Kavanaugh Post-Hearing Assessment: Home run, call the vote
I can’t remember a time I have been as angry over politics as I have been watching what has unfolded the past two weeks.
Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony is over. I assessed Christine Ford’s testimony earlier, Mid-Hearing Assessment: Christine Blasey Ford believes an untruth.
I heard Kavanaugh’s opening statement, but missed over half of his question and answer because of another commitment. So I’ve been catching up via Twitter, highlights and reports. I think I have a good sense of how it went.
It was a home run for Kavanaugh. I was surprised that he came out so aggressively in the opening statement, but it was the right choice. Ford was so controlled and contrived that he was at risk of losing to the sympathy vote.
Kavanaugh was emotional during his opening statement. You could see how Democrats came close to breaking him. Most people could not withstand the Democrat smear machine and sleazy POS social media, entertainment industry and political operatives.
I can’t remember a time I have been as angry as I have been watching what has unfolded the past two weeks. The earlier hearings were bad enough, but at least those smears were about politics. This was personal, and attempt to destroy the man and his family because they could, a blood sport.
In an earlier post I mentioned that there but for fortune could go you or I.
Never was that more clear that today. What they did to Brett Kavanaugh could be done to any of us, and is being done to many of us on campuses and in workplaces.
Those NeverTrump Republicans who argue that Democrats need to win in 2018 and 2020 to save the Republican Party want to throw the rest of us to the wolves who attacked Kavanaugh while they keep their newspaper, cable TV and book deals.
Fortunately, Republican Senators abandoned handing off questioning to the Arizona prosecutor and stepped in to make their points during Kavanaugh’s testimony. This may have been Lindsey Graham’s finest moment.
There is going to be a political reckoning. It needs to start right now with a vote confirming Kavanaugh.
Then we’ll move on to other reckonings, like in November.
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Comments
Emotional, defiant, non-deferential, factual, pissed off. Can’t imagine what it would be like to try proving a negative in such a circumstance. He did it as well as it could possibly be done.
Loved how he handed Feinstein’s ass to her.
DiFi, another low life scumbag that needs to be locked up. Harbored a Chicom spy in her staff for over a decade. If ever there needed to be an FBI investigation…
Yeah. When she was denying leaking, I was hoping Tillis(?) would come back with maybe it was that Chinese spy you had on staff for 20 years.
Dianne Feinstein needs to be ostracized. Every Republican–no, every person who has a conscience–needs to treat her as if she didn’t even exist.
The investigation would go like this –
fbi: dr.ford when did occur?
dr.ford: I don’t remember.
fbi: what time did it occur?
dr.ford: I don’t remember.
fbi:where did it occur?
dr.ford: I don’t remember.
fbi:who drove you to the party?
dr.ford: I don’t remember.
fbi: who drove you home from the party?
dr.ford:I don’t remember.
fbi:we’ve talked to all your witnesses, they say they weren’t at the party or they know nothing of the party. Do you have any other witnesses?
dr.ford: I don’t remember.
Democrats: He’s guilty.
————————–
So which one is lying (rhetorical) dr.ford or her friend Leyland? dr.ford says her friend is sick when asked why her friend didn’t back up her claim. So she’s saying her friend is lying.
Which one is lying? We should call the fbi in to investigate. dr.ford was saying she was hesitant to come in to testify? Wait until she gets grilled by pros.
We need a trial to determine the truth.
I think that in the end, Dems knew they were losing because they seemed to stop making him out to be a pervert and making him out to be a boozer,
Just like Obama’s holdovers in the Intelligence Communities and the FBI, and Mueller have switched from Russians to obstruction of Justice – It’s the Democrat playbook – throw the dog’s dinner against the wall to see which part may stick.
Sparticus, rapist and T-Bone’s friend was about as bad as highly decorated Vietnam Combat Vet Blumenthal in pushing the sloppy drunk meme.
Let’s see, 1st in high school academics; played both ways in football; captain of the basketball team; Yale College; Yale Law School; and even able to record ever day in his calendars for decades and wrote legibly about who attended the events after the fact – doesn’t seem to jibe with drunk every night – daily and weekends.
Might explain Feinstein though.
Those two, Blumy and Booker, let the irony go over their heads or they’re too deranged to notice. I about busted a gut listening to Blumenthal lecture K on the premise of a little false /all false, or whatever and the Groper worried about assault victims.
Note that comment blew out Ford. She lied about being afraid to fly, so she lied about the sex.
When, was it Booker? Tried to get Kavanaugh to admit to drinking on weekdays, and the only instance was in July, his, “So that’s a yes,” was beyond pathetic.
I dread to think what becomes of our republic if this tactic succeeds and he is not confirmed.
I am a survivor of childhood sexual assault; have attended many trials where assault victims testified. I have never once seen a victim giggle and laugh and act so helpless as Dr. Ford. Think about Elizabeth Smart, raped daily for months. No giggles, no laughs. Fierce, strong, somber.
I dated two different women who had been raped as children, one was a toddler when she was raped and could not have children as a result of being raped, the other was ten years old when she was raped, and she was severely emotionally damaged. I dated her on and off for close to a decade.
I have no use for those who rape, and where children are victims, my feeling is that pedophiles should probably be put down.
That said, I am sure that a large percentage of Me Too claims are false. It is pretty clear that these claims are false, and also clear that false claims damage those with legitimate claims.
You are absolutely right. I say this as a rape survivor
IMO we have made sexual assault a term that applies to anything, a hand on an arm, a comment, a pass and that diminishes true sexual abuse.
I just found it annoying. It struck me later. Is that a flirting laugh?
I would have to rewatch to be sure.
An old woman using a laugh that a young woman uses to flirt is just not right and says something about her vanity.
the little giggly girl routine ws a ruse by Ford to gain sympathy
First – my condolences and sympathy to you and anyone else who has been raped or subject to attempted rape or anything similar.
Her description of the event doesnt come close to sounding like an attempted rape –
2nd person in the room jumping on the pile 2 or 3 times – sounds like playing king of the hill.
Attempted rape with a second person in the room – a potential witness
Attempted rape with a second person in the room with 3 other people in the house – 4 witnesses.
Total of 4 people in the house ready to beat the holy crap out you when the catch you in the act of raping a girl?
Let me point out that if Roy Moore w3ere in the Senate now, this would be a lock. He isn’t because people don’t like that he went for younger girls, like many others notably Jerry Lee Lewis. Sometimes younger women like older men precisely because they are men not “boys”, and older men like younger women because they find unmarried women of their age unappealing.
Younger, yes. Too young, once, and cut the date short following discovery. It seemed he acted honorably.
Kavanaugh was great, but I never thought I would see what I saw today from Lindsey Graham. Wow. It was one of the most surprising political events I have seen. Not as big as Trump’s victory in 2016, but just as surprising. Bravo.
Seconded.
No Lose situation.
Maybe McCain was the one making Graham act like a wuss all the time?
NOooo…. He is a wuss. That is the problem, he has a LONG history of being a wuss, and then today comes out as a ROARING LION! WTF is up with that? …and the crowds cheered! I wonder if this entire committee hearing was a scripted drama, with winners and losers per-determined? Likewise, after reading so many comments on so many sites, I’m starting to wonder if there really are any “good guys” vs “bad guys” in the game.
I think this entire process could have been shut down long before Kavanaugh was forced to defend himself… SO WHY did it extend so long? I don’t think anything is as it appears. Did the Republicans surrender the next two open seats on SCOTUS to the Democrats, in a backroom deal?
“”I can’t remember a time I have been as angry as I have been watching what has unfolded the past two weeks.””
You speak for us all – or at least most of us. Let’s hope that enough people were actually paying attention to make a difference in November.
After the pathetic performance of the Republican-chosen questioner of Ford I thought it was over.
Kavanaugh and Graham MAY have brought it back, no thanks to idiots like Grassley.
One thing. If the vote actually goes forward tomorrow and the Senate votes next week, I will be satisfied even if he is not confirmed.
I wanted to see them fight for it. To convince me they wanted it as much as I do.
I can’t help it if a few renegades choose not to vote for him.
If we had more people, McConnell wouldn’t need everyone’s vote for everything. Then he could put more pressure on the renegades.
We could also afford to lose a few.
He will be confirmed
Confirm Monday then Trump vetoes the spending bill, meets with Rosenberg and has FISA memos released. Let’s get some momentum going into the elections.
And so it begins:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/27/goodlatte-subpoenas-mccabe-memos-materials-in-response-to-rosenstein-wire-report.html
October 5 deadline for the DOJ to release the memoes. With Kavanaugh confirmed, Rosenstein in play and this new subpoena pending, it’s a new game.
I most definitely will NOT be satisfied
Senate confirm him. Yes he was emotional, but that’s part of being human. He has what is needed to be a superb Supreme Court Justice. And the rest of us, crawl if you have to, but vote! Vote a straight Republican ticket. Some of you may say, but the Rinos! Vote as many Republicans as possible into office and then if they don ‘t perfom primary them. This means that we all have to remain vigilant and involved. I am so furious at what they have put the judge and his family through. No one deserved that!
I agree. Also I would have thought Graham a rino until how he has been acting post McCain. Maybe a rino will come back and be surprising but a Democrat never will.
Wow, Prof. J’s optimistic assessment gives me hope!
Should I toast Kavanaugh with a dram of 18-year-old Scotch?
Or, given the Dumb-o-crats’ relentless questions about alcohol, would that be inappropriate? ;P
To hell with it…bottoms up — to quote Andrew Jackson — “Our federal union — it must be preserved.” Or, is, “A republic — if you can keep it,” more apt?
Or a Devils Triangle. I’m cautiously optimistic, I don’t see how he can lose.
But at the same time, I don’t underestimate the stupidity of RINOs.
Yes.
I plan on toasting him with a beer, or six. Maybe. Well, definitely two. He deserves no less than a two beer toast.
Did you notice Ashley Kavanaugh as her husband spoke. That dear, dear woman was so suffering for her husband. I’m ashamed to admit it brought tears to my eyes and nearly broke my heart. And, to think of what their young daughters and relatives have though.
They’ve fought the good fight. Pray the Lord gives them a quiet and peaceful night. Ya’ll, too!
Dang it. I get so frustrated some times. It’s supposed to read “I’m not ashamed,” not ashamed! I could have sworn that the way it read when I clicked Submit. Sorry.
Dem Senator 1: “Why don’t you want the FBI investigating you?”
Dem Senator 2: “Why don’t you want the FBI investigating you?”
Dem Senator 3: “Why don’t you want the FBI investigating you?”
I really wish Kavanaugh handled that better by point out that it would allow more time for more smears to come out in addition to his points about how the FBI doesn’t reach conclusions.
I wish he had answered, “if you have questions for these people, why didn’t you send your staff members out to interview them like Grassley’s staff”.
“I really wish Kavanaugh handled that better by point out…”
He’s a jurist, not a soundbyte bullshitter. For that, bring out odumbo or bill clinton.
Per Byron York on Lou Dobbs: The Republican Conference is meeting right now. But the bigger news is that Murkowski, Collins, Flake, and Manchin are having a separate meeting even as we speak.
I’d like to be a fly on the wall of that meeting room!
I’d like to be in the room with a large bat, and semi-auto sidearm.
Where is McConnell and the majority whip? Isn’t this their job, to corral the dumb sheep?
Dobbs just reported seconds ago that McConnell has confirmed that the committee will vote tomorrow.
Yuck
Manchin would be a YUUUUUGE get.
I am not a Judge Kav fanatic, But this was a good expose of the democrat …failing democrat platform….the communist manifesto.
Ford avoided giving any details that could be proven true or false. All of her supposed witnesses (including her best friend) said that it didn’t happen.
The one thing she said that could be proven true or false was her assertion that she couldn’t testify before today because she had a phobia about flying. Today under oath she had to admit that was a lie, that she flies several times per year.
Ford probably believes what she said, because (when you translate her psychobabble into plain English) her memory of the supposed event is a “recovered memory,” which have been shown to be unreliable. See, for example,
https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-19/edition-6/recovered-and-false-memories
That’s why, in these cases involving incomplete recovered memories, corroboration and physical evidence are crucial. The fact that she can’t remember the time or place, the negative responses of people who should have been there, and the lack of physical evidence all suggest that this is a false memory. Psychologists and social workers are among those most likely to be misled by false memories.
She’s a cloying bozo.
Or, alternatively, she’s just another Dem liar.
There is the possibility that she is just a paid liar.
Wait, – – –
Let me make the accusation. Ford was paid to lie.
Prove it’s not true.
Well, it’s a credible allegation. The fact that she has not called on the FBI to investigate her is proof of her guilt, right?
🙂
Works for me.
The Democrats are animals.
They see Judge Kavanaugh as their Fawn Liebowitz.
Wait…there was a kiln explosion?
That explosion was just Fineswine soiling herself.
too much Chinese take-out
“I can’t remember a time I have been as angry over politics as I have been watching what has unfolded the past two weeks…”
You should have been around in 1765 and 1861. But stand by: you’ll be in for some real fireworks.
If America was populated by Families like Kavanaugh’s family we would be great again.
I sometimes don’t know what to think about SC nominee’s from the republican side. What kind of man/woman are they really? Not just there constitutional knowledge / view, but who are they?
I supported Kavanaugh based upon his record and reputation.
I support him now because he is a man unafraid. Not a quitter. Not a con artist. Kavanaugh is more that a constitutional scholar, he is a fighter. We need more like him.
It’s over. Sasse and Flake are No votes.
McConnell will arrange Kabuki so that Senators can grandstand But Kavanaugh is dead. The longer it lasts the more Republican poll numbers drop (which may be the purpose). If it lasts too long, Kavanaugh may lose his current job.
I don’t know where you got your information, but according to Dobbs, the vote will occur tomorrow, as scheduled. That would tend to indicate that Grassley and McConnell have the votes to confirm.
Not so fast. Update: Dobbs is walking that back. Some senators have said they want the vote tomorrow, but Grassley has only indicated that there will be a meeting, but hasn’t committed to having a vote. So we continue to wait.
And, in a late breaking report, Dobbs says that McConnell has confirmed that the committee will vote tomorrow.
Not possible. It would take a majority of the House and 2/3 of the senate, and no matter how bad things go in November they’re not going that bad.
I’ve seen no indication that Sasse is less than 100% solid for Kavanaugh. Yes, he wanted to hear them out; now he’s done that, and I see no reason to doubt that he’ll vote Yes.
I see Feinstein is denying leaking the letter, the one ID’ing Ford that precipitated the media siege that prompted her to come forward.
I can only think of one other party with the ability to make that leak. That would be Ford’s own lawyer, Katz, recommended by Feinstein’s staff, working pro bono.
The fact I can view either of these as equally plausible is utterly disgusting to me.
Pro bono, in a pig’s eye.
They claimed that they picked up the tab for the lie detector and would pass it on later. Since they are doing pro bono…
more like pro bozo
I share that anger Professor! What was done to Kavanaugh has been one of the most disgusting acts in politics I’ve seen in my life (39 in a couple more weeks). About the only things I can think of off the top of my head that made me angrier were the passage of Obamacare and the Fast & Furious scandal, both of which were also brought about by the Dems. I think what was done to Kavanaugh though ranks high in the top 10s of the nasty vile attacks by the Democrat party as a whole to a single individual whereas O-care and F&F were more attacks on the country as a whole. Anyways, I hope we quickly get to a vote now on Kavanaugh and that he does actually win his nomination.
don’t forget Benghazi
The Senator for China, I mean California, shows her inner totalitarian. Same Senator who, without approval, previously released Committee testimony transcripts that benefitted her political allies and blamed it on her meds. This time she blames a media leak. The reality is her inner fascist tendencies where the ends of the Democrat Party justify the means. No wonder she is so close to Communist China.
I am sure Hillary is OK with people in power drinking.
Yep I called it. now there are people saying that BK’s temperament shows he’s not qualified for the Supreme Court.
Rachel Mitchell delivered the subtle kill shot. The democrats were likely using the repeated demands for an FBI investigation to cover what the investigator Mitchell brought up at the end of Ford’s testimony, that there is a defined procedure for interviewing those who claim sexual abuse and Ford chose not to follow it, opting to politicize it. Ford missed it too.
the problem with these Mitchell “assessments” is that THIS was not a legal case before a courtroom
IT was a political hearing before the Senate floor
Ford’s allegations are could never make trial
because any FBI investigation can conclude in one manner – there is no evidence, no matter how long it is under purview
end of story
the reason why Mitchell was chosen is because she was a woman and the |R| Senators up for re-election didn’t want any soundbites from any riveting questioning making into their campaign trails
the R’s were gutless during Ford’s testimony
utterly gutless
Sorry, but she was out of her element. In a different setting with a different format she might have been effective. She did, however, accomplish one thing: changed the optics from old, white men (that was the meme being pushed) to a woman who was nice to Ford and yet was able to establish a few facts: that there was no fear of flying and that she didn’t pay for the polygraph test, other than that it was a bust.
After thinking about this, she also set up one of Lindsay Graham’s most effective points in his wrap-up rant: that both Kavanaugh AND Ford are victims of this shameful hoax. Ford came off as confused and (for a doctor and professor) timid and a bit ignorant (she couldn’t define exculpatory?). She also repeatedly contradicted key points put on record leading up to the hearing. It couldn’t have been more obvious that her entire narrative was carefully crafted by her handlers to cause endless delay. She was constantly in trouble with the narrative where her lawyers would cover the microphone and advise her before she answered and still, they couldn’t keep her complicated and confusing story straight. In the end, they were betting the farm that a scared and confused little girl would carry the day by being 100% positive about only one thing, that Kavanaugh was the guy who tried to rape her, would carry the day. A sympathetic victim.
Ford certainly won sympathy as a witness but with four lawyers handling her every step of the way like puppeteers, it also set up Graham’s rant. Yes, she was a victim but not of Kavanaugh’s but of a sinister political cabal that used her and Kavanaugh as cannon fodder for political retribution and political gain. That MUST have kicked the stool out of a lot of the senators running for re-election. For those in the audience who feel more than think, this had to be very effective in turning the tide.
Those smug, laughing Dems were so sure Kavanaugh would be buried in a landslide of sympathy for his accuser. Instead, Graham and Kavanaugh snatched victory by redirecting that landslide of sympathy against the Democrats.
This is a story that will get better and better as it is digested and retold in the future. An inspiring historical landmark.
My own take is that the Rs chose Ms. Mitchell because they knew that the best they could do is not appear too aggressive, or make Christine cry. Someone suggested to them how to deal with a woman making those kind of accusations, someone very high up in our government, someone who has had a lot of experience with similar accusations, someone who would not let this nomination be sidelined. hmmmm Oh, and someone who knew Judge Kavanaugh had some moxie in him.
HeHe. Jonathan Turley just basically said that Kavanaugh came across as the antiDukakis,
“I can’t remember a time I have been as angry as I have been watching what has unfolded the past two weeks.”
You and me, both, Professor. I was so angry afterwards, I went out and swatted flies on the side of the hen house, yelling out Democrat Senators names as I pounded the life out of them. Feel a little better now.
I’ve experienced a different flavor of this in the workplace.
The difference is- in the professional environment- you can and should vacate immediately and worry not about the fall out of whatever gets dropped. An organization will eventually succumb to the invisible hand.
In politics- if you don’t fight this head on, the outcome is tyranny.
Hillary and Dr. Ford have much in common. They can’t remember lots of important events they were involved in over the course of their lives. “I can’t remember” is a frequent theme for both women.
Hillary got a couple million$ for what she could not remember
Ford’s gofundme is only at half a million right now (but it is still early).
Isn’t that how that porn lawyer agreed to pay the 4chan punker?
One thing. Kavanaugh may not get confirmed, we could lose the House and the Senate though I doubt it. I think Trump just got reelected.
IF Kavanaugh is not confirmed, what will be confirmed is, FINALLY: how stupid we are for continuing to elect the same hacks of the GOP over and over and over.
Because he is not here to be the front-man ruining the Kavanaugh hearing, McCain must be spinning in his grave.
There are a lot of illegal votes out there to gain between then and now. 1 in 9 people in USA illegal? You bet’cha and a fertile field for the Dems to plow especially in Alta California.
I just heard that corker is a yes and that the Wall Street
Journal has endorsed the judge and printed “confirm Judge Kavanaugh”
The more I think about it, I think he will be confirmed for a simple reason. He raised the stakes so high, that anyone voting against him earns eternal enmity from Republicans, totally burning bridges.
Flake, for example, won’t be able to lobby Republicans. Murkowski can kiss her seniority goodbye, and forget about winning a GOP primary. The red state dems forget about reelection.
I think between Kavanaugh and Graham all Repub voters are thinking “I can’t remember a time I have been as angry as I have been watching what has unfolded the past two weeks.” and most Repub legislators do so. you burn all bridges if you vote no.
I just cannot see Flake voting yes here
his 1 min speech of “doubt” was his out and last FU to the R-party
that means Republicans needs Collins, Murkowski, and Corker to all vote yes so Pence will be the 50-50 tiebreaker
I don’t see that happening
Kavanaugh might get 2 of 3 but not all 3
——–
regardless though – we still need the vote just to remove any political posturing from the RINO’s that do vote NO and the Democrats in the red states up for re-election
Unless they get Manchin. Any other red state Dems thinking of crossing over?
Manchin is toast as a senator if he votes no. He knows this.
I predict a yes vote. he’s just trying to negotiate not being the one to put Kavanaugh over the top. he needs to have 50 R’s for cover.
But he’s toast if no…
Corker already said he is a yes.
Feinstein said she and her staff are innocent of leaking Dr. Ford’s letter.
Well, sorry Senator, but under the new rules the onus is on you to prove you didn’t.
Now prove you’re innocent.
wait, what?
that doesn’t make any sense
how could Feinstein have said letter almost a month before the initial hearing, pass it to the FBI a week after the hearings concluded, then claim she didn’t “leak” it
it isn’t like anything I typed above isn’t a fact here
so who is DiFi claiming did it? Dr. Ford?
it is getting more loony toon
She blamed the leak on Fords beach friends.
She knew she was caught at that point
“beach friends”
That was so lame I thought I heard it incorrectly. Just another way to provide any information that could not be proved or disproved.
Well…
Our chosen examiner from Arizona…
I consider her contribution as …
” Absent ”
My hopes for tomorrow are confirmation…
And the worst day Rosy has had in his life.
My understanding is committee vote Friday, entire Senate vote Saturday.
Am I wrong?
What are the chances of seeing one single Democrat with honor?
Oh, and I am not talking about Murkowski, Flake or Collins…
Zero.
But I will predict a yes from the WV Senator. He Has No Choice.
Didn’t they just approve voting by phone?
Manchin just said that unless something more happens, he is voting to confirm.
Senator Moran is a yes
Kavanaugh was the winner today. Confirmed or not, he has fought like a warrior.
It is America’s loss if he is not confirmed. Men like this who come in squeaky clean and can withstand what has been thrown at him with remarkable albeit human composure are a rare species.
I found the whole thing excruciatingly embarrassing. A man who has
lived such an exemplary life, a brilliant jurist, compelled to defend his high school yearbook notations. A sick display of mob psychology. Thank God for that opening statement. It is time we stop treating the perverse as normal.
holy crap… zippers is reporting that Corker is a yes and rumored Manchin is a yes vote as well.
Manchin was never a worry for me
the main two are Collins and Flake
Flake pretty much signaled he’s voting NO with his one minute speech
Flake is a never Trumper on his way out anyways so his vote was never a sure thing even though all his constituents and his own political team are telling him to get Kavanaugh in
but Collins was always the one that was 50/50
the others that could flip were Corker and Murkowski but their odds (imo) were more like 70/30 to vote YES anyways
the problem is Kavanaugh needs all 3 (Collins, Corker, and Murkowski) to vote YES should Flake likely throw his NO vote into the hat
so one is a 50/50, and two are like 70/30
it is not great odds to get three YES’s out of that pool
Corker said on twitter that he is a yes.
Floor vote is set for Saturday…or so it is being reported. I think we have a stampede for yes.
https://twitter.com/elainaplott/status/1045465154341810177
They work on a Saturday?
You can’t be serious.
They don’t work most weekdays.
Five minutes to vote then they go out and get a beer.
Maybe Kavanaugh should hold a kegger.
Rub it into the Dems faces good
and have a beer with their interns
Senate rules require three days before a vote. They are using the weekend to run out the clock. After going through a bit of formal dilly-dallying, virtual signaling and the usual pompous sanctimony, vote on Monday.
I just want to say that I have been following politics closely for over 50 years and I have never, never, never been as angry at a political party (the Dems, if it isn’t obvious) as I am right now. Joe McCarthy was a choirboy by comparison.
So, did anything exculpatory happen today?
Whu?
Huh?
Like when a doctor uses a scalpel?
Is the microphone on?
Can I speak to my lawyer for a second?
Politico reporter:
“Donnelly, Manchin, Murkowski and Collins are all expected to vote the same way, per senators and aides”
https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/1045482455078236163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1045482455078236163&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redstate.com%2Fstreiff%2F2018%2F09%2F27%2Fbreaking.-collins-murkowski-donnelly-make-decision
“Yes” is a guess.
I’m calling it now. Kavanaugh will be confirmed. Why do I think so?
Josh Dawsey, White House Reporter @WashingtonPost. @CNN analyst. WSJ, POLITICO alum tweets: “Trump has little cachet with Republican members on the fence. George W. Bush has instead been calling some senators to whip votes for Kavanaugh.”
Sweeet! spinning it so that Trump isn’t “The Man”.
Thank you Lord!
okay, I’m pulling back my chips (is that a thing?) because of the comment later in this thread about the ABA and the fact that Lindsey Graham referenced them in his “epic” monologue. Not liking that at all.
Only hoping and praying now.
I will probably be one of the few women who did not find CBF’s act today compelling or believable. That breathy, whisper voice was that of a teenager and not of a mature woman. She was annoying and the gaps in her short as well as long-term memory made me think that she has serious emotional/mental issues.
I’m not a woman, but I’m curious if you believe she made all of it up? Honestly, I do not know. I think her story about being assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh is 100% crap. But as to whether the entire allegation is fictional, I cannot say.
To me she came across flighty. Also seems like the bar for getting a PhD these days is pretty low.
I don’t think she made it up. Something may have happened to her at some time, but did not involve the judge. I heard an interview with one of the judge’s friends – a woman, they are still very close friends. She explained that she attended an all girls Catholic school that was kind of the sister school to the judge’s high school. This rang a bell. My high school had a “brother” high school too. She said there group was kind of like the “Catholic mafia” – they all hung out together and they don’t remember CBF! Perhaps she wanted to be in the in group, something happened to her elsewhere with other actors and it all got confused in her mind. Nothing was said about her activism- she is an activist but that was played down, perhaps because she wanted to be with the cool kids and was ignored. She has this “memory” and because she doesn’t want Kav in the Supreme Court (like a good little activist), she projects onto him what happened to her at some time in the past, writes that letter, and it is picked up on and used to try to destroy him. I know this is wild, but not beyond the realm of possibility. It’s just me trying to figure things out and tie them together. But yes, something did happen.
Sorry. I was typing without my glasses and made mistakes
whisper = whispery
there = their and if there is anything else I missed, my apologies.
1) The bar is extremely low for women Ph.D.s in certain fields. 2) I am a female former prosecutor of sex crimes. 3) I think that she is either, a) a political fanatic who is lying her face off, b) nucking futs, or c) some horrible combination of a) and b).
That makes four of us: you, me, Michelle Malkin and Laura Ingraham, and I am sick and tired of everyone treating her with kid gloves while they try to eviscerate judge Kavanaugh!
“3) I think that she is either, a) a political fanatic who is lying her face off, b) nucking futs, or c) some horrible combination of a) and b).”
I’m going with “C”, Anonamom, with a heavy, heavy dose of “A”.
“With the Senate Judiciary Committee holding a vote at 9:30 A.M. tomorrow, a Senate insider has told Townhall that Kavanaugh has the votes to make it out of committee and the votes to be confirmed on the floor for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sens. Flake (R-AZ), Collins (R-ME), Murkowski (R-AK), and Manchin (D-WV) are expected to vote in favor of Kavanaugh. All the Republicans are voting yes. Also, in the rumor mill, several Democrats may break ranks and back Kavanaugh.”
God I hope you are right!
if all the Republican holdouts vote yes – then expect all red dog Democrats to vote yes to protect their election prospects
Manchin was always in a tough pickle (WV) and was hoping this would never come to a vote
heck – most of the Democrats up for re-election are in a damned if they do, damned if they don’t situation
which is kinda funny if you think about it
they ALL want to vote no but can only do so if 2 Republicans peel off from the majority but IT would be used against them in the election
but if they vote yes even when the Republicans can reach 51 – they can use IT to political posture to independents and mainstream Republican voters, while their own hectic base belittles them
One scary thing. The American Bar Association is calling to hold the vote until an FBI investigation is done.
Hopefully that does not change anyone’s mind.
I was wondering about the Left-leaning ABA current posture in this farce, after Lindsey Graham referenced the organization in his epic monologue.
So predictable that this feckless group would backtrack on its endorsement of Kavanaugh. Utterly despicable.
The organization’s transparent Left-leaning bias and partisan dishonesty is precisely why I will never, ever, join it. And, I know I’m not alone.
RodFC: The American Bar Association is calling to hold the vote until an FBI investigation is done.
guyjones: I was wondering about the Left-leaning ABA current posture in this farce, after Lindsey Graham referenced the organization in his epic monologue.
oh noooo…. my hopes have been seriously reigned in. I don’t see Murkowski as a yes. Those pictures (and claims) of her whispering to ChiFi in the halls of Congress seem telling.
I hope they have backup votes for Flake and Murkowski. I can see them doing the McCain thumbs down thing.
A politician named Flake is poetic.
Your crystal ball is wrong. Flake says he’s a yes.
Utterly despicable and utterly predictable.
The American Bar Association is the second biggest crap pile in the Legal Profession right now (the biggest is the National Lawyers Guild).
The ABA keeps offering me “free membership,” and for a long while, I told them “No, I’m not interested in being a member of an organization that is actively working to restrict my rights as an American, and that is actively working against my desires in Governance.”
Finally I accepted just for the purpose of making them spend money on sending me things for free. When the “free” membership runs out, I’m going to tell them to go pound sand.
Oh my. You won’t believe the question I just saw on twitter. Can a disbarred lawyer server on SCOTUS.
I replied, that anyone can be a SCOTUS justice and asked why they hadn’t read the Constitution.
tO Guy Jones and Chuck Skinner:
This is my problem: I don’t join and get involved in the groups, so the lefties who love to join EVERYTHING, control the group’s direction.
It’s a fundamental personality difference and quite annoying.
I’m thinking about joining for just this reason.
Anyone who does not imbibe the leftist Kool-Aid is frozen out of any leadership role in the ABA. In fact, the ABA even changed its bylaws in the early 1990s to make it harder for members to vote on policy issues, after they received so much push-back on the leadership’s “no restriction on the right to abortion” resolution.
Re: Close the Fed.
This is the problem. The ABA actively shuns from leadership anyone that is not a Leftist. They try very, very hard not to let it show outside of their “secret” meetings, but unless you toe the Leftist line, you will NEVER be in a position of leadership or on any of the important committees.
There are not sufficient numbers of Republicans / Conservatives that are willing to join in order to modify that (you can’t get to a “tipping point”). Every time it’s been tried, it’s failed, and the ABA has gone on to plug up the holes that allowed it to happen.
lawyers association not pointing out fact no federal crime no fbi mandate/legality unless locals request help.
priceless.
The ABA gave up any pretense of being non-political decades ago. Contrast the way they distanced themselves from Nixon, without passing judgment, merely because there was talk of impeachment, vs. their warm embrace of Clinton after he was actually impeached.
Not true. The ABA thing is fake news.
Ok. I think if the JC vote goes in favor of BK tomorrow, the next step will be for CBF to go to Maryland and file charges and then the argument is that they can’t vote until after the trial.
If they propose that, and the Republicans capitulate, the capitol police might have a riot on their hands.
My guess is that the Maryland Police would tell them “It’s been 35+ YEARS. What do you want US to do about it? There is NO WAY IN HELL that you can make a criminal case stick on this thin premise. We’re going to exercise our investigatory discretion, and refuse to even open a case.”
Maryland is deep blue….deep deep blue and they will string out investigation forever.
~Maryland~ might be deep blue. My guess is the Police investigators are not going to be simply by necessity. If they look at it like any other case, they’re going to not be able to do anything about it, and they’re going to decline to investigate.
If they look at it through a ~political~ lens, and they open an investigation, they open themselves up to every crazy person claiming that someone rich and powerful now wronged them in the early 1980s, and having to “investigate” ALL of those claims.
It will crash the investigation system in Maryland.
CBF: Officer I want to report a rape attempt.
Officer: OK when did this happen?
CBF: 1982 0r 1983 or maybe 1981 or 1984.
Officer: OK where did this occur?
CBF: I’m not sure but probably in Maryland, I think.
Officer: Were there any witnesses?
CBF: Yes but they are all lying about it so you can’t trust them.
Slam dunk case here.
My my ios that Shelia Jackson Lee giving an envelope toCBF’s lawyer?
https://twitter.com/SlayerofMemes/status/1045526174514872320
I listened to it and I think they handled it poorly. I hope I am wrong. Kavanaugh should have been more on the offensive.
He did not sound as confident as I wish he did.
1st, the five minute rule killed any flow.
2nd, Kavanaugh let them control the discussion about his drinking. He should have blasted them for it as a non-issue. I would have responded to the question directly. Any drinking I ever did did not impair my judgement. I have always drank responsible. What a shameful attempt to tarnish my good character. It is a sad day that it has come to this.
3rd, Kavanaugh should have defended his friend harder when talking about the year book. He tried to call out Blumbutthead, but he should have really laid into him as being a sick bastard for even suggesting something was going on between the girl and his friends. The girl and all those friends should do an op-ed piece in the newspaper clearing the air and calling out vet lying Blumbutthead.
I hope he gets it, but it is too close to call.
The other thing that really bothered me is did she really have one beer? Had she had beers before? One beer can do some people in pretty good if they are small. Someone who has not drink beer before, been in the hot sun that day could have put her over the edge.
I think she is hiding something about the house and who gave her a ride to and from.
Also, I think Kavanaugh is covering up something about his buddy Judge. They want to get to Judge to tarnish him, but I think Kavanaugh want to protect Judge from unnecessary BS that has zero to do with Kavanaugh. All this is IMO.
Judge is a recovering alcoholic and a cancer survivor – what friend would want to involve him in this farce?
Dr. Ford’s glasses are fake as far as I can tell. From an oblique angle true prescription lenses will distort the face …smaller if near sighted….magnified if far sighted. Example is George Will with high!t corrected near vision. All other pics of Ford show no glasses.
I suspect that. Often times she looks over them, and at least one time she pulls them up to the top of her head.
Also many times her glass are slightly tilted. She’s relatively wealthy so I can’t see why they wouldn’t be properly fitted.
Her hair too, She was wearing a wig, Her real beach hair is the one in the polygraph picture.
One has to wonder if all that heavy drinking as a teen left Ford with any brain damage. And 64 sexual partners by the end of college, who knows what diseases and long term mental sequelae she’s dealing with, none of which adds to her credibility.
She did not appear well. When asked to stand to be sworn in her male attorney had to direct her every action from indicating to her that she needs to stand and then that she needed to raise her right hand.
Some people who have mental problems including lack of memory will fill in the missing parts of their memory with the suggestions of others or other influences. She is a progressive fascist and I’m sure that she heard about the need to stop Kavanaugh. She probably had a traumatic assault as she described but didn’t know the name of the perpetrator and filled in her faulty memory with Kavanaugh’s name. This has two good things for her psych, it identifies the person who assaulted her so she can get a measure of revenge and supports her near religious progressive ideology in it’s time of need. I expect that her lawyers supplied the names of the witnesses so there would be some supporting evidence.
When I saw her high school picture I thought, gee she sure is not very attractive, and at a time when young ladies have a bloom which facilitates attracting a mate. We all age and in general become less attractive, but then when I saw the picture from the hearing, well unattractive outside is obvious and inside is highly probable.
Perhaps part of why she looked so bad is that she is now sweating about fallout over this, she should be very worried about fallout.
She is a proven big fat liar. She lied about flying. She lied about her counseling. Get her out. Lying Leftist.
Aparrently she also lied about needing another ‘escape’ door on her house because of claustrophobia. She said this took place in 2012 when she went to therapy. Building records show they filed the request to modify their house in 2008.
Also no one goes to marriage counselling for home remodelling disagreements! As if her husband would disagree with the type of door they wanted to have. NoteL: she has not released her medical records or the records of the therapy session or the full audio/video of the polygraph.
I saw an interesting moment of fear during Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony. Not from the judge. Diane Feinstein looked scared that we were on to her and her staff for leaking. I could hear the desperation in her voice as she tried to defend herself and her staff. Either she knows and helped leak the letter or she’s afraid she doesn’t know which of her staff leaked it.
I’d support a FBI investigation of that. Who leaked the Ford letter?
Very funny when Feinstein turn to a staff member to confirm that she didn’t leak
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Ford leaked herself. Remember Steele was shopping the Dossier around to the papers at the same time he was talking with the FBI.
Ford appears to have had advisors for months. She took that polygraph in August, and appears to have had some legal advice on how to get the letter to ChiFi via that congresswoman to avoid triggering a false statements charge. I think it was introduced by ChiFi in hopes that its existence and the subsequent investigation would stall out Kavanaugh’s confirmation until after the election. She just want the delay but that would have deprived the nutty professor of her moment in the spotlight. It also seems like the Dems had far from a unified strategy. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ford’s ‘beach friends’ and ChiFi’s staff were working somewhat at cross purposes, and Creepy P0rn Lawyer was just a total loose cannon.
Just saw this on GP: Paul Sperry: Palo Alto bldg permit records raise questions about Ford’s testimony she completed an “extensive remodel” of home in 2012 & that this was seminal event that led her down path to coming out against Kavanaugh b/c she needed to add an escape door. Permit was issued in 2008.
This entire think is acquiring a decided stench with each passing day.
Not Guilty. Evidence is not reliable. She has ulterior motives present.
Monday is going to be the latest of what is sure to be a slew of grim days for those NeverTrumpers at RedState and the Weekly Standard. Must really suck being them. They should merge with those cackling flibbertigibbets at “The View”. A fusion of toxic femininity and self-loathing cuckolds.
I’ve been critical of Graham on immigration and other issues, but he really stepped up here. Dems were getting all of their shrieking harpies and beta males – Gillibrand, Harris, Horino, Blumenthal, and Coons booked on TV to convince the public Kav was “guilty until proven innocent”. The ONLY GOPers I saw even trying to make a counter argument was Graham and Trump.
The Graham unloaded at the hearing.
Dude is a hero in my book – at least until he goes back to giving Dems what they want on other issues. Very proud of what he did.
His life will be made hell by the insane resistance now.
I’ve been critical of Graham on immigration and other issues, but he really stepped up here. Dems were getting all of their shrieking harpies and beta males – Gillibrand, Harris, Horino, Blumenthal, and Coons booked on TV to convince the public Kav was “guilty until proven innocent”. The ONLY GOPers I saw even trying to make a counter argument was Graham and Trump.
The Graham unloaded at the hearing.
Dude is a hero in my book – at least until he goes back to giving Dems what they want on other issues. Very proud of what he did.
His life will be made hell by the insane resistance now.
Never been so angry? You haven’t been paying attention.
“Look, we understood we couldn’t make it illegal to be young or poor or black in the United States, but we could criminalize their common pleasure. We understood that drugs were not the health problem we were making them out to be, but it was such a perfect issue…that we couldn’t resist it.” – John Ehrlichman, White House counsel to President Nixon on the rationale of the War on Drugs.
And it continues to this day.
But I get your point.
A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.- Joseph Stalin.
Bret is a wronged man. Those people are just statistics.
“illegal to be young or poor or black”
Lets be clear, Young or poor or black people commit all sorts of crimes at higher rates that older people, most learn from such mistakes, the exception being black people who feel entitled to break laws at over seven times the average rate. They are not just breaking drug laws!!
By and large, being poor is caused by making a long stream of poor choices, or by being dull witted. For many people it was a choice.
C’mon everyone, we all know this is over, he and his buddies “boofed” when they were in High School. I bet they even burped when they drank beer too. Let’s wait for the FBI report on this first before he gets confirmed.
The NY Times issued a hit editorial. The fact that Kavanaugh was upset by having his name and family dragged through the mud and it made him upset shows that Ford has more credibility and Kavanaugh doesn’t have a judicial temperament.
NY Times has really gone downhill over the last two decades. Instead of reporting facts of the news they publish propaganda, and they censor anything people write which is not in line with what they want people to believe. Today, tabloids are marginally more honest that NY Times.
Politico is reporting that Mitchell reported to the GOP session yesterday that if she was brought the case she would not charge Kavanaugh.
Fox News just reported Flake is a yes.
And this may seem irrelevant but..
https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/09/28/doug-jones-a-no-on-kavanaugh-process-has-been-flawed-from-the-beginning-and-incomplete-at-the-end/
… this is the first evidence that the Dems are clueless. Jones must have been asleep during yesterday’s hearings, especially during Kavanaugh’s statemnent and Graham’s rant. There is a new narrative taken hold today that both Kavanaugh AND Ford were victimized by the flawed process.
This suggests that the Dems are going to cling to the “believe all women” and “all white men are rapists” argument. They are even moving legislation to impeach Kavanaugh.
So now the Pelosi’s Dem establishment “Elm Street” nightmare of “impeach Trump” has a new dark chapter. Trump must be writing the script for the Dems noisy communist wing. This is a gift from God.
It’s also an indication that the people who continue to beat up on Moore are clueless.
Anybody check out if any of the people who were supposed to be at this gathering had a house that matches her description?
Is there an echo in here?
William A. Jacobson: Home run, call the vote
Thought this was legal insurrection. … Anyway …
Kavanaugh falsely claimed he could legally drink at the time.
Kavanaugh gets combative when asked about his drinking.
Kavanaugh (July 1, 1982): “to Timmy’s for {brew}skis w/Judge, Tom, PJ, Bernie, Squi.”
Kavanaugh declines to call for an FBI investigation to clear his name.
Kavanaugh blames the Democrats, Trump-haters, the Left, and the Clintons for allegations others have raised about his behavior.
Kavanaugh: “A good judge must be an umpire—a neutral and impartial arbiter who favors no litigant or policy”.
{xposted to Maggie’s Farm}
Kavanaugh: “if Monica Lewinsky says that on several occasions in the Oval Office area, you used your fingers to stimulate her vagina and bring her to orgasm, would she be lying?”
Yeah but he admitted to making fart jokes in his yearbook. Isn’t that punishable by death?
Is your “Lord of the Flies” echo chamber so over-crowded today that you couldn’t get in?
Pasadena Phil: Yeah but he admitted to making fart jokes in his yearbook.
Sure, you can add that to the list.
“”Kavanaugh declines to call for an FBI investigation to clear his name. “”
Apparently you’re unfamiliar with the concept of an “extended background investigation”.
txvet2: Apparently you’re unfamiliar with the concept of an “extended background investigation”.
New information has come to light since the last background investigation was completed. The White House has refused to reopen the background investigation, and, as noted, Kavanaugh has declined to call for an FBI investigation to clear his name.
And why should Kavanaugh? WHY should he ask for an investigation to prove a negative, which will simply delay (from his accurate perspective) an inevitable conclusion? That conclusion being that NONE of this is true.
All a delay to perform an “FBI investigation” does is allow for more obviously manufactured accounts to be ginned up from mentally unstable leftist women that have no evidence, no specifics and no credibility, but will be endlessly echoed by the Main Stream Morons.
There’s a REASON that Ford conveniently “couldn’t remember” the date or place of the party. She didn’t want to get CAUGHT in her lie if Kavanaugh had something like the Calendars that were presented (or a plane ticket, or a concert ticket, or a sporting event ticket, anything that would say “hey, I was GUARANTEED to be somewhere else that date”).
Ramirez’s statement has even LESS credibility than Ford’s.
If you don’t think the account of Julie Swetnick is a manufactured hit-piece with no basis in fact at all, you haven’t read her Declaration thoroughly (and her admissions therein probably constitute multiple felonies themselves, given her age at the time and her interactions with boys MUCH younger than she was). Also, it means that you don’t know Avenatti is a lying snake that will lie, cheat, steal, and throw ANYONE under the bus he has to in order to keep his name in the spotlight. WHEN Avenatti gets DISBARRED (not if, WHEN) it will be a lovely day.
Chuck Skinner: And why should Kavanaugh?
To clear his name.
Chuck Skinner: That conclusion being that NONE of this is true.
Actually, he is acting as if he has something to hide.
Chuck Skinner: She didn’t want to get CAUGHT in her lie if Kavanaugh had something like the Calendars that were presented (or a plane ticket, or a concert ticket, or a sporting event ticket, anything that would say “hey, I was GUARANTEED to be somewhere else that date”).
There’s an Entry on Kavanaugh’s 1982 Calendar That Supports Ford’s Story Better Than His Own
As I said, you’re unfamiliar with EBIs. I had one (updated periodically). For years, thereafter, whenever I was in the company of people I had known during my HS years, someone would mention being interviewed by the FBI – including teachers, friends, employers, etc. They’re pretty thorough. The simple fact is, you don’t have a leg to stand on because you don’t know what you’re talking about.
txvet2: The simple fact is, you don’t have a leg to stand on because you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Your claim is that the previous investigation have turned up everything that would be important to consideration of Kavanaugh’s nomination. But that is evidently false. There are new allegations, and new witnesses that have yet to be interviewed by the FBI.
After a closer look at the transcript, we are modifying our statement: Kavanaugh dissembled by suggesting he could legally drink at the time.
His is a letter that I sent to Senator Graham’s office this morning:
Dear Senator Graham,
I just wanted to write to you to deeply thank you for your impassioned defense of Mr. Kanvanaugh and calling out your former friends on the other side of the isle for orchestrating the political assignation of a very good man. Yesterday afternoon, I was in my car, rush hour traffic, on the way home, listening to the radio broadcast of the Kavanaugh hearing. The smearing of Mr. Kavanaugh was getting me sick to my stomach. After all, if this country will allow the smearing of man with impeccable credentials and a lifetime of hard work, service, and good reputation, with just uncorroborated testimony, then what’s the future going to look like for me and my five boys? I was really thinking that the America that has adopted me as an immigrant, given me opportunities beyond measure, was gone. In my car, I was pleading…. praying… can someone just stand up for this good man? Then it was your turn! Your impassioned defense was what I needed to hear.. what America needed to hear… what the your committee needed to hear… that there are still men in this world that have a backbone that will stand up and defend what is good in this country.
Honesty, Senator Graham, I’ve never been a great fan… you know, it’s the reaching across the isle for the immigration thing… but, I will be forever thankful for your impassioned words in support of Mr. Kavanaugh. In reflection, your track record and reputation of reaching across the isle was what made your words even more of a profound moment!
Thank you again,
akt
One other point to add:
At the moment, there is no real consequences for bearing false witness in these hearings. if someone is willing to push a lie to smear another, in our current dysfunctional system, the only one that gets gets harmed is the accused. This has to stop!
There are real legal consequences for those providing and enabling false testimony. Seems to me, at minimum, Sen. Di Fi need to be scrutinized / censured due to her behavior….