Politics, Politics, Politics

As the controversial swirl over Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court hits full force this week with her Senate hearing, one simple fact has seemed questionably absent in the discussion.  In late August 2009, John McCain’s campaign officially tapped Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate.  Almost immediately reports began to question the political motives to McCain’s decision.  Before the end of the week, it was taken for granted that Palin was a desperate McCain attempt to pick up disenfranchised Hillary Clinton voters.    The Democrats constantly reminded the voters of the Republican stereotype: middle-aged, christian, white, male.  It was an easy political attack for them.  Despite the strong Republican record for appointing women and minorities to high positions, and most often being the first party to do so, the public fell for it.  And many people will forever remember Sarah Palin as a political pick, inappropriate and deceiving.

Flashforward several months into President Obama’s administration.  Justice Souter has formally announced his plans for retirement, and speculation begins over who Obama will pick as his first major appointee.  When the news arrives that Sotomayor, a Latina, is his choice, reports similar to those about Palin were no where to be seen.  Regardless of Sotomayor’s qualifications, it cannot be denied that there are many well-prepared and qualified judges that Obama could have picked.  Why, then was there no questioning the political intensions of Obama’s decision?  President Obama and his chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, know full well that the Hispanic population is the fastest growing of any in the electorate.  They also know that the Hispanic population made border states, such as New Mexico, Florida, and even McCain’s home state of Arizona competitive in 2008.   Not only does a significant chunk of our immigration (both legal and illegal) consist of Latinos, but the birth rate of American-Hispanic women exceed other American ethnicities by far.  On average, each Latina will produce 2.3 children in her lifetime, compared to 2.0 for African-Americans, 1.8 for Whites, and 1.7 for Asian-Americans.(1)  If these trends continue as predicted, it is expected that Latinos will surpass African-Americans as the largest minority group, and by 2050 make up 30% of the US population.

The political impact of this demographic change will be nothing short of radical.  And the political implications of Obama and Emmanuel’s appointment of Sotomayor are crystal clear.  The Democrats are looking to the future.  They are unmistakeably targeting the Hispanic population as its target for coming elections.  But for some reason, no one seems to mind that political goals are being applied to policy decisions.  Well -  at least this time.

(1) http://www.diversityinc.com/public/4390.cfm