Criticism of Biden's SCOTUS pledge is 'rooted in white identity politics,' CNN's Brian Stelter says

Republicans critical of President Biden's decision to consider only Black female candidates for the Supreme Court seat vacated by retiring Justice Stephen Breyer are motivated by "white identity politics," CNN host Brian Stelter said on his show Reliable Sources on Sunday.
Stelter began by bemoaning the "state of high conflict" in which American political discourse is currently embroiled.
He went on to argue that Republicans have no good reason, beyond stoking outrage, to vigorously oppose Biden's nominee "since whoever the nominee is will not change the balance of the court."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"But let's be honest," Stelter continued. "Fox wants a fight. Right-wing radio and TV wants a fight. They need a fight over the Supreme Court! They're already starting a fight that's rooted in white identity politics."
Stelter also cited a piece by The Week's Peter Weber, who argued that although "[c]onservative judicial groups recognize that Democrats control the Senate and consider it a wash to replace Breyer with another liberal," Fox News "seems to be gearing up for a big fight."
One conservative commentator insisted, contra Stelter, that white identity politics had nothing to do with the opposition.
"Joe Biden has not made this pick yet. Joe Biden has eliminated any consideration of any judge of Asian or Hispanic ethnicity (among others!). The only person who made this about identity politics is Joe Biden," tweeted Stephen L. Miller, a contributing editor at The Spectator World who worked as a speechwriter for former President Donald Trump.
Biden's decision to consider only Black female candidates is deeply unpopular. According to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, 76 percent of Americans say Biden should consider "all possible nominees," not just Black women. The poll surveyed 510 adults and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
America's favorite fast food restaurants
The Explainer There are different ways of thinking about how Americans define how they most like to spend their money on burgers, tacos and fried chicken
-
Law: The battle over birthright citizenship
Feature Trump shifts his focus to nationwide injunctions after federal judges block his attempt to end birthright citizenship
-
The threat to the NIH
Feature The Trump administration plans drastic cuts to medical research. What are the ramifications?
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
Israel-US 'rift': is Trump losing patience with Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question US president called for an end to Gaza war and negotiated directly with Hamas to return American hostage, amid rumours of strained relations
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
India strikes Pakistan as tensions mount in Kashmir
speed read Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an 'act of war'
-
Israel approves plan to take over Gaza indefinitely
speed read Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is 'on the eve of a forceful entry'