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Delay and Humiliate
I’ve had enough.
My husband and I have been on vacation for 10 days, so I’ve not been on Ricochet very much, but it’s hard to ignore the hysteria of the mainstream media and the hand-wringing of the right-leaning media. After reading parts of the letter from Christine Blasey Ford’s attorney Saturday at the last 2:30 pm deadline, I think the path forward for Republicans is obvious.
The comment that sent me over the edge was the disrespectful comment of Ford’s attorney to Senator Chuck Grassley saying that the committee’s responses—
. . . are fundamentally inconsistent with the committee’s promise of a fair, impartial investigation into her allegations.
We are disappointed with the leaks and the bullying that have tainted the process. We are hopeful that we can reach agreement on details.
If it wasn’t clear before this response from the attorney, the goal of humiliating Republicans and delaying the confirmation vote is crystal clear. It’s time for the Republicans to take swift and deliberate action. As I see the situation, they have two choices:
Option #1–They should state there will be no further negotiations. In fact, I’d be pleased to see them say that they should never have begun a negotiation process, given the questionable conditions under which these allegations were made. Ms. Ford is invited to come on Wednesday, which she’d already agreed to do. Her lawyer can interview her and Judge Kavanaugh, and Judge Kavanaugh’s lawyer (I believe she’s a woman) can interview both of them as well. Or the Senate Judiciary Committee can interview her in a private session; those are her choices. Then a vote of the committee will be taken. If this is not acceptable and she doesn’t agree to these conditions, she can renege on her agreement to come. A vote will be taken that day or the next.
Option #2–The Republicans can agree to continue on this path which is designed to last beyond the November elections. No matter how accommodating the Republicans are, the Democrats will condemn them. This option has only a disastrous outcome for Republicans, and the Democrats will take the majority in the mid-terms. Kavanaugh will be dumped and a candidate the Democrats favor for the Supreme Court will be nominated and voted in.
With either #1 or #2, the outcomes may work against the Republicans in the elections. My hope is that the Committee proceeds with Option #1 and that we at least get Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. I’m hopeful there are enough people (including women) who are appalled at the actions of Ms. Ford and the Democrats, and will see through their unconscionable plan and vote for a Republican Senate majority. And I recognize that with Kavanaugh on the bench, the Democrats will continue to investigate him if they win the election. He should be consulted to determine if he’s willing to go through that process.
If nothing else, we will see if the Republicans have a backbone.
Your thoughts?
Published in Politics
Just heard a news report that Murkowski is “wavering”. If Mitch can’t keep party discipline, it’s over. There is no point in voting if the three main points that got the GOP elected are dropped. Hat tip to Tucker.
I predict Murkowski will vote for Kavanaugh. There is a lot of panic among some conservatives. And I guess there is no harm in being concerned about wimpy Republicans voting the wrong way.
But in the end, I think all 51 will vote for Kavanaugh. He is too qualified and the allegations are too flimsy. And if you are Murkowski or any other Republican, there really is no gain for voting against him. If there was, why did they all vote for Gorsuch? Why did they prevent Merrick Garland from getting a vote?