Looking for a win anywhere it can get one, the White House this week is hoping widespread predictions of an easy confirmation for Sonia Sotomayor hold true.
With health care reform and energy legislation both facing delays and disputes, President Barack Obama needs the restorative effects of a successful Supreme Court confirmation to restore momentum to his broader agenda.
“Every victory matters to a president, and a Supreme Court confirmation is always a big one,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey found that 47 percent of Americans want the Senate to confirm Sotomayor, while 40 percent do not and 13 percent have no opinion.
Short of a major upset, the worst Obama may have to contend with could be an effort by Republicans to drag out the process and delay the confirmation. The administration wants Sotomayor in place for the start of the court’s consideration of a campaign finance reform case on Sept. 9.
“I think there has been plenty of time to review the record,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. “We look forward to the Senate processing her nomination, and we look forward to Judge Sotomayor being Justice Sotomayor when the court takes part in the very important case that it will hear in early September.”
Vice President Joe Biden last week sent an e-mail to supporters aimed at heading off the opposition, by urging Democratic voters to call their senators and write letters to their local newspapers in support of Sotomayor.
“Unfortunately, some people would rather try anything to score political points than debate honestly about the facts,” Biden wrote. “Some people are even trying to say Judge Sotomayor’s proud record as a civil rights advocate in the Latino community is evidence of ‘extremism.’ ”
Critics are raising issues with a previous Sotomayor ruling against white firefighters alleging reverse discrimination. The National Rife Association is urging lawmakers to question her closely on Second Amendment issues, and some Republicans are concerned about her past membership in a Latino advocacy group some have deemed extreme.
“Over the past several weeks, we’ve heard about a number of instances in which Judge Sotomayor’s personal views seem to call into question her even-handed application of the law,” said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Still, a perfunctory air persists around Republican opposition to the nomination. The foregone conclusion is good news for the White House, which frets and reacts to shifts in public opinion and hasn’t had to do much heavy lifting to secure a presumptive win on Sotomayor.
If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the court’s first Hispanic member, an achievement that would burnish the president’s standing with a key Democratic constituency whose leaders criticized him for coming up short on key Hispanic appointments.
Biden, a former Senate Judiciary Committee member, predicted that Sotomayor would pass with bipartisan support.
“She will pass and I think she will pass cleanly, it won’t even be close,” he said.
