Comments regarding the Kavanaugh nomination

[Badger]

It's so shameful that the Republican senators on the committee are refusing to perform their duty and question her themselves.

[Gass3268]

Mitchell's role is to flesh out Ford's testimony. It is not to be an attack dog, in the role of making a closing statement to a jury. I think that is appropriate, and to do anything else, would backfire. If discrepancies emerge, that can be argued later, and elsewhere. I do think the Pubs are in an impossible position, in not getting the sworn testimony of all the other witnesses. I certainly would not be comfortable voting to confirm absent all of that. It is particularly disturbing that Judge is in hiding. He needs to be subpoenaed. He might well take the 5th, and then of course it is curtains.

There is already some rumblings on Twitter that Trump is not happy with her performance. Thinks she's not being forceful enough.

Citation needed

Ugh, can't find the tweet. I'll delete it.

[Badger]

The fact that Mark Judge has not been subpoenaed is appalling.

[ilikeverin]

Dr. Blasey Ford got to spend a lot of time explaining gene-environment interactions in the development of anxiety and PTSD.  And got to talk about her fear of flying.  I guess the prosecutor was trying to imply that Dr. Blasey Ford is unhinged or something?  That was weird.

[Badger]

Idiot GOP should of just nominated Kethledge

Who knows? Given the track record of trump appointees and nominees maybe they have baggage just as bad.

[new_patomic]

I'm not sure how much better we'd like the Republicans on the committee questioning her instead of the prosecutor.

But at least for the moment the use of a prosecutor isn't coming off as well. The split between emotional testimony and then cross examination every five minutes isn't a good one for them.

[Torie]

Dr. Blasey Ford got to spend a lot of time explaining gene-environment interactions in the development of anxiety and PTSD.  And got to talk about her fear of flying.  I guess the prosecutor was trying to imply that Dr. Blasey Ford is unhinged or something?  That was weird.

I think the point is to try to impeach Ford as being political, by using the excuse of fear of flying to delay the hearing date. In point of fact, she flies a lot. That hardly in the end will prove to be a dispositive point.

[ProudModerate2]

That whole airline/airplane line of questioning was stupid.
What was the prosecutor pursuing here?

[Gass3268]

https://twitter.com/ClaraJeffery/status/1045338346304598018

[Florida Man for Crime]

WTF is with these questions from the Republicans interrogating whether and where she flies on airplanes and has a fear of flying? I am afraid they are trying to do something dirty with that. Seems very bizarre asking so many questions about that.

[RI]

That whole airline/airplane line of questioning was stupid.
What was the prosecutor pursuing here?

Goes to her credibility and the timeline of the accusation. She's fine with flying all the time to Polynesia but not to DC?

[Badger]

Dr. Blasey Ford got to spend a lot of time explaining gene-environment interactions in the development of anxiety and PTSD.  And got to talk about her fear of flying.  I guess the prosecutor was trying to imply that Dr. Blasey Ford is unhinged or something?  That was weird.

Probably. Remember, there are only two logical alternatives to Cavanaugh having committed this offense. Either a, Ford is so unhinged C imagined / slide to counselors and other third parties for years about an assault that never occurred, or be, she was assaulted but somehow mistook her assailant as Cavanaugh. However, as much as those two theories can be conflated and not broken down individually so that there's some overall doubt even Beyond her identification of Cavanaugh, it's all the better for Cavanaugh's boosters.

[new_patomic]

That whole airline/airplane line of questioning was stupid.
What was the prosecutor pursuing here?

Goes to her credibility and the timeline of the accusation. She's fine with flying all the time to Polynesia but not to DC?

Seems flying west is easier than flying east.

[Koharu]

How Ford got to and from the venue came up. Somebody drove her. But she apparently can't recall how she got a ride home, after she escaped the house. Did she call someone? Was the driver at the venue? That needs to be fleshed out more.

Why?

After one goes through a traumatic experience, the immediate aftermath usually becomes a blur and it's not likely that the victim remembers. It's not at all surprising that she can't remember how she got home and probably couldn't remember even if she tried her absolute hardest. There are more studies showing this, but I'm not finding the right search terms. This article from the Smithsonian gives a really basic rundown:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

So, as Dr. Ford has testified, she's easily able to remember Kavanaugh because that was pertinent information, but getting home after the fact? The brain and body were going into survival mode and no real memories were made about that.

[Koharu]

WTF is with these questions from the Republicans interrogating whether and where she flies on airplanes and has a fear of flying? I am afraid they are trying to do something dirty with that. Seems very bizarre asking so many questions about that.

Trying to paint her as a liar

It's also something that The_Donald folks are obsessed with and so it panders to their base. *shrug* It's a weird thing, trying to harass someone about their phobias.

[Zaybay]

The GOP are really trying to poke holes in her testimony, and its backfiring spectacularly. If Kavanaugh stays for the confirmation, then this could be the October surprise.

Note: After this, I can see no Democrats voting for Kavanaugh. Even Joe Manchin cannot stomach this.

[Badger]

That whole airline/airplane line of questioning was stupid.
What was the prosecutor pursuing here?

Goes to her credibility and the timeline of the accusation. She's fine with flying all the time to Polynesia but not to DC?

no

[Torie]

That is fine, but I would like to get a clearer record that she really has no recollection as to anything that happened after she got out of the house. Nor that she had any recollection as to how she got to the house, prior to the traumatizing event occurring.

[Gass3268]

https://twitter.com/gabrielsherman/status/1045345620628787203

[Badger]

That whole airline/airplane line of questioning was stupid.
What was the prosecutor pursuing here?

Goes to her credibility and the timeline of the accusation. She's fine with flying all the time to Polynesia but not to DC?

Seems flying west is easier than flying east.

... . By that way she clearly meant flying for a vacation is supposed to to be grilled by bunch of people about the most traumatic moment in her life with open hostility.

[Person Man]

Who doesn't have trouble remembering things after a kegger?

[Slander and/or Libel]

That whole airline/airplane line of questioning was stupid.
What was the prosecutor pursuing here?

Goes to her credibility and the timeline of the accusation. She's fine with flying all the time to Polynesia but not to DC?

Seems flying west is easier than flying east.

... . By that way she clearly meant flying for a vacation is supposed to to be grilled by bunch of people about the most traumatic moment in her life with open hostility.

Exactly. She likely has an anxiety about flying that she can usually get over when she needs to, but it's tougher when she's being called to testify about the time she was sexually assaulted in an enclosed space.

[Badger]

That whole airline/airplane line of questioning was stupid.
What was the prosecutor pursuing here?

Goes to her credibility and the timeline of the accusation. She's fine with flying all the time to Polynesia but not to DC?

no

It was a critique of a very poor criticism of Ford, Tori. Please get off your excessive hyperbole high horse.

[Torie]

That whole airline/airplane line of questioning was stupid.
What was the prosecutor pursuing here?

Goes to her credibility and the timeline of the accusation. She's fine with flying all the time to Polynesia but not to DC?

no

It was a critique of a very poor criticism of Ford, Tori. Please get off your excessive hyperbole high horse.

No. I will not allow you getting personal in any way. Period.

[new_patomic]

That whole airline/airplane line of questioning was stupid.
What was the prosecutor pursuing here?

Goes to her credibility and the timeline of the accusation. She's fine with flying all the time to Polynesia but not to DC?

Seems flying west is easier than flying east.

... . By that way she clearly meant flying for a vacation is supposed to to be grilled by bunch of people about the most traumatic moment in her life with open hostility.

Indeed.