The first White House talking points on Elena Kagan's Supreme Court nomination are making the rounds just minutes after she was formally nominated by the president.
And in an effort to grease the wheels for her confirmation, the administration is choosing to emphasize the Solicitor General's "trailblazer" life story and her empathy with the struggles of ordinary people (though the word "empathy" -- so toxic during the last SCOTUS fight -- is never actually used).
A Democratic source passed along to the Huffington Post Monday morning talking points that go directly at the early Republican charge that Kagan is the product of elitist institutions. The document stressed that Kagan has worked routinely on everyday issues -- in various legal pursuits -- and even points to her lineage to make the case that she is of a a distinctly average (if not blue-collar) upbringing.
"Elena's father was a housing lawyer devoted to the rights of tenants," according to the talking points. "Her mother was a public school teacher committed to helping her students realize."
The document also stresses Kagan's impeccable academic and legal qualifications and her ability to bridge partisan divides. But the emphasis on her understanding of how the law impacts "ordinary people's lives" gives a strong sense of where the White House sees the confirmation battle heading.
THE TALKING POINTS ARE PASTED BELOW:
Talking Points: Solicitor General Elena Kagan
Regarded as One of the Nation's Leading Legal Minds
Widely regarded as one of the nation's leading legal minds, Solicitor General Elena Kagan has forged a path-breaking career in the law and in government service, distinguishing herself throughout by her penetrating intellect, unwavering integrity, sound judgment and prodigious work ethic.
A Trailblazer throughout Her Career in Public Service and Academia
She was the first woman to serve as Dean in Harvard Law School's 186-year old history. And she was the first woman to serve as Solicitor General - the lawyer who represents the United States Government before the Supreme Court. Of the 111 justices who have served on the Supreme Court, only three have been women. Kagan would be the fourth, and this Fall, for the first time in history, three women would take their seats on our nation's highest court.
Lawyer and Scholar Who Understands the Impact of Law on Ordinary People's Lives
As an academic, her scholarship focused on issues ranging from freedom of speech to government policy making - issues with a profound effect on our daily lives. As a White House lawyer and policy aide, she played lead role in working with Democrats and Republicans on legislation to prevent tobacco companies from targeting children with deceptive advertising practices and addictive products. As a law school Dean, she turned a fractious institution into a united one, and inspired students to use their legal training to serve their communities. And as Solicitor General, she has defended before the Supreme Court Congress's efforts to protect shareholders' rights, to implement bipartisan campaign finance reform, and to preserve the national security interests of the United States.
Leader who Inspires the Confidence and Support of Democrats and Republicans
With an unparalleled ability to bring together people of different backgrounds and beliefs, she has earned praise across the political spectrum for her fair-mindedness, even-handedness, and insistence that all views deserve a respectful hearing. Every Solicitor General over the last quarter century - Democrats and Republicans - wrote a letter of support for her nomination as Solicitor General, noting her "brilliant intellect," "candor," and the "high regard in which she is held by persons of a wide variety of political and social views." And her nomination to the Supreme Court is receiving similarly wide support from members of the legal community across the ideological spectrum.
A Product of a Family that Prized Education and Service to Others
Elena's father was a housing lawyer devoted to the rights of tenants. Her mother was a public school teacher committed to helping her students realize their potential. They sent Elena to an all-girls public high-school where she learned that she could achieve any goal she sought. Following in her parents' footsteps, Elena became a lawyer like her father, using her legal training to serve others, and a beloved teacher like her mother, inspiring the next generation of students to use their legal training to improve lives and communities.