Here's how the Republicans serious effed up the Sotomayor affair.
The entire Republican establishment ripped her apart based on racial terms for three months, further widening the divide between the party and the very important Latino vote. And yet she was confirmed anyway by a 68-31 margin.
Knowing that she would very likely be confirmed, the smarter approach would've been to lay off the racial crap, but they just couldn't resist the demagoguery and race-baiting for the delight of their redneck base. The fact is, their base would've stuck with them no matter what, but in scrambling to appease the far-right, they lost what remained of their Latino support -- arguably the fastest growing voting block in America.
Good job, Republicans! You're doing great!