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Suddenly The Weekly Standard is in favor of identity politics?

July 17, 2009 9:25 am ET by Eric Boehlert

Coming in the wake of the Sotomayor hearings this development is especially confusing. Conservative media outlets have been emphatic that identity politics, especially when practiced by African-Americans and Hispanics, is abhorrent and should be avoided at all costs.

Yet when a pro-business African-American appeared before Congress and called a prominent Democrat a racist, The Weekly Standard, as well as the rest of the right-wing blogosphere, cheered. They seemed to want to see more identity politics like that.

Suddenly it's a good thing for a minority, when pressed with tough questions, to complain that his questioner is being "racial." It's a good thing when Harry Alford, CEO of the pro-business National Black Chamber of Commerce, who was invited by Republicans to testify against environment legislation, exploded during a rather pedestrian give-and-take with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

Confusing times, indeed.

UPDATED: Did we mention how Bizarro World this sudden love of minority identity politics is from the right-wing during a week when we saw attacks on Sotomayor that didn't even try to  mask ugly racial stereotypes?  

Justice Malaprop?   [Ed Whelan]

Judge Sotomayor says “eminent” when she means “imminent,” “providence” instead of “province,” “story of knowledge” instead of “store of knowledge,” and so on.  Does the fact that she is a Latina immunize her from attention to that sort of (admittedly not uncommon) foible?

UPDATED: RedState, of all places, is suddenly deeply concerned about "racism" in politics. Who knew?

UPDATED: State classy Jawa Report, that bastion of racial sensitivity:

Senator Assmaggot Gets Bitchslapped

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    • Author by mk3872 (July 17, 2009 9:33 am ET)
         
      U.S. conservatives = angry, bitter & sore losers.
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    • Author by epkklk851 (July 17, 2009 9:39 am ET)
         
      Actually, if you look at some of the comments by those most opposed to Judge Sotomayor, they are full of "identity politics" and victimization. When Pat Buchanan, et al. complain that she is out to get white males, they are practicing identity politics and when they complain they are being picked on, they are claiming to be victims. Frankly, if women and minorities really were out to get white males, Buchanan, O'Reilly, Beck, and Limbaugh, would be out of jobs already.
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    • Author by mrhebert74 (July 17, 2009 12:44 pm ET)
         
      Does the fact that she is a Latina immunize her from attention to that sort of (admittedly not uncommon) foible?


      No Ed. Go ahead and make fun of her.
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    • Author by KenStarr (July 17, 2009 4:11 pm ET)
         
      Re: the mangling of the words imminent, province, stores, etc., by Sotomayor; the thrice-divorced Oxycontin-addled boy-violator brought that up on his show Thursday as I was driving through Connecticut. During his rant, trying to show such mangling was more than enough proof that Sotomayor was an idiot, said thrice-divorced Oxycontin-addled boy-violator - mangled the same words! Even his mindless, pre-programmed, Borg drone-like dittohead Conservative staffers caught him.

      I'm sure you will also be aghast to hear that Senator Sessions' comment that he and Senator Leahy will be doing, "that crack cocaine thing" was not mentioned.
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