Hatch questions Sotomayor answers

Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2009 12:55 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Congress

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Sen. Orrin Hatch

got in a bit of a dig at Sonia Sotomayor.

"Just finished questioning Judge Sotomayor on how she views the Constitution for my 3rd round," Hatch writes on his Twitter page. "Thanks for the good questions. If only we could get some good answers."

Elsewhere in the Twittersphere, Republicans have launched a virtual onslaught against House Democrats' proposed health-care bill.

R-IN Mike Pence: IBD editorial: "#PublicOption will outlaw private #healthcare insurance coverage. It's not an option, but a mandate" http://ow.ly/hq4d #tcot
9:23 am ET

R-IN Mike Pence: Chapman in @ChicagoTribune: "the #publicoption #healthcare scam, it won't=more competition like @BarackObama says" - http://tr.im/sC3r #tcot 9:29 am ET

R-SC J. Gresham Barrett: The Republican plan calls for commonsense reforms without calling for gov’t takeover of healthcare.
9:16 am ET

R-IN Mike Pence: @USATODAY editorializes: "If #healthcare reform can't be credibly financed, it's not worth doing" @gopconference agrees. http://tr.im/sBZA
9:12 am ET

R-MI David Lee Camp: About to start the Ways and Means mark up of Health Care Reform. Do you want a $1.5 Trillion-plus new health care system? #news #health 8:54 am ET

R-MI David Lee Camp: The Dems' $1.5 Trillion health care bill will push people out of their current health care plans. #news #health
8:53 am ET

R-MI David Lee Camp: Makes it harder and more expensive for employers to provide health care&jobs by increasing premiums, imposing massive new taxes + mandates
9:09 am ET

R-MI David Lee Camp: Is this going to be the new American health care system? Is this what you want from health care reform? #news #health
9:10 am ET

R-SC J. Gresham Barrett: Dems unveiled their healthcare bill this week—we need to fix health care but this bill isn't the way to do it.
8:54 am ET

R-IL Judy Biggert: Will be participating in Ed & Labor Cmmte markup of Dems' $1 trillion, 1000 pg healthcare bill in 1 hr. Will try to keep you informed...
9:10 am ET

Palin's defense
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is defending herself against the latest ethics complaints on Twitter and talking about bears:

Another ethics complaint was rejected by AK Personnel Board. See http://tinyurl.com/lsjsjm about 2:57 am ET

Yes it was another outstanding day in AK seeing things the rest of America should see;applicable life lessons we're blessed to see firsthand
about 1:59 am ET from TwitterBerry

& mama bear doesn't look 2 anyone else 2 hand her anything; biologists say she works harder than males, is provider/protector for the future
about 1:59 am ET from TwitterBerry

protect & provide for her young;She sees danger?She brazenly rises up on strong hind legs, growls Don't Touch My Cubs & the species survives
about 1:59 am ET from TwitterBerry

Great day w/bear management wildlife biologists; much to see in wild territory incl amazing creatures w/mama bears' gutteral raw instinct to
about 1:59 am ET from TwitterBerry

Other hits
Arlen Specter goes after Democratic primary opponent Joe Sestak for attendance: @JoeSestak goes AWOL: Worst attendance out of all PA Reps, and 13th worst in all of Congress. http://tinyurl.com/knvaab about 6:00 pm ET yesterday

EMAIL THIS

Comments

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is defending herself against the latest ethics complaints on Twitter and talking about bears:
__________________________

How appropriate... a TWIT.... twittering...

Yes Sarah.. bears really do sh*t in the woods...

Now about those pesky ethics complaints???

And Orin Hatch wouldn't know a good answer if it bit him in the a@@! Nice to see that sometimes Gotcha questions blow up in your white puffy FACE!

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:07 PM)

I agree with Sen. Hatch. I voted for Obama. However, I dont know about this Sotomayor. She seems to me to be an udercover Scalia or Thomas. I dont like the fact that she will not answer anything...Not even the softball questions she gets from Dems. We deserve more than what she is giving us. This is a lifetime appointment to the highest office. Why cant she answer questions that are not even before the court?

Brandon, Fort Bliss, TX (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:09 PM)

Anyone with half a brain knows that this "public" option does nothing to cause competition among private insurers. Obviously, private insurers can't print money and tax the public like the government can and will.

Its been highly dishonest to suggest this notion. But the majority of posters hear are either buying this non-sense or using propoganda to make their case.

DG, Houston, TX (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:10 PM)

Hatch is such a disrespectful moron...

http://www.political-buzz.com/

matt (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:11 PM)

Whoa, hold up there. Didn't Reid promise Specter that he would have no primary competition if he jumped ship? Obviously that's a difficult promise to make, which is why I assumed Reid would only make it if he knew he could keep it.

Or is this similar to Reid's promise that Burris would never be seated?

MO Attorney (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:13 PM)

Isn't Mike Pence the same idiot who authored the GOP's numberless budget?

If he's against it, I'm for it.

Dufus.

The GOP ruled for 8 years, and they offered NO health care savings (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:13 PM)

Pot, meet kettle (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:15 PM)

Lets hope Sotomayor never has to call the fire department. Yeah, they'll get right on getting over there to help the Judege. They'll be there in a few hours.

Time Will Tell (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:17 PM)

Spell Ding-bat...Sahah Palin

Spell Nemrods...Old Fart republicans. Technology is a dangerous thing in the hands on Nemrods!

Anita, Birmingham, Alabama (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:18 PM)

Where is the Republican alternative to our health care situation? Maybe if they were removed from the Congressional "public option" and forced to shop for insurance we would see faster action and less bloviating on the administration's attempts to fix this mess!!!!!

Don Judson, Woodburn, Oregon (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:21 PM)

GOP idiots have no clue what they're ranting about. Maybe if they read the bill for a change, they'd see that in no way will private insurance be outlawed.

Joe - STL (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:22 PM)

I'm sorry First Read but why do you keep letting Feisty post here if she is always attacking comments or just plain mean.

Enough already.

Barb, Chicago, IL (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:22 PM)

R-IN Mike Pence: IBD editorial: "#PublicOption will outlaw private #healthcare insurance coverage. It's not an option, but a mandate"
--------------------------------------------

Pence is a filthy liar. The president has no intention of "outlawing" private insurance whatsoever and neither have any of the Democrats in Congress.

Don't you First Read people feel any obligation at all to point out glaring misstatements of fact like this? Do you care anything at all about facts beyond reporting the latest Republican trash-talking about the president?

Houston (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:23 PM)

DG, Houston, TX : '...Anyone with half a brain knows that this "public" option does nothing to cause competition among private insurers. Obviously, private insurers can't print money and tax the public like the government can and will.

Its been highly dishonest to suggest this notion. But the majority of posters hear are either buying this non-sense or using propoganda to make their case...'

Here's the DEAL:

Private insurers have an average 31% Administrative costs

Medicare has 4% Administrative costs

THAT'S the DIFFERENCE
Can you understand that ?

31% vs 4% ?
BIG DIFFERENCE

Private insurers will have to compete ?

(Why can't we do the same with oil companies and banks ???)

HRC will also PREVENT private insurerers from dropping customers who actually have medical costs

That's a big problem in California
When some people try to use their health insurance, the insurers try to drop them, claiming they lied on their applications about pre-existing conditions

See ?
Ignorance isn't ALWAYS BLISS, DG

MSierra, SF (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:23 PM)

The idea that the elected officials have so much time on there hand to spend it twittering but can't pass a healthcare bill is beyond me. On Mourning Joke this morning they spent so much time talking about how its impossible to pass a deal before recess, made me want to slap a few people.

They've spent 4 days talking to Sotomayor about absolutley nothing constitutional or that would tell anyone anything of importance just attacking. I'm so tired of the game that it takes weeks months and years to get anything done while people bicker and nit pick until its table and we go on as status quo.

We have a President, like him or not , that is interested in getting things done making progress not just talking and forming more committees to talk and form another committee who will then form a review board to investigate the committee of the review board. ENOUGH already. People on this board you should be tired of debating and arguing with one another and demand that our government stop twittering and following Puff Brain Palin and get to work and get things done.

If congress doesn't agree with President Obama's every idea then offer one, some thing or anything that will lead to progress and promise. But spending time politicing on twitter is not it.

Karin, IN (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:25 PM)

There goes that Repuke hack DG again!!I am glad he is such a public policy expert to disagree with 62% of the American people who want a public option. Maybe he likes the 500% markup on medical equipment or the 1000% markup on prescription drugs?? Maybe he likes all the insurance mumbo jumbo that denies conditions so that 62% of all bankruptcies in this country are medically related and 95% of those thought they had good coverage?? DG please tell your friends at the RNC to post on another site. Your half brain is not wanted here!!

EWS (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:25 PM)

Sniff sniff...poor little orrin acting like a little baby...what questions did roberts or alito actually answer during their hearings? Try zilch nada and bupkus

Rick, NC (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:25 PM)

Its so sweet that Palin tweets about the Grizzley mama and then goes back to her office and sits on the daddies dead hide. She's just SOOO genuine.

Parah Asilin (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:25 PM)

I wonder which "gotcha question blew up in Hatch's face?" Sotomayor only dances around questions with non-answers.

Keep the Change (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:26 PM)

Hatch who looks like a cross between a butler and a patrician Senator from Roman times is pathetic to think he's getting anything over on Sotomayor. She's from the Bronx and would eat him up on the street and spit him out. Remember she's a bully and thats coming from a bunch of mousy/chalking white chicken hawks.It's now getting old that the GOP is bringing up that she's evasive w/ answers. DUH! Roberts and Alito were as or more evasive.The only thing the whiny rightwing blagophere/GOP could come up w/ is that Alito's wife stormed out crying. Stick finger in mouth and vomit!

Juan, Ft Lauderdale, Fl (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:26 PM)

Gosh, give those rascally republicans a cell phone and twitter account and all if the sudden they are cool. NOT

They aren't really cool (Sent Thursday, July 16, 2009 1:26 PM)

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