I found some unintentional comedy in this AP story on Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s one-on-one meetings with senators:
Sotomayor has managed to disarm even senators who came prepared not to like her. Sen. Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, went in thinking “she would be aggressive and maybe even a little obnoxious.”
“I would classify her as kind of much friendlier … more reserved, less aggressive,” than he expected, Grassley told reporters later.
I wonder why Grassley thought Sotomayor would be “aggressive and maybe even a little obnoxious.” Would he expect that of any high-achieving Puerto Rican woman from New York, or only one who had been on the receiving end of a hatchet job in The New Republic? Or maybe he was taken in by right-wing commentators’ caricatures of Sotomayor.
Anyway, it’s safe to say that Sotomayor’s personality wasn’t the reason Grassley voted against her confirmation to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. He’ll have to keep trying to remember why he cast that vote in 1998.
By the way, the Democrat who’s running against Grassley next year, Bob Krause, has his campaign website up and is on Twitter @KrauseForIowa. He plans to campaign hard against Grassley’s opposition to universal health care with a public option.
4 Comments
I have never heard
of Bob Krause, thanks for the heads up. Chuck needs to go or retire in 2010.
adeldem Sun 14 Jun 4:53 PM
Non-racial stereotypes
There’s a common non-racial stereotype that people from New York are, just as Grassley said, “agressive and maybe a little obnoxious”. Maybe it’s just a hayseed notion…or maybe he’s seen too much Seinfield.
And as far as politicians on Twitter go, I think Grassley is showing them all exactly how not to use it.
american007 Sun 14 Jun 11:51 PM
I know--it reminds me
of when New Yorkers would say things to me like, “You don’t sound like you’re from Iowa,” which was code for, “You don’t sound stupid.”
New Yorkers are not unfriendly people in general, and I still find it offensive that Grassley would assume Sotomayor would be obnoxious.
desmoinesdem Mon 15 Jun 9:51 AM