ELENA KAGAN AND THE GAY: In which I agree with Andrew Sullivan. “Nobody believes that we are naming people to the Supreme Court because we are picking the best judge. We are talking about empathy and personal stories. Once you do that, you open the whole person up to consideration.”
On the other hand, friends say she’s straight — not that there’s anything wrong with that. “The intense scrutiny that comes with a Supreme Court nomination leaves ample space for curiosity – particularly intense in the gay community— on a question that even leading Republican Senators have dismissed as irrelevant to the job. But Kagan’s friends’ desire to ‘out’ her as straight has been complicated by their hope to avoid offending gay friends by implying that there would be any problem if she were a lesbian.” Who knew identity politics could be so much fun?
Related item here.
And Jules Crittenden notes another diversity problem:
I’d add that President Obama seems bent on packing the court with people who never had children, and would suggest that if you haven’t had your sleep disturbed for years on end; haven’t subjugated everything in your life to someone else’s interests … as opposed to subjugating everything to your career interests … and never changed a diaper except, say, as a boutique experience; if you haven’t seen your hopes and dreams grow up, charge off in their own direction and start talking back to you; if you haven’t dealt with abuse of authority and human rights issues sometimes encountered in dealings with obtuse school officials, class bullies and town sports leagues; then there’s a high risk your understanding of life may be somewhat … academic.
It’s a humbling experience, parenthood. As well as an inspiring one that gives life meaning. It also, as a friend of mine once put it, makes you sane. Even while it drives you crazy. Put another way, it’s part of the maturation thing.
Doesn’t the president know any soccer moms who went to a state school?
Doubtful. But maybe Barbara Boxer will give Kagan grief for being childless.