Sen. Lindsey Graham Plays Up Sexist Stereotype With Sonia Sotomayor

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is under pressure to attack Judge Sonia Sotomayor while trying not to offend Latinos all over the country, continues to walk the tightrope. Sadly, however, in trying to rough up Sotomayor, during her U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings, he played into an old stereotype that dogs women, but is hardly thought of when it comes to men: temperament. It would be different if Graham had some kind of hard evidence from multiple people to back him up, but by simply throwing such an allegation out there he comes across as embracing a negative stereotype of Sotomayor that seems to have no evidence to back it up and does not seem out of line based on what happens with other male judges.

From POLITICO:

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sonia Sotomayor’s temperament  “sticks out like a sore thumb” compared to other judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York.

Sotomayor said she asks “tough questions in oral argument” and there are a lot of lawyers “who are unfamiliar with the process in the Second Circuit” that they find “difficult and challenging.”

“If I may interject here, is that they find you difficult and challenging,” Graham said. “Do you think you have a temperament problem?”

“No, sir,” Sotomayor said. “I can only talk about what I know about my relationship with the judges of my court and with the lawyers who appear regularly from our circuit.”

While she is talking about her record and her relationships with judges and lawyers, people like Lindsey Graham are trying to smear her with rumors and stereotypes.

Now, if you follow the nuts over at Fox Nation you’d think Graham did something worth something. But, in the end, he fell flat like the rest of the Republicans are going to do if they follow the lead of Jeff Sessions and Lindsey Graham and continue with this stupidity.

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