World Turned Upside Down

The reaction to the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor's for the Supreme Court by a certain class of white men, led by Limbaugh, Buchanan, Gingrich, and Beck is bordering on the insane. The basic notion is this: if you nominate an Hispanic Woman, it has to be a racist affirmative action pick, but if you have a Supreme Court made of all white men, it is the natural order. The bitter, pathetic, whining of the older white Republican men is a sad, but ultimately positive development. The defection of young people, and Hispanic people away from the Republican Party is an indisputable trend. This howling about Sotomayor is only going to speed it. The idea that playing to a shrinking base, rural white men, is the way to re-build a party is not a sound strategy. The explanation may be: Limbaugh only needs this demographic to get great ratings; twenty percent of the population is a huge audience for a talk show host. Gingrich wants to be in the spotlight, and he could be a major presidential hopeful if he can win over the Republican base. Buchanan is a white supremacist, plain and simple and always has been. Beck is a clown. But they do have an audience. Barack Obama appointed a qualified, dignified, judge to the Supreme Court, and these white men are quaking and shaking, their world turned upside down.