The Fix: A Single GOP Vote for Sotomayor

 

By Chris Cillizza
Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, July 28, 2009; 3:10 PM
 

One.
 
That's the number of Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who voted for the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court today. (Thanks to C-SPAN for the video above.)
 
Both Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) cast "no" votes, the first time either man has ever voted against a Supreme Court nominee -- a fact that provides some sense for how partisanship has crept into the debate over Court nominees in the last few years. (Not a single Judiciary Committee Democrat voted for Samuel Alito although three Democrats voted for John Roberts.)
 
Wendy Long, head of the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network, released a statement in the immediate aftermath of the vote praising Republicans on the committee for taking such a partisan stand. "Republicans will no longer defer to confirmation of liberal judicial activists," said Long. "The overwhelming, almost-unanimous Republican opposition to the nomination of Judge Sotomayor is a historical first."
 
That trend toward partisanship in all things Washington bodes poorly for President Barack Obama's much-touted bipartisan approach -- particularly in regards his efforts to win Republican support for his health care reform proposal.
 
Republicans are clearly placing a big bet on the idea that standing in (near) unified opposition to Obama's priorities -- whether on Sotomayor or health care or the economic stimulus package -- gives them the best chance to begin rebuilding their party's electoral strength.
What Republicans seem set on doing is drawing a bright, broad line between how they see the direction of the country and how Obama and Democrats see it -- ensuring that the American people know there is a significant difference between the two sides.
 
The danger in placing all of their chips on the anti-Obama bet is that Republicans run the risk of losing big if the American public rejects that approach.
 
The White House has long believed that voters want to see Obama attempt to bring on Republican support but don't feel strongly about whether or not he is actually able to achieve that goal.
 
Republicans seem ready to put that theory to the test.