Comments regarding the Kavanaugh nomination

[Torie]

That still does not quite explain the bit about just how Keyser failed to recall that she knew who Kavanaugh was at all, and doesn't recall ever meeting him.

[7,052,770]

To all the lefties being indignant: The GOP does not care what you/we think because you weren't voting Republican to begin with. They lose nothing by you hating them more than you already did.

If you weren't one of the 62,984,828 that voted for Donald Trump, he or the GOP could not give give any less of a sh**t what you think. There's only one way to fix that problem: the ballot box.

And to think we wouldn't be in this position now if it wasn't for incompetent James Comey and the left wing whiners throwing a temper tantrum by voting for Jill Stein.

You're right, Comey should have indicted Hillary during the primary so that Bernie would defeat Trump in the general election.

This should be making it crystal clear to you why you should've supported Hillary for SCOTUS reasons if nothing else. You don't see "neoliberal" Obama's appointments issuing awful right wing decisions. I hope the temper tantrum was worth conservative control of the Supreme Court for a generation. On the other hand, I'm sure it felt awesome in the moment.

If Jill Stein wasn't on the ballot, Hillary still would have lost. Hillary lost because she was a terrible candidate.

Your first sentence is probably true, but IceSpear blamed the people who voted for Stein, not Stein herself for running. Pretty key difference there.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I found this article from Politico about the Flake affair, and how the deal came down, very interesting and revealing.

Very good article.

Oh, thank you for thinking this, Torie. This answers some of the questions I had. I still think Flake is a bit ridiculous as a week is very short, but at least it's something.

I'm not so sure it answers that many question for me... I'm still left wondering whether Murkowski, Collins, and even Flake ... really want to uncover the truth of the matter ... or if they are just looking for political cover? 

To me- it seems like if Truth were the goal... they would be leaning towards No... even if not sure of what the truth is- they would have enough doubt regarding Kavanaugh to conclude that his nomination was too big of a risk to take for the highest court and life time appointment (considering I'm sure they understand how very reliable the type of polygraph Dr. Ford took is- far more than the public understands ... and they have to know that at the very least Kavanaugh was not being truthful in some parts of his testimony... even if these obvious area were regarding somewhat trivial matters)

Saying you want more investigation is exactly what you'd expect from someone who wants to find the truth of the matter.    And polygraphs are not reliable as independent evidence of an event.  Mitchell's line of questioning and final comments to Ford spoke to how if Ford wanted to establish that she was telling truth, her friends & lawyers steered her in completely the wrong direction.

[Banana Republican]

The words that defined the week of September 28th, 2018

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[ponderosa peen 🌲]

That still does not quite explain the bit about just how Keyser failed to recall that she knew who Kavanaugh was at all, and doesn't recall ever meeting him.

This is true. The latter part of my post wasn't about Keyser, it was more about the many people connected to Kavanaugh and Ford whose presences were hanging around the hearing like vague spectors but, bafflingly, weren't subpoenaed. It's quite obvious that Kavanaugh lied about much of his testimony, but there was nobody around to dispute those lies. The FBI (because it has more than five minutes with each person involved) can actually unearth some important (and legally binding) context here.

[Beet]

The words that defined the week of September 28th, 2018

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Exculpatory spiked during Ford's testimony because she didn't know what it meant. For a Ph.D with two master's degrees, I was pretty shocked, frankly. I did question her credibility at that moment. It's not a major thing, of course. But we can get so little from these testimonies (since some people are good liars), things like that make you think. At the end of the day I don't put much weight on it, though.

[SCNCmod]

The words that defined the week of September 28th, 2018

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Exculpatory spiked during Ford's testimony because she didn't know what it meant. For a Ph.D with two master's degrees, I was pretty shocked, frankly. I did question her credibility at that moment. It's not a major thing, of course. But we can get so little from these testimonies (since some people are good liars), things like that make you think. At the end of the day I don't put much weight on it, though.

My guess is this was more a case of Dr Ford not hearing correctly what word was said.. or not understanding the context or something.

[SCNCmod]

That still does not quite explain the bit about just how Keyser failed to recall that she knew who Kavanaugh was at all, and doesn't recall ever meeting him.

I thought about this at first... but as I mulled it over- there are actually many things that could explain it...

Dr. Ford knew some of these guys because she met them through the friend of theirs she hung out with for a bit... so Keyser could have been a tag alone to whoever's house they went to that night.  So it could be a case that this was her only real interaction with some of the guys- and thus not surprising she doesn't remember a guy she met once at a random get together.

Also- Kavanaugh & Judge may have been upstairs most of the time the girls were at the house (which sounded like they were only there the length of time it takes to drink a beer)... since they 2 boys seemed to be upstairs when Dr. Ford walked up to go to the bathroom. 

And my guess is that Keyser is the one that drove Dr. Ford home... since she presumably drove them to the party.  If this is the case- she would have certainly only been at the house a short period of time.  I wonder if Keyser is older than Dr. Ford (was she old enough to drive at the time).  If Keyser drove her home... this would somewhat explain why neither of them remember (since given Dr. Ford a ride to her house would have probably been fairly routine - if they were good friends and Keyser had her licence and Dr. Ford did not. (since routine events from 30+ years ago a likely not very memorable).

[136or142]

Regarding Feinstein, and taking her word for it that it was not her office that leaked anything (presumably it was one of Ford's "friends" (who needs friends like that?)), what I "blame" Feinstein for is not reaching out to Ford and explaining to her that the risk was high this would come out in some way, and that if she wanted her charges to be taken into account by the President and the Senate, the best way to handle this was to have the FBI do a confidential investigation of the matter. If sufficient verification of the allegations emerged, then the Kavanaugh nomination would be withdrawn, either protecting her confidentiality or at least minimizing her exposure to the public square. Given Ford's testimony on this issue and assuming it was truthful, I think Ford would have agreed with this approach. Among other things, she testified she wanted Trump to know. But alas Trump never knew, until the rest of us did.

That was a very severe error in judgment on Feinstein's part. And it looks bad, because the way it ended up coming down had the effect of running the clock, which was part of the opposition's strategy from day 1 on this matter.

But it is all spilt milk now. The bell has been rung. We shall see what the FBI comes up with. It is possible that they may come up with some more facts that are either exculpatory or incriminating as to what allegedly happened in connection with the allegations of the three accusers. I prefer to wait for that report myself, rather than speculate.

So, maybe it is Democratic strategy to run out the clock  So what?  The Republican narrative is that this is somehow terrible, but the Republicans made up this 'Biden rule' and here we are now  barely more than one month to the midterms.  From the Republicans own arguments, what's wrong with waiting until after an election?

Just because the Republican narrative now is that 'running down the clock' is a terrible thing to do doesn't mean that Feinstein, any other Democrat or I should care in the slightest.

As to what Feinstein should and should not have done, it's possible that that is exactly what she recommended to Dr Ford, you have no way of knowing one way or the other.  Of course it veers into conspiracy theories, but there is no way the FBI could have conducted this investigation, assuming Kavanaugh is guilty, without he or one of his friends figuring out who made the accusation.  It's entirely possible Dr Ford is genuinely afraid of Kavanaugh, and, if he did this, she might well have good reason to be.

[Donald Trump’s Toupée]

If anyone in this thread were alleged to have committed a crime, you would want substantial proof and evidence before your name was permanently tarnished, too. Just saying.

[Slander and/or Libel]

So the FBI has been provided a list of people they’re allowed to interview for this sham of an investigation. They’re not allowed to look into Kavanaugh’s college drinking habits or Mark Judge’s employment records at Safeway. It’s difficult to believe they think they’re going to get away with this. It’s like a platonic example of consciousness of guilt.

[Wrong about 2024 Ghost]

Part of an interview Flake gave with Atlantic:

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Why does he think that is? Our system of picking judges has turned into a high-stakes game of theft, with the latest round devolving into Republicans stealing over 110+ judges and a Supreme Court justice from the last Democratic president, in addition to ramming through who might be a rapist justice all because they can't fathom the idea of not having absolute power that is unchallenged.

If all these senators are so beside themselves over the lack of trust and breakdown of civility, why not try to reform the system? It could be done fairly... If they just put a little effort into it.

That would require the Republicans to act as though they were a political party in a representative government based around rule of law, which is something they have zero interest in. Where they were once willing to at least pretend they were, even that is falling by the wayside.

When a Republican whines about 'trust' or 'bipartisianship' or 'civility' all it really means is that the GOP wants people to pretend it's legitimate again, even though it has no interest in rule of law or representative government save as tools to further its repressive and exploitative agenda.

[Donald Trump’s Toupée]

Passes 6 FBI background checks. Been on the second highest court. Extremely qualified. Exemplified fine character in both his career and family life.

But....he's a secret gang rapist. Right. Good one, liberals.

[Wrong about 2024 Ghost]

Passes 6 FBI background checks. Been on the second highest court. Extremely qualified. Exemplified fine character in both his career and family life.

Except the part where he lost it when the United States Senate had some questions about his character, and suggested that there was any possibility he might not get the Supreme Court seat he clearly feels entitled to.

That, more than any allegations about his behavior as a young man, should end his chances to become a Justice.

[Brittain33]

Passes 6 FBI background checks. Been on the second highest court. Extremely qualified. Exemplified fine character in both his career and family life.

But....he's a secret gang rapist. Right. Good one, liberals.

Also, based on tons of other testimonials for people who knew him, his role on the Starr report and working with stolen emails from Democratic senator, *and* his behavior on Thursday, his character is pretty lousy.

[OSR stands with Israel]

These threads are another example of why polarization has become so bad in this nation.


The discussion on these threads should be more similar to the discussion Brooks and Shields had

[Devout Centrist]

If Trump would have dropped Kavanaugh and nominated Hardiman, Kethledge, Thapar, or Barrett, this could have all been avoided...

It’s too late to look back, though Kavanaugh was my least favorite of the shortlist, because doing so would destroy this genuinely good man’s career and reputation. Everything’s on the line. It’s all or nothing now.

No, not a good man. His kind are a dime a dozen at the Jesuit school I went to. They're sanctimonious pricks and he's definitely one of them.

I'm sure your anecdotal stereotype counts for more than the people who actually know him.

Yes, Mr. Contrarian, there are people who like assholes, even admire them

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

Passes 6 FBI background checks. Been on the second highest court. Extremely qualified. Exemplified fine character in both his career and family life.

But....he's a secret gang rapist. Right. Good one, liberals.

You are horrifically naive if you truly believe that someone being successful and/or having a picture-perfect family means that they couldn't have possible done terrible things in their past.

[RI]

Grassley has asked the FBI to investigate the man who made the fraudulent Rhode Island claim.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

So the FBI has been provided a list of people they’re allowed to interview for this sham of an investigation. They’re not allowed to look into Kavanaugh’s college drinking habits or Mark Judge’s employment records at Safeway. It’s difficult to believe they think they’re going to get away with this. It’s like a platonic example of consciousness of guilt.

Kavanaugh's college drinking habits aren't directly relevant to what happened in the summer before his high school senior year, and the investigation is supposed to be about the Blasey Ford allegation.  I'm not sure why they wouldn't be allowed to look at Safeway employment records but I seriously doubt a grocery store keeps detailed employment records for three and a half decades anyway.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I found this article from Politico about the Flake affair, and how the deal came down, very interesting and revealing.

Here is some more on that:
https://twitter.com/alanhe/status/1045830251358629888

(images for larger text:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIiohV4AAtD5Y.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIjpvUwAAl_zV.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIkt9UUAEVoHr.jpg )

[GeorgiaModerate]

I found this article from Politico about the Flake affair, and how the deal came down, very interesting and revealing.

Here is some more on that:
https://twitter.com/alanhe/status/1045830251358629888

(images for larger text:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIiohV4AAtD5Y.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIjpvUwAAl_zV.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIkt9UUAEVoHr.jpg )

I may be showing my Moderate Hero (tm) credentials here...but IMO this is what politics should be.

[Abolish ICE]

I found this article from Politico about the Flake affair, and how the deal came down, very interesting and revealing.

Here is some more on that:
https://twitter.com/alanhe/status/1045830251358629888

(images for larger text:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIiohV4AAtD5Y.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIjpvUwAAl_zV.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIkt9UUAEVoHr.jpg )

I may be showing my Moderate Hero (tm) credentials here...but IMO this is what politics should be.

[Brittain33]

I found this article from Politico about the Flake affair, and how the deal came down, very interesting and revealing.

Here is some more on that:
https://twitter.com/alanhe/status/1045830251358629888

(images for larger text:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIiohV4AAtD5Y.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIjpvUwAAl_zV.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoOIkt9UUAEVoHr.jpg )

I may be showing my Moderate Hero (tm) credentials here...but IMO this is what politics should be.

Imagine what the Senate would be like if *anyone* but McConnell were the R leader. (Well, anyone but McConnell, Cruz, or Lee.)

[Slander and/or Libel]

So the FBI has been provided a list of people they’re allowed to interview for this sham of an investigation. They’re not allowed to look into Kavanaugh’s college drinking habits or Mark Judge’s employment records at Safeway. It’s difficult to believe they think they’re going to get away with this. It’s like a platonic example of consciousness of guilt.

Kavanaugh's college drinking habits aren't directly relevant to what happened in the summer before his high school senior year, and the investigation is supposed to be about the Blasey Ford allegation.  I'm not sure why they wouldn't be allowed to look at Safeway employment records but I seriously doubt a grocery store keeps detailed employment records for three and a half decades anyway.

They’re also looking into Ramirez, which happened during his college years. And his college drinking habits could certainly be relevant to corroborating claims about his high school drinking habits. And perhaps Safeway doesn’t keep those records, but why not let them ask and find out?