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Kavanaugh Open Thread: Senate Votes 51-49 to Invoke Cloture

Kavanaugh Open Thread: Senate Votes 51-49 to Invoke Cloture

Murkowski voted no while Collins, Flake, and Manchin voted yes.
Posted by Friday, October 5, 2018 at 09:00am
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1048224722578821121
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The Senate has voted to invoke cloture, 51-49, which will limit the debate on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to 30 hours.

This sets up a confirmation vote for Saturday afternoon.

Senate Floor Live

Daines Will Return if He Has To

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) has a predicament this weekend. He has to walk his daughter down the aisle on Saturday, but that’s when the confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh should happen.

He announced on Twitter he will comes back to vote yes if needed.

Murkowski Doesn’t Think Kavanaugh is the Right Man Right Now

Flake is a YES For Now

Protests Begin!

Here they come….

Cloture Vote

The Senate has voted to limit the debate on Kavanaugh to 30 hours with a simple majority, 51-49.

Republican Sens. Jeff Flake and Susan Collins voted yes while Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted no. Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin voted yes.

Grassley: Do Not Give Into Mob Rule!

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley opened the Senate floor with a fantastic speech.

Ford’s Team Pressured Friend Leland Keyser?

From The Wall Street Journal:

A friend of Christine Blasey Ford told FBI investigators that she felt pressured by Dr. Ford’s allies to revisit her initial statement that she knew nothing about an alleged sexual assault by a teenage Brett Kavanaugh, which she later updated to say that she believed but couldn’t corroborate Dr. Ford’s account, according to people familiar with the matter.

Leland Keyser, who Dr. Ford has said was present at the gathering where she was allegedly assaulted in the 1980s, told investigators that Monica McLean, a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and a friend of Dr. Ford’s, had urged her to clarify her statement, the people said.

The statement to the FBI offers a glimpse into how Dr. Ford’s allies were working behind the scenes to lobby old classmates to bolster their versions of the alleged incident, as were Judge Kavanaugh’s.

Kavanaugh Op-Ed: I hope everyone can understand I was there as a son, husband and dad.

The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed from Kavanaugh last night. He explained in it that he is an “independent, impartial judge,” but also admitted he may have gotten too heated in his defense last week:

I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been. I might have been too emotional at times. I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad. I testified with five people foremost in my mind: my mom, my dad, my wife, and most of all my daughters.

Going forward, you can count on me to be the same kind of judge and person I have been for my entire 28-year legal career: hardworking, even-keeled, open-minded, independent and dedicated to the Constitution and the public good. As a judge, I have always treated colleagues and litigants with the utmost respect. I have been known for my courtesy on and off the bench. I have not changed. I will continue to be the same kind of judge I have been for the last 12 years. And I will continue to contribute to our country as a coach, volunteer, and teacher. Every day I will try to be the best husband, dad, and friend I can be. I will remain optimistic, on the sunrise side of the mountain. I will continue to see the day that is coming, not the day that is gone.

Undecided Senators

From CBS News:

Sen. Jeff Flake, the Arizona Republican who called for the FBI review in the first place, has yet to say where he stands.

Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican moderate from Maine who said she was carefully reviewing all the information Thursday, hasn’t announced her decision.

Nor has Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska who enjoys bipartisan support.

Sen. Joe Manchin, a vulnerable Democrat in West Virginia, the state that voted most decisively for Mr. Trump in 2016, also has yet to say where he will land.

Cloture Vote

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Comments

oldgoat36 | October 5, 2018 at 9:37 am

It is sinful what Ford is trying to push. This needs to be investigated from a standpoint of her testimony, her actions, who aided her. Ford is in psychology, she knows how to play emotion to get what she wants. She is highly political.

Investigate how she was able to so thoroughly scrub everything about her from Google, from social media, from academics. She didn’t do that herself.

Her friend the former FBI agent needs to be investigated as well.

Every aspect of her life needs to be investigated, and if by some slim chance her story pans out, then impeach Kavanaugh if he is placed on the court. If it doesn’t, look to prosecute her and those who aided her for how they looked to destroy a man for political purposes and with malice.

It should not be allowed to cloud everything Kavanaugh has built, and every ruling he is involved with.

The left needs to see it won’t be taken lightly. That their pawns won’t be brushed aside in their ambitions to take power.

Feinstein needs to be disciplined for her actions, which she knew well what she was doing. The left threw the first punches, now it is time to punch back even harder.

walls | October 5, 2018 at 9:49 am

Mark Levin said a MT senator will be in MT at his daughter’s wedding on Saturday. How can they schedule this on a SAT minus one R senator?

Northwoods | October 5, 2018 at 10:26 am

If Murkowski betrays us here I hope all the Republicans that voted for her vs Joe Miller will look on with pride at their handiwork.

    zennyfan in reply to Northwoods. | October 5, 2018 at 10:51 am

    Murskowski is about to learn the wages of betrayal.

    bobtuba in reply to Northwoods. | October 5, 2018 at 1:16 pm

    Actually, the Miller voters remained Miller voters. She won in the general with a write-in campaign with the help of Dems and a very friendly judge who interpreted almost ANYTHING written in as being “Murkowski”.

      Northwoods in reply to bobtuba. | October 5, 2018 at 1:23 pm

      It was 101K Murkowsik, 90K Miller, 60K for the Dem. I guarantee you there were plenty of Republicans in that 101K.

        bobtuba in reply to Northwoods. | October 5, 2018 at 1:42 pm

        That could be true, but doesn’t disprove my point. Miller won the primary 55K to 53K. So the Miller voters could very well have stayed Miller voters, plus another 37K in the general. Murkowski perhaps kept her 53K from the primary, and added – as I alluded to – a good many Dem voters who did not want to see Miller in Washington. That, and a lot of LIV name recognition, and clearly, the M corrupt political machine pulled out all the stops on this one. I don’t think you can put the blame on “republicans” in general.

Northwoods | October 5, 2018 at 10:45 am

Murkowski votes no. Manchin votes yes.

    RodFC in reply to Northwoods. | October 5, 2018 at 10:54 am

    That doesn’t mean that she will vote no on confirmation. Just that she wants the gravy train going a bit longer.

      rdm in reply to RodFC. | October 5, 2018 at 10:59 am

      There is no conceivable way the traitor would vote no on cloture and yes on confirmation.

        healthguyfsu in reply to rdm. | October 5, 2018 at 12:15 pm

        There is one conceivable way. Get cover to keep the protesters off your back and your family out of harm’s way, at least until the final vote.

        It’s a spineless and highly unlikely one and she’s dead to the party either way, so probably not.

      Pasadena Phil in reply to RodFC. | October 5, 2018 at 12:33 pm

      This is pure political posturing. It was reported that there was a meeting in Collins’ office last week of the “Big Five”, Dems and Reps, to strategize this week. My guess is that is about no one wanting to be the 50th vote confirming Kav.

      Just my guess but by voting for cloture, Flake gave GOP Murkowski cover to vote “no”. With Collins being the 50th “yes” vote today, both will explain that they were just voting for cloture to end the debate but maintaining leverage for tomorrow. Flake has set himself up for voting “yes” tomorrow. We’ll see what Collins’ scheduled announcement reveals later today.

      All we can assume is that they bought time hoping that Republicans themselves settle the issue rendering the Dem votes irrelevant. The Dems have already lost the public opinion battle. This is already lose-lose for them

      So tomorrow, it will be about Flake and Collins. Murkowski is gone. I think Kav will be confirmed and it may take Pence to break a tie if Flake and/or Collins vote to provide cover for a couple of Dems.

gonzotx | October 5, 2018 at 10:58 am

Murkowski has got to go

Elzorro | October 5, 2018 at 11:05 am

Moosecow, is gone in the next election. If Manchin votes no he is gone. Collins too. We have to get 2 of the 3 to win. It will prolly come down to Lobster girl.

fishstick | October 5, 2018 at 11:07 am

the 51-49 vote

was it entirely party line?

MaggotAtBroadAndWall | October 5, 2018 at 11:09 am

Re: Daines. Is it unlawful for President Trump to send his private jet (at personal expense) to fly the Senator from MT to DC and back to MT? What about a private citizen’s personal jet?

MarkSmith | October 5, 2018 at 11:15 am

It’s out there. They are caught. Ford lied about Kavanaugh. It is a setup. Feinstein and Hirono in on it.

https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2018/10/05/gloves-are-off-sen-grassleys-letter-to-fords-legal-team-should-terrify-dianne-feinstein-and-mazie-hirono/

‘I urge you once again, now for the third time in writing, to turn over therapy notes … ‘ which is no surprise but HERE’S where it gets interesting … ‘please turn over records and descriptions of direct or indirect communications between Dr. Ford or her representatives and any of the following: (1) U.S. Senators or their staffs, PARTICULARLY THE OFFICES OF SENATORS FEINSTEIN AND HIRONO.’

gonzotx | October 5, 2018 at 11:17 am

I think Kavanuagh Needed to take the Trump 102 course after he completed the 101.

Never apologize, they see it as weakness

I didn’t like it at all…

    healthguyfsu in reply to gonzotx. | October 5, 2018 at 12:31 pm

    Eh better to ask forgiveness than permission. I don’t think the non-apology apology (he never said sorry or that he regretted it) will cost him any support, and it may move some fence dwellers back (not many, though, most people are very polarized about this). It’s a low risk-low reward move IMO.

gonzotx | October 5, 2018 at 11:18 am

It makes me worry he will be a turncoat like Roberts, just to show his compassion, you know, compassionate conservative

MarkSmith | October 5, 2018 at 11:22 am

Trump trolled this. He made the statements about Ford just to get them more upset to drop the bomb on them. Unbelievable.

Even more so by saying the FBI is investigating. What? Ford/Feinstein/Hirono Collusion.

This is coming straight out of SDNY FBI and Hillary.

Someone is going to see some pretty serious stuff from this.

alaskabob | October 5, 2018 at 11:54 am

Murkowski support from natives who don’t want Constitutional rulings, just their rulings. After Native Claims Settlement Act….land and money….they still want handouts. Yes there were very bad times in past for Alaska Natives, but there is money and power by being the perpetually aggrieved. Purple Alaska will shift redder but Alaska is battleground for favorite Leftist issues.

Voyager | October 5, 2018 at 12:27 pm

The problem Murkowski may run into is that during this the DNC may have unintentionally shifted it’s brand from pro-women to anti-man,which has the risk of driving minority identity politics away from the party.

By aligning herself with that, Murkowski risks gaining all of the disadvantages of that without shedding any of the negatives of being a registered Republican.

Voyager | October 5, 2018 at 12:30 pm

She’s probably going to get it from both sides too: the D’s will be branding her as of the party of accused rapist Kavanaugh while to the right, she’ll be the one who sided with the man-hating democrats.

That said, she may still vote for him in the confirmation; she may have been trying to delay the whole thing until after the election in order to avoid having to take a position on it at all.

MrE | October 5, 2018 at 1:08 pm

I hope Daine’s has some big-league security not only for himself while traveling, but for the wedding and reception venues. The crazed-left will almost certainly try to exploit that potential vulnerability.

alaskabob | October 5, 2018 at 1:15 pm

Will Dems release therapy notes and polygraph data to late minute screw up vote? Flake is waiting to help them.

guyjones | October 5, 2018 at 1:26 pm

It is utterly insane, unfair and maddening that the Dumb-o-crats’ SCOTUS nominees — including transparent partisans such as Kagan and self-styled “Wise Latina,” Sotomayor, sail through the confirmation process, unscathed, while totally qualified, upstanding, conservative nominees get put through a meat grinder, every single time.

This cannot continue, unaddressed.

Sotomayor’s self-congratulatory, racialist and bigoted remark, alone, was utterly disqualifying, in my opinion. What kind of federal judge, much less a SCOTUS nominee, goes around patting themselves on the back for their purported ethnic novelty and solidarity, while simultaneously denigrating others, by race? This remark was outrageously bigoted and inappropriate, but, of course, the cheerleading Leftist media ignored it.

And, how has the GOP been rewarded by the Dumbs, for this comity and goodwill? With an escalation of the vicious, vindictive and totalitarian thuggery and slander employed against Bork in 1987 and Thomas in 1991, taken to new levels of sadistic and jackbooted glee.

1. This Stalinist show trial and Salem Witch-hunt cannot be allowed to happen to conservative judicial nominees, ever again.

2. Although I don’t endorse the use of reciprocal tactics against Dumb-o-crats’ judicial nominees, it is clear that we cannot allow continuing “kid gloves” treatment of Left-leaning judicial nominees in the confirmation process, going forward. We need more intense scrutiny and tougher questioning.

3. The vindictive and totalitarian Dumb-o-crats must pay a steep price, indeed, for their ugly machinations, on Election Day.

I welcome others’ assessments about how we should proceed and be guided accordingly, for the future.

elle | October 5, 2018 at 1:33 pm

To Senators and players who are choosing to ignore that this man is OBVIOUSLY innocent as charged and even more so to those who picked up stones and threw them, all I can say is I pity you.

Your names will be FOREVER attached to this shameful event in our history. Google the Salem Witch Trial and realize your name will be there under “accusers”. As you judge, so you will be judged.

So take a good look in the mirror before you vote. A no vote will haunt you long beyond your lifetime.

Such a shameful event.

healthguyfsu | October 5, 2018 at 2:06 pm

Any Dem fackwit that wants to pretend like their party somehow “behaved” on Gorsuch should remember that republicans had to exercise the nuclear option and every single one of those partisan hacks (save 3 who were vulnerable) voted against a man with a sterling record much like Kavanaughs.

That BS defense doesn’t work, and the bar is pretty low if “behaved” means that they didn’t drag out a bunch of hoax claims against him.

MAB | October 5, 2018 at 2:44 pm

Well, the attacks are not over. Now from the leftist Bar Association:
The American Bar Association announced on Friday afternoon just hours before the final vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh as the next Supreme Court Justice that they are reopening an evaluation on the baseless sexual assault smears against Kavanaugh.

    MAB in reply to MAB. | October 5, 2018 at 2:46 pm

    Is this the “something big” for Flake to vote No?

    alaskabob in reply to MAB. | October 5, 2018 at 3:24 pm

    The president of the non-partisan League of Women Voters arrested at protest. The non-partisan ACLU paying “no” Alaska women attorneys to fly to DC. The non-partisan ABA reopening review of Kavanaugh.

    Yep….

      MAB in reply to alaskabob. | October 5, 2018 at 3:32 pm

      Can’t we catch a break? Will it never end? (that’s a rhetorical question). Heck, I’m a woman and like to think I am engaged, but where did all these crazies come from? They sure do not represent me or mine – and I have 3 daughters who share my opinion.

    JusticeDelivered in reply to MAB. | October 5, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    The best defense is a huge, multi front offensive, one where many players are ruined.

hrhdhd | October 5, 2018 at 3:51 pm

Re: Susan Collins–TL;DL: I will vote yes.

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