Results tagged “nomination”

Federal judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court is front page news around the country and especially in her hometown of New York. And as Republicans gear up to voice criticism of her, Democrats are ready—and excited. The former executive director of the Democratic National Committee Mark Siegel tells the Daily News, "I'm not only ecstatic, I pray that the Republicans do a frontal attack on her. Thirty-one percent [of the Hispanic vote] is too much for them. I want them to go down to three." And a Florida pollster who surveyed Hispanic voters for Obama's campaign told Politico, "The picture of an African-American president standing next to a Hispanic woman as his first choice for the Supreme Court — that picture is the worst nightmare for the Republican Party."

Officials say that President Obama will nominated U.S. Court of Appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill David Souter's seat on the Supreme Court. Sotomayor, who grew up in a Bronx public housing project and was named to the federal bench by President George H.W. Bush, has been mentioned as a possible nominee since even before the election. The announcement will be made at 10:15 a.m.; the Caucus reports, "The president reached his decision over the long Memorial Day weekend...The president narrowed his list to four, according to people close to the selection process, including Federal Appeals Judge Diane P. Wood of Chicago, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Solicitor General Elena Kagan." Obama hopes to have his pick confirmed by the time Senate recesses in August. SCOTUS blog has an interesting post on a Sotomayor nomination: "For Republican Senators to come after Judge Sotomayor is not only hopeless when it comes to confirmation (something that did not deter Democrats in their attacks on Roberts and Alito) but a strategy that risks exacting a very significant political cost among Hispanics and independent voters generally."

The Obama administration's cheering over Attorney General nominee Eric Holder's confirmation was short-lived, as Nancy Killefer ended her bid to be the first "Chief Performance Officer" (apparently over a tax issue with household help) and now former Senator majority leader Tom Daschle is no longer a contender to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Daschle, who owed over $128,000 in back taxes, issued a statement, "If 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction….Right now, I am not that leader, and will not be a distraction.” President Obama also said he accepted and regretted Daschle's decision, "Tom made a mistake, which he has openly acknowledged. He has not excused it, nor do I. But that mistake, and this decision, cannot diminish the many contributions Tom has made to this country from his years in the military to his decades of public service.”

Like the last party guest who lingers long after her welcome and leaves the hosts feeling a little awkward and anxious for her departure, Hillary Clinton finally conceded that she is not going to get the nomination of the Democratic Party in the 2008 Presidential election. In a fairly upbeat address at the National Buildings Museum in Washington, DC, Clinton pledged to work to unite Democrats after a long and bitter campaign.