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Democrats Have Gone to the Mattresses. Someone Tell the Republicans.
The Brett Kavanaugh nomination serves as a useful reminder of why about one-third of the US electorate are firm Trump supporters. While Democrats declare war in the Senate, Republicans are lining up to buy Kavanaugh’s accuser plane tickets. If Trump were chairman of the Judiciary Committee, do you think he’d respond to waking up with a horse’s head in his lap by asking Ms. Ford if she preferred a window or aisle? Of course not. He may lose an eye in the confrontation but you can be sure he’d emerge with Dianne Feinstein’s bloody ear clenched between his teeth.
Much has been said about the damage done to the institution by the Democrats’ petulance while ignoring the institutional damage done by Republicans in humoring them. “But the optics!” shout Republican pollsters. Whenever I hear the “optics” argument I can’t help but notice that it invariably refers to how things might likely appear to the Democrats’ base. To an extent, this makes sense as in lieu of workable ideas, “optics” is all the Democrats’ base has. But what about the Republican base? Isn’t abandoning fundamental principles of the Constitution also a “bad look?”
If there’s one aspect of this saga upon which there seems to be a consensus it’s that Dr. Ford’s voice “deserves to be heard.” I know it can’t be said in polite company but I will anyway: no she doesn’t. What she deserves is to be called what she is: a Democrat activist who’s smearing a good man’s name. No fewer than 65 women have testified on behalf of Kavanaugh’s character and my, understanding is that I’m obliged to believe the women.
How long do Democrats think they can put off the inevitable? Given the weak-kneed state of Republicans in the Senate, the answer is: forever. Democrats have come a long way from reflexively standing with the accused to reflexively standing with the accuser. If only we could harness the Republican establishment’s instinct to indulge Democrats then we could meet the world’s energy needs for a thousand years.
One of Ford’s demands is that if she is to testify she must do so only after Kavanaugh. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if she insisted he do so in cuffs and an orange jumpsuit. Grassley doesn’t seem to realize that as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee he calls the shots, not Ford. Instead one gets the impression that at some level Grassley believes that due process and such is blaming the victim.
In fairness to Ford, it’s understandable that she might be fuzzy on basic details like where the alleged incident took place. After all, this was so long ago in the past that Dianne Feinstein was only about sixty years old at the time. I’ll remind readers that it was a very different era then. In those days, making an allegation actually began the process of proof rather completed it. One gets the impression that despite her strident denials Ford may in fact have Kavanaugh confused with someone else — so long as it was another Republican.
Hard to believe this is the same GOP that failed to repeal Obamacare despite controlling the Executive branch and both houses of Congress.
Published in Politics
Well said.
Fortunately, we’re not in polite company.
It weird that “go to the mat” and “go to the mattresses” are both expressions.
MeLikey
I agree that she does not deserve to be heard. Hearing her takes up my time and my energy. Before I expend that time and energy, Prof. Ford needs to give me reason to expend that time and energy. Prof. Ford has not.
She deserved to be heard on Monday. By Tuesday when it was clear there was not enough there, there, she no longer deserved to be heard. Now, on Friday, as she is making demands of the Judiciary Committee that assume Kavanaugh is guilty, she deserves to simply be ignored.
And to be clear: she deserves to be ignored in the context of this nomination. It is possible that something bad happened to her that fateful day so many years ago, and if it did, she deserves healing. From a priest or a pastor or a therapist. But she won’t find it in the context of this nomination, nor doe she deserve to.
Only 26 Percent of Americans Believe Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Allegation Is Credible.
Twenty. Six. Percent.
I can’t understand why. She’s hazy on where, or when, but she has the who nailed down flat. And she wants — nay, demands — a federal agency to conduct an investigation into a matter for which they have no witnesses, evidence, or jurisdiction. The target of this investigation is someone who they have vetted six times already, but the seventh time is the charm.
Her increasing demands for conditions on her testimony increase the appearance that her claims are bogus.
I guess its not hard to believe that 26% of Americans are that
gulliblepoorly informed.The idea she deserves to be heard is garbage. She’s already talking. She’s wants to control the situation, under the guise of victimhood, and dragging everyone into her crazy making.
I think I’ve wasted more of my adult life thinking about her high school years than my own.
My husband asked today if trying to cop a feel or groping was even considered a sexual assault when we were in school, and I don’t think it was.
I think Mark Judge’s first reaction was spot on.
It seems rich people have the same teen problems we did, and they think somehow they are better equipped to run our lives. After this soap opera, I’m kind of glad I went to a crappy public school, and got over high school years ago.
The entire GOP seems to be dancing to whatever tune Flake/Corker/Murkowski/Collins want played in order to get to the magic 51 votes needed to confirm. They want the accuser to be heard, so Democrats via her activist lawyers stretch out negotiations for her to be heard.
Grassley has put his foot down. It’s hearing on Wednesday or vote on Monday. Deadline is 10pm.
Update: Ugh! Grassley granted another extension.
Hopefully he won’t move this deadline. I just heard the significance of the Thursday hearing date Ford was demanding. Apparently, a Thursday hearing would move the vote back another week. I guess Kavanaugh then would not get on court in time to start SCOTUS October session.
If Ford had realized that, she probably wouldn’t have asked for a Thursday hearing. I’m sure she’s not trying to politicize her concerns.
I’m very happy we have a double shot of Deeble this week!
I think of the “Dilly Dilly” ads but with “Deeble Deeble”
Can someone please help me to forget the mental image this created?
This was predictable.
“Grassley issued his latest extension decision in a tweet addressed to Kavanaugh, adding that he hopes the judge can “understand” his reasoning behind the delay.
Just before midnight ET, Grassley tweeted: “Judge Kavanaugh I just granted another extension to Dr Ford to decide if she wants to proceed w the statement she made last week to testify to the senate She shld decide so we can move on I want to hear her. I hope u understand. It’s not my normal approach to b indecisive.”
Grassley later added: “With all the extensions we give Dr Ford to decide if she still wants to testify to the Senate I feel like I’m playing 2nd trombone in the judiciary orchestra and Schumer is the conductor.” ”
Why do Republican senators have no balls?
Not only that, but he made a liar out of me. (#15)
Seriously, the extension itself is an insult to Judge Kavanaugh, and is demoralizing to his backers. What concerns me even more is the prospect of further concessions, and the implicit granting of moral stature to Ford by Grassley’s habitual genuflection to her attorney.
If large groups of Americans were ticked off enough to elect Donald J. Trump as President of the United States, do you really want to see what those Americans will do if the Republicans continue to fail at handling the Kavanaugh nomination?
Sen. Grassley, do you know how long these guys are going to play you?
As long as you let them.
The last I heard she wanted to drive to Washington because she doesn’t fly owing to claustrophobia from the assault. I predict the next round of counter offers will have her riding her bike there to the cheers of roadside Resisters.
Thanks, Matt.
FIFY
I enjoyed Ann Coulter’s recent comments.
I think Ford will also demand that she get stuffed animals to cuddle with in case one of the Senators asks her a mean question.
Take the damn vote!!
Folks here know seem to know that when dealing with totalitarians appeasement isn’t a good idea. Are we isolated or is it just that our politicians are weak and terrified of the media?