Powell Hits Back at Limbaugh: Calling Sotomayor a 'Reverse Racist' Is 'Nonsense'

Posted by Ben Armbruster, Think Progress at 6:02 AM on July 6, 2009.

Powell said Sotomayor is a "gifted" and an "accomplished woman" with "a judicial record that seems to be balanced and tries to follow the law."

Post Tools
EMAIL
PRINT
3 COMMENTS

Share and save this post:

AlterNet Social Networks:

Got a tip for a post?:
Email us | Anonymous form

PEEK RSS Feed

Main AlterNet RSS Feed

Last May, hate radio talker Rush Limbaugh called Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, a “reverse racist,” referring to Sotomayor’s past comment that a “wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

Today on CNN, former Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized such comments. Saying that Sotomayor is a “gifted” and an “accomplished woman” with “a judicial record that seems to be balanced and tries to follow the law,” Powell added that calling her a “reverse racist” is “nonsense”:

POWELL: What we can’t continue to have is to have somebody like a Judge Sotomayor…called a “racist,” or a “reverse racist” and she ought to withdraw her nomination because we’re mad at her. Fortunately the senators who will sit on this hearing in the Judiciary Committee after a few days of this kind of nonsense said, “Let’s slow down. Let’s examine her qualifications and the way we’re supposed to at a confirmation hearing.”

When host John King asked about the GOP’s “sensitivity” toward minorities, Powell took aim at Limbaugh directly, firing back at his claim that Powell only supported Obama’s candidacy for president because he is black:

POWELL: And when you have non-elected officials such as we have in our party who immediately shout racism or somebody who is quite prominent in the media says the only basis upon which I could possibly have supported Obama was because he was black and I was black even though I laid out my judgment on the candidates, then we still have a problem.

King later noted that Limbaugh has also said that Powell is no longer a Republican. “Mr. Limbaugh of course is entitled to his opinion but he’s not on any membership committee,” Powell replied, adding, “He doesn’t decide who I am or what I am no more than I decide who he is or what he is.” Watch it:

POWELL: [Judge Sonia Sotomayor] seems like a gifted and accomplished woman. She certainly has an open and liberal bent of mind but that’s not disqualifying. But she seems to have a judicial record that seems to be balanced and tries to follow the law. And so I hope we do have a spirited set of hearings. And Supreme Court confirmation hearings tend to always meet that standard. And she ought to be asked about everything from both the left and the right. What we can’t continue to have is to have somebody like a Judge Sotomayor who is announced, and based on one simple tricky but nonetheless case that the Supreme Court has now decided have her called a “racist,” or a “reverse racist” and she ought to withdraw her nomination because we’re mad at her.

Fortunately the senators who will sit on this hearing in the Judiciary Committee after a few days of this kind of nonsense said, “Let’s slow down. Let’s examine her qualifications and the way we’re supposed to at a confirmation hearing.” […]

And when you have non-elected officials such as we have in our party who immediately shout racism or somebody who is quite prominent in the media says the only basis upon which I could possibly have supported Obama was because he was black and I was black even though I laid out my judgment on the candidates, then we still have a problem. […]

KING: The guy who used the term “reverse racist” — you didn’t name him but it’s Rush Limbaugh. He has said some not so favorable things about you, saying, “this guy says he’s Republican but then he supported Obama. So he’s not really Republican.” You’re a Republican?

POWELL: Yes and Mr. Limbaugh of course is entitled to his opinion but he’s not on any membership committee. He doesn’t decide who I am or what I am no more than I decide who he is or what he is. We’ve had this running debate let’s call it that and he’s entitled to his opinion and I’m entitled to mine.

Tagged as: limbaugh, powell, sotomayor

Benjamin J. Armbruster is a Research Associate for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.

Return to PEEK » Post Tools: EMAIL PRINT 3 COMMENTS PERMALINK

Also in PEEK
Public Option Back on the Chopping Block Adding to the problem of scared Dems is the Dems who insist upon being catered to. Lieberman has now been joined by Ben Nelson. Post by mcjoan. November 11, 2009.	Why Dems Need Tom Tancredo to Receive the GOP Nod in Colorado Democrats need a man that can inspire Latinos and other independents to come to the polls and vote for Democrats – Tancredo is that man! Post by Mario Solis-Marich. November 11, 2009.	Dogs Going Crazy as Their Soldiers Return Home Priceless. Post by Joshua Holland. November 11, 2009.

Comments	Turn comments off sitewide	Give us feedback »
Comments closed. The comments for this story have been closed. Thank you to everyone who participated.		View:
Sotomayer is a "Centrist" [Report this comment] Posted by: Mrs. Jefferson on Jul 6, 2009 6:42 AM Current rating: 1 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Which means she is a globalist (WTO, NAFTA,World Order rule by the few) and only interested in her own self interest of the Americas Union (with S. America in our country). She's a La Raza union buster. She is looking pretty anti-American to me. Both Clinton and Bush liked her and pushed her career ahead (they aren't Dems and Repubs any more either). Why does one have to be from Yale or Harvard to be "brillant"? Her judicial record is not impressive. Only her religion and ethnic back ground got her to the court appointment by Obama (who is visiting the Pope once again on our tax dollar). Public law universities don't have "brillant" graduates? Most the appointments by Obama are cronies. What about an Afro-American woman graduated from something other than Yale or Harvard Powell? Sotomayer has been given many gifts in our society yet she wants to destroy our democracy and our nationhood. She's more than a "reverse bigot". [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Repugs lack the education in Rhetoric, and What is considered "White" [Report this comment] Posted by: Purple Girl on Jul 6, 2009 7:00 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Anyone who read or heard the entire quote (not even the entire speech) could easily understand there were OPERATIVE/Conditional words used... "Would" is the main criteria which must be met, as in "I would Hope"- not only indicating it may not be met, but that there is a degree of doubt. Not only a indication that the criteria may not be met in general, but also as an individual. Add to that the conditional statement that the White man who has Not lived the same life experiences- acknowledging the Fact that some White males have lived a similar existence -poverty, 1st generation immigrants. Seems to me the Right wing is making more assumptions about what the life of all White males is like, "Whites" encompass an number of nationalities and not all are born Here- so they could very well understand the stuggles and discrimination as well as a 'Latina'- perhaps they even saw their mothers or sister's battles with sexism. So her speech, and the conditional terms she used were more indictive of the fact not all white males have the same life experiences. Rush seems to be ignorant of that fact, along with the art of language and Rhetoric. In fact Rush's statement reveals his own bias about what constitutes the White male experience- forgetting they too come in varieties. Rush assumes all Whites are of Anglo saxon descent- they aren't. "Olive skinned" is also considered 'White'. So Rush has proven he is Racist against other 'Whites' who do not fit into his pre conceived idea of what constitutes being of the 'White' Race, and culture.Look Down Rush, your fly's unzipped and your Racist small mindedness is showing.Dick head! [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Powell for president [Report this comment] Posted by: jstepp590 on Jul 6, 2009 7:20 AM Current rating: 2 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] In my opinion the only viable candidate the Republican party has is Mr Powell. To allow a lowlife like Limbaugh to bash him is the height of stupidity and arrogance. Actually though, I'm praying Cheney runs just to see us humiliate him at the polls, when his share of the vote is in the single digits. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

«	November 2009					»
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30

Newsletter

PEEK archive by date:

Use » and « to view other months.

Search: