Say Anything Blog

I’ve always felt that the best way to gauge what someone actually believes is to listen to them talk when they don’t think anyone is really listening.  Or when they don’t think there will be any widespread scrutiny of their comments.  Today, during her confirmation hearing, Sonia Sotomayor repudiated her now-infamous and oft-made “wise Latina” comment:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor vigorously defended herself Tuesday against charges that her speeches and rulings show racial bias, telling a Senate panel vetting her nomination that critics had misunderstood her record.

“I want to state upfront, unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any racial, ethnic or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge, regardless of their background or life experiences,” Sotomayor declared.

That’s what she said when she knew her words would be intensely scrutinized.  But let’s go back to what she said when she was under no such scrutiny:

I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.

If she doesn’t believe that any “racial, ethnic or gender group has an advantage in sounding judging” then why did she say that Latina women would more often than not reach a better conclusion than white men?

Personally, I think Sotomayor is lying in her confirmation hearings.  I don’t think she meant what she said about her “wise Latina” comment during her confirmation hearing.  I think she meant what she said when she made the “wise Latina” comment in prepared speeches six different times.

And it’s a blatantly racist comment.