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Racism has two basic definitions: it's denotation (that is, its dictionary definition), and it's connotation (that is, the emotion ascribed to the word).
I didn't actually look it up because I'm a little lazy with things like that, but from memory, a racist is a person who believes that certain races are inherently superior to others. By this definition, it's possible she is a racist. I don't honestly know. I don't know what goes on inside her head. I don't believe she is, but I can't say with any certainty.
The connotation of racist is that of a KKK member in a white hood and white sheet or a neo-nazi or skinhead or someone who seeks to suppress another race usually through violent means.
I don't think she fits the connotation of a racist because I don't see her riding around in the back of a pickup holding up a torch as they chase down white people leaving Whole Foods™.
I do agree with the idea that there is no room for a racist on the Supreme Court. If it comes out that she truly is a racist, then I wouldn't want her confirmed, either. However, I don't think I'm in agreement with the radical right's attempt to characterize La Raza as a racist organization or Sotomayor as a racist individual.
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"I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am" - Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses
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