FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh - the Abbott and Costello of the Republican party - are dialing down their rhetoric when it comes to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Gingrich - who just a week ago called on the "Latina woman racist" to withdraw - is taking it back.
Cafferty: The kind stuff Gingrich and Limbaugh say doesn't make them very popular.
He now says his initial reaction to the judge's comments was "perhaps too strong and direct." Really... ? He says he shouldn't have used the word "racist" to refer to Sotomayor as a person - even if her words were unacceptable.
The other gas bag, Limbaugh, says he doesn't know why Gingrich retracted his comment. The radio host still believes Sotomayor would "bring a form of racism and bigotry" to the court. But Limbaugh says he may look past that and is now open to supporting President Obama's nominee if he can be convinced that she has a "sensibility toward life in a legal sense." He's talking about abortion here. What a guy.
Kind of makes you wonder who in the Republican party got to these guys. Senator Jeff Sessions - who had condemned the hateful talk - is praising Gingrich's decision to back off his "racist" comment.
Meanwhile it's clear that the kind stuff Gingrich and Limbaugh say doesn't make them very popular. A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll shows Gingrich with a favorable rating of 36-percent, and Limbaugh at a measly 30-percent. When you compare that to Colin Powell - who gets a favorable rating of 70 percent - there's little question about which direction the Republican Party should be headed.
Here’s my question to you: What caused Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh to change their tune when it comes to Sonia Sotomayor?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Nicole from Philadelphia writes:
Gingrich and Limbaugh were clearly muscled by top Republicans into "changing" their views in an effort to get the Hispanic vote for 2012. I think that Hispanics would be more likely to side with a party that includes their own than a party that calls one of their own successful and qualified Hispanic females a "racist."
Jim from Las Vegas writes:
It should be clear to all by now that the only issue that matters to Rush and Newt is that of abortion. Sotomayor has ruled in favor of pro-life groups a sufficient number of times. That coupled with her being a Catholic gives the religious right hope for overturning Roe v. Wade. This stance by the perceived leaders of the Republican Party is exactly what is driving moderates away.
Dave from Brooklyn writes:
The surfacing of an apparent semblance of intelligence on the part of these two geniuses is a random occurrence of chance. Sooner or later, no matter how stupid someone is, they eventually will make an intelligent statement - purely by accident. Read nothing more into this. They will soon go back to their hate-fired rabble rousing, lies and disparagement.
Richard from New Hampshire writes:
Jack, Part of the reason they changed their tune is to give cover for many Republicans who will be attending an upcoming function, where they both will be speaking. By slightly backpedaling, many elected Republicans will be able to attend and not be seen as tacitly approving of their statements.
Duane writes:
They're backing off because they finally realized what they should have been smart enough to know from the beginning: attacking a qualified, female, minority Supreme Court nominee is only hammering another nail into the party's coffin. It's just another example of the attitude and failed political strategy that’s making them appear increasingly out of touch and irrelevant in modern America.
Nancy from Colorado writes:
It couldn't be their consciences!