Sotomayor anti gun?

Kay's basis for voting against Sotomayor is that she is anti gun...

For me, if the NRA says she is anti gun, she is anti gun.

The Ft. Worth editors are on their high horse about it, and they assert she is not anti gun (link). Excerpt follows...

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison could have put the posturing aside and supported confirmation of a well-qualified candidate with 17 years on the federal bench plus experience as a prosecutor and private-practice lawyer.

Instead, Hutchison cited Sotomayor’s Senate Judiciary Committee testimony as evidence that she didn’t share the senator’s "conviction that the Constitution protects the fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms."

That plays right into the unfair misperception that Sotomayor’s record and statements demonstrate hostility toward gun rights.

Misperception? No wonder the media is in such trouble. The NRA knows a thing or two more about gun rights than some pinheaded editorial board.

On the other hand, I could see some Hispanic voters and moderate to liberal independents and Republicans who liked her before thinking she is not worthy of their vote because she is allegedly "pandering" to the right wing of the GOP. Kay did not win over a room of conservative Hispanics last week when she tried to explain her no vote on Sotomayor (link). Excerpt follows...

Hutchison's explanation that she could not approve anyone for the federal bench who left any doubt about their absolute support for the right to bear arms earned a smattering of applause during her speech to the Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce annual convention.

The tepid response was eclipsed when Hutchison noted that 30 percent of nominees she had submitted for federal judgeships were Hispanic.

This was a tough vote for Kay, and probably shows why she should have resigned earlier this year... someone would be offended by this vote on one side or the other... it is easier to offend Hispanics than the NRA in a Republican primary, but if Kay's strategy does hinge on earning votes of moderates and non traditional GOP voters this won't help her...