Friday, June 5, 2009
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Q&A: JANET MURGUíA
Hispanic Activist Warns GOP On Sotomayor Response
The President Of La Raza Says Party Will Pay Price For An Uncivil Debate Over The High Court
"I think she's earned more respect than what's being demonstrated by some in segments of the Republican Party."
-- Janet Murguia
When President Obama announced Sonia Sotomayor as his pick for the Supreme Court, the pundits warned Republicans of a trap -- attacking the first Hispanic nominee for the court could backfire, they said. That didn't stop former presidential candidate Tom Tancredo from going on cable news to decry Sotomayor's involvement with the National Council of La Raza, which he called a racist organization. Sotomayor herself was called a racist by Rush Limbaugh and then Newt Gingrich, who later withdrew his statement.
NationalJournal.com's Lucas Grindley spoke with La Raza's president, Janet Murguia, about whether these voices have harmed the Republican Party's standing among Hispanics, a growing part of the electorate. Edited excerpts of the interview follow. Visit the archives page for more Insider Interviews.
NJ: After Sotomayor was nominated, you said in a statement: "Finally, we see ourselves represented on the highest court in the land." Obviously, there has yet to be a Hispanic justice on the court, but do you think that in the past Hispanics were poorly represented in the Supreme Court's decisions?
Murguia: There's been a lack of feeling that we've seen ourselves adequately represented maybe even in the whole judicial system. Certainly the Supreme Court is substantive and symbolic. I think for our community, it's something tangible they can look toward and see themselves finally represented on the highest court in the land.
NJ: Going into it, were you crossing your fingers that a Hispanic would be selected?
Murguia: I of course saw the historic opportunity presented to President Obama, and I think our community saw it as well. We know that these decisions have to be based on merit and substance. Everybody wanted a standard of excellence when it comes to a decision as important as this. We felt that there was a pool of qualified candidates for this in the Hispanic community, led by Judge Sotomayor.
NJ: So you think it's possible for the court to represent Hispanics in its decisions without having a Hispanic on the court?
Murguia: It's possible, but I think you can have several qualified justices that meet the credentials. I think what President Obama was trying to do here was trying to look at a diversity of thought, a diversity of perspective and add to that diversity represented on the court. That dimension is critically important.
NJ: This comment that Sotomayor made comparing a "wise Latina woman" to a white man -- I wonder if you agree with that idea, that a Hispanic woman, because she's had these experiences, would make a better decision than a white male?
Murguia: I would not say that. And I don't think she meant it literally that way. She'll have a chance to explain that herself. It's wrong to focus on a quote and a comment when it's not in full context. What I do think is that it's fair to seek diverse point of view and diverse perspectives on the Supreme Court.
NJ: There's been so much criticism already, and the debate is just getting started.
Murguia: I think she's earned more respect than what's being demonstrated by some in segments of the Republican Party. And we're seeing a lack of respect for her and, in some cases, for what she represents. For us, there's a growing negative view of the Republican Party because of some of those voices and because of the fact that they're not being silenced by leaders in the Republican Party....
What we're seeing is that her role when she was an attorney serving on the board of PRLDEF -- the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund -- eyebrows are being raised, questions are being raised. Does that make her an activist -- when she was an attorney and had a legitimate right to be part of a group that she shared an interest in their mission? Tom Tancredo, questioning her as a dues-paying member of the National Council Of La Raza -- they are not satisfied right now with going after her, but they are going after the institutions that represent a legacy of contribution from the Latino community.
NJ: Are you worried that people like Tancredo are having an effect?
Murguia: It's easy to sort of discount someone like Tancredo. Look, he's a failed Republican presidential candidate. He's seen as an anti-immigrant extremist. Obviously, we have to respond when those kind of comments are made, but you have to consider the source, right?
There are some who say, 'Don't pay attention to him, he doesn't represent the party.' But when others in the Republican Party -- and he prides himself as a leader in the Republican Party -- don't distance themselves, then it raises more questions for us. For him to make those kinds of insults about my organization is very disturbing, and I don't think people realize the full impact that could have on the Latino community.
I think we've demonstrated a new level of engagement -- civic engagement and political engagement -- in this 21st century, and that's something that ought to be noted before people start spouting off falsehoods, like Tom Tancredo.
NJ: I know you've called on Michael Steele, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell to repudiate Tancredo's statements. Getting to what you said about whether La Raza should respond to Tancredo because it might elevate what he's said, isn't there an argument to be made that if they were to respond to him it would only legitimize what he said?
Murguia: I don't think so. I think they can look at the record. This is a matter of fact. It's not a matter of judgment or interpretation. We have a 40-year record of making contributions in the area of civil rights and creating opportunities for Hispanics. My predecessor marched with Dr. Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders....
But I think what this is reflective of is there's still a very big split in the Republican Party over the direction they want to take on immigration. It's spilling over, though, unfortunately, into how our Latino community is being painted, and it's with this broad brush.... That's where Tom Tancredo is coming from.
NJ: So you think the immigration debate is preventing Republican leaders from repudiating Tancredo and his statements?
Murguia: Yeah, I think the fallout from the immigration debate in the last Congress created a real rift in the Republican Party. And I think they've been struggling in how to reconcile that, and I think it's affecting their ability to engage the Latino community. As a result of that, I think they're paralyzed.
NJ: You told Politico that "Hispanics are going to be watching this especially closely" and "anyone who would position themselves into opposition to Sonia Sotomayor would have a difficult time in making that case to the Latino community." Is there really no way to oppose this nominee without alienating Hispanics?
Murguia: No, maybe I should clarify.... The danger is if they are perceived as treating her unfairly or distorting her record, then I think they could have real issues with the Latino community. But if they can offer a fair process and a civil debate and discourse around this nomination, then I think people understand that there needs to be heightened scrutiny around the Supreme Court nominee. We don't debate that. We don't question that.
But if it's based on negative rhetoric that's not true and old stereotypes that try to somehow denigrate her record and her credentials even before she's had a hearing, I think that raises questions in the minds of the Hispanic community as to whether she is going to get a fair process.... That's dangerous because there is much in the balance, including our votes.