Not really, or at least it would just be a really twisted bit of logic to get to calling it a hate crime law.
Well, I do recall a case where the lawyer argued that his client, who had been charged with murdering his (separated) wife, should be released from custody pending his trial since his client posed no threat to society on the grounds that his client had "eliminated the entire class of persons against whom he had animus".
Actually, it was an Expected consequence, unless you were exceedingly dumb, or Liberal. If enhanced penalties Work to reduce crime, then enhance penalties for violent crimes across the board, to protect ALL of us.
Actually they don't (at least not to any significant extent).
Surprisingly, I mostly agree with you, although I suspect that making littering a capital crime might reduce it somewhat. Certainty is important. Adding additional hoops for the prosecutor to jump through to arrive at a meaningful sentence makes it more unlikely to happen. Hate crime enhancements being required to get a sentence which should not require them is one such frivolous hoop. Setting pre-trial detention standards so high that the prosecutor has to essentially conduct a Preliminary Hearing to detain someone who has committed murder on camera is another. This is particularly true where the prosecuting attorney is often young and inexperienced, in places like New Mexico, where Asst. DAs make the same, or a little less, than school teachers. Here, where the cops really want someone, they try to get the FBI or US Marshalls involved, so the case can go to Federal Court, where detention is much more likely and sentences are often mandatory, with limited parole. US Marshalls are also a bit more generous with lead, as they don't have the US Justice Dept. Civil Rights Div. looking over their shoulder. (Ironic, huh?)
Personally I have no problems with being quite generous in granting "pretrial release".
It appears that you have mostly been exposed to Real judges. NM experience is that offender (and not just DWI, violent felonies too) will be given a stern lecture and returned to pretrial release. Probation violators are also usually given the lecture with no consequences treatment, unless the court is in Little Texas (eastern NM).
The judges that I have had the pleasure (and pain) of dealing with have (in general) seen that their task is to UPHOLD the law. That means that, when the prosecution does not make its case to the extent required, they don't find the accused "sort of guilty" and adjust sentence accordingly.