Michael Steel and the RNC flubbed it. Shortly before the announcement, the RNC sent an email that was intended for prominent Republican bloggers and talking heads. It laid out the “party line” on efforts to derail the Sotomayor nomination. Unfortunately, someone clicked the wrong check box and the message was also widely sent to reporters, newspapers, television stations and other news media (of the less biased kind).

So The Hill.com has published the “talking points” which we obligingly reproduce here.

RNC fumbles Sotomayor talking points

By Aaron Blake

Whoops. The Republican National Committee (RNC) has released to the media its list of talking points on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.

The talking points went to a few hundred influential Republicans who were the intended recipients. Unfortunately for the RNC, members of the media were also on the list.

Here are the talking points:

• President Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court is an important decision that will have an impact on the United States long after his administration.
• Republicans are committed to a fair confirmation process and will reserve judgment until more is known about Judge Sotomayor’s legal views, judicial record and qualifications.
• Until we have a full view of the facts and comprehensive understanding of Judge Sotomayor’s record, Republicans will avoid partisanship and knee-jerk judgments — which is in stark contrast to how the Democrats responded to the [Chief Justice John] Roberts and [Justice Samuel] Alito nominations.
• To be clear, Republicans do not view this nomination without concern. Judge Sotomayor has received praise and high ratings from liberal special interest groups. Judge Sotomayor has also said that policy is made on the U.S. Court of Appeals.
• Republicans believe that the confirmation process is the most responsible way to learn more about her views on a number of important issues.
• The confirmation process will help Republicans, and all Americans, understand more about Judge Sotomayor’s thoughts on the importance of the Supreme Court’s fidelity to the Constitution and the rule of law.
• Republicans are the minority party {you can say that again!}, but our belief that judges should interpret rather than make law is shared by a majority of Americans.
• Republicans look forward to learning more about Judge Sotomayor’s legal views and to determining whether her views reflect the values of mainstream America.

So, now that the nomination has been out for a few hours; here’s what the talking heads are speaking (courtesy of Daily Kos):

The predictable attacks against Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor are rolling in:

• Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee called Sotomayor’s appointment “the clearest indication yet that President Obama’s campaign promises to be a centrist and think in a bipartisan way were mere rhetoric.”
• Charmaine Yoest, the president of Americans United for Life, blasted Sotomayor as “a radical pick that divides America.”
• The Judicial Confirmation Network circulated a memo from its counsel, Wendy Long, calling Sotomayor a “favorite of far-left special interest groups” who will “indulge … left-wing policy preferences instead of neutrally applying the law.”
• Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele released a restrained statement, declaring: “Republicans will reserve judgment on Sonia Sotomayor until there has been a thorough and thoughtful examination of her legal views.”
• Mitt Romney called the pick “troubling.”
• Then there’s the .02 from the titular head of the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh: Do I want her to fail? Yeah. Do I want her to fail to get on the court? Yes! She’d be a disaster on the court. Do I still want Obama to fail as President? Yeah. AP you getting this? He’s going to fail anyway, but the sooner the better.  More…

Posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 12:13 pm in National News, Partisan Politics.