OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The White House has been inundated with accusations of racism and sexism after President Joe Biden pledged that the next Supreme Court Justice he nominates will be a black woman.
This week a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki about the allegations and she had to do some fine tap dancing to make the idea not appear racist.
“Just to put a little bit of a finer point on what you just got to at the end of that, you know there have already been conservatives, commentators talking a bit about why a Black woman that’s — to commit to that is reverse racism or some kind of signaling — a virtue — virtue signaling or something like that. What do you say to people who are saying that that is, you know, an inappropriate way to set out prerequisites for who he’s going to choose?” Bloomberg White House correspondent Jennifer Epstein said.
“Well, first, we’d say that the fact that no Black woman has been nominated shows a deficiency of the past selection processes, not a lack of qualified candidates to be nominated to the Supreme Court,” the press secretary said.
“I’d also note — I’ve heard that some conservatives may be fans of President Reagan, and when he — former President Reagan. And when he nominated Sandra Day O’Connor he said, quote, ‘Judge O’Connor’s confirmation symbolizes the richness of opportunity that still abides in America — opportunity that permits persons of any sex, age, or [any] race, from every section and every walk of life to aspire and achieve in a manner never before even dreamed about in human history,’” she said.
“I’d also note, if you look at the President’s own record, not only has he nominated the most — the highest number of Black women to serve on the circuit court and the appellate court, but he has also nominated, across the board, the highest level of Ivy League nominees, right? He has — he has qual- — he has nominated a broad sway of extremely qualified, experienced, and credential nominees — credentialed nominees, and done that by also making them incredibly diverse.
“And so the President’s view is that it is long past time to have a Black woman on the Supreme Court, and that it, again, reflects challenges or deficiencies in the past processes,” she said.
That still does not adequately answer why the president who also selected a black vice president in Kamala Harris, is not using identity politics in his pick.
Former presidential candidate, neurosurgeon and conservative commentator Ben Carson is one of those critics.
Carson, during an appearance on “The Vince Coglianese Show,” discussed President Joe Biden’s stated objective of replacing retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer with a black woman — so Democrats can check the “black female Supreme Court justice” box on their never-ending journey to divide our diverse society by race, gender, ethnicity, creed, etc.
When Coglianese asked Carson about Biden’s pledge, the renowned neurosurgeon responded by saying that “many people fought, gave their lives to bring equality … And now we’re reverting back to identity politics.
“And as we continue to do that, we’re bringing more division into our country,” Carson added in his spot-on reply.
Even Democrat and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii condemned Biden’s decision to make skin color and sex the deciding factors in choosing someone to replace Breyer, noting that it’s more important to concentrate on people’s qualifications and dedication to defending the Constitution (that “content of character” stuff that Martin Luther King Jr. preached).
Biden’s mistake: He should not be choosing a Supreme Court justice based on the color of their skin or sex, but rather on their qualifications & commitment to uphold our Constitution & the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans in that document which is the foundation of our nation
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) January 28, 2022
“Biden’s mistake: He should not be choosing a Supreme Court justice based on the color of their skin or sex, but rather on their qualifications & commitment to uphold our Constitution & the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans in that document which is the foundation of our nation,” she tweeted.
