they don't agree with all her ideas by that she's obviously competent and well qualified. It's likely that George Voinovich (OH) will join them in voting yes. [UPDATE: Voinovich just told the press he's voting to confirm.] The other 31 Republicans have all declared-- many before she said one word and after refusing to even meet with her-- that they will vote no. Included in that number are Republicans with rapidly growing Hispanic populations in their states. Particularly in jeopardy will be reactionaries John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, John McCain of Arizona, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and John Ensign of Nevada, each representing a state with a significant Hispanic electorate. Hispanics are becoming a factor in Utah and Georgia as well and even far right ideologue Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, who is running for the Senate, said Sotomayor is qualified and should be confirmed.

So what will these Republican senators tell voters? We weren't really voting against her; we just wanted Obama to fail, regardless of how it impacts anyone or anything else.


UPDATE: Sotomayor Confirmed 68-31

This is a joyous moment for the nation. Sonia Sotomayor, only the third woman and the first Hispanic-American was just confirmed as a Justice of the Supreme Court. The whole GOP crazy squad-- minus the 9 members mentioned above-- voted against her. They sound like John Bolton and Sean Hannity did yesterday when they were sounding the sour notes against rescuing Laura Ling and Euna Lee from North Korea. There really is something wrong with these right-wingers. They really would rather see America fail than watch Obama succeed; it's enough to make your skin crawl.

A friend of mine, Marge Baker, Executive VP of People For the American Way, gave an elegant statement about the historic nature of the confirmation just now.

“The confirmation of Sotomayor is a historic step for the nation and a triumph of the American way. The efforts by the NRA and the far right to sabotage her nomination failed badly, with a large majority of Senators uniting to confirm her today. Those Senators will not regret their votes.
 
“Sotomayor is going to make an exceptional Justice and, in time, will win over some of those Senators who put politics over principle to oppose her today. She brings more judicial experience to the Court than any other recent Justice, she reveres the Constitution, and she has a profound understanding of the impact of the law on the daily lives of Americans.
 
“Some Republican Senators made the calculation that they would be better served by following the lead of right-wing pressure groups rather than the record before them. We believe they miscalculated badly and will come to find that their votes today were on the wrong side of history.”