No I did not watch the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. (updated!)
Submitted by Cassiodorus on Thu, 09/27/2018 - 8:33pm
My Facebook friends did, though. I really couldn't care less what any of those people said on teevee. Here's my big question: why haven't they confirmed him already? The Republicans in power are the same sort of rapist that he is, and they face no real challenge from the Democrats (as evidenced by the Dem performance under Obama). So why air Kavanaugh's dirty laundry and give him a big opportunity to show all his sh*tty attitudes if all they're going to do afterward is confirm him?
Anyone?
Breaking news! According to my Facebook sources, the WaPo came out with this parody: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/09/27/how-dare-you-... . As the character "Linda Richman" would say, talk among yourselves.
Comments
Start here.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/As-Kavanaugh-Allegations/244655?cid=db...
“The loyal Left cannot act decisively. Their devotion to the system is a built-in kill switch limiting dissent.” - Richard Moser
Great article, C ~~
Says it all about these nasty rethugs - all of them.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
I think tRump just needed
cover to dump him.
the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.
I've heard that it was the Russians
who bought the beer for Kavanaugh and his buddies' house parties.
Who knew?
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Well why not?
I've read that Trump only appointed him because Vlad told him to. Yes I'm being serious.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
maybe these guys?
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVnET_fZtcY&frags=]
The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.
That's perfect! n/t
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
one of those commercial catchphrases that
has never left my brain: "I want to buy BEEG amaireecan owtomobeel. Weev TAILFINS!"
i miss the old days when Russian/Soviet industrial design was sad and mockable. in Canada, when the first handset-touchtone phone came out, there was an ad with two Russian spies, where one of them is going over all the amazing features of the cool new electronic device that he has stolen. finally, the other guy says, "But Boris ... we already GOT radio!" and Boris replies, "What radio? This is Contempra-Phone!"
the single most brilliantly written, absolutely hilarious episode of the great SCTV series (not the early half-hour version, but the 90-minute one, after they got big money for production) was the one when the station's signal is getting jammed by "Three C P One" (ie., "CCCP 1", a la "BBC 1"). John Candy's "Hey Yorgi" is one of the most wonderful things ever taped -- Candy plays a sort of Soviet Charles Kuralt, and the skit somehow manages to capture, in just a few brief scenes, Candy's own fundamental sweetness and decency, while portraying the Soviet public as pretty much exactly like folk in the west, despite their material poverty (which was fairly revolutionary back in the day of Reagan's Evil Empire rhetoric).
The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.
The take-a-way?
Never trust anyone that wears a robe.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Not even God.
Although I think robes are the only thing in his closet. I believe he started that particular fashion trend.
Unintended consequences
I was never interested in the confirmation hearings. Without trying not to, I ran into it a few times during the day.
With such an inauspicious start (where and when) it was an attempt doomed to fail.
Any truth, after 35 years, is long gone.
People “believing” her or him is academic.
Even if there are no legal statute of limitations, there are natural ones.
We were often reminded, this is a job interview not a court of law.
If something can’t be proven, most people discount it as pointless.
A judge knows this, it’s no surprise K was so emboldened in his defense.
The debacle only served to hurt the #metoo movement, further divide men and women.
A little anecdote:
“Jack” was a new employee where I work, “Jill” found him attractive. They hit it off immediately and dated a few times. You could see them flirting with each other, laughing and touching. Within two weeks Jack broke it off. Jill reported him to HR for flashing her. He was walked out immediately.
I don’t doubt he flashed her, or she intentionally represented it to HR out of context.
It’s the smart play for the corporation to just fire him.
What I didn’t hear but is a factor, is the tenet of Christianity that is forgiveness.
35 years hence the alleged incident, an exemplary life lived is proof (to some) he has been forgiven.
The “take away” from all this is, he might have been a champion for women up until now but as a supreme court judge maybe not so much and that’s bad.
The dude was obviously livid, he is not going to forget this, ever.
The 11th hour revelation by Feinstein, badly tainted the contention by Dr. Ford. The culmination of this process is a shot in the foot to all women with more legitimate claims of abuse; that probability is sad and troubling.
I didn't watch them either.
I bumped into some part of his and her testimony and fell asleep almost immediately. So I didn't really hear enough to comment.
I can comment on why I didn't watch. I didn't watch because there was no point. They will do whatever the fuck they want with zero consequence. Dad grounds them, Americans run to mom. Mom takes away the car keys, they run to dad. Our government is a big lie. No matter who wins, we lose. The only thing represented in our so-called democracy is whatever big money buys.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
You probably didn't mean it this way
but those women have also had their "dirty laundry" exposed to the whole world now. They won't live that down anytime soon. The death threats will continue for them up until asshole is confirmed and probably for a good while after as well.
As for the whole trope, and I know you didn't say it here Cass, about it being 36 years ago - do we hold those abused by priests to that standard? Do we discount their trauma because it was "too long ago?" I think we all understand how post traumatic stress disorder works, so they're immune from that because it was 36 years ago? Hardly.
Sorry, but this one is getting to me with some of the double standards being bandied about. I get this is political theater, I get that it's partisan and that they're all just a bunch of rich fucks who don't give one shit about ordinary people, but what does it say to the young women of today if we act like because it happened long ago it should just be forgotten? And not only forgotten, but openly ridiculed if one of them even brings it up?
I have never been assaulted, thank God, plenty of opportunity there in the Army but apparently I got lucky. If I hadn't I highly doubt I would ever really forget it and that was 30 years ago.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
Indeed they have.
The problem of course is that the "opposition" to Kavanaugh and his merry band of (use your own word here) is represented by Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and their machine of self-defeat for capitalism's sake.
As for the rest of your statement, yes, the pain is real for the women of Kavanaugh's "adventures," though patriarchy, capitalism, and national power are real too, and all of those are at stake today.
“The loyal Left cannot act decisively. Their devotion to the system is a built-in kill switch limiting dissent.” - Richard Moser
one upvote for "machine of self-defeat for capitalism's sake"
The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.
Thanks for the WP opinion piece.
It was fantastic. I just sent it to the white house and asked them to read it to Herr Drumpf, as I'm not sure he can read.
p.s. if you never hear from me again, it means they came for me in the night.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Now that he gave Michelle Obama candy,
Now that he gave Michelle Obama candy, danced with Ellen, and was rehabilitated by Obama just like he rehabilitated the GOP in 2008, Bush is crawling out of the cracks.
The Latest: Bush advocating for Kavanaugh with senators
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Kavanaugh is a long time Bush crony
Both Kavananugh and his wife Ashley worked for G. W. Bush when he was President. Of course Bush is going to praise the selection of Kavanaugh.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
He's a Bush appointee
Dubya is the one who appointed Kavanaugh to the federal bench, in 2006.
"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi
"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone
I let others watch the testimonies for me.
I saw some clips and what others were observing such as Greenwald, Stoller, and Tracey. First, it seems to me that in the formation of boys to take their place as leaders and future oligarchs, there is an entire system to teach them their privilege which includes the handling of girls and women. The boys learn to be masters and the girls learn to be their geishas.
And this extends to adulthood when it was revealed that the infamous "Tiger Mom" acted like a Madam for Yale law school graduates who became judges.
I got the impression that big tech wants the confirmation as Kavanaugh will favor large corporations over any anti-trust enforcement.
And man, Kavanaugh pushing back on beer usage. To me that push back was like a fck-u as in "hey, I got this nomination and appointment and I can piss on you."
I watched the whole thing...
and found neither Dr. Ford's nor Judge Kavanaugh's testimony particularly credible.
As a former trial attorney, it was clear to me that Dr. Ford had been coached on her answers in coordination with the Democrats on the committee, with the tip off being Sen. Leahy stumbling through the printed setup question that elicited the canned 'laughter...uproarious laughter' answer.
Another example of coordination is found in the strong objection by her attorney to questions regarding the polygraph test, followed by her failure to recollect any details of how she came to take the test or who paid for the test. Apparently we have only her counsel's word that she passed, as they have yet to release the actual results.
Regardless of her memories of the facts surrounding the allegations, the appearance of coaching and collusion with Democratic politicians diminishes her credibility as an impartial witness and suggests political bias as a motive for her statements.
Then this happened:
I have no idea what was in that envelope, but the mere fact that a furtive Congresswomen is passing secret letters to the witness's counsel after the hearing is further evidence of the Ford team's less than forthright political impartiality.
Kavanaugh, on the other hand, came across as a mean drunk. While I believe his tears and anger were sincere (especially when talking about his dad), I did not find them particularly dispositive of his innocence. He has obviously been put through the ringer by the drawn out hearing, and frustration and impatience at having to endure this ordeal to gain a position he clearly believes he is entitled to seemed to be more the motivation than outrage at having been falsely accused.
Once he calmed down, Kavanaugh spent much of the hearing too-expertly filibustering the Democrats (incredibly lame) questioning. He was combative at times, but again, mostly out of anger at the process rather than the allegations. He also clearly liked (and still likes) to drink, and his repeated statements about how much he loves beer left me wondering how on earth the guy was able to post such a stellar academic record with all the partying he did all through those years.
The whole thing left me shaking my head as to what really happened. Ford supplied no new factual corroboration to back up her testimony, and indeed, when asked under questioning about her counselor's notes on the incident stating there were four other people in the room at the time, she admitted that the notes contradicted her hearing testimony that there were only two others. Another credibility strike.
Kavanaugh too, despite his protestations, was clearly no choir boy in high school. He was a smart jock who hung out with a pretty fast crowd. I don't think he is necessarily lying about being a virgin, but as the hearing went on I started envisioning a scenario where his party buddy 'Judge' saw an opportunity to alleviate that condition by exploiting a girl who, according to a WaPo story (which I'm having trouble relocating now), was fairly troubled during high school and who had a rough time fitting in.
So while the lawyer in me is still certain that the totality of evidence in no way rises to the threshold necessary to disqualify the Judge, after watching the hearing the 'juror' in me is left with more doubts than answers about what really happened.
(edit: reposted as an essay here)
The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?
I suppose a Supreme Court appointment
with a record of humanizing the law would be out of the question, then.
“The loyal Left cannot act decisively. Their devotion to the system is a built-in kill switch limiting dissent.” - Richard Moser
Absolutely out of the question.
Not that the Dems found any need to ask about Kavanaugh's record of course.
Questions about year book quotes and whether high school students should drink on weekdays during the Summer were far more their speed.
The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?
That was the
trialuh, allegation hearing. From the D side during the confirmation proceedings, there were some questions, mostly from Hirono, about his rulings. The rest of them should have followed the same format. From the R side, he was grilled on why he uses a Sharpie to take notes.We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
Excellent comment!
That level of candor would certainly get you voted off the island at GOS.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
If
he does not get appointed. Plan B could be to replace him with a corporatist woman who pretends to care. Who will then proceed to help dismantle more civil rights and cater to doing the will of the Koch Brothers and the Federalist Society. As long as they are corporatist gender doesn't matter to the oligarchs.
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