There's a lot that I don't get about this "Scalito" thing

[Cats Against Frist]

The GOP has often made me feel like I live in some alternative universe in which up is down, black is white, etc., etc. -- but, can someone answer the following questions, for me:

1. How is "Scalito" supposed to be offensive? It's obvious that it's an allusion to Scalia, but how can that be construed to be "racist?"

2. Is Italian-American a "race?" (I already know the answer, but I have to ask, in case it's part of what I don't get).

3. Are the Republicans so desperate, that they're trying to divide us by our ethnicity? Are they seriously attempting to alienate the Italian-American voting block (is there one???) from the Democratic Party? I mean, we've seen them do this with Blacks, the Religious, Gen Xers, Hispanics, etc. -- are they seriously this fucking crazy and pathetic???

4. How is the term "Scalito" supposed to rip on Italians? (Redux of question one -- but I'm just fucking clueless).

:shrug:

[AX10]

1. There is nothing bigoted about the term "Scalito".

It's just making a comparison between Antonin Scalia's extremism and Samuel Alito's extremism.

[Democrats_win]

2. They're mad because it makes him look like a clone.....clown.

[LuckyTheDog]

3. Absolutely

Italian has nothing to do with it. He and Scalia share the same whacked-out judicial philosophy. That they are both Italian is beside the point. When I first heard Alito's name, I honestly thought he was Hispanic.

[Cats Against Frist]

4. Thanks, guys -- that's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure

because it's such a "big deal." I guess then, I'm just very fucking confused at why the GOP would play this up. It's weird, even for them, and the lie machine. I was just trying to see how a rational person could call that racial discrimination. But then, Bush supporters aren't necessarily rational...

[louis-t]

8. It's a "big deal" cuz the right doesn't need to make sense.

They have to whine and complain and criticize. Just part of the agenda.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

5. Let's take the analogy one step further

and REALLY piss off the wingnut morans: "Scalito's Way," thereby conjuring up visions of Al Paccino's "Carlito" character.

"Scalito's Way is NOT the American Way!"

[Chan790]

6. I'll try.

1. Who said it was racist? It's his nickname and it was given to him long before he was nominated to SCOTUS. The first several times I heard it was from conservatives so if it's racist, they're the racists.

2. No...it's an ethnicity.

3. Thinking too broadly...devout Catholics, not Italians. This is an increasingly large GOP demographic but one that they get creamed on every time their polling #s fall because the USCCB (US Council of Catholic Bishops) isn't dumb...it sees those moments as a good time to push the GOP on the Vatican's economic liberalism. You may not see it if you're not Catholic and a church-goer but as a hierarchical body orders come down from above. If the USCCB says you're going to lecture on economic liberalism, you'd better believe that it's the sermon in every Catholic diocese in the nation because the Cardinal or Archbishop demands it. The dirty secret of the religious conservative movement is...despite who the voices you hear are, Catholics have never NOT controled the agenda because they're more organized than the largely-independent Protestant community.

4. It doesn't; it rips on Alito and Scalia...both of whom are Italian and are indistinguishable in their opinions. Their ethnicity doesn't come into it.

[Inland]

7. It reminds of Ivin's jab at Thomas.

to the effect we could just give Scalia two votes and save Clarence's salary.