McConnell has very clearly demonstrated he is literally prejudiced against the testimony of Dr Blasey and he should recuse himself from further participation in the Kavanaugh hearings. He could have made no clearer statement that he has already decided what he is going to do in response to Dr Blasey's testimony, no matter what she says.
The Senate is a determinative body and must be subject to some rules of impartiality - if not, then why are the hearings even taking place? It's like there are just no rules at all now in the Senate, it's a shadow play to comply with rules held in contempt before a partisan split. Someone should look it up.
There will soon be a very significant consequence to these events. If Dr Blasey chose to do so, she can still make a felony complaint of attempted rape against Kavanaugh under Maryland state law. That would initiate a criminal investigation. Surely, doesn't just that possibility make it fundamentally improper to further deliberate on this nomination?
If Kavanaugh had suddenly been accused of murder, would the reaction be anything comparable with this fiasco? The two crimes are both serious felonies, how is it possible that the reaction is so ludicrously divergent? A serious accusation against a Supreme Court nominee must be fully investigated before any vote can be held in the proper execution of Constitutional responsibilities.
This madness needs to be brought to a stop. This process is going to seriously degrade American justice.
95
At this point, Dr. Blasey’s accusations need to be examined not only for her sake but for that of Judge Kavanaugh and of the entire Supreme Court — especially if Republicans are convinced of the nominee’s innocence.
The F.B.I. investigated Ms. Hill’s accusations, and it should investigate Dr. Blasey’s. Immediately....
55
The billionaire community needs to weigh in. Do you want your nominee chosen so badly that you will stoop to anything? Are you so desperate for more power, more money, that you have no compunction trampling the rights of Dr. Blasey? This what you are showing to the whole world, as your puppet party dances to your will.
66
I think the real challenge here is: None of the Blasley information was found by the FBI during their investigation, and, no other evidence currently exists supporting Blasely except her word. I think it is likely she is telling the truth, but, we cannot just throw Kavanaugh out because of one unproven account.
I am no fan of spoiled, rich, boys who grew up without religion and without boundaries like Kavanaugh. They have no way to ground themselves and should not be in leadership. But, that's how America works. It is not illegal to be spoiled, undisciplined and rich and abusive. Actually, it is kind of normal in this country.
In Kavanaugh's case the real threat is his very high debt and almost no investments. He is open for purchase....and I am sure that is why Republicans are so excied about him.
But, we cannot just throw him out for one person's word based accusation without any proof. That's what the old Soviet Union did and what the US did during the McCarthy era.
Is that what the NY Times is seeking?
8
Desperate democrats delaying. That is all this is.
Mr Kavanaugh is innocent until proven guilty. The onus is on Ms Ford to prove her accusations. And she has no evidence. None. Zippo. Nada. Not even enough using the “preponderance of the evidence” standard. There is nothing for any law enforcement agency to investigate. There is no semen stained blue dress. There is no dead body trapped in a car on the bottom of Chappaqua harbor. There is no grainy video, nor boastful audio recording. There are not 7 other women coming forward with similar accusations. There isn’t even one other women. So Ms Ford has no evidence. She cannot even tell us where to look for evidence. Mr Kavanaugh is innocent because he cannot be proven guilty. And he cannot be proven guilty because, in all likelihood, this is a Rolling Stone Duke lacrosse hit job – a false or fabricated female fantasy. Let her testify and be grilled and cross examined -- and then disappear into obscurity as Mr Kavanaugh ascends to the Supreme Court.
Desperate democrats delaying. But McConnel is right. Kavanaugh will be the next justice.
Trump in 2020. Six more years!
17
Republicans, look at the Catholic Church and beware, because you took your cues from the same drive for power, covering up, and one day you will pay for it as the Church is paying now.
40
Dr. Blasey voluntarily took, and passed, a lie detector test.
The sole witness was not only drunk, he is a documented-in-writing blackout drunk who spent high school wasted and hooking up - and he wrote about a fellow vomiting drinker named "Bart O'Kavanaugh".
Skewering Dr. Blasey with questions from men hell-bent on taking birth control rights from women will not prove or disprove sexual assault. Kavanaugh needs to take a lie detector test and answer questions about this accusation and about any others that he may not "remember" - and ask him about his 2006 Senate testimony on torture for good measure of this Supreme Court justice nominee.
30
Mr Editor all said and done there is a difference between the case of Ms Hill and Dr Blasey.Mr President is right when he says that whereas Ms Hill complained immediately Dr Blasey took 30 years and that too at a time when Mr Kavanaugh is nominated as a Supreme court judge.If this comment is not published atleast you can think over and change your report tomorrow.
9
Trump declares that Dr. Blasey is not telling the truth. That notwithstanding the well known syndrome that rape victims do not report sexual assaults that Dr Blasey’s silence proves IT never happened. What is the point of a hearing? Trump does not need it. Nor do his Republican cronies.The ghost of Roy Cohn looms large. Trump makes his corrupt role model proud. Cohn’s finger prints are all over this administration.
30
We believe men molested by priests 30 years ago, but not women molested by men 30 years ago.
Very odd.
98
An example of "oxymoron": the use of the word "brain" and "Hatch" in the same sentence.
30
Republicans have learned that they can ignore morality and ethics, and still get elected. Given that, their only remaining imperative is to win because this is the modus operandi of psychopathy. GOP--the Rich Leading the Gullible.
34
When you elect politicians that brag about sexually assaulting women you only give license to more abuse. Get out and vote for a new set of real leaders next month!
45
This is the most nauseating and offensive display of Republican arrogance and authoritarian proclivities since King George decided that the Stamp Acts were perfectly fine as a way to have Americans pay for England’s European wars.
Like the King, Clarence Thomas claimed himself the victim and that his hearings were a “lynching.” It is no exaggeration to claim that the Republican “gentlemen” of the Committee, led by that old reprobate Grassley, are conducting a highly refined pantomime rape out in the open, before the mikes and TV cameras as they proclaim their own innocent motivations while demanding that Ford “give” them what they need, when and as THEY NEED IT.
It may be nearly 30 years since these same men performed their first character rape — of Anita Hill, but they continue to declare their innocence and moral purity even as they do their evil deed right before our eyes! The stench of unethical and lying behavior from this Committee is still there every time Thomas makes a decision. He can never escape the truth of his own sexual misconduct because Anita Hill never had a fair hearing. In the years since, it is she who has been the profile in courage and the Republicans become even more of the midget men than they were then.
That Kavanaugh allows himself to be morally and ethically diminished because of his acquiescence to this treatment of Ms Ford should already tell the public that he does not yet have the moral character for the Supreme Court.
24
What Franklin Graham said leaves me physically ill.
29
You can't have a battle of wits with unarmed people.
Maybe the left really should turn radical. It's the only behavior these sadistic Republicans might comprehend.
13
A NYT op-ed writer, Ross Douthat, posted the following on his twitter account on September 20 regarding Ed Whelan's spurious doppelganger theory:
"I do know Ed Whelan, which makes me assume there's more reason to believe the doppelganger theory than just what he just tweeted. We'll see."
Well, we saw that Whelan was forced to retract his bogus theory and apologize.
6
Bottom line: if you ever used force to gain some "advantage", you are not a gentleman, period!
5
We need a national Report Your Sexual Assault Day to your local police department before the vote on this guy. Maybe that will get their attention.
8
No time. No date. No police report. No rape kit. No hospital report. No texts. No photos. No mention to mom. No mention to dad. No contemporaneous mention to even a single friend. No cell phone record. No landline record. No GPS phone location. No video surveillance video.
All we have is her word of a 36 year old allegation against a then-minor who couldn't have even been charged. Who just so coincidentally happens to be a liberal California professor who is a Democratic Party donor and has attended anti-Trump rallies. Who has waited until the last minute.
Against the word of an Article III Federal Appellate Judge.
Even if true, I wonder how Libs would feel if Americans were routinely charged and jailed as minors - e.g. for dealing drugs on the streets - and denied jobs decades later on that basis. And the effect on minorities. Hypocrisy much?
12
As the Supreme Court is now a political tool, there should be term limits and a court that is balanced in gender, race and religion. This is no land for old white men.
23
As Kavanaugh finishes out his week at the WH, strategizing with Bill Shine (the SME on covering up sexual assault at Fox), Dr. Blasey-Ford is in an undisclosed location, fearing for her life and watching Senator Grassley's team use the media to further assault her. Only this time, Grassley is sending arbitrary deadlines (10 pm today) without directly consulting her attorney and demanding she heed the majority of their demands, tied to no precedent, but instead loyalty to their master, whose will it is to get two Supreme Court nominations, at all cost - Constitution be damned.
This morning, McConnell promised delivery of a Kavanaugh confirmation, without any caveat. Why? Why not?
The feigning of "listening to her side" by the GOP was the "step change" from the Thomas confirmations they wanted to put on display in the #Metoo era, in a patronizing attempt to woo educated, suburban white women in the midterms.
The very fact that Kavanaugh is even a nominee is all the proof one needs that this GOP membership will not further investigate nor seriously listen to any allegations of misdeeds, particularly one that highlights alleged violence against a woman. The very essence of rightful male dominance defines both Kavanaugh's opinions and their policies.
Is McConnell so different from Trump? Both men seem to believe that vanity trumps democratic norms and values.
31
All Republicans on the Committee are white men. A few are very old white men. What about their daughters and granddaughters? It is almost guaranteed some female family members of Senate Republicans have been victims of sexual abuse. I can only imagine the family life of these individuals. There is no way they can actually have any loving feelings for the women in their lives. To these men they should still be chattel.
234
Yup. Kind of like Senate Democrats announced they would oppose Judge Kavanagh before he had a chance to appear before the Senate. Both parties are really the same animal with the only difference being the color of their spots.......and we all know animals can't change their spots.
8
i only need two words to describe the lying, scheming, immoral GOP : Devin Nunez.
40
... and Ed Whalen.... what a sorry excuse for a serious citizen, of any country! Casting blame sprung from the ether of his seriously misguided musings... tell me again that this character has a law degree... from any credible school!
14
The NYT editorial board has shown time and time again it's left wing bias. from it and numerous editorial writers they have stated that the FBI should investigate to get at the facts and because it is a neutral arbiter. It then states that the FBI investigated the Anita Hill allegations so it should do so here. But what these pieces all irresponsibly leave out is the reported fact that The FBI found the Anita Hill accusations Unfounded!! did that finding diffuse the controversy...did that finding prompt the partisans who opposed Clarence Thomas to say ok the FBI investigation cleared Judge Thinas...no! Would the NYT conclude that the accusations were false Then? No. just like it never made that conclusion in the Anita Hill matter.
Than it takes to task Republicans for already forming their conclusions before an investigation was complete or before hearing from Ford. Yet, it says absolutely nothing when Democratic Senators Schumer, Harris, Booker and others publicly stare that they believe her without hearing any witnesses or any investigation at all!!. This whole circus has nothing to do with justice it's all about politics and to report it as if it either side is acting in a comlpetely partisan matter is as irresponsible as deliberately not mentioning that the FBI cleared Clarence Thomas.
10
On Friday, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, spoke at the Values Voter Summit, reassuring evangelical activists that the Senate was going to “plow right through” and, “In the very near future, Judge Kavanaugh will be on the United States Supreme Court.”
Well, DUH. How do you say "the fix is in" in Kentuckian?
Mitch thinks he is a great tactician (deciding on January 20, 2009 that President Obama would be a one term POTUS and that the Rs would not work with him on anything, holding the Merrick Garland nomination hostage for almost a year, and so forth).
If there is a God in heaven, the American people will send Mitch (and his puppet Donnie) a message on November 6.
The best message would be to make Mitch the Minority Leader. He deserves that job - again.
After the people of Kentucky get shafted by him (again), he needs to lose his election in 2022.
21
The Republican Party has assumed the narcissist personality disorder of the party leader Donald Trump, narcissism incarnate, they can't even feign empathy. Separating families, abusing and violating women, staving the poor, removing assistance for the sick, they are disgusting in their cruelty.
24
No room for anyone in the GOP but old, white men. In fact, Orrin Hatch attempted to pass along Whelen's conspiracy, I called his office and told him exactly what I thought of this.
I suggest all Americans contact these 11 old, out-of-touch white men and explain, this country no longer looks like them, fortunately.
22
The Editorial Board in its true liberal Don Quixote style, points its barbs at another windmill and expects its liberal left followers in Sancho like style, to worship and praise their ludicrous exploits against the administration. The G.O.P. wants what the Editorial Board avoids facts. What is in question are the recollections of a 15 year old decades later. As appealing as it may be to side with Prof. Ford, one must also give equal consideration to Judge Kavanaugh. The Editorial Board should ask the Duke lacrosse team how it felt to be wrongly accused, publicly vilified, and though vindicated later, the affect the acquisitions have had on their reputations and personal lives. Prof Ford with Feinstein's orchestration, created this quagmire and the Editorial Board paints the G.O.P. s the villain? They should mount their Socialist Democratic Donkey and like the man of La Mancha,ride off into the sunset of reality.
9
Why is it so hard to understand the trauma of sexual assult that women are forced to start a #WhyIDidReport and #WhyIDidNotReport? I don't get it. Why discard these offenses so readily? Why put blame on victims? It is so appalling and disheartening to see elected officials and Christian leaders support alleged abuser(s). I ask: where are the morals? Because the moral of this story tells us: Women and minorities never matter.
19
Doctor Christine Ford has just proven that there is no democracy and no racism in America.
If a white female was afraid to go to the police three decades ago to report that she was sexually attacked, then the system was discriminating against the Caucasians on the gigantic scale. If her father, again the Caucasian, was terrified to even try to persuade his molested daughter go to the police, then the system oppressed both white males and females.
If even the US President and his close aids are complaining, for a couple a years now, that the FBI and the Justice Department are targeting them without any justification, thus solely based on a color of their skin, or sex, then both the Caucasian whites and females are widely discriminated against in this country.
If everybody feels unjustifiably targeted and unfairly treated just because of who we are, then there is no racism in America but neither democracy.
Greta job, professor Ford, great job in proving this case!
2
I cannot say that I am surprised but I am ever so disappointed. What Kind of Times Are These?
5
This just confirms what women have known all along, Republicans do not have our backs.
The picture that is emerging of Kavanagh is another boys will be boys white fraternity menacing person.
At seventeen, he already made a decision to do the wrong thing, it’s in his character.
20
Republicans true sentiment.... How dare Blasey Ford get in the way of our nomination process.....who does she think she is??
16
It is obvious that there is a resistance in the US against all things Trump.
The motto to some is by all means necessary, and that that the end justifies the means.
It is a very know tactic that some make false allegations – Duke Lacrosse, Tawada Brawley, Rachel Dolezal, etc. more.
It is clear that we are witnessing another one of those cases.
Dr Ford is a professional with a good reputation and conveniently went to school at approx the same time and place as Kavanaugh did. It seems very likely that she is using this opportunity to concoct a story that sounds plausible enough, but leaves important details out that would not hold-up under cross-examination. Very clever. She conveniently blames her memory for the absence of these important details.
There are many liberal progressives who are vehemently opposed to this nomination, some see this as a direct threat to Roe v Wade. To them, derailment by any means necessary is totally justified and even the moral thing to do. To them, a concocted story is a minor crime compared to achieving their aim to derail the nomination, which will serve the greater good. Because they decide what is the greater good and not the voters who elected Trump who nominated Kavanaugh, and not the voters who elected the Senators who are on track to confirm Kavanaugh.
Never mind that the US does not have the stomach to overturn long settled law - Roe v Wade - anyway.
20
@Philly
There are some on the other side of "liberal progressives" who see no problem in ignoring the Constitution. I'm talking about Mitch McConnell denying Merrick Garland a hearing and a vote.
140
@Philly
trump must go because he has displayed a lack of qualification as well as a disrespect for the First Amendment. Also by the time Mueller completes his investigation there will be other valid reasons.
On the other hand, McConnell chose to ignore his responsibilities and just do all he could to derail a presidency, including denying a Supreme Court nominee a fair hearing.
Republicans in Congress are bad for this country. They are very much concerned with their party, their elections, and covering for a questionably-elected president. Dr. Blasey deserves a fair hearing, including an FBI investigation.
73
@philly Obama has two terms in office after winning both the electoral and popular votes easily. He nominated a moderate conservative, Merritt Garland. The senate. refused to do their job of advising and consenting on the nominee, as laid out in the constitution. Mitch McConnell would not allow Gatland's consideration as a nominee and kept the seat open for nearly a year till the republicans were ina politically advantageous situation.
115
Men report sexual assault from priests 30 years later, public outrage.
Women report sexual assault 30 years later, public doubt.
681
Not helping your cause, NYT – just can’t keep your editorial thumbs holstered for 24 hours, can you…
“…As insulting as this “she’s just a confused girl” defense may be, it is modestly less offensive than the snickering boys-will-be-boys excuses…
Once Wikileaks passed your polemic to the crack WH legal staff, they instantly and cleverly co-mingled these two SCOTUS-class sagacities into a bulletproof counterpunch…
The “He’s just a confused boy” defense…
They had Giuliani pitch it to Trump about 15 minutes ago – he was reportedly ecstatic, upon hearing the approach…
After tweeting up Kelly to expedite copyrighting and firing both Rosenstein and Mueller in a single two-thumbs-down follow-up salvo, Trump’s only question to Rudy was how things were going with the Kavanaugh mess…
Rudy reportedly told him that things were still pretty confused on that front – and to leave the details to him and Kelly…
2
What the Republican Mafia (they are not a party - these guys will basically do anything to get their "way") can't even do is fake they will listen to Dr. Blasey with an open mind. It's clear they will confirm Kavanaugh regardless of Blasey's testimony. I'm sorry she must share her story with people who don't care to listen. We can hope they will be polite. Yes, it is pessimistic, but extremely likely the Republicans will all dutifully vote for the judge - even the two Republican women.
17
Funny how the DNC top strategist, James Carville, once said: "If you drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you'll find."
You have to give the GOP a tad more credit than that! Lol
4
I read all the comments posted on this topic. You all sound like you are reading from the same playbook. Ah..... I don't know what happened or didn't happen, and neither do any of you. It would be nice to have her agree to tell her story; might just be helpful.
9
Republicans advocate abstinence only as birth controlled in sex ed yet strive to confirm a man who attempted rape as a teen to the Supreme Court. Gotta love ‘em.
19
There are only three possibilities:
He’s lying;
She’s lying;
She’s telling the truth about what happened but mistaken on her attacker’s identity.
The President and GOP don’t care what happened; they just want Kavanaugh confirmed as quickly as possible.
The Democrats and the “Resistance” (including this paper) want this process extended by hearing multiple witnesses after an FBI investigation, and then Kavanaugh rejected, as he is a rapist and liar - and oh, of course, because he would overturn Roe v. Wade. Then, hopefully, the next nominee will be rejected under a majority Democrat Senate.
Politics is the gift that just keeps giving.
6
Grassley is the most disgusting of them all, or was it Hatch who said Dr Ford is " mixed up'
The lot of them remind me of the town council at a Salem witch trial.
31
It used t be popular by men to say that she was wearing a short skirt so was asking for it, it re-victimizing the victim has fallen out of favor thank goodness. At with Democrats.
2
In a better world, one would ask the Republicans, "Wouldn't you want to be sure that the man you are wanting to give a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court didn't attempted to rape a 15 year old girl? Wouldn't you want to fully investigate that to be sure you are not appointing an attempted rapist?"
In a more honest world, nearly all Republicans would respond, "No."
21
Earlier today, without hearing her statement, and in the face of what should be, by ANY standard, very disturbing allegations of attempted rape, including hand gagging and an accomplice, Mitch McConnell assured his acolytes that BK "will be confirmed" and that they would just "plow right through this."
HUH?
"Plow right through" what exactly?
The part where they lock the door ? The part where her mouth is covered? The part where he grinds himself into her ?
What a sham.
35
"Leave it to Donald Trump to strip away the mask and reveal the troglodyte beneath." Mr. Trump reminds me of the movie "Men In Black", where the Edgar character (an evil alien in a bad fitting human body) ties to act like a normal person but invariably gets frustrated and spews green bile everywhere while breaking everything within reach.
18
In an obvious political ambush, exactly why should they treat the accusations with respect? It's a complete hatchet job designed to exploit the MeToo movement. The accuser's current story differs significantly from the therapist's notes, she doesn't know when or where it took place, and it allegedly happened 36 years ago !
Where is the Democratic "respect" (or that of the Times' editorial board) for all of the women victimized by Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy and so many others ?
5
>>“Well, there wasn’t a crime committed. These are two teenagers and it’s obvious that she said no and he respected it and walked away.”<<
. . . which is why Kavenaugh saw fit to cover her mouth so completely that she couldn't breathe and even thought he might kill her.
Who can possibly question the deep and genuine respect young Kav must have had for his 15-year old victim??
11
Why can’t this Professor Whatever Her Name Is just be a good girl and forget about it, instead of causing all of this trouble. For what? He’s a good guy, always treats his women with respect, hires a lot of them as law clerks, makes their careers. And he goes to Mass every Sunday! She’s just a troublemaker, probably a man-hater, who’s just out to wreck a wonderful person’s great reputation. This would never have happened in the old days. A bit of teenage misbehavior was expected then, by everyone. Hey Melania, bring me my favorite red cap, with the gold MAGA letters on it.
12
Where's the mention of the large group of women supporting Kavanaugh, one of whom dated him. I think the Times has made up its mind that the event took place with those named. I think it very plausible that this woman...not all women...this woman has the persons incorrect but the trauma correct. Is it normal to remember a trauma as momentous but forget the address of where the trauma took place? I have never seen that prior to this woman.
How many editors here let non cooking family members change the time of a formal dinner at the last several hours? They don't because long term chaos and disappointments are at stake in all formal dinners going forward. Pretending that this is just one singular event is foolish. It's a precedent closely watched by people in both parties for new possibilities in the art of the last hour logjam.
5
Bravo! Finally some backbone formation from the Editorial Board!
We need you there. We need you there strong. We need you there leading.
Kavanaugh is bad for the Nation.
All the dead Sulzbergers and Ochs’s will approve.
I can feel it. Go for it.
Let’s end this nightmare the same way Nabokov end the nightmare in the final page of Invitation to a Beheading.
2
What a bunch of spineless, immoral jerks! They use dismissive terms (Dean Heller: she's a "hiccup" along the way, Orrin Hatch: she must be "mixed up") and can barely bring themselves to say her NAME (yes, it's DOCTOR Christine Blasey Ford) when sneeringly referring to her. And today, after roughly 24 hours of remarkably inconsistent restraint, the Groper-in-Chief himself is back to normal, blasting Dr. Ford - and her "loving parents" !!! - for not immediately reporting the assault years ago. (Ever hear of the hundreds of people who were abused by their priests, and didn't say a word for DECADES? Bet those evangelicals in "the base" know about them!) This entire confirmation process is a disgraceful debacle. Nice work, Republicans.
23
Evangelicals and ultra conservatives want Kavanaugh on the Court in order to control this country’s future and stop the “war on religion”. They see this man as the means to finally overturn Roe v. Wade, and the creationists are waiting in the wings to create a new reality. Welcome to evangelical Sharia law American style.
31
Cannot even fake their empathy. Instead their petulent misogyny informs all indignant and churly harangues coming out of their toxic mouths. 'Many people say they are very, very old and should retire. Many people say.'
10
Those wicked Republican Senators. They can't hide their disrespect for Christine Blasey Ford (and women in general). Now they are actually insisting that Ford "testify on their terms."
Yeah right. The narrative never changes.
The facts are that the confirmation hearings had closed when Ford's accusations were produced by Sen. Feinstein, and the Senate reopened the hearings just for her. (The timing of the accusations' release was purely coincidental of course. If you believe that, I have a bridge...).
Ford responded by trying to dictate terms to the Senators -- they had to order an FBI investigation or she would not testify. Next she tried to dictate to the Senate who would testify at the hearing. Then she refused to appear on Monday.
Don't you understand that Ford has a DUTY to testify. Having made grave allegations against Kavanaugh, having put his family through hell, and having derailed the confirmation process, that she owes it to all of us to put up or shut up, and she doesn't get to set any conditions.
If Ford had been a man, she would probably have subpoenaed by now and compelled to testify by now. But had that happened, all hell would have broken loose, and the Times would be reminding us that she is only a fragile helpless woman, and so is entitled to special treatment. That is what the Times means by "respect." (Funny how those discredited old patriarchal stereotypes of women can come in handy sometimes!).
4
I wonder why the GOP seems to have such difficulty finding a supreme court nominee who is not a sex offender?
13
If only I were sophisticated enough to see this as you do: Ms. Ford as a helpless damsel in distress aided by the sincere attentions of compassionate Democrats. How the Times loves a martyr; if it isn't whining one week about how mean everyone's been to the media, thus elevating the poor-me syndrome to the highest standards of journalistic art, it is hawking another story of one of Donald Trump's victims, the tale of Poor Ms. Ford, to whom nobody will listen! And the only ones willing to help are her lawyers from Hillary Clinton's campaign, Senator Diane Feinstein and her pitiful staff, the editorial board of the Times itself, and the fist-pumping Hollywood elite. What chance do they stand against a monster like Brett Kavanaugh? What chance did she ever have against a brut like that?
3
Why didn't she bring this up years ago? Some bozo attorney paid for by George Soros set up this sham situation. The reality is that Ford gets hurt and Diane Feinstein stalls things which benefit Feinstein and the Democratic party. Professor Ford is being used in the worst possible way and by her own party.
5
Why would they--classic DNC Politburo character assassination at the last minute? Fear of Roe v. Wade disappearing?
Worse, the accuser is a constituent who lives and works in Lenin's Bay Area, Feinstein-Harris country.
4
The Republicans just do not wish to learn the facts behind Dr Blasey Ford allégations against the Supreme Court nomineee. Mr Brett Kavanaugh is most controversial and as poll indicating that he is least favoured by a majority of Americans since his poll numbers are lower than Bork ( a rejected Supreme Court nominee ).
Senate Judicial Committee members ,in particular its Chairman Mr Grasseley, demonstrating brazen derelection of duty and a most callous disregard to the fairness in scrutiny.It demonstrates that America under Trump is slipping from the fairness in discharge of the Constitutional propriety and even negating the rule of law.
The Republicans cannot rationally explain why such a great rush to appoint Mr Kavanaugh despite he is a tainted candidate of a charge,alleged rape of a 15 year old lady.Is it because with the passage of time more skeletons against Mr Kavanaugh ability for the job will come out of the closet ?
Furthermore, Republican members of the Committee ( no exception ) are not ashamed to malign Dr Blasey .To brand her ' confused' or 'mixed up' falls flat on their face ,since Dr Blasey is a respectable academic of no less than a rank of professor in a discipline as astute as ' Clinical Psychology".
Professor Blasey Ford has put her life upside down ,consciously,that the repercussions of her announcement of an ordeal that she had been subjected 30 years ago when she was just 15.
She has not been treated with dignity that she deserves.Shame- shame.
13
The biggest jiu jitsu of all time is that women are the ones who are blamed and shamed after men assault them.
18
What puzzles me, as the USA is such a violent society, witness the concurrent CNN story of 3 separate incidents of mass violence within mere hours of each other, that there will be one too many episodes of the republicans running roughshod over democracy and there will be a provocation of general
violence. I realize these are big shots protected by heavy security but there has been in your country mass unrest before. Where is the fault line where the tsunami of injustice breaks forth. Where is the eruption that produces your symbolic Indian Ocean tsunami. I observe in the stories and comments in the NYT such brazen inequality and anger among the commenters. How long will this be suppressed. It cannot all be contained in the trump rabble rallies and lie fests.
3
I think we all know how this will end. HE said, she said and we all know the HE is much more believable, just ask all the women Trump assaulted. I was amazed he could keep his twitter finger quiet all week, but the true man finally proved he couldn't keep his homophobic feelings quiet. Oops, time to change the subject again - maybe more tariffs or summits or criticism of the Justice department or surely Hillary must have don't something bad we haven't talked about in a while.
5
Wow, how brazen can you get? What kind of life is that to
throw away all decency and moral values for money and perceived power? How many lies, how much denial? How many dark deeds? It must be exhausting to be a Republican in office. Cheat and steal to win, God can that be any fun? Isn't everything in their lives fake? I feel like Anne Frank tonight.
7
Mr. Franklin,
There wasn't a rape committed. But there was a crime committed.
12
Likewise, Democrats can’t fake a rush to judgment before having the facts. Their lack of civility is palpable.
5
The “age of #metoo” has become like the Salem Witch Trials, where simply claiming assault is a confirmation of male guilt until proven innocent. Ford has no leg to stand on, other that her so-called memories that were “refined” through psychotherapy.
5
Jesus taught, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Why do politicians who who claim to be Christians have no confidence in knowing the truth.
11
Women, this is yours to take.
Call or email your senator NOW.
This madness has to stop.
4
What a disgusting charade the Republicans are putting on! Nobody’s buying it.
8
“Doing so carries real political risks in the age of #MeToo”
Absolute rubbish.
Trump is a documented sex offender but let’s not even discuss the sexist voters who voted for him. Many liberals and progressives knew we have a two-party system that only allows for a Republican or Democrat to win, yet they went ahead and voted for third party Jill Stein KNOWING their vote was helping Trump win and KNOWING the Supreme Court was at stake. Yet Hillary, they indignantly claimed in these very comments sections, would have been worse than a documented sex offender nominating an accused sex offender to the court. And they still do what is considered absolutely anathema in the age of “metoo”, blame Hillary for Bill’s actions.
So don’t tell me about political risks in the age of metoo. There are none. White heterosexual Christian males will rule this country to my grave because there is a large and still surprisingly sexist portion of the progressive base that would rather see a documented sex offender in the White House than a capable progressive woman. And most of them can’t even be bothered to vote their supposedly purer values in mid-terms and especially local elections, where a progressively pure third party candidate has a better chance of winning.
Sure, progressive Twitter talks a good talk with metoo, but come November that same Twitter crowd will make sure that sexist, racist white heterosexual Christian males will continue to experience absolutely no political risk.
6
These editorial words are telling: "...can't even fake respect...." So many constructions can be built around it. Stormy Daniels and her lawyer have more class.
4
Watching this disgusting performance by the supposed leaders in the GOP, especially the female senators, makes one wonder why any woman would ever vote for a republican.
18
If Kavanaugh’s parents are still alive, perhaps trump should at least be shaming them too. He won’t but us women should along with shaming Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh should not represent this country the rest of his life, he is unfit as is our president.
9
November, yes remember November
6
Mitch, in the very near future, you can return to Kentucky, and take tender loving care of your Money. WE are done with you and your hypocrisy, obstruction and fake piety. The Women of America are about to teach the GOP a much needed lesson. WE are fed up, and are going to clean House. And Senate.
Seriously.
24
Trump is now standing like Wile E. Coyote after his own bomb went off ...
They are desperate to ram Kavanaugh through before the public tide of rage from women grows unbearable, and they don't realize it already has. The polls show support for Kavanaugh as worse than Harriet Miers ... and those don't factor in the last two days. Ivanka told her dad to "cut bait"; Patti Davis just wrote of her sexual assault, in support of Blasey.
You'll see a torrent of pro-Kavanaugh comments from Trump supporters, dissing Blasey, but it is all missing the real issue: women and a lot of men are angry at Trump's groping, and having him appoint an accused sexual assaulter is just too much. On top of the history of Anita Hill, and the current #MeToo Trump could not have picked a worse candidate to get confirmed. "Bart O'Kavanaugh:"privileged prep-school binge-drinking fratboy wannabe -- about the worst look Trump could have found, on top of Trump's groping and "bimbo eruptions."
Trump is now seriously increasing the risk that Kavanaugh won't get confirmed AND the Republicans will lose the Senate.
Trump should have nominated Joan Larson, and gotten this bleep-show off the air. Now he's chained his party to a rotting carcass ... the result may bring him down too.
4
But, Editorial Board, don’t you see? This is the new normal. The fish stinks from the head. Trump gets away with breaking laws, norms, hearts. Openly. He lies. No consequences. He colludes. No consequences. He obstructs. No consequences. If it works for him, it can work for the entire Republican Party. This is our current reality. We all know what the Republicans SHOULD do. They won’t. We have a bunch of liars, scoundrals and good old boys (and a few gals) running the United States of America. Thick as thieves. We are in a National Emergency. I am praying for the beginning of the turn around in November, but there’s a lot of undoing to do. It will be decades before we’re set right again.
18
Presumed innocent... period
5
I’d hate to be the wife or daughter of one of these Republicans. The late Clayton Williams, one-time failed Republican gubernatorial candidate in Texas, learned his lesson when he equated rape with bad weather. “Rape is kinda like bad weather. If it’s inevitable, sit back, relax and try to enjoy it.”
Needless to say, he lost to Ann Richards, and that was in 1990.
It is now almost thirty years later, and Republicans are still proving themselves to be insensitive, condescending, and misogynistic slobs. They are reaping the harvest of decades of chauvinistic behavior, and deserve every bit of it.
Kavanaugh has been accused of far worse than cracking an offensive joke. He may yet go down to defeat, and Republicans may yet fail to learn a lesson they’ve never been able to comprehend. The consequence of their bias against women may well cause them to lose control of one or both houses of Congress in next month’s midterm elections.
They should remember this if that happens: if it’s inevitable, sit back, relax, and try to enjoy it.
10
Plain bias. At the same time, the Democrats are completely ignoring the women who are accusing DNC Chair Keith Ellison and Democratic Congressman Sherrod Brown of abuse. Hypocrites!
5
It wouldn’t matter if Kavanaugh had shot someone on Fifth Ave., he still wouldn’t have lost any Republican votes. According to their base, Republican Congress and the President have one job; stuff the courts, Supreme and lower. It is unfortunate for them that Kavanaugh’s offense is allegedly that he assaulted a woman and didn’t shoot a classmate. Democrats like to argue philosophies of how to govern, Republicans like to determine the means to the end of forever remaining in power.
11
Sorry, but still believe Judge Kavanaugh’s side of the story......stating that he wasn’t even at the party! Senator Grassley and his committee have bended over backwards to accommodate Ms Ford. The only motive behind this whole sordid mess is.......political. At this point, the real victims here are Judge Kavanaugh and his family.
6
Keep hiding in New York City...
I actually have to agree with the current tenant of the White House when he says "I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with Local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!”
this is the problem with #MeToo. They complain about there being no remedy, and yet they roundly ignore the legal remedy that is in place in such situations.
This makes #MeToo's flagrant allegations - DECADES, in some cases, after the fact - just extremely problematic.
Another thing that I find interesting about this is: where IS #MeToo right now?
I would think they would be a'hootin' and a'hollarin' about this right now. But I'm hearing 'nary a peep reported.
5
One of the BEST -- and most TRUTHFUL -- editorials I've read in decades.... in fact, since Watergate! McConnell et al should go home and sulk until Nov. 7... and then hide! Thanks, NYT editorial board!
6
There us something is really fishy between Mr Kavanaugh and Mr Trump starting with the sycophantic Kavanaugh acceptance speech at the Whitehouse with wife and two beautiful (Mr trump's words) daughters looking on. When Kavanaugh smiles he looks like a choirboy, but when under pressure not so, and we are finding out he has a dark side. If you are hiding something it is generally because it will not bear scrutiny and you are ashamed. Seems like he has a bit to be ashamed of including, as we already know, not telling the truth. Liars have a brain programmed to lie. And if someone has paid your gambling debts you do as you are told.
13
Anyone who shows respect, even fake for FkeDonald are not capable of knowing a person with good character and knowing the boundaries of good behavior. They sing the song in bible and pray Jesus, but in reality they practice the adoration of a Devil named Trump.
3
Two thoughts:
1. This is the President of the United States of America bub whose words assault common decency every day.
2 Being called out as a liar by Donald Trump is like being called out as a two- bit grifter by, um, Donald Trump.
9
Haven't we come far in 26 years? Back then the line drawn was just the other side of crude language and sexual innuendo to your employees. Today, the line is drawn just the other side of sexual assault/attempted rape. We should be so proud.
9
Ad an independent, I’m watching this political drama unfold with a certain detached fascination. While I have tremendous sympathy for Ms. Ford’s experience (as she is a psychologist, and not a medical doctor, I will use the NY Times’ own convention for referring to people who hold doctorates; see for example Ms. Janet Yellen), the reality is that the Democrats are playing a political game here, trying to delay Mr. Kavanaugh’s confirmation until after the midterms when they hope to have a House majority. And the Republicans are playing a political game trying to get him confirmed before that. And both sides are playing to the American public. Personally, I am rather enjoying the maneuvering and very curious to see who wins. For now, I think it’s the Republicans. Ms. Ford is a political pawn (willing or unwilling) and I don’t believe that either side gives a fig leaf for her as a person. The other reality is that most people have flawed recollections of particular events. I’m about the same age as Ms. Ford and Mr. Kavanaugh and there have been several instances when I’ve shared memories with childhood friends only to have them tell me I’m misremembering events. Ms. Ford’s horrible experience is unfortunately not unusual and causes me to worry for my own daughter. It’s just not clear that Mr. Kavanaugh was the perpetrator. This will play out on partisan lines and it remains to be seen what the ramifications on the midterm elections will be.
43
@Shiv, you really think the *Democrats* are the ones playing the political game? After Merrick Garland? With all the secret documents about Kavanaugh? Etc.?
189
Since the Senate, not the House, confirms judicial appointments, what possible benefit is a delay in a scotus nomination, even if the Ds take the House?
However, judges and justices can be impeached for perjury. I’ve seen enough to consider that Mr Kavanaugh will already face impeachment over previous statements he’s made. As a member, I consider him a disgrace to the legal profession. None of that will change if we take enough time to provide the fbi time to do their job and investigate this allegation. The only thing that seems to be an impediment to that is Republican intransigence to place their nominee under oath in this matter, or to empower subpoenas to compel testimony from Mr Judge who was there.
Hey, I get it. I wouldn’t want to lie under oath either. But then, I still have respect for the norms that govern our legal system.
21
@Thomas Zaslavsky Judge Garland’s nomination was a non-starter because of a simple numerical reality: Republicans controlled the House and the Senate and just refused to permit his nomination to be reviewed. If Democrats take the House, they will do exactly the same thing to any nominee proposed by the administration. Politics. On both sides. And while I’m sure you believe that it’s necessary to review “thousands of pages” those pages don’t reflect Judge Kavanaugh’s own thinking. That was clearly another political move by the Democrats.
If every person - male or female - who has been sexually assaulted or harassed in their lifetime all voted and voted only D we might finally make some progress in this country because if that were to happen it would be a tsunami of blue and progress could continue.
It's what we must do. Help heal yourself. Vote Blue! The R's do nothing but blame victims because so many of them are the assaulters. We even have a sexual predator sitting in the Oval.
It's time to rid ourselves of these people. And never let them rise again to torment this country and her people
10
Has anyone noticed there's no law, rule or Constitutional obligation for white men to run this country?
4
The Democrats have also been pretending to consider any nominee from Trump; though we know signs were printed-up before hand denouncing all his possible picks. Democrats won't vote for any Trump pick and America knows this. Tit for tat in politics.
5
The lack of respect shown to all women by this is awakening a sleeping giant.
And that giant is very very angry.
10
These tweets were posted by Brian Karem on twitter last night:
BREAKING: Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy says his office will investigate any complaint brought to him regarding SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh but NO complaint has been filed or forwarded to his office.
"BREAKING: Montgomery MD PD Chief Tom Manger confirms will investigate sexual allegations against Brett Kavanaugh if a complaint is filed."
In the 2nd tweet, he included the PD Chief's statement in his tweet, which you can see if you go to his timeline on twitter, @BrianKarem.
If Dr. Ford does got to DC to testify, she should make a side trip to Maryland and file charges.
5
The face of the Senate now is Grassley, a relic who apparently holds sway over colleagues like Sen. Graham, a so-called sane member of this august committee. Underestimate them at your peril, America. They have an agenda, they know where the goal posts are and they will stop at nothing until they get the president's man installed on the highest court.
The published images of the judge visiting the White House for prepping lessons reveal a total disdain for truth and candor. The headquarters for lying, counterpunching, character assassination and treachery is in or near the Oval Office. No honest judge would have need of such coaching.
10
The GOP leaders struggle to fake respect for anything that differs from the tribe credo and goals. It isn't limited to Ms Ford. They faked their struggle to replace ObamaCare. Instead it was a mindset of "just get rid of it." They fake their respect for Dear Leader. In fact, his favorite word is "fake." They even fake their hatred of debt and deficits. And while they may wrap themselves in the American flag, most would be hard-pressed now to support what it stands for.
9
This is actually a very revealing statement:
“I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with Local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!”
Trump doesn’t deny that there was an attack. He refers to “the” attack. This must have been a slip of the tongue after he’d been speaking to Kavanaugh.
And Kavanaugh’s Federalist Society comrade, Whalen, also admitted there was an attack — but argues, stupidly, that the attacker was someone else.
These guys know there was an attack. So they are arguing that it was someone else or that it wasn’t “as bad” as she says.
Trump and his minions can be counted on, when they open their mouths, to put their tiny feet squarely within.
13
What struggle? We have a female accuser who shows up 36 or so years later (she's not really sure...) to allege an assault about which her memory is very fuzzy. She can't really remember where, when, how, how many, how she got home....
We know she might have animus to the Kavanaugh's because his mom was the judge who presided over their home foreclosure. We know she's virulently active in opposing Republican politics. We know she removed all of her social media accounts (why? - what is she hiding...?) before going public.
We know Feinstein had this letter for months and sat on it. Why? Would it not have been better to investigate far sooner and save America from this circus? We now have allegations that Democrats involved with the Anita Hill circus have been involved in coaching her - why? Revenge?
We have dozens & dozens of females associated with Kavanaugh over his career defending him vigorously. Nobody seems to be listening to them - why not? We have an accuser who is insisting on having her way by insisting the accused 'go first' without hearing his accuser in person first, upending centuries of legal jurisprudence.
Knowing all of this... why would any serious thinker believe for a moment that her veracity should not be questioned? None of my comments are meant to diminish the seriousness of any potential assault - but where is the left's sense of balance & objectivity?
There will be no more evidence than what we have. Get on with the confirmation.
5
If accusing "girls" were actually to be believed (or given a chance to actually make their case), where would we be?
Would Donny be in jail?
Yes.
Oh well. And you know those legions of kids who were abused and ravaged by Catholic clergy, only to take decades to go public with their accusations, guess they were smoking dope too. Glad none of those clergymen is up for a Supreme Court nomination. Can't imagine the Republican vitriol then.
3
Thank you NYT Editors.
I am sick over the treatment that Dr. Blasey Ford been subjected to. Since this story broke I have been deeply affected: disturbed sleep, lack of appetite, emotional distress. As a survivor, I take this attack on Dr. Ford very personally. I wasn’t believed either and was called demeaning names. So this situation is a reliving for me and for countless other victimized survivors.
The unconscionable attitude, behavior, remarks from Senators Grassley, McConnell, Hatch, the jerk from South Carolina, etc....and Trump...(gag), clearly show that this Judiciary Committee, and this Administration, are infested with a bunch of thugs. They have no intention of being ethical to Dr. Ford. They are dangerous bullies, dangerous not only to women, but to ethics and to our democracy! They are absolutely terrified Kavanaugh will be found out (the truth!) so they will obfuscate, maneuver, even overlook criminal behavior in order to seat this dishonest man on the Supreme Court. We, the People, will hold these men accountable, mark our words. They do not deserve an ounce of respect.
15
I’m sorry, but it may be bad form or taboo, but I think she’s a liar. She’s trying to smear a good man who has committed his life to public service. Her evidence is non-existent - her husband? Some therapist who didn’t even hear his name? Please. Why am I supposed to believer her, because she says so? Why believe her over him?
This is 100% political, with the dems trying to push this past the midterms by any means. Not gonna happen.
7
Anita Hill's testimony had the ring of truth.
Christine Blasey Ford's accusations also have the ring of truth.
Women, we know. We've been there.
5
Then nominee Justice Thomas famously rebutted Anita Hill's sexual harassment charges with his own charges that the confirmation hearing had become "a high-tech lynching." This apparently shamed the all-white male Senators into backing his version; It never happened. In today's #MeToo environment, that wouldn't work. Judge Kavanaugh might be best advised to back off a bit and say that to the best of his recollection, he never engaged in any prep school sexual harassment. Anyhow, what difference does it any of it make? We're going to get another far right Supreme Court judge like Thomas because Democrats can't block the vote.
3
I think she should skip the hearing and make the rounds on Sunday morning tv. Then do a 60 minutes special. Have your say, Dr. Blasey!
2
Blah. Blah. Blah. Whatever.
Collins and Murkowski have secretly committed.
Republicans now own the Judiciary.
Democrats better take back the Legislature and pass some darn good laws.
For the Republicans, the ends justifies the means.
Whatever it takes, they want to be the winners.
6
A rather biased and immature Editorial.
One insult after another toward the Republicans.
Not a word about why didn't Diane Feinstein have
the story checked out before the allegation was
brought forth.
[Nor that Dianne and Nancy went in front of the microphones and defended Clinton against Lewinski
and never apologised to Lewinski. ]
If Kavanaugh were a liberal and Ford were a conservative
would the Editorial Board have written what they wrote ?
No one knows who is telling the truth, or part of the truth.
If the nominations to the Supreme Court have become
this blatantly political, where the presumption of innocence means nothing, then find some other way
to appoint Federal Judges as from now on all sorts of charges will be coming over the Senate's Transom.
By all means have an F.B.I. investigation, though to be
honest an Private Investigator who handles nasty divorces and allegations of sexual assault could probably do a better job.
Meanwhile, I would just like to know what Ford did after
she escaped the room and how long did she stay at the gathering and who,then, took her home. For it would seem that if the event was as traumatic and sudden as she claims, she would have fled the house as soon as she could in terror.
Meanwhile, I wait for other shoes to drop, for if Kavanaugh kept drinking heavily in College and in his young adulthood, it would seem there must have been
other assaults.
15 year terms for Federal Judges, 2/3rds of the Senate
must approve.
4
Stop trying to say that Democratic hypocrisy is any better than that of the Republicans. Both parties have forsaken interest in justice or the Constitution and put their party political above everything. The Democrats don't care at all about this person's accusation or her as a person. It is just a tool to block the nomination.
NYT is rapidly becoming fully politicized and part of the problem rather than the solution.
Very sad to see.
4
“Facts don’t matter in this nominating circus" - the Circus Maximus, the venue where Christians were fodder for entertainment and justice was the whim of Caesar.
The US Senate, the McConnell Circus Maximus where Evangelical Christian leader Franklin Graham can demean all Christianity with “Well, there wasn’t a crime committed. These are two teenagers and it’s obvious that she said no and he respected it and walked away.”
This is the Grassley Circus Maximus where Keystone Cop Republicans bungle another alleged but all too common, all too true crime: the rape of womankind.
Is there a single person who is not outraged and furious with Republicans over their handling of Dr. Blasey's claim? Their subtle yet outright dismissal of her truth and their demeaning of her personhood?
Oh yes, Republicans, "good Christians," mothers and fathers of daughters (and sons) who may experience a sexual attack; in fact, studies say that one in four girls will. Many Republican mothers themselves have had such experiences yet they will not speak out to validate the truth Dr. Blasey now represents; they will continue the "boys will be boys" Republican defense and allow their own daughters to experience it for themselves.
Circus Maximus is too kind a comparison for what Republicans have done to the Senate, the House, the presidency, our republic, our democracy, common decency.
The Republican Circus Maximus is not entertainment, it is a farce of government that the people recognize and end.
7
And the democrats have showed respect for Judge Kavanaugh? He said she said is always an ugly business. I am interested in seeing them testify with each other present.
5
"They are struggling to pretend they will fairly weigh her accusations against Brett Kavanaugh."
Meanwhile, Democratic Senators have proclaimed Ford's innocence, without even hearing any testimony. This editorial board should try the non-partisan approach - it's what separates a respectable newspaper from the National Enquirer.
5
If Trump is ever indicted or impeached, EVERYTHING he has done should be undone. He is running a criminal enterprise and therefore everything he has touched is tainted and illegitimate, including Kavanaugh and Gorsuch. When Kavanaugh takes his seat on the supreme court and if the Democrats take over the house and senate they must expand the SCOTUS to at least 13-15 justices and appoint justices who will side with the people and not corporations or politicians. We are in deep trouble now. The country is out of control being lead by fascist and Russian owned Republicans.
7
Trump purports to be making America great again. Well he is certainly turning back the clock which is implied by doing something again. Let's look at the Clarence Thomas hearing. 27 years ago a black woman merited an FBI investigation and dozens of witnesses on her behalf. She had serious allegations of sexual harrassment in the work place, but not nearly as serious as Dr. Ford's allegation of sexual assault and possibly attempted rape. So Trump has taken us back to before 1991. Now, his Justice Department is attempting to stifle the protections of the civil rights act and the voting rights act, the first of which was passed in 1964 shortly into the administration of LBJ. So Trump is taking us back at least to Jim Crow and the early 1960's. His transgender ban in the military recalls Harry Truman's opposite act when he integrated the US military after WWll. So Trump is taking us back to WWII, the bloodiest war in the history of the world. I guess WWll is what Trump considers great.
1
She hasn't earned anyone's respect.
4
The NYTimes Editorial Board has chosen to believe the accuser’s vague memories about an event which the nominee vigorously denies ever took place, and about which no one has come forth to corroborate. They are quite willing to be judge, jury and executioner of a man whose entire life up to now has been exemplary. Destroying this man’s reputation is acceptable because he was nominated by a President whom they despise. But it’s even more acceptable because he’s a white man from a privileged background and everyone knows such men have been mistreating women for generations. They also still believe that a black man did the same thing over multiple years to an honorable and brave woman. He may not have white privilege but since he’s a Constitutionalist, he must be guilty. The fact that the FBI investigation did not confirm her allegations is irrelevant: he is presumed guilty because a woman said he was. In fact, the accusation of any woman must be the truth and her memory flawless because she is a woman and the accused is male. If nothing else, he must be guilty since men, white men in particular, have been mistreating women since eternity. Do I have this right?
When a man is presumed guilty and the preponderance of evidence is simply that the accuser is a woman and other women have had unwanted advances made toward them by innumerable unnamed men over the years, we have come to a very dark place in this country.
6
I'm sure that Judge Kavanaugh, an Originalist, is contemplating what the authors of the constitution would do in this situation. He mustn't apply the ethos of today's American society, nor the ethos of America in the early 1980's – the era of Ronald Reagan and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”. No, he must consider how a man was expected to act in the 1780's. Article III, section 1, states “The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour,...”. Clearly there is no mention of past behavior. Phew! As always, it turns out that the founders would do exactly as Kavanaugh would do. Or is Judge Kavanaugh contemplating what Jesus would do?
1
The GOP once again has the double standard. If a man came forward after 30 years and said a priest or a teacher assaulted him there is outrage. People would rally around the victim and demand punishment for the priest or teacher. However a women comes forward about an attack by a judge 30 years ago and she is called a lair. Why would a women ever back the GOP.
10
“[R]adical left wing politicians who don’t want to know the answers, they just want to destroy and delay. Facts don’t matter.”
Can someone in such a major role really get away with (figuratively) saying "stop hitting me!" while hitting someone else, in this country in 2018? Are we still just troglodytes, who now happen to have language?
4
What comes around goes around, Kavanaugh is getting a taste of his own medicine considering the unethical role he played in the Lewinski scandal.
11
why do republicans think this will end with confirmation? Democrats, should they take the house, can investigate in ways the republicans won't let them now. Should they find cause, they can impeach Mr. Kavanaugh. Is that how Republicans want to spend the next two years? Surely they have binders full of judges who were approved by the Federalist society. They don't need to send us an alleged attempted rapist.
7
Ask the Duke lacrosse 15, the UVA fraternity 50 or the Tawany Brawley 5 whether they should have folded the tent and pled guilty because "no survivor could possibly make this up." There's still a presumption of innocence in this country. Please prove it, Professor Ford. When you charge attempted rape, you should be ready for cross-examination.
5
Lester Holt should interview Mark Judge.
5
I believe Kavanaugh may have left the encounter with Christine Blasey so drunk that he later didn't remember it. His friend Mark Judge is reported to have written of a "Bark O'Kavanaugh" who got so drunk he puked in someones car and passed out after leaving a party.
It is too late now, but Kavanaugh could have saved himself by admitting that in his teenage drinking days he may have committed the attack under the influence and has no memory of it. An apology right away might have saved him. Of course, as this editorial points out, he doesn't need saving, the Republicans will take care of that.
3
Let me get this right: G.O.P. leaders are supposed to feel legitimate respect for Ms. Ford? Really? After Senate Democrats have vowed to "do everything possible" to derail the Kavanaugh appointment, and having failed to convince a single Republican to turn away--this last minute ambush, by a liberal college professor miraculously appears out of thin air--and is to be treated with respect and unquestioned veracity? Not buying it. This strikes me as a last ditch and desperate effort to carry out Democrat promises to constituents.
May liberals be reminded: this woman is bringing up charges from 36 years ago--and she can't remember when or where the alleged attack took place, or who was there--and didn't discuss it to a single person in her life, at the time it occurred? Yeah...we have all heard how traumatic these types of attacks can be--but trust me--in 36 years, given that no rape occurred, I don't believe for a minute that she is still traumatized by it. It's a huge loaf of psychobabble baloney.
This stinks to high hell. And if the shoe was on the other foot--if Republicans had promised to torpedo a liberal nominee--and then this type of last-minute garbage appeared out of nowhere, just as a confirmation vote was being scheduled, Democrats would be screaming loudly about the stench--and injustice.
This entire episode is a contrivance of the Democrat Party--hell bent at any cost to besmirch the character of a nominee they have promised to defeat. It's bunk.
6
In my view, the statements of the Republicans in congress and this provable and proven liar of a president are unworthy of the dignity of comment. We are in extremely dangerous territory now. Just yesterday a close friend reported to me that one of his cousins, a prominent attorney, told him over lunch just how strongly he supports Trump "for standing up to all those countries who have for years played the US as a chump", and of another cousin who said he was recently contacted by the FBI concerning his pro-Trump social media posts, and told "to cool it". Let me be clear - these are both highly educated, wealthy men, who have fully succumbed to right-wing propaganda. We are in deep, deep trouble. And if the upcoming election does not produce profound change in congress this nation is finished as a democracy. Five weeks and we'll know our fate.
412
@Michael
"another cousin who said he was recently contacted by the FBI concerning his pro-Trump social media posts and told "to cool it." I don't know what we're going to do if people fabricate such ridiculous claims. The FBI has better things to do than worry about what pro or anti Trump things people post on social media. What kind of nut believes these things?
1
@Michael. Wealth does not equate to insight or knowledge. When you say “highly educated”, you are implying that these people can accurately discern truth from fantasy, but apparently they can’t. Not highly educated in my book!
1
“Facts don’t matter” says the pot to the kettle.
2
The Republican Senators will collectively put their hands over her mouth to stop her screaming once again. But, she now has other forums in which to be heard and we will remember. They can be voted out of office and a Supreme Court Justice can be impeached. Having more than one sexual predator on the court does make it difficult when questions of women's rights come up.
10
Mr Trump has a history of not understanding women. So maybe his inability understand how a women processes attempted rape would make some sense to a property developer or a TV star. But the POTUS needs be better than that. If he lacks the skills he has hundreds of advisors, and they can’t all be mindless Yes men and women. Yet he ignores them all and his tweets show what a narcissistic ill-informed misogynist he really is. Those flaws are not enough to impeach him, but they should be enough for voters at the Midterm elections to put the Republicans who support him last.
3
The Republicans are pushing a false narrative about the me too movement — that there are thousands of women out there pretending they've been attacked and this is just another one. This is the same way they address black lives matter — there are hoards of white in the Republican view none of those people shot by police were innocent. In the imaginary America where Republicans live there are no victims, just liars trying to make regular guys look bad. They often go further into their self righteous fantasies and flip the tables — it's cops that are being persecuted; it's whites that a re suffering discrimination; it's powerful men who are having their lives damaged. The dishonesty is so complete there really is no conversation to be had. I want Ford to tell her story, but I feel now a public forum would be better, the Senate simply isn't fit for purpose. Murkowski and Collins should have heard enough already to do the right thing. If they haven't it's because they simply have no shame.
7
Respect or loss of respect, I seem to lack anything below that.If you don't respect an individual then what is he is called? A President.
Neutralize the Kavanaugh pick and theft from Garland with an 11 member court, starting in 2020. The Constitution does not require a 9-member court.
5
"On Friday, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, spoke at the Values Voter Summit, reassuring evangelical activists that the Senate was going to “plow right through” and, “In the very near future, Judge Kavanaugh will be on the United States Supreme Court.”" Just 'plow right through' -- sounds like rape, doesn't it? These kind of men betray themselves with their own words.
13
As the G.O.P.’s mask of civility is finally peeled away, it’s true ugliness is revealed to anyone willing to open their eyes and see it. What we see is unconditional support for a misogynistic liar in order to advance their outdated agenda. She is “confused”, “mixed up” or her”loving parents” should have reported the assault to the FBI are not only absurd but, if they really believe anyone buys it, is an insult to any thinking person. Perhaps the silver lining is that we are witnessing the dying gasps of the party before it takes it’s rightful place on history’s trash heap.
6
If you should not be allowed to work at a boarding school with a background of child molest, you should neither work in the supreme court juging equal rights of women and men with a (possible) background like Kavanaugh's. So this demands a serous inquiery.
To me Dr Fords story is credible. I consider it also credible that mr Kavanaugh has forgotten the incident. After a short arousal the thing went down and they took off for new boozy adventures. He may thank his friend for preventing him (and her) from worse than alreay happened. The fact that he completely forgot the incident is a separate moral problem.
I wonder though where that letter with 65 women confirming his moral standards came from and when and where it was prepaired.
The guy had a splendid carer already, but for Supreme Court this would be a stain too much.
5
If there ever was a time for all the women who have been mistreated and degraded by Donald Trump to come out of hiding and make their reappearance on the national scene, that time is now.
11
The irony is that many of those howling for his head readily voted - and would do so again - for a candidate who stay married to 40+ adult who indeed had sex with a much younger - not that much past 17 - subordinate, ruining her life, and furthermore went on TV in front of the whole world and lied about it.
In comparison, wherzzat fall on the moral fibre meter please?
3
Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, and the rest of the GOP whole-heartedly endorsed a pedophile for the Senate. Trump's rationale, as with Vladimir Putin, was, "He said he didn't do it". So why wouldn't a failed rapist not qualify for the Supreme Court, in their judgement?
It is a well established fact that, for the modern GOP, rules only apply to Democrats, not Republicans. If Roy Moore had been a Democrat, the GOP would still be investigating him, and his name would be unendingly used on Fox News as an example of "Corrupt Democrats".
Considering the moral tenor of the modern GOP this alleged sexual assault will most likely add to Kavanaugh's credibility and appeal in their minds.
For Republicans, it's not that a moral yardstick is being bent or perverted, the fact is that, for them, it doesn't even exist.
There could be film of Kavanaugh raping someone, and they wouldn't give whit. Nor would the Evangelicals for that matter. Because, you know, for them, "Life is precious!".
An overflowing sewer has more charm, grace, and character.
7
The billionaire donors who fund the Federalist Society (e.g., the Koch Brothers, the Scaifes, the Mercers) chose Brett Kavanaugh because they can rely on him to uphold and advance their interests and agenda for decades on the Supreme Court. They told Trump to nominate him, and told Mitch McConnell they expect Kavanaugh on the bench when the Supreme Court session begins on 1 October.
Since Republicans exclusively represent and respect their donors, they will do whatever it takes to get the minimum party-line vote (with Mike Pence swooping down from Heaven if necessary) by the deadline. That means expedited pro-forma hearings, and concealing any adverse information Democrats might use to delay or derail the confirmation.
Dr. Blasey's allegation would normally be a significant obstacle, particularly in the age of "Me Too." But Republicans' steadfast commitment to their donors means they'll just plow through this obstacle. They'll let her testify, but their propagandists will twist it into an opportunity to score points with the "base," who are eager to have Kavanaugh on the Court defending their guns, fetuses, Christianity, heterosexuality, and White supremacy. Dr. Blasey is already being portrayed as a lying tool of partisan liberals desperate to derail the pristine conservative nominee of a legitimate president (in contrast to the Republicans' heroic blocking of the illegitimate Obama's liberal nominee).
Just one more reason to vote out the Republicans in November.
11
What a churlish, insulting opinion. Christine Ford remembers an attempted rape by Brett Kavanaugh aided and abetted by Mark Judge at a party sometime in the early 1980s.
But her only proof is her own 36-year-old (or more) memories. Sadly, those memories cannot prove her story, as memories are fallible and malleable and have proven unreliable. (Just as polygraph tests have proven unreliable.) She needs more.
Nothing more seems to be out there. Three people she says were at the party already swore under penalty of perjury that they did not attend any party like that. Christine Ford told no one for 30 years of what she remembered. One supporter of hers falsely claimed that she did. No one else has come forward.
That's important. No one else in Brett Kavanaugh's life has claimed or now claims that he sexually abused them. No one. Ever. Quite the opposite. They said he was always the gentleman.
With this evidence, what good would an FBI investigation do? What good would a hearing do? The idea that a dramatic hearing with lots of witnesses will help is nonsense. The FBI found no helpful evidence in Anita Hill's case. And her hearing settled nothing.
No wonder someone like Mark Judge doesn't want to testify. Can you imagine Mazie Hirono and Kamala Harris badgering him about his teenage alcoholism? As if that is the issue here.
Democrats made this a circus. The circus needs to end. Christine Ford has had every chance to tell her story. Time to move on.
6
The Republicans are actually right wing radicals masquerading as apostles of moral superiority to gain power. Orwellian doublespeak is their norm.
They indignantly find excuses for predators of every kind--- sexual, political and financial. Then they claim outraged victimhood when those they exploit and injure try to fight them, asserting rule of law, and ethics basic to democracy.
8
First, my regrets to Christine Blasey Ford, an American woman, for her unfortunate encounters with men, both at age 15 and now, which cannot be trivialized.
Next, many seem to find it credible that she was assaulted, even while they contort the story to protect Brett Kavanaugh: long time ago, boys-will-be-boys, confused girl, mistaken identity, etc. If they believe she was attacked, why haven't any of them said, "I am sorry for what happened to you?" Have any asked, "Are you okay?"
Finally, where are the voices of Melania and Ivanka when you need them to speak out on an issue of substance to women? Crickets. Their silence speaks volumes. Perhaps, we will hear from them on an occasion when we can talk about what they are wearing.
12
"G.O.P. Leaders Can’t Even Fake Respect for Christine Blasey Ford"
Well, we are of course talking here about the leaders of the party headed by Donald Trump. Also known as the party of Family Values*, Morality*, Jesus* and Law and Order*. The party where the Ends Justify the Means.
*Except when it's not convenient. Like in this case, for example.
5
"G.O.P. Leaders Can’t Even Fake Respect for Christine Blasey Ford"
I agree.
This places GOP leaders on par with Dem leaders, many of them still serving in Congress, who could "not even fake respect," for the several women who offered contemporaneous accounts with witnesses, of the predatory sexual attacks and harassment of former President Bill Clinton.
But I get it, After all, Professor Ford is a psychology professor who "remembered" Kavanaugh's "attack" in couples therapy.
Bill liked his women from the lower economic strata.
Therefore, those women probably did not deserve "respect," being part of a "vast right-wing conspiracy."
4
"
They don't have to fake it.
They have the power and the votes.
This entire nightmare, which is far from over, is all because Bernie Sanders blew up an election that the Dems had in the bag. No Sanders and HRC wins
Again all these elections are extremely close; there is no room for mistakes or your pipe-dreams.
3
It is such a hard line to walk: We are going to do what we are going to do, despite any valid reason not to do it. BUT we are going to pretend to care about valid reasons, because not pretending to care might lose us a mid-term seat.
But don't be fooled: We don't care. We only care about getting a pro-business, pro-gun, pro-right wing evangelical definition of "religious freedom" anti abortion Justice seated, and fast.
We don't care that this is a critical election year, a fact which invalidated President Obama's right to appoint a Justice, forcing a delay. This time it is different - it benefits the GOP, so let's get a move on. We're burnin' daylight!
Sorry ,Dr. Blasey, if our guy was the type of guy who traumatized teenage classmates as a drunken entitled private school athlete. I'm sure he has changed, so just calm your little ole self down now, and let the big boys play.
1
Speaking of the odious, why not a metoo campaign to get rid of Clarence Thomas. Lately prominent men have fallen by the wayside for exactly the same things Clarence Thomas perpetrated upon Anita Hill. Just because he sits on the Supreme Court does not make him immune from justice. Soon there will be three tainted, political republican justices. Thomas, gorsuch and soon to be kavanaugh. Shows how the republicans operate. By whatever means necessary.
4
"Dr. Blasey has already said that she did not tell anyone about the assault at the time, much less file charges — most victims don’t." A word is missing here. Insert "alleged" victim.
8
Dr Ford should have come forward in 2012 when she confessed to her therapist and her husband that she was the victim of Brett Kavanaugh's sexual assault. Kavanaugh was a public figure then, having been a high-ranking government official and Judge. Why wait till the eve of his confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice? If she had come forward sooner, the incident would have been included in the FBI's background check and he probably would not have been nominated by Trump or anyone else.
5
The Republican choice of Brett "the alleged perpetrator of attempted rape" Kavanaugh is a sharp slap in the face of the #MeToo movement. While some reports of sexual assault are false, the vast majority are true.
Based on the preponderance of the evidence in this case, the alleged perpetrator is most likely guilty, guilty, guilty.
The defenders of the alleged perpetrator are using the "he said/she said, so who knows what is true?" argument.
Legal courts use this argument in sexual assault cases, and the evidence is overwhelming that the legal system is unsuited for producing justice in most cases of rape, attempted rape or other sexual assault.
5
This is an easy one. I can translate words from their leader at last night's 'rally.'
'I do not care whether Ford was successfully assaulted. It does not matter in the least to me.'
5
This period, related to the Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh and his accuser Dr. Christine Blasey Holt is one of the sorriest illustrations. of how our freely elected Congress and President are supposed to be representing the majority of the American people. Why did they even bother taking the oath of office? They are making it a sham. And if the women in this Congress and the women in this country haven't figured it out yet, decades from now they will look back on this time and realize that all those exposures of powerful men brought down will have been for naught. What is to prevent men in Congress from turning back the clock nearly 100 years and take away a women's right to even vote that was finally given in 1920.
This president and this congress think they can fool all the people all of the time. It doesn't work that way.
Oh! they may ignore this women's testimony and act out their roles, but they're gutless and shamelessness will live on long after they have left their office. Decades from now women will look back on this time and wonder if this period was their nadir when they came close to getting the equality with men, that they so rightly deserved for centuries. Women should have been involved in the founding of the country, they should have had the vote from the very beginning. If they really believe they are equal to men, then they can begin by simply saying: Enough is enough! And then go out and vote!
9
Dr. Ford has the right to be heard and considered by the committee, but this is clearly a hit job more about abortion rights and delaying tactics than sexual assault.
Why are these accusations just coming up now? Why is a liberal, self-proclaimed “Resistance” activist leading the accuser’s legal team?
These are all questions thinking liberals should ask themselves. Our society cannot let one vague, drunken recollection with no evidence from 36 years past disqualify an eminently qualified candidate.
And just because she is a woman and has the right to be heard does not make her accusations true.
7
This is Karyl Hoff on "Why I Didn't Report'. I'm 78. From the age
of 8-10 yrs. old I was sexually abused by my eldest brother. I was told not to tell. I was afraid "to report". My dearest father tried to have sex with me at 13. I told my mother. She didn't know what to do. I wanted to talk about it. I was told to be quiet - "not to report". Finally at 65 I told family. I wasn't believed, I was shamed; rebuked by my family. I have never recovered.
Please note; I have great respect for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and none for the GOP. VOTE THEM OUT THIS NOVEMBER!!
17
Her refusal to be questioned by a female lawyer and her insistence that Kavanaugh not be permitted to answer her allegations are both very revealing.
9
Trump complaining that Dr. Ford didn't report the attack to the FBI ( then changed it to "local law enforcement.") at the time of the attack. Because going through law enforcement and the legal system has worked out SO well for all the women have reported that Trump sexually assaulted them? Every day is more confirmation...of the immorality of Rebublicans.
10
Just one more thing to
remember in November.
Vote for a democrat
to put the brakes on this atrocious administration.
9
With 139 comments posted I am surprised how many are supportive of the scurrilous behavior of the Republicans.
1. Yes, vote now. It's urgent. Like the vote on Merrick Garland!
2. No time for an FBI investigation, even though in the past it was automatic to reengage with last minute issues.
3. Back ground checks and Investigation certainly have nothing to do with the F.B. of Investigation. When I was hired in the 1970 as a GS-11 for DoJ there was one.
4. Of course no FBI check. It might determine facts about where people were when.
5. Of course do not call Mark Judge. He might testify about "Wasted:Tales of a GenX Drunk." Or about "God and Man at Georgetown Prep: How I Became a Catholic Despite 20 Years of Catholic Schooling". Or about "A Tremor of Bliss: Sex, Catholicism, and Rock 'n' Roll.""
6. Of course a 15 year girl should have reported an assault to the FBI (Federal!), "stench" that it has. or to Georgetown Prep, where what happens there stays there, according to Judge Kavanaugh.
7. Of course, if only she had reported Pope Francis would not find himself in such an awkward situation.
8. Of course, we are in a hurry to fill a life-time appointment for someone chosen as much younger than Garland, to a job that in most countries would be a single term of about a decade.
9. Yes, if there is only a slight doubt that he did what he is accused, elevate him to the Supreme Court. After all, there is no doubt about DJT. Lordy-tapes.
A government of MEN, of power, not laws. Sad.
4
How did a man whom "15-plus" women have accused of sexual assault get to be President of the United States without first each and every one of these claims being investigated by the F.B.I.?
5
I respect the Republican's ability to stick together.
They have a secret glue that binds with tenacity greater than a concern for the truth, public interest, or defending the constitution.
What is that binder? It's greater than fraternity or equality. Must be the libertarian thread of belief that the government body is evil and must be starved and dismantled. Here we witness the date rape pill being forced down the throat of the female body politic by the aggregate male authority.
The appropriate response is in the Declaration of Independence.
3
'Witness the popular mistaken-identity theory that says Dr. Blasey isn’t lying about the attack, but is simply confused about who did the attacking. Judge Kavanaugh himself planted this seed in the brain of Senator Orrin Hatch, at least according to the senator’s office, and the nominee’s defenders have been peddling extended versions of it with gusto.'
Strategically, this is an idiotic strategy because it's so easy for Blasey and the FBI to refute. It's not as if Blasey was five at the time. A fifteen-year-old recognises which of her acquaintances are assaulting her.
Did Kavanaugh and Judge each have an identical twin or a doppelganger each of whom happened by chance to be present at the party during Beach Week, and each of whom ganged up together on Blasey Ford as she has described?
Get the FBI involved. Identify the party, the place and the time. Interview the other partygoers. Interview the other students. Interview the teaching staff and auxiliaries.
Investigate the toxic misogynistic, alcohol-swilling culture of that toxic and misogynistic private school culture at that time.
4
There are three possibilities.
a) Ford is telling the truth and Kavanaugh is lying.
b) It was 35 years ago and both of them are confused about what actually happened.
c) Ford is lying and Kavanaugh is innocent.
To me, at the moment, all three options are real with b) the one I am most likely to believe.
But it worries me that with absolutely NO evidence, the New York Times is presuming a).
5
She is doing the country a favor by coming forward even though it entails personal discomfort and risk. She should not be subjected to the further ordeal of hostile questioning until her claims have been fully investigated. She should answer their current demands by providing a sworn statement, and telling them to do their work by interviewing witnesses, contemporaries, and others who could provide relevant evidence.
198
I think we should look more at what Diane Feinstein did and didn't do. She had the letter from Ms. Ford a very long time; she did not question Judge Kavanaugh about it when she had a chance. Suppose the incident happened not 36 years ago, not between teenagers, but 1-2 years ago. Would she have waited? Not a chance. Somehow she knew this was not reasonable, at least, until political necessity forced her hand. She is a woman and no conservative, yet she didn't think it should be considered.
47
Kudos to Sean Feinstein for upsetting the boys Network . To expose a drunk, who cannot hold onto $2 in his POV,ET because he’s problem gambler.thank you Senator for waiting for maximum impact.
Kavanaugh isn’t worthy of being dog catcher much less on SCOTUS. Smooth talking con man like his nominator.
2
@wnhoke You are disregarding the fact that Ms. Blasey asked that it not be revealed publicly. Is that so difficult to understand?
3
From the beginning it’s been apparent the GOP didn’t give a hang whether Christine Blasey Ford was telling the truth or not. She was merely an obstacle to get around in their singleminded quest to confirm their next Supreme Court justice.
That is what has been most appalling about the GOP’s handling of this whole sordid affair: That their nominee may have committed sexual assault has given them no more pause than if he had once gotten a parking ticket.
360
Why should Dr. Ford bother with all this nonsense at this time of day? She'd be perfectly justified in politely declining to be part of it any longer and seek other forums that will take her seriously.
I'm sure I speak for all fathers with daughters when I say I have nothing but contempt for party hacks who demean women this way.
Also Judge Kavanaugh, who should have been the first to call for an investigation of Dr. Ford's allegation. Has he forgotten that justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done? Is this what we can expect from him if he is elevated to the Supreme Court?
404
I remember seeing the "I believe you Anita!" bumper stickers in those days.
It is not that long ago.
I will tell you that I will believe 99% of women who come forth with sexual assault allegations, because I grew up in the '60s, '70s, and '80s and I knew what it what like.
And these senators denigrating Ford grew up in those times and were the same men who denigrated women. And who laughed off their claims. And who are laughing off them now.
319
@Pat
^^^^this^^^^
You correctly wrote, "At this point, Dr. Blasey’s accusations need to be examined not only for her sake but for that of Judge Kavanaugh and of the entire Supreme Court — especially if Republicans are convinced of the nominee’s innocence." Isn't this truly the crux of the matter?
Make testifying as difficult as possible, refuse to allow the FBI to examine the accusations, hinder the accusers testimony at every opportunity . . . it's called Republican (dirty) politics and it can also be called a damn shame!
20
It's not about us anymore. It's about the whole world. We were the land of the free and the brave. We were the land where the tired and the poor could find respite and hope. For God's sake that's why we came here. If you can't find that here where can you find it? Please, please let us stand up and reclaim the things we hold dear... Truth, Justice, and the American way. Dump Trump and anyone who supports him. Vote for whomever will restore us to who we were meant to be. We are good, strong, capable and caring people. We really need to get our heads screwed on right. Ignore the lies. Fight back with Truth.
372
Let's be perfectly clear: it's not just that Republicans haven't gotten better on these issues since Anita Hill (not that society at large is really doing much better, but it's at least starting to try), it's that they are actively working to treat Dr Ford worse than Anita Hill - with no other witnesses, refusal to have the FBI investigate, forced and arbitrary timeline, etc. I didn't expect old white men (particularly but not exclusively conservatives) to get much better, but I didn't think they'd get worse at the present moment.
720
@Matt
Wow. You are so right. I hadn't even thought about that. They are more measured in their words, and it gives the impression that progress has been made. But you are spot on. They are treating her worse than Anita Hill. Thank you for that insight.
52
@Matt
As I recall, Joe Biden and the democrats were in charge for the Anita Hill hearings. The democrats didn't allow additional witnesses.
Dear Republicans who used to have a conscience and a soul, and a heart, and a shred of moral fiber in your being,
(That pretty much covers all of you)
If this happened to your baby girl, how would you respond? What would you say? Would you believe your daughter?
Answer: They probably would respond in the same fashion. They may not call her a liar outright, but they would come up with some cockamaime excuse that she was having a confused period in her life back then. She was overly emotional as a teenager and tended to blow things out of proportion or some such nonsense.
I'm serious. These people are so vacuous, so empty, so spineless that I'm convinced they would sweep an attack like this on their own precious daughters under the rug for political gain. That's how low the Republican party has fallen.
These hypocrites have made the ends justifying the means excuse atomic powered. They are only interested in the ends, the result. Means can get tied up with morality and the GOP wants no part of that.
Republicans want that fifth justice so badly that they don't care who they hurt or how badly history will treat them. They have stood by a totally incompetent fool in the White House for that fifth justice. Now it's payoff time. They will do anything to get it. Nothing else matters. Nothing, not even their own self respect. Sorry, you have to have a conscience to have self respect. Republicans all had theirs removed.
778
@Bruce Rozenblit, it's their *sixth* justice. Somehow, the press has lost sight of that.
10
@Bruce Rozenblit, give me a break. Don't you think it's awefully coincidental that after 40-ish years, this woman waited until now to speak up? It's a red herring. I wouldn't doubt that she was even paid to do this. The Dems are doing everything they can to keep Kavanaugh from being nominated.
1
@Bruce Rozenblit Wait, there is much more to come-- they made their bed in the past 18 months.
I'd be okay with Dr. Ford refusing to testify and simply calling the process illegitimate on its face. Put the asterisk next to Kavanaugh's name since he's going to the supreme court no matter what happens anyways. Besides, putting her on TV testifying is only going to multiply the attacks on Dr. Ford. We already have enough political martyrs, let's only make sacrifices that gain something.
82
Yes, and McConnell really said, it doesn’t matter what that woman says, we’ll “plow right through” her. Nice guy. Great bully.
5
I long for the day when these wretched old white men lose their grasp on women’s bodies. They are hungry ghosts clutching at any bit of power and control they can reach. #TimesUp
534
Senator Dianne Feinstein has accused Republicans of "bullying a survivor of attempted rape in order to confirm a nominee."
"It's clear that Republicans have learned nothing over the last 27 years. Bullying a survivor of attempted rape in order to confirm a nominee –particularly at a time when she's receiving death threats – is an extreme abuse of power. I'm shocked and appalled by the Republicans' refusal to wait 24 hours for a hearing and instead rush forward with a vote on Monday. From the outset Republicans have tried to push through this nomination at all costs."
Why are Republicans so hell-bent on pushing through this nomination? They know that if Trump goes down he will suck them all down with him. So Kavanaugh is there for protection – to protect Trump and his GOP. They will all do anything to put Kavanaugh, or someone like him, on the Supreme Court. They couldn't care less about Christine Blasey Ford or anyone else who is "in the way."
Women who experience the violence and brutality of rape frequently do not speak out about it at the time because they are ashamed and internalize the experience because they think no one will believe them, and they do not want to relive the trauma over and over again.
Christine Blasey Ford has chosen this time to relive her nightmare in order to protect the rest of us from Kavanaugh. She understands the stakes for her country.
And that is what we really need to understand about her.
59
It's really hard to respect someone, whose assertions, are at best, dubious. Did you respect Juantita Broderick, Kath Wille and Paula Jones?
10
The GOP has one goal and that is confirming Kavanaugh in the Supreme Court come hell or high water. Damn the process. The GOP is using the right wing ‘families are us’ as cover for jamming Kavanaugh through. The religious right is our country’s demon and they have no place at the table. This is a democracy not some church papacy that thinks they can demand a seat for a decision that demands separation of church and State for a reason.
22
This entire charade has proven everything I already knew about the GOP...they are misogynists, right wing zealots who do not care about the rule of law, and are participants and leaders in the veiled attempts at empathy. Whether the woman is confused, or unable to make choices about her body, or not deserving of equal pay, the GOP continually falls on the wrong side of history. Unfortunately, there is a long, long arch toward justice, and We, the People, have to fight like hell to get there. We will survive this horrible blemish on our democracy, but we’ll come out with lots of bruises. Our first job...get to the polls in November. And take your friends with you.
31
I am disgusted and infuriated with the way Senators Lindsey Graham and Charles Grassley are bullying Dr. Christine Blasey Ford! Clearly, Republican members of the Judiciary Committee are doing all they can to intimidate her. American women will send a clear message to the Republican party in November. I am a registered Independent voter living in California's 49th district, which is currently represented by the Republican Darrell Issa. When I cast my vote in November I will be thinking about Dr. Ford's ill treatment and we will flip the 49th!
6
The history of the Kavanaugh-Ford sexual assault involves teenage drinking . The result of this behavior is reckless behavior , including sexual assault. The possible result is teenage UNWANTED pregnancy. If Judge Kavanaugh is confirmed there is the real possibility that there will be no opportunity for such women to obtain an abortion. Here lies a colossal hypocrisy of Judge Kavanaugh.
4
I agreed with everything you said, Mr. Stephens, until you said this:
"As the president sees it, this woman isn’t to be believed, and that’s that — just what the Republican lawmakers seem to think but won’t say."
Of course the lawmakers believe Dr. Blasey -- they just don't care.
The Republicans have been granted a ok by Trump and others to act in the most uncivil way possible towards any opposition to perform for a audience of one namely Donald Trump. Uncivil, despicable guys like John Kennedy calling John Dean a "cornered Rat" in public is typical of how low the Republican Party has sunk for a party that once claimed to represent a sense of decency and respect.
7
I find that the Republicans excuse of "boys will be boys" particularly pertinent to the necessity to investigate. If Kavanaugh was a boy (and he was), and boys will be boys and do things that they knowingly should not, and Republicans are saying boys will be boys to excuse Kavanaugh, than Kavanaugh did what boys will do. Guilty therefore? Boys will be boys, but men should be men and investigate allegations of sexual assault with all their manly, chivelous powers.
14
Does anyone else besides me feel extremely ashamed to be an American these days? I despair at what has become of our country and some of the (perhaps) evil people supporting our (definitely) evil president.
17
This whole charade of not informing the committee about the letter, delaying and or refusing to testify smacks of nothing less than political gamesmanship to delay the nomination's approval until after the November election. I hope that the Republicans don't fall for it. And no, I didn't vote for Mr. Trump and wish that he would keep his mouth shut on this issue.
But, I also know that the Editorial Board of the New York Times will always side with the Democrats. It cannot proclaim to be an impartial observer of the situation.
3
Franklin Graham will have to explain how Kavanaugh could hear her say no, respect that and walk away when Kavanaugh insists he wasn't at the party. I know Graham believes god works in mysterious ways but this is too much of a stretch, even for Him.
6
These men are just doing what they believe is their mission. In their minds they are VIP white men, superior to all, who muscle their way through life. They’re not just in government. We only need look at Trump and his sons for a peek at the private sector. It is appalling and disgusting. Let’s vote and hope for a major wave of newly elected women. Our Nation is destroying itself and the VIP white men have not a clue. Fall of the Roman Empire, anyone?
9
If no blue wave materializes come November, if the GOP holds the House and Senate in the next Congress, the game is over. If enough of America proves itself comfortable with this reign of lunatic reactionaries, we are finished. We'll be a democratic republic in name only.
5
Really now, who could have any respect for Christine when she had no respect for herself.
If there was a playful tryst or attempt at one at a drucken party in the 80's why did she not come forward then. Was it so insignificant to her then that she chose to say nothing, if it was insignificant then it remains so today.
Sorry Christine, game is on and you are sitting on the sidelines.
3
If neither Kavanaugh or Mark Judge agree to submit to a polygraph test, then they should submit to an interview with Lester Holt. Maybe then the truth will come out.
2
Aren’t these defenses and obstufications being attributed to the Republicans the same as those used by the Democrats in defense of President Clinton and candidate Hillary Clinton?
2
What is painfully obvious, but never addressed: The GOP nominated a flawed candidate who should have never made it this far. From one Prep alum to another, Brett, you need to withdraw your nomination. It's the right thing to do.
9
Whatever happened to all those defamation lawsuits Trump said he was going to file against his accusers? Maybe he has run out of lawyers by now.
3
Regardless of whether Republican Senators wake up and join the 21st century tomorrow, or the day after,
Right this very minute, they are abusing a human being that is reporting a sexual assault.
Proof?
Look no further than the fact that the committee is blocking any sort of investigation into her claims.
Lets be clear: This is a vicious, cruel abuse of Dr Ford; and a slap in the face to all past, current and future sexual abuse victims.
It is as if they are saying: "We are treating you with respect", while simultaneously saying: "We not only won't listen to you, we have already decided that whatever happened to you has exactly zero importance to us".
6
SENATORS Are keeping their powder dry. What the GOPper extremist misogynists overlook is the fact that they are alienating their own. I find it doubtful that Corker or Flake will vote in favor of KKKavanaugh. The Democrats who believed that they must support her to win may find that the political landscape has changed. The situation with KKKavanaugh's alleged sexual assault is that it affects women across the political and socioeconomic spectrums. There are significant members female GOPper voters who will NOT vote or will vote against the GOPpers who insist on having KKKavanaugh on the bench. He belongs on the bench all right. On the bench in the weight lifting room in a prison! And of course the GOPpers are handling the situation in the worst possible way, exposing their venality, mendacity, pussilanimousness and criminality (i.e., aiding and abetting the perpetrator of a sexual assault), are significantly weakening their popularity among the voters.
3
"It does not, as Senator Lindsey Graham has absurdly asserted, mean that Mr. Judge has “already said what he’s going to say” and there’s “no reason to” hear from him under oath."
Now-Senator Lindsey Graham was an Air Force Judge Advocate General Captain, prosecuting cases in Germany in the late 1970's, . Seems like he has forgotten a lot about law, the duty of prosecutors, and how being under oath can effectively jog a memory while adding to the information available to a fact-finder. Or is this just the good-old-boys network coming to fruition?
9
I really hate to say this but I believe Kavanaugh would be confirmed even if he were guilty. The cover is already set, it was 30+ years ago, nothing really happened, he was drunk, just teen agers. For some reason the GOP is fixated on this guy. If they are as smart as they believe they would see its time to switch to someone new.
3
It’s no surprise the Board leaps to defend Ford. Perhaps they can explain why now she has decided she won’t fly. It would be interesting to know how Ford feels about being used as a pawn by the Democrats and her attorney.
4
I suspect something happened to Professor Ford but until we hear from her - she has been given many options - it is unfair to everyone to pass judgement. Republicans & Democrats are equal opportunity offenders in this circus . Democrats are clearly using Professor Ford for political purposes. At the same time they are ignoring domestic abuse charges against Keith Ellison, a Democratic Party official and candidate for Minnesota Attorney General. He claims the allegations are “ fabricated “.
3
Grassley and the GOP must reopen Kavanaugh's background check and thoroughly investigate the alleged incident via the FBI. And they must give Dr. Ford and Brett Kavanaugh a proper hearing with all available witnesses testifying including Mr. Judge, Dr Ford's therapist, et al. To not do these is simply not fair to either party. If the GOP does not take these steps, Kavanaugh should be withdrawn. The integrity for the nation's highest court hangs in the balance.
5
It isn't the Repubs at fault. It is Feinstein. If she found Ford's allegation credible she had plenty of time to bring it forward. Did she bring it to her dem colleagues? Did she try to contact Ford to obtain more information?
Or -- did Feinstein (& perhaps the dem leadership) find Ford's accusation too flimsy to use at the hearings and decided:1) there's a chance we might stop the nomination and to bring this up might backfire, 2) if we can't stop it we can use this as a hail Mary. We might be able to delay until after the elections if we bring this out in Sept. Nothing works like a good sexual allegation. It can't be disproved but it will scare the Repubs. And maybe this will help some other women recover memories about K attacking them.
The only honest position anyone can take on this is we can't know what if anything happened. What we do know is Ford didn't mention this to anyone at the time. Didn't mention it to anyone until in therapy 30 years later after K has become well known and Judge has written a book about wild partying as a prep. She can't remember dates, times, location -- anything that would allow K the opportunity to refute. We also know she is an ardent liberal. And we know that K has never been accused of anything like this before. So -- you've got a vague accusation that the dems ignored about a never reported event and you want the Repubs to stop the process. They are willing to let Ford testify, but she won't it appears.
6
I'm not sure why White House staff tried to dissuade Trump from crayon tweeting about this issue. Clearly he was feeling triumphant after his Vegas rally and decided to follow his revolting instincts, but why bother to stifle him? If Donald Trump has accomplished one thing with his campaign and presidency, it is to prove that ignorance and shamelessness carry no political penalty in today's environment.
The astounding events of the last month; Woodward's book, the anonymous op ed, Manafort's trial and subsequent guilty plea, Cohen's cooperation, Trump's increasingly unhinged tweeting, none of these earthshaking events have had the slightest effect on Trump's polling numbers, the market performance or Republican lawmaker behaviour.
Step back for a second, look at Trump's appalling tweet, and imagine any other president saying those words. And this is one example out of hundreds since Trump took office. The American voting public that supports Donald Trump, some 40% of the electorate, approve of his bullying, demeaning, infantile behaviour. He can (and has) literally say anything, no matter how false or depraved, without penalty. At this point, hearing about staff trying to hold him back just seems humerous. There's no point.
13
"As the president sees it, this woman isn’t to be believed, and that’s that — just what the Republican lawmakers seem to think but won’t say."
Not true. Whether or not Republican lawmakers believe her is not the issue. They simply don't care if it is true or not. They will try to put Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court, facts, character and/or truth notwithstanding.
They are not seeking a Supreme Court Justice who is an honest, impartial jurist. They want someone who will rule for their puppet masters for the next generation or more.
Rather easy to understand.
But will voters stand for it?
November 6, 2018.
14
I am a 71 year old female who has worked with sexual assault victims since the early 1980's. I am so deeply offended by the actions of the Republicans in the Senate, in particular those on the Judiciary Committee. Those 11 old men who stand in judgement have learned nothing in the last 27 years since the Hill testimony.
It seems that the GOP has gone from 'not true, never happened', to 'it was someone else', to he assaulter-in-chief saying,' even if it happened it couldn't have been that bad since it wasn't reported'. I and millions of other women across the country are livid at how Dr. Ford is being treated, and that her sexual assault is being demeaned and written off as not important. Over 100,000 women and men responded with scathing condemnation and contempt to the President's tweets about Dr. Ford this morning on #WhyIDidn'tReport on twitter. I have read many of them, and they are heartfelt and true. American women, and the men who care about them, will have the last word on this contemptible GOP behavior November 7, 2018 at the ballot box. Trump and his enablers in the House and Senate are in for a huge surprise. We will not be silent! Our voices will be heard.
5
Republican party cannot stand.
It's actually a Trump Party, as we know, and that means we see Increasing Meanness in Republicans and their supporters and a decided drift toward Criminality since Trump took office
4
A thought exercise for Democrats: What if this were a Democratic nominee and these allegations had surfaced? How would the minority Republican party react? As I recall they were pretty scrappy and whatever they did worked in the end, because hey, here we are. They even got the Dems to eat their own when Al Franken was shown to have mimicked groping a woman in a photograph from 15 years ago. Shame works on these moral high grounders. Keep exposing their double standards for moral behavior and shame them. It's what they understand.
2
The GOP has no interest in the truth, in women, or in morality of any kind. Their veneer of concern and respect for Dr. Ford was cracking even as they rolled it out as their modus operandi.
How could anyone miss their real strategy, which they showed immediately? Intimidate, warn, and threaten. No FBI investigation, no delays, no being questioned after Kavanaugh, respond ASAP or we’ll drop your charges like a hot potato and VOTE to confirm Kavanaugh.
What a bunch of used up old bullies.
Your time is up.
5
This is a case that cries out to be investigated. It holds out the promise of rich rewards for the investigative efforts.
1. Beyond "she-said" there is a known witness, who might even have bought into the crime himself if the "foreplay" by force had succeeded. This individual refuses to come to the formal defense of the nominee under oath.
2. Although Dr. Ford did not confide in anyone contemporaneously, she did leave a trail of medical records over time.
3. Beyond the witness in the upstairs bedroom, there were other young people at the party. It is a piece of cake to identify them out of two small high school classes. The young attacker might have boasted about his "conquest" to his friends -- although the victim "got away."
4. We already have a Justice, Clarence Thomas, whose narrow confirmation under murky circumstances was a mistake, according to his most consequential senate sponsor John Danforth. Adding another lifetime appointee with unanswered questions of sexual misconduct shrouding him will only accelerate the growing mistrust the American people have been nursing about our justice system.
3
They could investigate, they just don’t really want to... and besides, he’s purjured - sorry, ‘misled’ - throughout this process, so he-said, she-said would be a thoroughly unenlightening process anyway! Higher truth is their calling (albeit contested); the usual kind is a commodity.
3
The information the Republicans put forth isn’t considerate, or civil, or moral, and even they don’t believe it, but as a means to an end, their strategies have been pretty effective. They don’t necessarily believe Brett Kavanaugh is wrongly accused, it just doesn’t matter to them. Kavanaugh is white, he thinks women belong in the kitchen, and working men are his inferiors. He will overturn Roe v. Wade, destroy the unions, and he won’t let Trump get indicted. The argument Republicans made against interviewing Merrill Garland worked for them. If they actually believed it, they’d be postponing the Kavanaugh vote until after the mid-terms, to “give the American people a chance to speak” (Mitch McConnell.) Yes, the Republican Party is struggling to pretend to care about anybody other than wealthy, white, Christian men, which means they are telling lies and trying to manipulate everybody else. What else is new? In their opinion, 99.9% of the people in this country are nothing but a bunch of Christine Blasey Fords.
13
The attitude of the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee is exhibit A on why victimized women do not come forward to report sexual assaults.She has been told her story will not be checked by the FBI, she will be quizzed by a professional who specializes in litigating such cases , no witnesses to support her and that the committee is ready to vote to support Kavanaugh.This is like the Anita Hill hearing, only worse, if possible.!For the Judiciary Committee time has stood still for 27 years- in the larger society it has not.Women have found their voices and are running for office and turning out to march and vote.Go all Democratic Women candidates in Nov!
16
It's more important for them to try to slam through this nomination before midterms than anything else. It's beyond appalling how immoral, how undemocratic, how self righteous and self-centered, and how inhumane this administration and the rest of the GOP have become. It is a reflection of their electorate but with Trump at the helm, new, fresh lows are being mined every day.
Each day is a new deal with the devil. Their - Trump and the GOP's - means never justify the ends they seek (and many if not most of the 'ends' are ghastly to begin with). I wonder if those who support Trump realize how far they've been pulled down that path of evil with him.
5
Questions that may help people find, assess and honestly express their feeling about the allegations of Mrs. Ford: What would be your characterization of the event, if the allegations were made by your spouse, daughter, sister or cousin? If your characterization is similar to Franklin Graham's or any of the others, mentioned in the article, would you admit that to your family? Are they the characterization of any man you would respect?
1
" These are two teenagers and it’s obvious that she said no and he respected it and walked away.”
Except that Kavanaugh denies their was ANYTHING he did let alone be told not to do, respect and walk away from.
Which begs the question why Franklin Graham, the evangelical leader turned Trump lackey, would say that Kavanaugh did something that was refused by Dr Blasey saying no and for him to stop and respectfully walk away from?
Kavanaugh by his own words, never did anything to this or any girl at all, so why is Graham saying otherwise?
Oops.
29
Let me first thank Dr. Ford for her courage! If I may, let me sum up what your are up against. It's the Conservative Elite! They have no shame, they take no prisoners. Its a winner take all, all out battle. Their brand is passing with every death of their constituency. Stack the court!
We shall overcome!
5
I’m angry. I’m sad. I’m disgusted.
And I’m voting in November.
10
As another commenter said, anyone who purports to claim the moral high ground here is slinging baloney. A last-minute, four-decade-old, hazy and unfalsifiable allegation of misconduct by an apparent partisan, represented by hyperpartisans? All arising from a letter that Democrats possessed for months but refused to release in full. And a witness who refuses to be interviewed at home or fly to DC, and who is demanding an FBI investigation (?!) into this uncorroborated decades-old state misdemeanor. Whatever the charge's merits, and I pass no judgment on that, the circumstances sure do make it seem like the Democrats are exploiting Ms. Ford's alleged trauma for their collective gain.
3
What makes a person entitled to respect? Are people entitled to respect simply because they are human beings or do they have to do something to earn respect?
As far as I know, none of the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have met Dr. Blasey. Apparently,
Senator Feinstein on the Democratic side has met her.
Is it the fault of the Republican members of the Committee that they have not met Dr. Blasey? She chose not to make herself known and get on the witness list and testify in the normal course of business. We can't blame the Republican members of the committee for Dr. Blasey's choice.
She took an alternate route. We know about Dr. Blasey. We know what she says happened to her. But we don't know her.
Nor do the Republicans on the Committee.
Dr. Blasey has, so far, acted in such a way to ensure that only one member of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Feinstein,
knows her. That was her choice.
I recall an old saying..."if you don't tell your own story other people will tell your story for you."
4
Senators, since Roman times, and certainly in the U.S. Constitution, are intended to deliberate thoughtfully and reflectively. McConnell's promise to “plow right through” belies his commitment to his job and sickeningly resonates with the 17-year-old Bret Kavanuagh's intention at that party.
29
Maybe if she went to the police decades ago she wouldn’t have these issues.
2
Blasey isn't doing herself any favors by playing rope-a-dope to delay her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
She's squandering the reserve of respect that she had left when started pointing out that she didn't remember when or where the party was, or couldn't even keep her facts straight.
And then Diane Feinstein managed to shoot her in the foot by her underhanded leaking of a secret letter by an anonymous writer only then to dribble out the information in they typical fashion of trial by press.
Sorry. I have no time for the types of charades that the Democrats are pulling here...At least McConnell had the Constitution and the Senate Rules on his side when he torpedoed Merrick Garland's nomination.
And for those who think that the whole nomination process has become a farce...I'd have to agree. But you only have Teddy Kennedy, he who was charged with manslaughter for leaving a woman who was not his wife to die in a car at the bottom of a tidal creek, to blame for the lack of civility in the Judiciary Committee hearings. And, the Democrats have only Harry Reid to blame for the powerless position in which they find themselves these days in the advice and consent for judicial nominations.
Politics is a rough game. And if you change the rules for partisan purposes, be prepared to have those changes come back to haunt you at times when it is less-than convenient.
5
The mainstream press keeps repeating that "most victims don't" report sexual assault, as though it were a magical incantation that explains all the unexplainable things about Dr. Blasey's allegations against Judge Kavanaugh. Even taken as a given, that does not preclude that her story, and the Doctor herself, should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism given how this all became public and what's at stake here. The on-again, off-again claim to just want to tell her story under oath, along with her lawyer's demands made of the Judiciary Committee, are strong signs of the political motivations of this entire affair, deserving even more skepticism. The mainstream press should be at the forefront of asking about this, especially since they're so proud of declaiming this as their role; instead they compete with the Democrats as to who can create a nicer veil of victimhood for Dr. Blasey.
3
Republicans have no interest, none, zero in having a 'fair hearing' of the allegations, of a fair hearing of any testimony from Mrs. Blasey Ford, nor of allowing any reasoned thorough investigation. Republicans should care about all these things. The country does not need another Justice, a third Justice on the Court with a dubious reputation, and a cloud over their legitimacy. Clarence Thomas, whenever his name is mentioned, always brings up Anita Hill. Neil Gorsuch will forever carry the taint of sitting in Merrick Garland's stolen seat. As an aside - Republicans stonewalled and illegitimately ignored Judge Garland's nomination for over a year so what is the big hurry about getting Kavanaugh approved in a few weeks?! And should Kavanaugh's appoint be pushed and muscled through, he will always be tainted just as Thomas is, by the blatantly ignored and always resurfacing allegations of misconduct and attempted rape. The Court can't have this, and should Republicans continue to disparage and mistreat the seriousness of this situation, the backlash from over 50% of the population will be brutal. Do Republicans seriously think they can win elections with the hardcore 35% of voters who will back Trump all the way off the cliff and down into the pit, and nobody else? Political suicide awaits, Republicans - ignore and push through this "done deal" at your own risk.
8
"What all of these approaches have in common is that they are part of a desperate effort to distract from Republicans’ unwillingness to initiate a proper effort to get at the truth of what happened."
What is "desperate" is her revision and reshaping. Need the therapist to testify if she was just sloppy in her 2012 note-taking--"four" involved--or Ford's 2018 Feinstein memory of things past is "faithfully" up to facts and evidence--i.e., just another high school party story.
Bottom line: Unless there are other data points, this is vapor and slander--classic last-minute DNC Politburo.
5
She's being used as a political weapon. Hard to respect that. I suspect there's truth to her story, but that's masked behind the blatant dishonesty of how her story is being used.
3
I watched with great sadness today the footage of Anita Hill’s “hearing.” I could see the pain in her eyes as she was asked personal and insulting questions.
It brought back the pain of my trial in a small central Florida town in the 70’s. As a college student I made the mistake of thinking it was safe to hitchhike with another female companion. After being abducted, raped in a remote orange grove, and threatened with a hatchet. I couldn’t believe I didn’t die.
After many hours of crying I decided to contact the police. Amazingly they caught and charged my attacker. I was naive that there even needed to be a trial. He admitted the contact but said it was consensual.
My Anita Hill experience.... I was insulted and made out to be promiscuous because I took birth control pills. So, even with a witness, he was found not guilty. The fact that he was charged before or was wanted in another state for participating in the gang rape of a 15 year old was not allowed to be shared.
So, after 40+ years, I sobbed today remembering the humiliation I was subjected to in the “justice system.” This is one reason among many that rape is under reported.
Shame on Mr. Trump for his comments and shame on this mockery of a hearing!
8
I don't think iti's "special treatment" to ask that her safety be assured. The fact that her life has been threatened and she and her family have had to move out of their home answers the question of why she didn't want to come forward and why Senator Feinstein tried to respect her privacy. It's interesting that so many women testified for him BEFORE the charges became public and that his friend who tried to implicate another classmate was apparently doing research on her before it became public. My guess is the republicans knew...maybe another mole? I don't remember any other Supreme Court nominee bringing in a team of young girls to support him/her. And if Mr. Judge won't testify, certainly reading excerpts from his book "Wasted" which chronicles his high school years of alcohol and sex at his preppy Catholic high school would give a sense of the culture at the time.
23
Grassley is doing a great job, and has postponed the original vote to allow her to speak. This is after she had waited months to come out since the nomination.
Here’s what he told the Wall Street Journal, in an interview published yesterday:
“We’ve got to accommodate her, and we need to accommodate her,” Mr. Grassley says on Sept. 19. His face is scrunched with emphasis, and he looks around at his aides for affirmation. There are five in the room, most so young that one imagines their combined ages barely exceed Mr. Grassley’s 85 years.
“I’m thinking about contacting her lawyer,” he continues, “and letting her talk to me directly, if the lawyer will advise her to do that. Because I think I can conduct a fair and thorough—and respectful—meeting.” He can, he says, “keep order. The only order I can’t keep is demonstrators, but everything else, I ought to be able to keep order.”
Mr. Grassley says he’s extended a menu of forensic options to Ms. Ford, “because we need to hear from her.” He acknowledges that “she may be reluctant to get in front of national audiences. So that’s why we’ve offered an open or closed session. We’ve offered two varieties of questioning by bipartisan staff, public and private.”
Not exactly the same narrative being put forth here, is it?
6
I believe that Dr. B. was raped. But the delay by the democrats cause me to pause on the rush to judgement. Either K is guilty or he is not. If not, then how was B. convinced that it was K. Also, why didn't Feinstein behind the scenes confront K. of this when they met, or shared this info with Sen. Collins. This could have kept the matter private. The actions of the democrats, the fact that the other person on the scene of the night in question is a despised right-wing writer who has written several books about his drunken behavior in high-school, raises many questions. His writings which cryptically mention a O'Kavanaugh throwing up in a car certainly didn't escape the opposition research on K. Perhaps Dr. B. was convinced by zealous partisans that K was the one. A big perhaps, but still one that Dr. B can confirm.
1
The plan has always been to have a “fair” trial then find Ford guilty and Kavanaugh innocent and on to the confirmation. The problem was how to dispose of this meddlesome woman in the quickest and least unseemly manner. She may as well have agreed to testify to a brick wall. Remember, these are people who are protecting a president who is an admitted sexual assailant and whose loyalty to the nation is in doubt. They were not going to let anything stop them.
3
This is nothing more than a calculated ambush. Nothing about it deserves respect.
14
There is no shortage of dotty old folk in our government in DC. Whole books, chapter and events have missed their attention and possible scrutiny in their education for government service. They feel or think less is better. Must be living a charmed life.
3
At this point if I were Dr. Ford I would decline appearing before Grassley's Judicial Committee. It is clear Grassley is setting her up for a second assault that a woman neither needs nor deserves. Deplorable.
3
Why should they show respect for someone, even if she is telling the truth, has used her victimhood in the most calculating and highly politically leveraged way possible? Yes, she gets points for Machiavellian plotting, timing and execution - but nothing more.
5
Here's a most unusual situation: an eye witness to a sexual assault. Even more unusual -- absolutely mind-boggling -- is the resistance the senate has shown to calling the witness to testify. The senators are, mind you, not babes but men of the world and their not jumping at the chance to hear from the eye witness tells me one thing loud and clear: the senators know the truth. They know Kavanaugh did attack the lady.
3
Women absolutely get it. Republican men cannot understand how this went so long without being reported. Ask the victims of Larry Nassar. Or the victims of Harvey Weinstein. Or the victims of Les Moonves. Or the victims of Bill Cosby. Or the victims of Donald Trump. If the Republican narrative is to be followed, ALL those women are not to be believed. They all must be "confused or mixed up". Or "they must of given the man some sort of green light". "Or what was she doing there in the first place." The Pence way of thinking: "Why was a woman with a man who wasn't her husband? Men have urges, you know". The perpetrator is always innocent. If this was their wife, daughter, or granddaughter they would be screaming bloody murder. And women who are willing to rationalize, excuse, and accept this type of behavior should be ashamed of themselves. I suspect many of you have similar stories to tell. But know your place in the world of men in power. Times have changed. Republicans haven't. They may get their judge. But they are also going to get what's coming to them. And they still won't learn anything from it.
3
These are all just details that the Republican leadership must overcome and the ultimate outcome is not really in doubt.
The Republicans will get another troglodyte on the Supreme Court and democracy and fairness in the US will take another step backward. This is what they were elected to do after all, is it not?
11
Republicans never made any impression on me when I lived in Lake Worth, FL from 1994 to 2004 during "the season". Already Tallahassee was far away, not to talk of Washington. Palm Beach County was a Democratic hot spot and almost all my neighbors in the Jewish 55+ retirement community were Democratic voters. And not to forget Mr. Kaufman, a nephew of the late czar Nicholas II, as the harmonious mayor of Palm Beach itself. It has been a real beautiful political landscape.
For an European it is hard to notice now, how starting with the election of 2000 a Great Nation, the leading democracy in the world, has come down to a nut in the White House and greedy Representatives and Senators in Congress.
So,after the start of the American invasion in Iraq my wife and I left a very practical house (for old people) with a beautifully landscaped garden behind and went back to Germany. We would have liked to stay for our old days. But today I am sure it was the right decision. Sorry, that I have to tell you that.
9
Any person that believes either Mr. Kavanaugh or Mrs. Ford at this moment without any piece of evidence is not qualified to serve as a juror during the court procedures to determine the guilt of an accused person.
Since the trial by our peers is at the very core of our judical system and the justice is the very core of our democratic system, be aware that your personal bias and prejudice are the worst threat to our democracy and far worse danger than Osama bin Laden or any member of the Al Qaeda could have ever been.
The only thing to fear is our own foolishness!
3
He can order the FBI to investigate if he wants the facts. This is so absurd.
1
I, too, was sexually assaulted as a very young woman. I am 70 years old now and I have never told anyone about it--even close friends and especially family. My assailant said if I told anyone he would damage my reputation at work. He said those men I worked with told him to assault me for them. I felt humiliated and ashamed, destroyed, devastated AND completely alone.
I also cannot remember the exact address of the assault or the exact date--just a vague recollection of fall of 1968. I DO remember VIVIDLY what he did to me and what he said to me.
About 20 years afterwards, I met the assailant again at a social function. I froze in my tracks and refused to acknowledge that I ever met him or knew him. I was absolutely TERRIFIED. He is dead now and I'll NEVER forget what he did to me.
Kudos to Christine Blasey Ford for having the courage to come forward in such a public way. I understand how horrible this must be for her. She has my total support. I totally understand her fear and admire her personal strength ! ! !
Christine, there are many women out here that understand your pain and admire you for speaking out--no matter what the outcome ! ! ! God bless ! ! !
30
This much is clear and thus in evidence, in video clips of speeches during his judicial career Nominee Kavanaugh demonstrated that he engages in bad behavior as an act of male bonding: what happened on the bus, stays on the bus. Meaning he subsequently covers up his bad behavior and he advocates such bad behavior, but haha I can be bad with the baddest of you but I won't talk about it, AND THIS IS HOW YOU GO ABOUT THAT, as the advice of a mentor to his followers. So naturally, this elicits the questions of what bad behavior that induces male bonding is he referring to and how often did he and does he engage in male bonding bad behavior? Furthermore, the adult demonstrated male bonding behavior makes Professor Ford's allegation of a male partner in the attack to show off to, all the more likely.
We should find out.
7
Let's be clear. It isn't that Republicans are masking their disbelief of Ms. Blasey; it's that they'd like everyone else to disbelieve her whether the senators do or not.
2
I recognize that that the #MeToo movement has created a firestorm capable of creating its own weather, but the amount of time and energy being devoted to a single accusation of deplorable drunken behavior during Kavanaugh's teenage years seems disproportionate to his disqualifying behavior since.
I think we must take Kavanaugh at his word when he says he does not remember the event in question. That disqualifies him as a witness to this bit of history, so he is not to be believed when he says it never happened. How would he know?
Ford seems quite sincere, clear in her recollections, and has more to lose than to gain by telling her story. I think it is fair to stipulate that she is telling the truth.
But so what? On it's own, that single incident of reckless (and trauma inducing) youthful behavior is probably not enough to make a person unfit to serve on the Supreme Court any more than Beto O'Rourke's drunk driving arrest from decades past means he is not of suitable character to be a senator.
Part of what does disqualify Kavanaugh, however, is his history of using pilfered internal documents from Democrats to further his role as a Republican dirty tricks artist, then lying about it under oath when trying to convince the Senate to confirm his previous judicial nominations. That behavior has left a stain on Kavanaugh's professional reputation and speaks to a lack of honesty and fairness necessary to be a judge.
Ford should be heard, but Kavanaugh has more to answer for.
2
The question really is nor whether Kavanaugh did what he is accused of have done in high school.
Of course that’s the most important issue for the victim, if victim she proves to be.
I suspect she was, otherwise, why stick one’s head on the block and prepare to throw away your life?
The most important issue is whether the adult Kavanaugh lied when he “categorically denied” the charges last week.
His alleged victim’s problem runs deep and festering, assuming she is telling the truth, having to look in as the young man who tried to rspe her waltzes to one of the most sacred and powerful posts in the land.
Our problem, as citizens, is will we accept a Supreme Court justice, who, again assuming the allegations are true, and there is quite a bit of external logic to say they are - she’s never thrust herself into the public eye before - nor does she seem likely to risk all for 15 minutes of infamy ...
A justice who, as an adult, utterly lied and joined the Administration attack against her to claim the penultimate judicial brass ring (he could lobby to become Chief Justice of the United States if the post opened in later years.
Dishonest judges who may have to rule on questions regarding the honesty of the President and other Administration members - and, based on the President’s kingly desires, sworn fealty to.
(Has anyone yet asked whether he would recuse himself over deciding legal issues concerning his sponsor, and has he answered them with more than the answer has precident?
5
Lets be honest. At this point do the Democrats really care about the truth anymore? If the FBI were to find strong evidence implicating Kavanaugh in a crime, Democrats would oppose him. If there were a muddled mix of accusations Democrats would oppose him. If Kavanaugh were completely vindicated, Democrats would oppose him. Isn't this at the end of the day about keeping a conservative jurist off SCOTUS by any means necessary?
4
Republicans on the hill and in the administration are seeing these as the last days of Trump. With both his consigliere and Manafort cooperating with the special investigation combined with Trump's growing hysteria, Republicans are simply trying desperately to cram as much damage into the government as possible.
7
All could be easily remedied by an FBI investigation, but of course that would probably bring out facts that do point to Kavanaugh being guilty and put the Senate in a.most uncomfortable position. The cowards do not want to face the reality. How would these Senators feel if the same thoughtfulness to their wives, daughter of grand daughters?
6
Put your hand over your mouth. It is easy to realize a drunken man could easily block your nostrils at the same time he forcefully blocks any scream. Dr. Blasey indicated that she also was suffering not only attempted rape but suffocation. We have to listen to her testimony and put ourselves in her place. Underage drinking against the law. LAW - Supreme Court
Fifty-nine years ago ten teenagers were out when someone produced two six packs. Driving home one car hit a telephone pole and a sixteen year old girl died. They didn’t put on the defrost and couldn’t see the road.
I do not drink and realized that our car needed the defrost on the windshield in order to see the road. Everything matters.
2
Your editorial is far too generous. The Rogues Gallery of Old Men is not even pretending to allow room for fairness. They're on a mission and nothing will stop them. I hope that last sentence is wrong; I fear it won't be. Still, this is one American who isn't letting my country be dragged through the muck by four Phineas T. Blusters (McConnell, Grassley, Hatch and of course Benedict Donald) without a fight. Vote Democratic up and down the ticket on November 6th; our country's very survival depends on it.
3
Do I believe Ms. Ford? Sure. Do I think that this should effect if Kavanaugh gets voted in? Absolutely not. We should be thinking about his voting record as a lawyer and not about what he may have done as a drunken high schooler.
2
If the GOP respected women, the party wouldn't be the party of Trump. Instead of rejecting him as its presidential candidate, the GOP embraced and condoned his sordid past and his seven deadly sins. The party sold its soul.
7
I am writing this from Berlin, Germany.
As a survivor of repeated sexual assault, I cannot help but connect the dots: Decades of abuse by scores of priests in PA, and its systematic concealment by the church. Your 45th president portraying himself as a violent offender, without apparent consequence. How Dr. Ford is being dealt with.
What an epic tableau of horror.
16
Obviously Christine Blasey Ford the accuser has a right to do so and had come forth to the attention of Sen Fienstein who manipulated Ms Ford as the sacrificial lamb into presenting her as the victim of abuse to the swamp world of the Supreme Court nominating committee hearings. Ms Fienstein maneuvered withholding Ms Ford disclosure letter until the last second in which the classic Washington backlash of the swamp was unleashed on Ms. Ford without her being prepared or defended by Sen. Fienstien. That is significant because Ms. Ford has all been shoved aside, sullied and left out to fend for herself. Her demands to appear before the committee are reasonable as she would want some semblance of being defended against a panel a Senate tyrants. She is several times the victim already without even appearing in front the Senate. Shame on Sen Fienstien for throwing Ms. Ford to the dogs of Washington.
1
If the FBI is investigating death threats against Dr. Christine Blasey—
Would it not be reasonable to investigate the reason for the death threats: her accusation?
Let the FBI continue its investigation of the entire matter.
6
The best outcome, and the one that takes the most courage by Dr. Ford, is to answer questions in a public hearing. Odds are that one or more the members of the GOP "All Male Club" will look like they are at least browbeating her or, at worst, harassing her.
Kavanaugh is a despicable human being with a long track record of not only abuse, but poor judgement that is being discounted or ignored by the GOP. Worst possible outcome is the that Clarence Thomas will have another "abuser" to keep him company.
3
Kavanaugh is not fit to join the SCOTUS, but not because of anything he did 40 years ago. But truthfully, democrats would be doing the same thing republicans are doing if the shoe was on the other foot.
1
The GOP is turning harassing women into an acceptable Republican behavior. How many women accused Trump of sexual abuse, 15? It is obvious the Judge's role on the court is to protect Trump from his accusers and Mueller investigation.
I do not think Rosenstein is smart enough for the Trump presidency. He is playing nice guy against fraud, corruption and downright lies.
4
The arrogance of power is what may save the day for Kavanaugh. Mitch McConnell orchestrated this naked judicial putsch in 2016, and when Justice Kennedy was gently pushed off the Court last summer McConnell's endgame win is now within his reach. Only Christine Blasey Ford stands in McConnell’s way of achieving his grand design.
McConnell, Republicans and the president are treating Ms. Ford as an untimely inconvenience, a last-minute Hail Mary by the Democrats to pull the plug on a flawed nominee. The GOP machine’s mockery and scorn of Ms. Ford will come at a very high price in November. The Republicans don’t realize that proper criminal investigations and background checks are all a part of the judicial process and the rule of law to protect citizens and institutions from injustice.
The Supreme Court is the court of the last resort. If a morally compromised Justice is elevated to the highest court in the land, the Court will be forever clouded by partisan politics and moral turpitude. Clarence Thomas represents one asterisk to this once-august body of jurists. America doesn’t need another asterisk or another Clarence Thomas.
4
At least Anita Hill showed up and testified. If Blasey wants to be believed, she made the accusations, then she needs to show up to testify, under oath, under threat of a felony conviction. Kavanaugh already has testified about these allegations under oath.
This is typical Liberal opposition tactics. They want all sorts of exemptions and violations of our laws and rights to get what they want.
4
"They are struggling to pretend ..."
.
Some of them don't seem to be struggling at all.
Or pretending.
.
.
.
It is as if they no longer think they need to care about even the veneer of democracy.
8
But he coaches his girls’ athletic team!
Life is very discouraging these days.
2
G.O.P. leaders have not been faking respect for our democratic system of government. They are obsessed with holding on to minority rule at all costs. With the structural flaws in our electoral system, they know they don't have to show no stinking respect for anything or anyone.
Why should they fake respect since they don't have to.
8
Just as bad as the Republicans not pretending to believe Dr Ford are the Democrats not even trying to give Judge Kavanaugh any possibility that he may be innocent.
Why is it so offensive to prejudge Dr Ford, yet perfectly acceptable (even expected) to condemn Judge Kavanaugh - before either of them as provided testimony under oath.
This would not be the first high profile incorrect accusation - See Duke Lacrosse and "Jackie" of UVA fame.
The Democrats and their media sympathizers are no better than the Republicans. They are other side of a corrupt coin.
5
If Republicans don't clear all this up in good manner, they will face a continuation of the controversy as effort to impeach an Associate SCOTUS Judge Kavanaugh.
7
I hope Dr. Ford's testimony begins with when she first met Kavanaugh and Judge and how long she had known them before the night of the party at which she was assaulted. That should remove mistaken identity as an offense from the Republican interrogation. If the people Dr. Ford would like to testify on her behalf are forbidden to appear (a terrible decision by Grassley if he sticks to it), then Dr. Ford should read sworn statement from these people and ask for them to be entered into the record. But she should be given the time to read those statements aloud so the TV audience can hear them.
I watched Anita Hill testify and still remember how she was put down by all the senators listening to her disgusting descriptions of Clarence Thomas's aggressions towards her. I have had no respect for "Justice" Thomas since he was sworn in, as his character is so below the standard of acceptability to me regardless of his political views. If Bret Kavanaugh sticks by his total refutation of having attacked Dr. Ford, he will be on a par with Clarence Thomas. Someone completely undeserving of the appointment, and perhaps not even fit to continue as a Judge.
The Republicans must allow Ms. Ford to present as much evidence as she has. I agree that she should testify after Bret Kavanaugh who has spent the entire week practicing refutations to whatever she might say. She should have the last word.
8
Can we have a day of solidarity where all women who have been attacked in the past and did not report it go to the local authorities? We’d probably need a month of solidarity.
3
It is especially craven for the GOP Judiciary Committee members – having maligned Dr. Ford and foreclosed an FBI investigation - to then hide behind female staff attorneys rather than confronting her directly. This extreme cowardice should not pass unnoticed.
9
It seems that the Trump liar machine has infected the entire bunch of Republicans. They have seldom had respect for anything that stood in the way of their greed. Kavanaugh has also demonstrated that he can lie with the best of them. Why in the world would Ford get anywhere near these harm-meaning people? They are not interested in anything except getting Kavanaugh into the Supreme Court. So Trump will have infected even that body. There will be no independent units of government or law after Trump's infection. I say to Ford---stay away!
4
This scurrilous accusation may or may not be a lie - who can tell when there is no evidence whatsoever? It arose at the very last minute, and has rescued Dem hopes of stopping a qualified jurist from ascending to SCOTUS. Republicans have treated her with great deference - she has missed 3 deadlines. Let her testify. Then vote to confirm.
3
So you make an accusation then you refuse to testify then you make demands on testifying (timing, sequence, others that must also appear, etc.) then you construct that the folks who want to hear your testimony are the problem? The lynchpin of these crimes is always the victim’s testimony. I’ve concluded that this is completely political.
5
Mitch McConnell has already said , before hearing her testimony, that "rest assured" Brett Kavanaugh will be seated on the count.
Sounds to me like their minds are already made up.
12
Republicans have been so busy questioning the credibility of Ford. It's puzzling to me why no one seems to question Kavanugh's credibility as he was plastered when he allegedly committed the sexual assault. The fact that he doesn't remember and therefore denies the assault points to serious amount of alcohol he ingested. I am surprised how vehemently Kavanugh insists he never assaulted anyone given his admission of many drunken nights out with his friends. The fact that he can't even bring himself to ask, "What if I am wrong?" bothers me. Kavanaugh has now become just like any other Republican politicians in believing that he is ENTITLED to become the next justice.
10
Whether or not the Republicans get away with this despicable travesty, those of us who still care about truth and justice will never forget it.
They have proven that they are so ruthless, dishonest, and hypocritical that they will stop at nothing in their pursuit of power.
We will not forget. We will never forget.
4
When I was at my best as a cop, I was listening--really listening to what everyone had to say. It took some time and trouble for me to learn how to do that, but it never turned out badly to let someone go on.
Sometimes, all the indications of truth telling fell into place and matched all the jagged pieces of evidence. And in a lot of cases, people said things that didn't jive with a lot of the facts.
When I was guilty up front of deciding what was true before I had heard everyone fairly, it made things worse all around.
I hope the Senators take the time to listen and try and really hear. What's the harm in trying to be just? Let's hear Judge Kavanauah and let's hear Dr. Blasey Ford.
10
If you are on the Judiciary Committee considering the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the threshold question you must ask after hearing of the allegations of Dr. Blasey is whether or not the Court should have as one of its members any person who has engaged in the conduct alleged.
If your initial reaction is that the allegations are not true, or that it doesn’t matter if the allegations are true, or that the nominee is capable of such conduct, or that the allegations should have been made public two months earlier, or that Democrats are trying to delay the vote on the nominee, then you have misunderstood—or denied—your responsibility as a member of the committee.
If, on the other hand, your initial reaction to the allegations is a concern for the reputation and character of the Court, then you understand your role as a committee member. And you will also be concerned for the pellucidity of the evaluation process.
Whether or not the allegations are true is, of course, critically important, but that inquiry must arise from a concern for the reputation and character of the Court, not politics. As was the case with Anita Hill, after hearing Dr. Blasey testify some committee members will believe the allegations and some will not. The credibility of those beliefs will be tested by the extent to which misogyny and politics have influenced them.
1
The only difference between Mr. Trump and Congressional Republicans is that Mr. Trump is able to play the hypocrite seldom and then only for very brief periods.
2
The situation is disgusting. And particularly unseemly for Dr. Ford.
A lot of pundits have said that the GOP knew of this incident in Kavanaugh's past, so they trotted out all these character witnesses just in case this nefarious episode rose to the surface. Which it did.
Now the Republicans are going to have a female attorney cross-examine Dr. Ford in an act of public-relations legerdemain. The woman asking the questions should be ashamed as a quisling to her gender.
I expect Dr. Ford's testimony will make Kavanaugh look spiritually ugly, and unfit for the position. Kavanaugh should be Borked.
If vetted properly by Don McGahn and the Trump administration, Kavanaugh should not have been nominated now before the midterms. You have to wonder about their professionalism and judgment. Besides being a travesty of justice, it is particularly stupid politics.
7
Dr. Ford's story can be fully investigated and Kavanaugh, if need be, impeached once the Dems control the Judiciary Committee and both Houses of Congress.
Don't like what's happening? Vote for every Democrat on every ballot in November. This will right the wrongs.
4
The religious extremists who supported Trumpov overwhelmingly want their quid pro quo in the form of a reliably anti-abortion zealot on the Supreme Court, just as the GOP donor class demanded their tax cut- or else - last year. The weasels of the Republican Party are completely transactional with their donors & the so-called Christian Right.
The same Republicans who continuously stonewalled Judicial appointments throughout the Obama Administration & refused to even hold hearings for Judge Garland “because it is an election year”, have been jamming through a stream of radical Federalist Society approved Judge-bots to pack the courts before they lose power. They also tend to appoint younger judges to the higher courts to ensure they are seated far into the future.
This is not about the Professor, or women who accuse men of sexual violence. This a naked power play in the waning hours of a Federal Government in complete Republican control. If, as expected, every Republican Senator votes in lock step to move this man to the Supreme Court, we should strike the term Moderate Republican from the language.
McConnell knows the days of complete Republican control of Washington are numbered and sits in a safely Republican seat. All he will do is take care of the anti-abortion fanatics and the wealthy donor class on the way out. Expect the GOP to make the GOP Tax Scam permanent during the lame duck session.
9
If the FBI is investigating death threats against Dr. Christine Blasey—
Would it not be reasonable to investigate the reason for the death threats: her accusation?
Let the FBI continue its investigation of the entire matter.
[Come on, moderate GOP senators. Do you really want to own this? If you're moderate, then a moderate Supreme Court Justice, even after the first of the year with a possible Democratic-controlled Senate, would be just fine to replace Justice Kennedy.]
2
Kavanaugh has been outed, thanks to Dr. Ford. Her accusation may not be provable but they have drawn attention to Kavanaugh’s history. He and Republicans do not respect or value women or their children, families, the sick, the injured, the disabled. The policies of the Republicans deny sex education, sexual equality, birth control, and the rights of all women to make their own health decisions. Kavanaugh plans to reverse Roe, and enable the abrogation of First Amendment protections against Congress establishing the dogma of some religions on all Americans. Kavanaugh plans to provide Trump with the power to avoid subpoena and indictment, and to pardon himself like a king. Trump, accused by 2 dozen women of sexual assault and harassment, would escape the law and his accusers, and evade impeachment. Dr. Ford has revealed that we are all in jeopardy if Kavanaugh is appointed. He has escaped justice because he is a privileged white male and no woman is safe from privileged white men. Privileged white men run the Congress and the state houses, corporations, universities, and the Republican Party. The Republican Party is not just the Party of the rich, it is also the party of privileged white men who will crush women, like Dr. Ford, if we let them.
4
This whole episode is the exercise of raw power by McConnell and the GOP without the slightest regard for what the people of this country want. Similar to Trump and the GOP deciding that because Trump won the presidency with 3 million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton - with the assistance of Putin - the GOP would throw millions of people off their healthcare.
The greed, stupidity and bad faith of the GOP is stupendous. The idea that because the moneyed oligarchy of GOP donors -like the Kochs and the Mercers - and Putin - helped to install Trump that means they can do whatever they want with no regard for the welfare or values of the American people.
This is going to end badly eventually.
And it's not going to end badly for the majority of the American people. It's going to end badly for the GOP because they're .1) obviously corrupt and 2) out of step with what the majority of Americans believe and want.
No reasonable person still believes what Orrin Hatch obviously believes: that sexual assault and attempted rape are silly things of no consequences that GOP male senators can continue to belittle or ignore because they have the power. That they can override common decency & push Kavanaugh onto SCOTUS if they want.
Millions of American women know different. We aren't going to let the likes of Grassley/Hatch/McConnell/Trump - continue to claim women's values, concerns -& our very lives -are of no importance in this country.
STOP THE MADNESS. VOTE DEMOCRATIC IN NOV.
3
In stark contrast to this is Kavanaugh's ode to Trump thanking him for his nomination (which I saw last night on Bill Maher). I nearly lost my dinner from revulsion.
4
This article, without trying, proves why Ford's accusations should be investigated by the FBI, not by a partisan Judiciary Committee. If her allegations are true, they undermine Kavanaugh's moral fitness for serving on our nation's highest court.
The FBI's investigative skills are needed to find out the truth. The FBI's findings should then be presented publicly before the Senate.
There is no justice without truth. This is fundamental to our system of jurisprudence.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh knows this. If he is the fine, upstanding judge he is made out to be, he would welcome an FBI investigation unless, of course, he has something to hide.
4
And what do Ivanka and Melania have to say about all this? Aren't they supposed to be pro-women's rights and anti-bullying? And I wonder what kind of lessons Barron is learning from all this. What kind of a man will he grow up to be? Will he be a moral man of character? Will he treat women respectfully? Will he volunteer to serve his country? Or will he be like his father and Don Jr.? Sad.
3
Thank you, Editorial Board.
"Female hysteria was once a common medical diagnosis for women. It is no longer recognized by medical authorities as a medical disorder, but still has lasting social implications. Its diagnosis and treatment were routine for hundreds of years in Western Europe.[1] In Western medicine hysteria was considered both common and chronic among women. The American Psychiatric Association dropped the term hysteria in 1952. Even though it was categorized as a disease, hysteria's symptoms were synonymous with normal functioning female sexuality.[1] Women considered to have it exhibited a wide array of symptoms, including faintness, nervousness, sexual desire, insomnia, fluid retention, heaviness in the abdomen, shortness of breath, irritability, loss of appetite for food or sex, and a "tendency to cause trouble".[1]
In extreme cases, the woman may have been forced to enter an insane asylum or to have undergone surgical hysterectomy.[2]"
--Wikipedia
Just as racism is flourishing, attitudes towards women seem to be regressing under Republican control in America today. Dr. Ford is -- in their small, mean minds -- displaying a "tendency to cause trouble". They will of course try to destroy her. They don't care about the truth. For a woman to come forward and confront the person who assaulted her takes more courage than they can fathom.
VOTE. I personally will never vote for any republican again. Ever.
4
Let's be clear about one important aspect of this case. Both parties can say what they like but there is no crime to investigate. From today's Baltimore Sunpaper(9/22/2018):
"For one thing, if attempted rape in the first degree was the most appropriate charge, that was a misdemeanor in the 1980s in Maryland. It did not become a felony in the state until 1996. Former Attorney General Doug Gansler, who also served as Montgomery County state’s attorney, noted that Maryland’s statute of limitations for misdemeanors for an offense committed in the 1980s expired long ago."
4
I realized yesterday (lately it seems) that Judge must testify under oath . . . or the Republicans have no real interest in getting at the "truth."
8
There is no bottom to the corrupt abyss that is the Republican Party. Every member either elected or just their average Joe or Jill shares in this aimless immorality in both word and deed. Their actions and words shine a light on the fact that they either believe or know that their candidate is guilty and they must protect him and destroy Dr. Ford. No other explanation makes any sense.
3
Yes, they can't even fake it. That's how bad it is. It's a reminder of just how extreme and compromised these people are. They're there to deliver a result and that's what they intend to do. But I'm more concerned by subtle tiltings of the scale, such as Bret Stephens's idea that Ms. Blasey somehow facilitate the corroboration of her own story or her testimony will be found wanting. This puts pressure on Ms. Blasey, makes her appearance a performance to be critiqued, and distracts from the arbitrary timetable.
14
We need to require a supermajority vote (2/3) on matters such as Supreme Court appointments, major funding of the government (tax bill anyone?), etc. It's particularly important in this divisive era. Any one party who happens to be in power needs to be able to put forth convincing arguments to persuade at least some members of the other side, no matter the issue. Then the parties may begin to work together once again.
4
I don’t think you can fully blame Republicans, in fact I put a fair amount of this madness squarely on the shoulders of the Democrats for never having a backbone when it counts. I know they don’t have much say at this point, but how did we get here in the first place? I know, Dems bought into that myth that’s been peddled for the last few decades, the country is moving further to the right.
What's always missing in these morality plays is the most important lesson of all -- no citizen has a moral right to withhold from authorities the identity of a violent criminal.
If a woman is sexually assaulted, she doesn't have to identify herself to anyone but her doctor and her lawyer. From there, the identity of her attacker can be conveyed to police, and a contemporaneous, anonymous record of the offense and the offender will exist. It not only serves to add credibility to any later claim she might make, it also advises authorities of a serious threat to public safety.
2
I wonder if we are all having fun yet? This does seem to be like a reality TV show and we are all in it. In the last episode America will vanish from the earth. So, is this what we want in our polity? We are profoundly divided and that is dangerous. Our most important cultural norms are fairness and civility. Now, those norms are being challenged and truth is being thrown out. There is no honor left. I have blamed the Republicans for the last 16years, with an honorable mention for the Democrats. But it has to be more than just party. There is too much attention to media, and social media, and not much responsible journalism that gets filtered to the citizenry. Who benefits from this? A diverse democracy with the ability to get truth and honorable representatives should be enough, but we now have none of those things. I despair, I hate being stuck in this chamber of sickness and untruth. It may be time to get rid of the angry old white men and try to get young men and women into leadership who are willing to compromise and not hate each other and be wiling to commit to America not their own selves or agenda. I fear the fall of the great American experiment.
3
The Republicans on the Committee are taking the advice from Trump: Deny, deny, deny! This much stubbornness, obtuse behavior, disrespectful of a survivor is totally unbecoming of a US Senate committee. They have only one thing in mind: Appoint a conservative to the SCOTUS, preferably the current nominee. They are simply playing hardball with her.
Maryland has no statute of limitations for any felony sex crime. She can play hardball too if she wants to. Can you imagine a Supreme Court justice being sued for sexual assault?
Mr. Kavanaugh, please withdraw your nomination to end this demonstration of abuse of abused women.
2
First off, this President’s experience regarding bad behavior & women usually involved paying the women off.
Based on how Congress has treated witnesses (see House Judiciary committee vs Peter Strzok), you can’t blame Dr. Blasey Ford’s hesitation to appear. Congress needs to treat her allegations seriously. Most women who are involved in sexual attacks may not remember all the detailed specifics, but they never forget the who and where.
4
“Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know”
Indeed, we are listening again, and while I hate to throw Elsa into this, I hope we as a country understand the weight of this moment. Sen. Mitch McConnell doesn’t seems too interested, though - he seems to be interested in a different interpretation of “let it go.”
Even if the nomination is pushed through, Kavanaugh will be forever tainted. The supreme court will have on its bench a member who stands accused of inappropriate behaviour at best and assault at worst. Hardly exemplars of US society.
5
Grassley et al's words and actions are unethical beyond repair. They should be ashamed of themselves!
3
A detail I've never seen addressed: When the FBI investigated Anita Hill's claims, which took all of two days, what did they discover? What conclusions did they reach? How were the facts related and how did the committee respond? In other words, what good did it do? Thomas was still confirmed and Hill was still humiliated and belittled. Were Ms Hill's assertions disproved? Or were they proved but Thomas was confirmed anyway?
No woman would come forward with this story and subject herself and her family to this kind of scrutiny and abasement and hate (death threats!) if there weren't some substance. She should be allowed to testify and have witnesses testify. This do-it-my-way-or-die charade that the Republicans think exonerates their caveman sensibilities is insulting to everyone and is only a sop that briefly postpones the inevitable confirmation of a person that most Americans do not want on our Supreme Court.
But again, I want to know how the FBI investigated, what they found out, and how the information was then presented and handled. Everyone who talks about this as proof that the FBI should also investigate this case never go the final step and tell us what was found out.
7
Sorry, respect is earned, not automatically granted because of gender or race or any other defining factor. Had Dr. Blasey and Sen Feinstein submitted the letter on a timely basis, perhaps more respect would have been granted by all parties involved.
As a commenter in another publication pointed out, regardless of the outcome of Kavanaugh's nomination, Dr. Blasey's life is ruined forever. I have full empathy for victims of sexual abuse, but at a minimum, the letter should not have been sat on by Feinstein, thus turning Blasey into a political pawn.
5
"Mitch McConnell, spoke at the Values Voter Summit, reassuring evangelical activists ..."
This is like a trifecta: McConnell, Values Voter Summit, and evangelicals. What a nauseous combination. All it needs is trump and Clarence Thomas.
17
It is especially galling for GOP Judiciary Committee members who have maligned Dr. Ford, foreclosed a FBI investigation, and made no effort to subpoena the third person with knowledge of this event to now hide behind female staff attorneys rather than confronting her directly. This hypocrisy and extreme cowardice should not pass unnoticed.
5
The irony is that Judge Kavanaugh could have short-circuited this ugly mess by acknowledging his misbehavior, apologizing sincerely for it, and moving on.
But no, he huddles in the White House to receive his tactical marching orders, and falls right in-step with chauvinistic charade unfolding before a brutalized nation.
Public remarks by Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham give the game away. Facts, to the degree they will be ascertained, matter less than a gnat in a moth-eaten rug. The fix is in. These two statesmen have said so explicitly.
McConnell can count votes. Susan Collins' and Lisa Murkowski's votes are surely among those counted.
3
I watched the hearings as much as I could tolerate before Dr. Blasey Ford came forward, and my impression of Judge Kavanaugh is that he should have been disqualified almost immediately by his nearly absolute refusal to answer the simplest question in a direct, straightforward manner. I know that evasion and misdirection are the conventional skills of a lawyer or a politician, but Judge Kavanaugh is being considered as a judge in the highest court in the nation.
And only at that point in my own formulation of an opinion about Trump's nominee did Dr. Blasey's accusation come to light.
As for the ridiculous discussion and debate about why victims of sexual assault don't come forward, I can only point to the response this particular situation has evoked.
I expect this man to be confirmed. I hope I am wrong.
5
I thought the GOP had a new rule stating "No supreme court nominee shall be considered in an election year."
8
How much respect does Dr. Ford deserve? Judge Kanvanaugh has been a powerful, influential member of the Judiciary for many years now, and she never said a word publicly. She wrote a letter, asking first and foremost for anonymity, when she alleged the attack. She want's to negotiate demands to reopen a hearing that went on for a week during which she said nothing. Granted, give her a hearing, sympathy, and privacy but respect? No.
5
Most of my adult life I've balanced my loathing of the two parties, roughly equally. The absurd certainty that their side is always right, the ridiculous assertions that the law always favors their side, the character assassination, etc. Sometimes the minority, b/c they are frustrated, being out of power, is worse than the other. In the late '90s, I was repulsed by the Rs, who desperately sought to undo BC's election, to the degree that for a few years I would not vote for any Rs. Nowadays, I rarely vote for either an R or D, but, since Trump's campaign and then victory, I especially loathe the left, b/c of the hysteria, the false accusations, the violence and intimidation (while screaming victimization), the faux free speech as they disrupt public events, and so on. I do not really want to vote for Ds or Rs again, but I feel like I'm being pushed to it. Of course, few people deserve loathing like Trump, but he won, but displeasure at that does not justify the insanity of the "resistance," which is even worse than him.
I don't know what happened to Prof. F or if Justice K was involved. I don't believe Ds really care at all. She is a means to an end, as was Anita Hill years ago. We don't hear any hysteria on their part for Karen Monahan (Keith Ellison) or see a wholesale rejection of Bill Clinton, do we?
S. Ct. hearings have become so useless and destructive, we should do away with them completely. Just have the usual character assassination followed by a vote.
1
Years ago I had a colleague as work who used to say "when you think you've reach bottom, the bottom falls out". This the Republican party better know as the Trump party today. This incident with Dr. Ford is just the latest in a long line of jaw dropping events. If President Trump doesn't initiate it then his toadies in Congress do. Whatever happened to the voices of William Buckley and Ronald Reagan.
1
nor can democrats, much to the embarrassment of this one, manage any respect for judge kavanaugh.
sen feinstein's exploitation of dr ford does women (and #metoo) no favors, she has, as have others before her, given no priority to dr ford's complaint, keeping it hidden, until she found a use, an ulterior use, for it...how to respect that?
the GOP for its part, has done the same when they've been on the same spot.
faking respect for any of it is hard for any citizen and, if jefferson was right, that we get the government we deserve, even self-respect is a challenge these days,
1
Trump says: "I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!”
Forget about date, time, place. No criminal charges will be brought here. No one asks for a criminal investigation. The American people need to know whether the incident happened - and whether Mr. Judge and Kavanaugh were there. Is that too much for the FBI to investigate?
I have no idea whether Dr. Ford is telling the truth. But a proper FBI investigation will be able to resolve that question. Mr Judge has written a book detailing youthful drunkenness - and he mentioned the name Kavanaugh in his book. FBI should subpoena Mr Judge to tell everything under oath.
A refusal/failure of Grassley's Judiciary Committee to investigate these matters reduces this hearing to a sham. Republicans on the Judiciary Committee are taking this country into the gutters. Their wanton disregard for basic principles of justice and decency should be condemned by all decent Americans and peoples of the world.
7
All you need to remember about trump is that he has never said or done the right thing, the first time, during his entire life... for that matter, he has rarely ever done the right thing. His motives have always, always been to insult and belittle, reduce and demean... everyone and everything... in this he’s been consistent.
1
I think this article is a misdirection of reason and logic. Why should any reasonable person not believe this isn't politically motivated? Clearly, without rendering a judgment on the accusations, coming more than three decades after the alleged assault, makes the associations between the 'women's choice' defense campaign and the anti-Kavanaugh hearing shout down episodes unmistakable.
The defense of a women's right to choose is a valid and just argument to make if your beliefs run in that directions. The media's apparently needs to exact some measure of justification for the character assassination of Mr. Kavanaugh behind the open suggestion, directly or indirectly, that the accusation should be considered real and factual, to justify taking any means to meet the desired ends. Just what Mr. Kavanaugh is being accused of. We are all guilty of hypocrisy. The difference isn't measured in kind but in degree and to call out the GOP for its alleged indifference to the accusations by the editorial staff is a degree of hypocrisy that also needs to be called out.
3
"The F.B.I. investigated Ms. Hill’s accusations, and it should investigate Dr. Blasey’s. "
What is there to investigate? An accusation without any supporting evidence about an alleged event that happened 36 years ago? She doesn't remember the date, the place, the party attendees and she has no corroborating witnesses as she didn't tell anyone about the alleged event for 30 years. What is there to investigate? She gives a sworn statement, maybe, that has yet to be 'negotiated'. He gives a sworn statement. Then vote.
2
Why, at this late date, has the accuser still failed to even bother to file a police report detailing the date, time and location and other details of the alleged offense? Right now this all has the status of a transparently political smear and attempt to delay and derail Mr. Kavanaugh's nomination. In true show trial fashion Democrats have pronounced the man guilty in advance without so much as a smidgeon of evidence.
2
What's the suspense? The Trumpublicans will end up doing their worst and confirm Kavanaugh, as they've done all the other horrors for Trump all along. People have compared it to their having made a deal with the devil because of no political alternative at this point regarding (former) Republican Party voters. Yes, Kavanaugh may be added to the stacked SCOTUS deck, but a change in majority parties in Congress might just off-set it. That's supposing that Democratic Party politicians have some back-bone. I hope.
This is a sorry mess.
First, Franklin Graham has lost all credibility and really needs to reread the story of Jacob and Esau. His father at the very least was credible and consistent, whether or not one believed in his theology. His is conduct of the deluded.
Secondly, McConnell's “plow right through” tells the story of this Congressional GOP. They castigated the 2010 method of passing the ACA and adopted the same method themselves for the reverse Robin Hood tax legislation. They have no shame.
6
This incident is typical of the hypocrisy of the Republican
Party and its leaders. They are only interested in power and placating their Religious Right base and have no interest in trying to investigate thoroughly and properly these serious charges. This shows their total lack of respect for women victims and the integrity of the Supreme Court. They obviously think that Kavanaugh will be a political partisan who will use his judicial power to favor hard right views on abortion, corporate power, and state’s rights. That is their only real concern.
What an amoral and fraudulent party they truly are.
It is so clear now why they follow and support Donald Trump. They are so like him in their immorality and
disrespect for the truth and democracy.
4
What is Kavanaugh "prepping" for? He either attacked Ms. Ford or he didn't. So since he's denied her allegations, what that really means is that he's concocting more lies.
Women don't make these things up. It takes a lot of courage for her to come forward and relive what was obviously an extremely painful experience.
21
Before Anita Hill took the stand so many years ago, I had convinced myself that women were making reasonable progress in equal rights and equal treatment.
I will never forget those hearings, and the dignity and composure of Anita Hill in the face of blatant disrespect from those we elected to lead. In particular, I remember one exchange in which Professor Hill was being badgered, and she was attempting to clarify a point. One senator - it might have Orrin Hatch - snapped in exasperation, "Don't interrupt me, young lady!" ... as if she were a recalcitrant child and not an adult - an adult with educational credentials matching or exceeding most of the people in that room, and a law professor to boot.
At that point, I knew I had more equality as a professional in my rural corner of New England than did professional women who had any connection with men in power in Washington, D.C.
Now, we are beseeching another woman to come forward and it infuriates me. How dare we ask another woman to go through what Anita Hill endured in facing a group of largely hostile, malevolent men with power determined to vilify and demean her.
God help us all.
20
A lot of Americans, like me, have a hard time believing that Dr. Ford would have come forward if Brett Kavanaugh was nominated by President Hilary Rodham Clinton. A drunken memory from 36 years ago has become political fodder. Dr. Ford is not trying to keep Judge Kavanaugh from a high government position. She is trying to thwart a republican nominee. Her motivations are nakedly political, and are being treated as such.
3
Who says that she is deserving of this respect, most of us see her as a liar and opportunist. Up to this point, I can’t see that she even has a modicum of credibility, I am looking forward to her testimony though...
She doesn’t seem to remember much so it’s going to be very interesting to see her try to discredit a man like this with a simple accusation, on substantiated, 25 years ago
Good luck.
1
Ever since it became an established fact that Donald Trump successfully co-opted the Republican Party by casting it into an image of himself, it's been clear that they would neither respect themselves, the people they were elected to serve, or the U.S. Constitution.
And there are far too many examples of what they have done, for there to be any lingering doubts about it; but this "charade" surrounding the nomination and their ultimate confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, even while he is being accused of sexual misconduct, really takes the cake.
Not only because it reeks of hypocrisy, but because they're too dim to notice what a can of worms they've opened by failing to recognize the public reaction against their obstinance.
This is something Americans should remember, come November...VOTE!
4
Since when has any SCOTUS had 'unimpeachable moral standards'? All of them throughout history have had, without doubt, skeletons in the closet, particularly sexual peccadilloes, like everyone else. Even Ginsburg I'd wager. And a good thing too, otherwise they would be useless judges. What's happened with the MeToo thing is a female urge "to be heard" which a lot of men aren't interested in. Who's standing up for the right of adolescent boys to engage in drunken fumbling? This is a human right, surely? The difference in this allegation is that it's more serious, involving suffocation and ripping off clothes. It can't be proven either way. It should have nothing to do with party politics. The issue is, drunken groping must be supported as a natural part of growing up, but the line is physical coercion.
2
There are no Republican leaders anymore, just puppets. Trump owns what used to be called the Republican Party, and the so-called leaders are nothing but enablers. Democracy in the United States is hanging by a very thin thread. Vote 2018, it may be your last chance.
5
Funny, you call them leaders. They are followers of polls. They do tricks for K Street hustlers with the biggest bank roll. The only time any of these people think about their constituency is when it is electoral time and then only to smile, give speeches that pass the poll test and count the votes.
Will we ever get elected congressman who care about the body politic and not the body pocket lining?
5
From your editorial:
"At this point, Dr. Blasey’s accusations need to be examined not only for her sake but for that of Judge Kavanaugh and of the entire Supreme Court — especially if Republicans are convinced of the nominee’s innocence."
If by "examined" you mean "investigated by the FBI" I completely agree. It is the only proper course of action. It is respectful of the rule of law and the Supreme Court as an institution.
3
We've been in a constitutional crisis since the day McConnell announced he wouldn't hold hearings on Merrick Garland. It's time to come to terms with this. McConnell's play back then might not have been unconstitutional in literal terms but it was under the guise of traditional norms. All the turmoil since then reflects the lingering outer bands of the Cat 5 hurricane that made landfall in D.C.within hours of Scalia's death. The Dems capitulated. We haven't recovered. We are all Puerto Ricans now.
This editorial is more of the same. The republicans - their Evangelical base - are on the cusp of realizing their four decade-long dream of killing Roe v Wade. NOTHING will stop them. Bottom line: They're willing to forfeit the senate as long as they've cemented a conservative majority on the high Court. They've packed the lower courts since Trump took office. Kavanaugh is the crown jewel. They're more at home in the minority where they are not expected to govern; their charge will be to oppose. As for Trump, he's delivered. Good riddance.
Killing the ACA, civil rights, Gay marriage, gun control, environmental regulation and labor unions are part of the deal. But the litmus test begins and ends with abortion. Losing this fight means fighting the battle for 40 more years.
There is no statute of limitations for sexual assault in Maryland. Should Kavanaugh be confirmed, an investigation should be opened and impeaching him should remain a viable option for as long as necessary.
4
Anne from Portland got it right, we do need a better acknowledgement of how trauma impacts a person and their subsequent life.
As a Junior in high school I was sexually assaulted on a "date". Now approaching 65 I have never told anyone. Overnight I went from a bubbly student who sat in the front row of every class to one cowering in the back, silent, refusing to make eye contact or speak to any male! My parents, my teachers ... even my friends did not react. I did not sleep for weeks and I am almost certain it left vulnerable to PTSD episodes of which I have had a few.
These are the facts!
Those who doubt Dr. Blasey without this sort of understanding need to walk a mile in my shoes.
10
We so desperately need to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and stop looking over our shoulders once and for all. There is only a single state left to ratify it and we can constitutionally guarantee that American women will forever be able to make their own medical decisions without interference from the government. I'm so tired of women's reproductive rights being the political football that gets kicked around every single election. Enough already. I'm tired of bickering over things like Gorsuch and Kavanaugh and wondering when the right will kill our rights with a million tiny cuts.
5
The GOP senators are making cynical, gratuitous gestures of “concern” for her in the full knowledge that, even if she appears and no matter what happens, they will eagerly confirm Kavanaugh as expeditiously as possible.
3
Regardless of how this nightmare plays out, Kavenaugh is tainted, Hatch has once again disgraced himself and will be remembered in the most foul way, Grassley has not brought honor to himself, and who knows just what ambitions motivate Graham.
And this will be a continuing nightmare for Dr. Ford. Whatever her future is, this will always be the elephant n the room, just as it is for Anita Hill.
2
May I suggest that we still didn't hear from the accuser, directly! All of the selective quotes provided in the media, this article no different, are provided to substantiate the title, whether they are from GOP officials or not.
The armed-chair media Jury-reporters, deemed the allegations credible and are demanding conviction. Short on corroborated evidence, they muddle the process with claims of the unfairness of the hearings.
The burden is on the accuser to face her accused. The accused will have the benefit of rebuttal. Our legal system is adversarial, and both parties are entitled to advocate for their rights to be heard, without prejudice, except that an unreasonable delay of this process will d-rail the accused chances of a life-time opportunity.
The adversarial process seems to be working just as intended! Media: STOP appealing to the partisan divide...
1
The Good Old Boys party has little or no respect for women in general, not even for those in their own party. How could they possible have respect for one as educated and intelligent as Prof. Ford. It goes against everything they hold sacred, backed by the evangelical crowd and the Old Testament of the bible.
It's about time the republicans got their heads out of the dark ages and started treating women like equals.
3
It doesn't stop with fake respect for Dr. Ford.
There's fake sanctimony about the Constitution. There's fake respect for the rule of law. There's fake patriotism that hides their raw tribalism and racism. There's the fake decorum of Republican Senate leadership as they twist process to suit their purpose.
There's the fake tax cut with fake benefits for those who will pay most for it. A tax cut that's really an armed assault on the national treasury and slow motion child and elder abuse when safety net programs are cut.
There's fake disaster relief for major catastrophes -- even fake mortality numbers (but the paper towels are real). And we're all familiar with fake news when the truth can't be denied.
Their nominee to the Supreme Court is fake.
The Republicans are fake. Their majority is fake. Their President is fake.
What's real about them is fake.
But what isn't fake is the bulging volcanic rage about to erupt.
6
The division in this country is sadly growing worse every day.
How bad is it?
Exactly 51 - 49 bad.
I predict we will never see another SCOTUS nominee get any bi-partisan support.
2
The Justice Department and the FBI have duties to investigate and prosecute the persons who are making death threats against Dr. Blasey, who are engaging in witness tampering and who are obviously obstructing justice. The Senate hearing should be suspended until such time as these apparent federal crimes are investigated and prosecuted.
4
I am an attorney and would just like to comment on the hearing procedure used by the politicians. Legal hearings held in court are governed by rules of procedure that have devolved over many years and are designed to discover the truth. By comparison, hearings held in Congress are a bad joke and are largely used by the politicians to make some political statement or the other. The proposed Kavanaugh hearing would apparently just pit the alleged victim against the accuser with no other witnesses being called. Such testimony could just be phoned in. There are likely other potential witnesses out there who saw or heard something and could flesh out valuable evidence. However, Trump and the Republican Senators reject the idea of an FBI investigation that would no doubt add to the available evidence. They aren't looking for the truth.
41
A creative example of semantic surrealism: ” if the alleged attack was as bad as she says,” where is the written documentation “ so that we can learn date, time, and place!?” If Trump, as a person and as a minority of the People elected President, is as dangerous as so many write and voice, harming individuals in so many places,temporarily and more permanently, and a range of national policy and their associated agencies, and America’s global relationships with allies, and less than allies, how come “real” Born-in -America citizens don’t see it that way?Huh? How come the “lying media” has yet to produce a believable White on Black ( or another hue) documentation of alleged harms:
1. Type harm___ a.Verbal b.Action c.by commission___ by omission
2.Date___ a.m. p.m.
3.Who____
4.Where_______
5.Outcome(s):a. temporary__b.permanent 6.Witness(es)______
7.Sources____
8.Who benefited_____
9.Additional comments:
Where is the believable evidence? Huh?
The time is NOW for going back to America’s long lost norm, and legacy, of
” put up or shut up!
It’s time to replace individual complacency with-made-in-America complicity.
And if we Americans, as a divided, diverse nation, and People, with tainted law enforcement and intelligence agencies, aren’t capable of doing this quickly, effectively and efficiently, let’s get President Trump to ask Putin to lend us his very talented and effective hackers! God bless...
1
There are at least 3 issues on which general reporting is failing to properly frame the issues and is thereby distorting the discussion.The first is that the inquiry is about Kavanaugh's character and whether he is indicating a willingness to lie to the judiciary committee. If he is, his appointment should fail because he does not demonstrate sufficient integrity to be worthy of the court. The second error is repeatedly calling them "high school students." Anyone who has raised children knows that 15 and 17 are not are not the peers that language suggests. The third issue that is distorting the conversation is framing the conditions under which she testifies as a "negotiation." Negotiation implies that there is something in it for her. Her coming forward is a public service and discussions around the related conditions should only be about ensuring her safety and the accuracy with which she can share her information. In that, her "side" is representing the public interest not Dr. Blasey Ford's.
16
I worry that whether Kavanaugh is voted up or down - ie, no matter which side "wins" here - future history will note it as another significant inflection point that led to the Second American Civil War.
13
You somewhat miss the point here. It is Kavanaugh, with his dismissive attitude, who is demonstrating his unfitness to serve on the Court, regardless of whether or not the allegations against him are true.
29
This episode demonstrates that the Left and the Democrats have no limit to base and disgusting tactics they will use to subvert the appointment of a decent family man to the Supreme Court. It is one thing to raise the issue of policy or legal opinions to oppose a judicial nominee, but to attack his character with the unsubstantiated allegation of a 15 year old girl, now an adult, reaches a new low. However we must accept that this is the new norm, and Republicans must be prepared to defend their nominees against this tactic.
My hope is after Judge Kavanaugh is confirmed to the Supreme Court that he harbors an unrelenting animus to the Left and the Democrats in general and the government of the State of California in particular; including the state's representatives in Congress.
3
@John Quinn This just shows your tribalism. She is not using a "tactic." You really think someone would put themselves through this as a "tactic?" She would take a lie detector test, call for an FBI investigation, and place one of Kavanaugh's friends in the room as a witness? Why isn't Kavanaugh calling for an investigation to clear his name? Your anger toward the left is clouding your reasoning and judgement.
5
@John Quinn He does harbor that animus. That's one of many reasons he isn't qualified to be on the SC.
Now there’s an interesting thought, John, hope for a vengeful and politicized court... guess what, John, it’s already here!
1
What you don't mention is that Collins and Murkowski, two woman Senators, are still on the fence. Apparently, #MeToo does not apply to them. But, then again, they voted for the Trump tax cut, and if it were not fro John McCain, at least one of them would have voted to dismantle the ACA. So, apparently, even the women GOP members are as big a hypocrites as they male brethren. That is, is is about the money from their minders, their lobbyists and their PACs. But, it is more than the GOP, you have conservative ministers, on the GOP's side,a s well. All, taking the side of a sexual predator nominee and president. Apparently, abortion is not okay, but the sexual assault, that can lead to it, is.
The bottom line, while both political parties have morphed into self serving, money grubbing, 1% beholding, power hungry manifestations of the worse imaginable; the GOP is the worse of the two.
35
@Nick Metrowsky...
What do you mean, morphed?
They've always been that way, and the Senate is nothing but "a collection of 100 little people who think they are...or should be...President" of the United States...
And, this remark comes from a well-respected, cross-aisle working senator from a decade or so ago.
1
Can you imagine the "outrage" that would pour out of the conservative media if President Obama's candidate for SCOTUS was physically in the White House being prepped by his staff? Can you imagine the blitzkrieg-like attacks that would spew from Limbaugh and FOX News and social media?
Indeed, as several others have pointed out, there's truly something wrong with our system of government today. But more serious is the total lack of ethics, morality or sense of fairness in our (presumably) elected officials; many who have been corrupted by their power.
In the end, Kavanaugh will probably be approved and appointed but this may be a blessing in disguise. He may become the catalyst that inspires more Americans to start paying attention to the corruption in the Republican party and in the White House.
52
MSM has not reported on Kavanaugh's tutelage at the White House enough. It is bizarre and unethical for a Supreme Court nominee to be spending hours in the WH prepping for hearings. If he is nominated, he will be part of a court looking at trump's wrongdoings, and he will be severely ethically compromised. He will be beholding to the president and the republican party. It is absurd and shocking.
Trump gets to choose his judge and make that judge indept to him. It would be ridiculous if it were not so frightening.
4
@mrfreeze6 - it's infuriating to the point of exhaustion that, just as the devastation in the Carolinas cause by Florence might provoke more action on the realities of climate change, the illegitimate appointment of Kavanaugh could provoke more attention paid to corruption in our government. Don't you see that as wealth buys more power, votes are being undermined by national and international forces? "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" should be printed in white on red caps.
Dr. Ford sounds like a nose-in-the-books biochem researcher - an introvert. She must have great courage to face the world press. Stepping forward to do the right thing provides no advantage for her, much the opposite.
There is no doubt she is telling the truth.
And that Kavanaugh, with this charge alone, is not fit to preside over any court.
72
It's not about "respect;" it's all about, as Bob Woodward titled his book,"Fear." It's "fear" that Dr. Blasey is telling the truth; and it's "fear" they're desperately trying to create so that she'll be too frightened and too intimidated to testify. With all the obstacles thrown up by the President in refusing to order an updated F.B.I. background investigation to his accusatory tweet, the intent is to create a climate of hostility and "fear" in Dr. Blasey. And the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have added to the "fear" by refusing to allow other corroborating witnesses like Mark Judge or mental health experts; letting Judge Kavanaugh speak last; and having her questioned by a female attorney as if she were on trial. We can only hope that like the late great Boston Red Sox center fielder, Jimmy Piersall, that Dr. Blasey will find the courage to testify and demonstrate to Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and the nation that "Fear Strikes Out."
51
Dr. Ford has been given the opportunity to testify under oath before the Senate Committee. She must do that this week. Her lawyers continue to throw out delay tactics - really, she must drive to Washington? What’s next, a dentist appointment that can’t be rescheduled? Each of these delays reduces her credibility.
10
@Collie Sue
Respectfully, it is not 'delay tactics'' it is that an 'allegedly' violent rape assault victim too needs a modicum of due process. Ford says she wants an honest impartial FBI investigation, and she is open to FBI investigation of herself. Why are you so afraid of it? why is Trump afraid of an FBI investigation? Why is the nominee afraid of it? Why are the Republicans afraid of it?
Remember that your party totally denied constitutionally-mandated hearing for the nominee of President Obama, Merrick Garland, and people like you did not raise your voice in support of constitutional legitimacy, due process, when 'delay tactics' lasted nearly one year, and yet here you are, and the Republican party is, deny giving a hearing to an 'alleged' violent rape assault victim.
Imagine Ford was your sister, your mother, your aunt, daughter, your significant other, your close friend, would you maintain the same position just because you agree with the world view of a prospective judge? I am inclined to think that, upon reflection, you are better than that.
1
I say Dr Fird should be given equal prep time in the WH like kavanaugh. And if he gers to chiose her i terogator, so should she.
She is not on trial! She is not at the mercy if the courts.
If kavanaugh was nominated fir dig catcher in iur town and had this allegation made against him, one of two things would happen FOR CERTAIN:
The allegations would be investigated by an objective professional INVESTIGATORY organization or person; ir the nominee dog-catcher would withdraw his application for the job and the hiring organization would accept his resignation.
Senators Grassley and McConnell are absurdly biased, care only about their party, and will forever be marred by their recent years of attacks on the constitution and the systems that are meant to protect our country and democracy from rogue scoundrels.
1
The more the nytimes makes its arguments the less convincing they appears.
The nytimes says victims of harassment need time to take charges against their accuser. That's not entirely true. In fact in other non -related accusations among students in campus the common policy is to press charge as soon as they can ( in order to collect any hard evidence possible ).
But back then she was 15, and could not have the presence of mind to do that. I agree with this line. But being 25-35-45 years old was still not enough??
Let's see last three months, i.e. since judge Kavanaugh's public nomination. She sent letters to the committee considering the nomination via her representative, she did an interview with the journalist who uncovered mr. Weinstein's history of alleged sexual assaults, first anonymously, then by identifiyng herself, finally she is looking for further delay to her witness
What on earth could make her to need another week after a process she herself started three months ago?
To refer to ms. Hill's witnessing is a big blunder by the nytimes since there was an FBI's investigation and it led to nothing.
On GoFund a law professor raised almost 200k for mrs. Ford' security.
Republicans agree to her conditions for her hearing ( having Kavanaugh out of the room, postponing the date again and again ) i think if she is overpreparing herself, her candor could have been affected badly, since the attention would be focussed on "how" she'll tell and not on "what" she'll tell.
7
Something has to be done about the structure of the Supreme Court. It cannot be another political entity. Perhaps term limits should be considered. Or a different nomination process. Our constitution is being torn to shreds by the way the court is becoming just another political tool.
92
@Daphne philipson, you are so right. We Americans feel like orphans no one is looking out for us. Even the Supreme Court is merely a political tool. Shame on SC justices for becoming puppets in the hands of their political masters. We deserve better.
3
The Republicans appear genuinely fearful that the truth will disqualify Judge Kavanaugh so they are doing their best to scuttle Professor Blasey's charge by removing it from any real legal investigatory process: No FBI investigation? That keeps the case details and context from building. Republicans don't want testimony that discusses Kavanaugh's behaviors during the time of the alleged assault. They don't want phone records or other contextual facts from emerging that might lead to identification of the time and place of the incident. No FBI investigation also makes sure that no one lies to the FBI which is a crime in itself; Kavanaugh's alleged partner in the crime, Mark Judge, can keep on denying that it happened without fear that he would be charged with lying to the FBI for saying the same thing to them. No subpoenas of witnesses? This protects Kavanaugh by keeping reluctant witnesses in the shadows and it ensures that their testimony will never be heard in a courtroom. By limiting the hearing to Ms. Ford and Mr. Kavanaugh, they avoid the threat any sworn testimony from others may have to Kavanaugh's confirmation.
76
@tony Republicans (and many more reasonable men) fear that this political stunt will cement the "guilty becuase accused" mindset in the left. My own union steward said I was a pedophile because I'm a male teacher. This is not healthy. This is not good for democracy, for men, for Democrats, or for a civil society.
1
What is the correct standard for judging an 11th hour accusation of a unprovable she said/he said charge from 36 years ago? It can't be she must be telling the truth and Kavanaugh is now unfit for the court without any further evidence. The fact the left would have that be the standard shows how far they have strayed. They said they would stop at nothing to block this nomination and here we are.
21
@Todd
You are right. "It can't be she must be telling the truth and Kavanaugh is now unfit for the court without any further evidence."
So let's have a proper FBI investigation and make her alleged witness testify.
14
@Todd Kavanaugh was an unfit prospect before Dr. Ford's accusation. He has lied; he has proven an unfit manager of his money and frankly, I found his testimony regarding his daughters, creepy.
And by the way, I don't recall Republicans condemning McConnell's blocking of Obama's nomination, yet you're quick to vilify Democrats "stopping at nothing?"
3
@Todd Then have an fbi investigation. That is the normal process. But your obfuscators won't let that happen. so here we are.
2
I am the victim of a sexual assault that took place in a resort in Portugal in 1974. I remember my dress and the first name of the attacker. Immediately, I went to the police and reported the incident, including the license plate of the car he drove. They checked and confirmed he that owned it. I warned he would repeat attacks on tourists.
In recent days, I have struggled to remember more details. George drove a sports car. He had black hair. He was taller than myself, slim build. He spoke perfect English. I cannot remember anything else.
I spoke about the incident a few weeks later with my gynecologist in the US, now deceased. He was kind; he attempted to be helpful, but was not helpful. Maybe three years later I spoke about it with an unnamed woman counselor at a health clinic. I told her I was foolish to go with a man I hardly knew in a car.
She told me I was amazing. I had offered him a hand job. I persuaded him to drive from the woods where he pulled off the road back into town. I got out of there alive and unhurt. I went to the police. I was an amazing person, albeit a victim.
This incident resides in the way, way back of my mind, re-surfacing when other women’s stories are reported in the news. Somehow I was not then traumatized like many of my peers who have suffered rapes and attacks. Later, my discussion with the counselor gave me a different view.
If I were Christine Blasey Ford, would my recollection and my police report be sufficient for these G(r)OP-ers?
40
@Janet But there is no police report. So what does your experience have to do with Ford's?
1
Most voters believe Prof. Ford. Some voters believe Judge Kavanaugh or at least that he actually doesn't remember anything (because of his drunken stupor). Most voters also agree that incidents from long ago are hard to precisely recall without some subjective embellishment. However, if the Senate doesn't grant Prof. Ford at least an additional 24 hours to prepare and, on the contrary, moves ahead to ram through a confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh, then one should expect that many more voters will be energized to remove Republicans who now control the house and senate in November, especially those critical voters on the fence or who in general do not participate in mid term elections. I will bet on it.
30
24 hours? The gave her 5 days—asked Wednesday to testify on Monday.
2
Let's hope so.
1
The Kavanaugh nomination is a last gasp power play by the GOP, a party that has made the fatal mistake of going all-in on an all-white, all-male strategy. That plan may have actually worked if not for their leader, who doesn't understand that his behavior is spelling the death of the GOP for years to come. Trump received three million fewer votes than his deeply flawed opponent in 2016, yet his party keeps digging a deeper hole by tossing aside women and non-white voters.
This is a party on life support and they know it. They know that their window of opportunity to maintain control in one branch of government has, very likely, shrunk to weeks. In the meantime, young Democrat candidates are openly calling to push Pelosi and many of the old cronies aside. One party is evolving while the other clings to an aging male base. Interesting times, indeed.
79
@GB
I hope you are wrong about the "young Democrat candidates." The thought of the extreme left controlling Congress (or the Presidency) is as frightening as Donald Trump.
1
@GB
I'm not really sure how "deeply flawed" Mrs. Clinton was, or is. There were many things she should have done differently, and had she done them, she probably would have won the Electoral College also. If you think that she is deeply flawed, what must you think of the man who occupies the Oval Office. A mad man is in charge of this country along with a lot of old, white men who want to control our lives. It is about power and the people be damned. And speaking of flawed, cast your eyes on the two Court Jesters: Franklin and Lindsay Graham.
1
The GOP can't help itself. Senator Grassley's grudging extension of the deadline for Professor Blasey was issued as an apology to Judge Kavanagh. So much for fair process.
84
Respect is a bit of a two-way street. Perhaps if Ms. Ford had shared her letter in July with both Senator Grassley and Senator Feinstein, it would have been better.
A simple step.
It would have felt like less of a partisan move.
Her requests for special treatment - which have been drawn-out and weaponized in the media - have not contributed to a sense of neutrality.
16
@Maurice Gatien No, it would not have been better.
Given the smear campaign that the GOP has launched against Ms. Ford and given their dedication to shutting preventing any investigation from taking place, the most likely outcome of sharing the letter earlier would have been a more extended period of vilification.
The GOP's actions have amply demonstrated that they are dedicated to placing Kavanaugh on the bench and have no interest in whether he assaulted a woman, committed perjury during his hearing or has committed other crimes. They know he is a stalwart Republican and foe of women's rights. That's enough for them. In this situation, it is very hard to see how sharing the letter earlier would have led to any other result.
226
@Maurice Gatien
Having seen Grassley performing over the years, including the Anita Hill hearing, I wouldn't have trusted him to walk to the mailbox and back without opening the letters on the way back.
Trust is earned--not given--and these Senators have only earned distrust. And a factual correction--she gave the letter to her California Representative (D) who passed it onto Feinstein.)
81
@Maurice Gatien,
Maybe Ms. Ford wouldn't be such an obvious grandstanding liar; if she had sent the letter to the Committee in May 2006, when Judge Kavanaugh was nominated for an Appellate Court judgeship on the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia.
Maybe if Sen. Feinstein had treated her colleague and Committee Chair Senator Grassley, with some modicum of respect by sharing Ms. Ford's letter with the Committee Chair, there would be some basis for respect.
The open, partisan, treachery, of Democrats deserves no respect.
Kavanaugh is holed up in the WH and is being prepped by WH lawyers. I did not get the memo when the executive and judiciary merged into one branch of the government. And moving forward, how are we now to expect an impartial judgement from Kavanaugh, whose only covets getting a seat in the SCOTUS.
Transparency, clean process and separation of powers; aah, what quaint ideas those are.
315
Presumption of innocence is one of this nation's core values. Unless and until proven guilty, Mr. Kavanaugh is presumed to be innocent of Ms. Ford's accusation.
Presumption of innocence requires the accuser to submit evidence to overcome the presumption. Therefore, if Ms. Ford pursues her allegation, she has the burden of submitting evidence that overcomes Kavanaugh's presumption of innocence. She is accusing, therefore she testifies first and he is in the room to face his accuser.
If Ms. Ford chooses not to testify under these conditions, people could conclude from that fact alone that something is suspicious about Ms. Ford. Nonetheless, if she does not testify, then no evidence exists to overcome Kavanaugh's presumption of innocence.
22
@David DeFazio In order to submit evidence, Congress must agree to ACCEPT AND HEAR her evidence (witnesses, etc.) Did you forget that trivial detail?
140
note also that we are not talking about a legal process but a moral/political one. The issue here is the character of the nominee today regardless of what he did years ago.
21
@RJM When and how did the entire Congress state that it would refuse to hear relevant evidence in this matter?
I am old enough to remember the demeaning treatment of Anita Hill. The republican response to recent events reeks of the same. I am sickened by the lack of basic respect for women, as well as the men , that have had sexual harassment . I for one have had experiences on multi occasions of verbal and physical harassment. The GOP's reluctance to address this in a serious and respectful manner will only embolden another generation ( of youth in this case) with crude behavior. So sad!
63
@Gail: I agree with you but what happened to Prof Ford was sexual assault, not harassment. Violence, not verbal, "Hey, cutie pie" kind of stuff at work. For me, there is a huge difference.
3
@Gail
Things will change. These old dinosaurs can't live forever.
Judiciary Committee Grassley has just told Ms. Ford that "we won't agree to your unreasonable demands," including for an impartial, expert investigation of her testimony, which she's already put in writing for all to see, to frame the hearing. Anita Hill said Wednesday that the meaning of such a refusal would be that the Senators' minds, including those of supposed swing votes such as Susan Collins, are already made up, and that any hearing under those circumstances would fail to meet even minimal standards of fairness, and be a sham.
I think Ms. Hill is right. If these swing votes don't take Mr. Grassley to task now, and go to bat for a fair hearing, they won't pay attention to Ms. Ford's testimony should she attend. Under such circumstances, Ms. Ford's attendance at a Committee hearing next week would sway no Senators, and lend a patina of respectability to proceedings that otherwise have none. Why should she attend?
11
@Benjamin Ochshorn
I wouldn't write off Senator Collins just yet. She would like to hear Dr. Ford's testimony. Collins has said that if Kavanaugh is lying, it is disqualifying. Also if Kavanaugh lies under oath it is grounds for impeachment.
1
There isn't a democrat outside unsafe seats in the next election who would have voted for Kavanaugh and they all made that clear BEFORE any allegation. Why do Republicans have to respect this tactic? What Feinstein did was Machiavellian at best. The retaliations for this will not end. We will be consumed in political theater and dirty tricks for the foreseeable future. It is clear that what shattered first is a respect for the Constitution and the rule of law. Now that that has happened, anything can happen.
9
@TD
You need to read about the background. It wasn't Machiavellian at all. What is at sake here is the integrity of the SCOTUS. Despite being treated shamefully by the Republicans, Dr. Ford is willing to undergo the hearing and testify about a traumatic event. If it's true, it will say a lot about K's character. He is about to be appointed to a lifetime job where he will be able to impact the lives of every American. It's important that witnesses be allowed to testify. I'm puzzled about your condemnation of Democrats. It's not like they prevented Garland from even having a hearing, and allowed the Court to go understaffed for over a year. No. That was McConnell and the Republicans.
14
@TD
Professor Ford wanted her confidentiality respected. Senator Feinstein referred it to the FBI.
You have no understanding of privacy or respect for victims of sexual assault if you honestly believe this just a political hit job or Machiavellian move by her!
3
@TD. How you can utter those words after mcconnell hijacked garland's hearing is what exactly is wrong with all you people. They hypocrisy is mind boggling.
3
This entire nomination lays bare - once and for all - the charade that Republicans in the US House and Senate care for anyone or anything other than amassing and maintaining power.
Trump is a distraction.
This congress is a menace to our democracy. I've said it over and over again. It is a mistake to focus on the buffoon that is Trump. Focus on the racist, misogynistic, short-sighted greedy elected officials who are refuse to bow to checks and balances instituted by our forefathers.
VOTE in November.
Our democracy, truly, is in peril.
223
Yes, and how did we get Republican control of Congress to create this mess and debacle we are now in?
There was a massive re-alignment of the House, the largest in over 70 years, after the first two years of Mr. Obama.
Then, after he was run again in 2012, the Senate was lost at the next midterm in 2014.
3
@Kelly I think the Republicans have gerrymandered the democracy into extinction, helped along by the First Amendment allowing Fox News to spread lies liberally about anything non-"conservative." I'm actually no longer hopeful that my vote in November will matter (I will vote, but still). I will encourage my children to start making plans to find a country to live in where freedom and common sense reign.
4
@Kelly
What you say is true. Mitch McConnell. This has been going on at least since Obama was elected. Trump is just the stooge the GOP is using to enable Congress to be a rightwing arm of the richest GOP donors like the Kochs and the Mercers. These people have managed to buy our government thru the people they are installing in Congress.
2
If anything, Mr.Trump reveals how clueless he was as a parent, not that this is any surprise.
My own children have matured into thoughtful and responsible adults, but at fifteen they lived in their own private worlds that were largely sealed from their parents and adults in general.
The idea that a fifteen-year old girl at a drinking party is going to rush to the police and insist that they press charges? Really?
Even to suggest the idea reveals a cluelessness that defies description.
44
The F.B.I. investigated Ms. Hill’s accusations, and it should investigate Dr. Blasey’s. Immediately. The rush to a hearing without an investigation is to leave out witnesses and set the scenario of Ford and Kavanaugh as a "He said, she said." situation. As a school psychologist, I can assure you that the witness in the room bragged about the incident to friends. This is why they want the boy who took the role of guarding the door to testify. They have someone who he told the story to and can refute what he says about the attempted rape.
41
Were this a criminal trial, the evidence, notwithstanding the guilt of the defendant, would be inconsequential to Republicans. Truly, the GOP Congress is an aberration and a disgrace.
13
As Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote " you pass for what you are." There can be NO mistaking what the GOP values--winning whatever it wants at whatever cost anyone may have to pay. May every woman with any sense of decency, self-respect, and compassion for those who have suffered abuse make it a priority to vote Republicans OUT OF OFFICE in November. Trump doesn't need any evidence of Russian collusion to look bad; this misogynist circus is evidence of callousness toward women, victims of abuse, and basically anyone who is not in the "good old boy" club.
31
@betsey
And for goddess sake, stop with the third party nonsense once and for all! We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for first Ralph Nader and then Jill Stein. Voting third party is what gave us Iraq and Trump!
2
The Republican response to Dr. Ford's accusation has been to shame her, impugn her credibility, and railroad her into testifying on their terms for a minimally effective hearing. This party is stuck in the 18th century regarding the treatment of women, as are evangelicals.
Republicans are not interested in the truth precisely because the truth, including testimony under oath from Mark Judge, her therapist and husband, will convince most people that their Supreme Court nominee committed a violent, drunken assault. This is disqualifying for sitting on any court.
Virtually every woman I have known closely has told me they were assaulted by a man at some point in their lives. None of them reported it because of shame, fear of not being believed, or the belief that it wouldn't matter in the end. This society together with its religious conservatives have fundamentally flawed views regarding the proper treatment of women. This need to change.
Electing more enlightened women to positions of political power is a good place to start.
41
If this accusation hadn't suddenly popped up via an anonymous letter at the last minute, it would be easier to take it as something more than a cynical political hit job.
9
@Give Me Liberty
You should take the time and read all the background information. Dr. Ford had a lot of soul-searching to do before telling the committee in a letter that she had been raped. She knew the likely treatment she would receive, given how Anita Hill was treated. But she had heard enough dissembling, misrepresenting and avoiding of questions that she finally felt she had to come forward for the sake of the country. She is right. I'm sorry she has had to be subjected to all this nonsense dished out by the Republicans.
1
you are aware that the letter is months old and the incident was told by Dr. Ford to others years ago. So don't fall for the the Republican claptrap.
3
Why is The Editorial Board surprised? Republicans' statements are frequently disconcordant with their actions, except on Fox News or other conservative sources. Pick almost any topic--taxes, health care, the environment, immigration--partisan, unsupportable rationalizations justify the ends. No matter how outrageous or incompetent Trump is, Republicans do nothing. Republicans were clear they would not cooperate with the Obama administration and now Republicans have stopped pretending they care about larger issues or values beyond those of their base because they control the legislative and executive branches and soon the Supreme Court.
16
I remember being raised in the era of male supremacy. I grew up in the 50s, Catholic education. We were taught that, if a man made sexual advances, it was our fault. We had done something to provoke it. So any such advances were a source of shame, guilt and not to be discussed.
Now I see the same theme playing out here. Things haven't changed. That subtle and not so subtle thread is running through this whole mess. Makes me want to cry.
51
@Fern Williams: Woman, the Temptress, whose very beauty inflames men and they are lost, lost! Their thinking stops, they can only think of their passions! It's all the Woman's fault for having a shapely body made for child bearing! Men have no control! They have a right to any woman they see that they want!
It's all Eve's fault. They actually think that. Human sin, laid on women because men can't resist.
It's 2018. This junk is 2,000 years old. Time to END IT NOW!
3
Yes, it is obvious that Trump and the GOP couldn't care less about Dr. Ford -- hope every person, man or woman - realizes the depth of their depravity and indifference and votes accordingly. Also Trump couldn't give a hoot about the judge -- all this talk about how great the judge is so much blarney -- all he cares about is protecting himself against possible criminal prosecutions from the various suits brewing against him. That the GOP goes along with this is disgusting but not surprising.
32
@DS: McConnell was not happy about the (illegitimate) president picking Kavanaugh who was not on the first two 'lists' from the Federalist Society. Trump picked him in hopes that Kavanaugh's opinions about executive indictments would save Trump. McConnell, dastardly person/traitor, is much, much smarter than Trump, we all can see that. So Trump created more chaos because of his selfish narcissism.
Trump needs to be stopped before there is nothing left of our country.
1
Sorry but this woman doesn't deserve respect. Neither does Feinstein or any of the other senators basing their support for her strictly on her gender. This happened decades ago when both were underage teenagers, if it did indeed happen. There is so much else she doesn't remember - like which house it happened in. Sorry, but when you have a trauma, you remember things like that, especially where it happened. I don't think her life was in danger for one millisecond. If it was Kavanaugh who "groped" her, and he was THAT drunk, he probably does not remember because he would have had a blackout at that level of alcohol. Why suddenly is it a trauma to her all these years later, at the last minute, just before the Senate is ready to vote on his confirmation?
3
@Maggie
If a woman says she was raped, we must believe her until an investigation can be conducted. It may shed light on K's character. It may not. He is innocent until proven guilty, but decency demands that we treat a woman who claims she has been raped with respect. That is not happening. Americans deserve to know what kind of person might be appointed to the highest court in the land. And don't forget: there was a witness.
3
Christine Blassey Ford is not a Goddess. For now she is just an allegator, alleging assault by Kavanaugh some 35 years ago. Kavanaugh is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The democrats are desperately trying to delay the confirmation and Ford is their best last minute hope. This is all partisan. Why should G.O.P leaders fake respect for Ms Ford just because fake news wants them to fake respect?
By hook or by crook, the democrats want to deny fair confirmation proceeding to the most qualified judge in the USA. As an independent I find this deliberate delay despicable. To be fair, I did not particularly like that Judge Merit Garland did not get a confirmation hearing. But that is just what I find very partisan and justices of the supreme court are not independent.
3
@Girish Kotwal -- Dr. Blasey-Ford says she was sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh.
Whether you like it or not, a lot of men have been ejected from public office due to such allegations without the due process of a court of law, and no presumption of innocence until proven guilty by such a court.
Kavanaugh doesn't even hold the office, and it is not one filled by election.
Trump should find another nominee, the public doesn't want another sexual abuser in power.
3
@Girish Kotwal
If a rape allegation comes up, it's somehow partisan politics to you? The nation deserves to know if the nominee is a person of good character. He has made public and private comments that point to his having bias against women. He was mentored by a judge who was forced to resign because of his misogynistic behavior, including making his staff watch porno. If appointed, he will have an impact on all men AND women in this country. Doesn't one-half of the population deserve someone on the SCOTUS who is not biased against them? Dr. Ford's testimony may shed needed light on his character. Or it may not. In any event, Americans deserve what kind of person he is.
2
@Girish Kotwal
Merrick Garland.
1
"Unfazed and determined," Tweets a top Republican staffer with the Senate Judiciary Committee, in perhaps the most truthful GOP statement thus far in this tawdry spectacle.
"Unfazed" that an alleged rapist will sit on the Court: True.
"Determined" to hold onto power at all costs, even at horrible costs to the fabric of the nation: True.
For most Americans, the November election can't come soon enough.
29
At this point, the only thing I can fathom upending Kavanaugh's confirmation would be if, over this weekend, the daughters of some of these fossilized GOP senators confided to their fathers that earlier in their lives they had been the victims of sexual assaults, and that they, too, had never reported them to the authorities or told their families.
Maybe, just maybe, that would prompt these closed-minded men to see things differently. Otherwise, they'll go through the motions of listening to Professor Blasey Ford without allowing her remarks to diminish their desire to force-feed the American citizenry a grossly unpopular Supreme Court justice, and their agenda will continue to trump any interest in discerning the truth.
19
Well said. Amazing what some people can do with a straight face — perhaps some with residual interest in fair play will not be impressed by them, however this episode turns out.
1
The Republicans have offered her the floor. She choked and folded. A bluff that was called. Let’s vote. And by the way, I think Kavanaugh will make a terrible justice. He looks and sounds more the part of a mid-size city judge dealing with small claims.
13
@Pilot
They are still negotiating the conditions under which she will testify, so it's not over. She didn't fold. No one was bluffed. There should be no rush to confirm someone who may be appointed to a lifetime job that very likely will impact every person in this country. After all, McConnell allowed a 8-person Court to languish for over one year.
39
@Pilot
She hasn't folded at all. She is still willing to testify! But don't let the facts get in your way.
Noticed how you constructed this--"called her bluff"--as if she's making this up. You've disparaged her before even hearing from her.
But let's get real. A hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee is NOT a way of getting at the facts. It makes a mockery of due process. It is a theatrical, highly politicized kangaroo court in which politicians grandstand and will grill and disparage her. The Republicans have refused to call other witnesses. They have turned a serious matter into a "he said, she said" show trial.
Kavanaugh is an old hand at these hearings, having gone through a bunch, He knows the senators; he has already practiced and shown his skill at being evasive, at dissembling, and, yes, even lying. It's an entirely uneven playing field. A professor with no experience testifying in front of Congress vs. a professional lawyer, judge, and dissembler.
If we want to know what happened, there needs to be an investigation. Key witnesses need to be interviewed and required to testify under oath. For the country's sake, and Kavanaugh's, we need to do this right,
What are the Republicans afraid of? I can tell you. He and Judge attempted to rape an underage girl, he has lied to the Judiciary about several key matters, and there were other assaults, too.
1
@Pilot
Pilot, choking and folding is not what has happened.
Oooh boy, I kind of don't know where to start to explain this to you. For now, the best I can say is that it is obvious to me (and I invite you to try this perspective) that our country is in the midst of a sea change, where the old patriarchal ways of running things are being swept aside (painfully), and a new, more equal way of making decisions is mercifully rushing in.
2
One day, this whole episode will be seen for the insanity that it is. An allegation of sexual misconduct 37 years ago without any specifics is taken as absolute truth by many. Progressive women will point out, of course, that Dr. Ford's hazy reaction is a typical one after the commission of a sexual battery. What they conveniently omit is that NONE of the men outed by the Me too movement were one-time sexual offenders. They were SERIAL offenders. If some misbegotten men were callous in their treatment of women, they did it many times. That stands to reason. Mr. Kavanaugh has not been accused of misconduct by anyone else. And there HAVE been established hoaxes involving male assaults like the Mattress Girl at Columbia. Where is common decency here, where is the understanding that human beings' veracity should be evaluated by the facts, not by their sex.
7
@Alex It's almost like there should be a hearing with witnesses called so we can find out the truth.
2
@Alex
Presumably, you have never been raped. One does not forget all of the details (maybe some, but not the important ones). Dr. Ford is bravely coming forward because she felt K was being dishonest and disingenuous in his testimony. He has made public and private comments that point to his being biased against women. He was mentored by a judge who was forced to resign because of his misogynistic behavior, including making his staff watch porno with him. There are enough questions about K's character that we should very carefully consider the wisdom of giving him a lifetime appointment to SCOTUS where he can have a very serious impact on men AND women in this country. Americans deserve better that this half-baked confirmation investigation (where only 2% of his writings have been released!) and witnesses are being strong armed and treated disrespectfully.
2
@Alex
So then, of course, you support a full investigation by the FBI BEFORE this vote is rammed through, right?
And since when must there be multiple accusations by multiple people before an assault is taking seriously? What law says that? Citations please as I’ll be waiting anxiously to know in what state my attacker will need to have a history of attacks before my rape is taken seriously.
3
On the other hand, what an advantage they'd gain by voting against Kavanaugh. After all, someone just as conservative will be appointed so not that much damage would be done. And it would be great publicity for the Republicans.
1
@jsutton
There are other qualified conservatives, who would not be as bad for the country as Kavanaugh. His dishonesty and dubious history (torture is OK?; only 2% of his writings have been released!), coupled with Republicans ramming though this confirmation without true due process, should make every American wonder "what is the rush and what are they hiding?"
3
As horrible as Trump has been in this situation, the real heavy-lifting of misogyny has been by Mitch McConnell who spent President Obama's term running an Underground Government In Exile, with his notable 2010 vow to do everything possible to make Obama a one term president by practicing constant partisan obstruction up to and including the denial of Obama's constitutional right to nominate a Supreme Court justice. It was McConnell who dreamed up and led the blockade against giving Obama's SCOTUS choice Merrick Garland a hearing.
McConnell has vowed that Kavanaugh will be seated, unconcerned about the accusations against Kavanaugh or the possibility a hearing with Dr. Ford could change some minds about Kavanaugh's fitness. McConnell is determined to have this 'win' for his wealthy donors, who are the determinants of McConnell's policies.
Mitch McConnell at this point appears to have no loyalty to the Constitution or to due process of law. His concerns are only about his own (his donors) political agenda. McConnell will break every rule, violate every norm, tell any lie, bully any opponent and smear anyone who stands in his way to achieve his agenda. Forget "don't take a knife to a gunfight."
What Mitch McConnell has done since the election of Barack Obama has constituted an internal terrorist attack on the U.S. Constitution & governmental norms and traditions.
McConnell couldn't be a greater threat to the rule of law if he was openly an agent of Russia.
337
@fast/furious And maybe they own him as well as Trump. Who knows? But your assessment is spot on. The same could be said of Ryan. We're just fortunate he took himself out of the spotlight and out of the government.
2
@fast/furious
Thank you for calling out the real Wizard behind the Republican agenda to strip our country of its democratic processes and two-party system. You documented well Mitch McConnell’s long-standing flaunting of the law and Constitution. For him Trump is just a useful puppet whose egregious behavior he tolerates because Trump advances the far-right Republican agenda. Did you see the venom in MConnell’s eyes last night at the podium as he promised his evangelical audience that nothing will prevent Kavansugh’s ascension to the Supreme Court? His demeanor frightened me.
1
@fast/furious Well said. I could not agree more. This man is contemptible. If there is an afterlife, he should be very very afraid.
1
What about due process? Are we in France? Should kangaroo courts apply to nominees for the supreme court? A 30-years old accusation which cannot be corroborated by witnesses or by patterns of behavior should not stick, unless the hysteria of anti-conservative mob takes over. It will be a sad day if it does.
11
Ah, but the event CAN be corroborated by a witness -- Mr. Judge. A witness the Republicans do not want to call for fear of what he will say, and a witness who does not want to testify because he knows what he will have to say.
82
@JCB
Isn't due process what Dr. Ford is asking for? An investigation followed by sworn testimony from witnesses, including the other person in the room?
What we are witnessing from McConnell et al is a kangaroo court.
80
@JCB
Likewise, should a woman who says she was raped be subjected to disrespect, smear campaigns, and Republican strong-arming? The statute of limitations for the rape allegation has long passed. But that's not the point. What is important is that his character be assessed. Someone who may have raped someone, and it sure seems he did, should not be given a lifetime appointment where he will decide issues of importance to every man and woman in this country. There are just too man questions that K has evaded, dissembled or otherwise avoided answering. There are other qualified conservative judges. Trump should nominate someone else.
2
These GOP "leaders" are nothing of the sort. They are followers, blindly following the lead of their sexually abusive president to ignore and disparage any accounts of past sexual abuse of a supreme court nominee they are champing at the bit to make Judge Kavanaugh Justice Kavanaugh. The arrogance, insensitivity, and hypocrisy of these Republican senators is transparent. Imagine if Merrick Garland were in Kavanaugh's seat being interviewed, and someone accused him of past sexual abuse. The same Republican senators who are in no way interested to hear Christine Ford's story would be screaming to put Garland's hearing on hold and give his accuser a carte blanche to tell her story. Sadly, our unprincipled president's behavior has rubbed off on almost all members of his party. We already know that Hatch, Grassley, Cornyn, et al have made up their minds that whatever Dr. Ford presents will be dismissed. One can only hope that some Republican senators have the courage to admit that Kavanaugh's candidacy has at the very least been compromised and it is in the best interests of this nation to nominate a different candidate.
48
@nzierler
These "GOP leaders" were unprincipled well before this hearing and well before Trump became President. We are still fighting the civil war of 1968.
3
If Kavanaugh really cared about the impact of his appointment to the Supreme Court after all of this mess he would bow out of this nomination before the hearings and tell the President to find another candidate. Sadly I am afraid that this man is about nothing other than naked ambition and power. Why else would he continue to testify after this embarrassing turn of events?
20
@Amy Bonanno
Trump needs Kavanaugh to clear him of his crimes. Kavanaugh was at the White House and perhaps offered to step down, but Trump's strategy has always been to "deny, deny, deny." Kavanaugh hired a lawyer and is now prepping and rehearsing at the White House for several days now.
Senator Collins has said that if Kavanaugh is lying, it is disqualifying. If he is lying and is confirmed, it is grounds for impeachment.
1
Silly me. I hope for integrity in matters of great importance. But anybody who claims the high ground here is not the least bit credible. Control of the Supreme Court is at stake. And that is of transcendent importance. If either the Democrats or the Republicans were above it all, concerned only about the merits of the dispute, it would be the first time that anyone ever put the truth above a naked power grab. The claim that the Republicans are dishonest while the Democrats are guided by truth,
justice, and the American way, is so dishonest that neither party should even try. Whoever confesses to be motivated by self-interest wins the prize for honesty. The Board seems to have forgotten that honesty still counts.
4
@michjas
Silly me. I don't want two Supreme Court justices who sexually harassed women in the past.
Merrick Garland is still available. Merrick Garland is as centrist as can be. Merrick Garland is about as qualified a jurist as has ever been nominated for the court. Barack Obama chose Merrick Garland. Barack Obama is a Democrat. Barack Obama is, perhaps, the last decent, honest person we'll ever have the privilege to have served us in this government.
4
@michjas
Merrick Garland.
2
The Republican hypocrisy in Congress is without limit. Any future conservative political movement will need to form a new party simply to shed the historical stench of what we're witnessing.
29
@Bachnut
That's why it's so important to vote as many of them out as possible in November.
1
It's honestly disgusting. Not much can be done for anyone after 30 years but at least you've got to own it. It's not like this kind of incident remains imprinted solely in the mind of the victim. If the offender is at least halfway normal they remained ingrained on them as well, for better or for worse.
So if these accusations are true, which they darnd well seem to be, own up to them and apologize Brett. Show some common decency and some shame. Don't act like nothing just because you'll probably be let off the hook, that's what makes a monster. The ability to act like nothing ever happened simply because it's expedient to your own comfort and position.
57
In my opinion, purveyors of white male privilege want to keep the status quo. Kavanaugh is nominated to protect and defend white male privilege. It is jarring and disheartening to watch, but we are getting a peek inside the world of the wealthy overlords who rule over and overrule true and real justice. So no, they can't even fake respect for Dr. Ford. And if I were her I'm not at all sure I would put myself through this upcoming misery, only to see her tormentor go on with a smirk to sit on the highest court in the land.
18
I don't understand how educated Americans, particularly educated women, can vote for the GOP today. The party's proud old "big tent" once tolerated a respectable and mutually respectful ideological diversity within a moral framework. That big tent was the price of maintaining a coalition governing with varying degrees of fiscal responsibility at home and generally moral leadership abroad. That's gone now. The GOP today is more akin to a late night bus station filled with vile panderers, smarmy charlatans, and political pimps. Mr. Trump ascendency is as much a product of the Mitch McConnell, Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan style of moral abdication as it is of Fox News. The moral abdication of the GOP's thinkers has been critical too. There's lots of blame to go around. But this disgraceful bunch has achieved their goal: they will own the Supreme Court. The continued GOP-led degradation of United States institutions continues to push us down towards the status of an Argentina-of-the-North. God save America. But maybe it's too late.
139
@Andrew S.E. Erickson
I agree with you, especially your comment with respect to "The moral abdication of the GOP." Here''s the rub - and I've asked this of some of my friends; Maybe the folks who vote Republican really do believe that way. Maybe this is the America they want. It's a scary thought.
This was a fabulous editorial by the Times. Thank you for saying so eloquently what many of us are thinking.
52
Where, oh where, are those Republicans that Mr. Erickson refers to? The Dwight Eisenhowers? The Nelson Rockefellers? The Bill Scrantons? The Ronald Reagans? And even the Mit Romneys?
I grew up in a Republican household, and though I am now a progressive liberal, I have always retained an admiration for thoughtful conservatism. Thoughtfulness that came from decent human beings.
There is nothing even remotely decent about today's Republican Party. It has become completely subsumed by an egotistical monster who is neither "conservative" or "liberal"; a man whose governance is solely a matter of belittlement and intimidation with no other goal than self-adulation and financial gain.
These are tragic times in this country. The only long term answer is to vote this sham party and its leader out of office.
6
Dr Ford's accusations should be thoroughly investigated by the FBI. Anything less is unacceptable. Perhaps Kavanaugh's hearing should be delayed until Mueller's investigation is complete? We don't want to allow a president selecting a SC Justice who may only have a few months left. Wasn't there a precedent set about that once?
20
I believe republican lawmakers have, like the rest of us, very little doubt the accusations are true. What’s truly scary is that they don’t care.
32
I don't think Republicans think she a liar. They don't think anything, whatever happened is irrelevant. This is a total power struggle and everything goes. Kavanaugh is their man and any element that may derail his nomination, whether it's a fact or a lie, must be fought. Period.
17
@Den Barn
If Kavanaugh lies under oath, it is grounds for impeachment.
If Kavanaugh is lying, Senator Collins said it is disqualifying.
1
Edward Whelan is President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Mitch McConnell is reassuring evangelicals supporters of an alleged felon at the Value Voters summit. Am I alone in thinking that conservatives really need to change the names of these organizations. The irony is just too blindingly obvious. Orwell could not have come up with them.
32
It does not, as Senator Lindsey Graham has absurdly asserted, mean that Mr. Judge has “already said what he’s going to say” and there’s “no reason to” hear from him under oath.
I think what Senator Graham meant was that Mark Judge had said all he wanted to hear and that he would rather not hear anything else that might not fit the narrative that the Republicans want to circulate.
31
@Cwnidog
Mark Judge should testify under oath or be questioned by the FBI as it is a crime to lie to them.
1
This is actually pretty sad. The Supreme Court was the last remaining pillar of the city upon a hill we all wanted to be. While it has suffered some cracks throughout history, it has been strong enough to brave the dangers against a just and civilized democracy. Today, we can only see how fragile, and little power this branch of government has. It is clear to me, the US has chosen a path of autocracy.
24
@DREU "The Supreme Court was the last remaining pillar of the city upon a hill we all wanted to be.'
The Supreme Court stopped being that when it condemned millions of unborn to death, in many cases gruesome deaths.
There WAS no hill. We have been living in a valley for a long time now, not just because of Roe v Wade, but also the wars we have waged on other nations, the sharp differences in income, and our neglect of the globe.
Another thought:
Yes, the reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake.
Then why can't we hear from the Supreme Court? Why can't we hear from the third branch of government. Their political leanings are no secret. I want to hear from the Chief Justice about the fairness and thoroughness of this accusation investigation. I'd also like to hear from the esteemed Mr. Gorsuch, and Mr. Alito.
10
Is it not contradictory to the separation of the judicial and legislative powers, that politicians are electing the judges who
are supposed to control the work done by these same politicians? In Germany the members of the Supreme Court or Bundesgerichtshof are selected by a committee consisting of the 16 regional Ministers of Justice and 16 members of Parliament, presided by the federal minister of Justice. It seems to me that this procedure guarantees a more balanced approach.
9
If Mr. Kavanaugh had been convicted of sexual abuse in connection with this matter, it would not appear on his record. When juveniles reach the age of majority, all their prior offenses are expunged. Under the law no one should be branded by adolescent acts once they reach adulthood. This is based on much research which establishes that the juvenile mind is not fully developed and those who committed juvenile offense should not carry a weighty stigma when their conduct bears little connection to their adult mind. This is one of the few instances where the law shows such mercy. No doubt, many opposed this practice, but the research was overwhelming and there was no other reasonable course to follow.
5
@michjas
I just want Kavanaugh to be honest. Right now he is showing no integrity, no respect for the woman who has accused him. I would think better of him if he apologized and withdrew his nomination.
1
All of that is true. Except if you’re being nominated to the Supreme Court. In that case, your record - your entire record, including alleged criminal acts from your childhood - should be considered. It’s never okay to try to rape someone, and a seventeen year old boy with no discernible learning disabilities knows that. This man will be deciding the fate of women’s lives and women’s choices for several generations. He should be subject to the higher scrutiny.
1
@michjas
He should have known the difference between right and wrong; he was almost an adult man legally. He was mentored by a judge who had to resign because of his abhorrent behavior, including making his staff watch porno with him. He has made public and private comments that indicate he has an anti-women bias. He is being considered for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. If appointed, he will be integral to decisions that will impact every person in the country, whether male or female. The rape allegation, coupled with already damning evidence as revealed thus far, and a picture is forming of someone not suited to sit on the Supreme Court. Only 2% of his documents have been released. That begs the question: why? What are Republicans trying to hide? Americans have a right to know his past opinions of abortion rights, unions, torture, same-sex marriage, guns, privacy, segregation, presidential privilege. (99% of Kagan's documents were releasef.) We know that Trump wants K on the court because he'll protect him from Mueller's investigation and impeachment. Finally, there is the Republican stonewalling but also the ramming through the confirmation. Ostendibly, they say it's harmful to the country to delay. What unmitigated gall. They didn't seem to care when they wouldn't even hold a hearing for Garland (1 year and 1 month). They are rigging the SCOTUS. Americans regardless of party deserve better.
and,you hold the presumption of guilt. The American rule of law demands presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Her recollection of the events is fuzzy, and evidence is zero. Zero. And she calls for an "investigation" which can not and will not occur; clearly this is a Feinstein delay tactic. "Resist at all costs", even at the cost of ignoring due process and rule of law.
8
@h glass
"The law" makes no such presumption in a civil case .... and certainly none in the case of a job application, which is all this is.
There are plenty of other right wing people who are better qualified to be a SC Justice who do not have these questions abut their character and honesty.
One would have hoped Americans wished to have honourable, decent, capable, and honest Justices on their Supreme Court.
But apparently not. Some Americans appear to want a Justice who can be blackmailed or bribed to do their bidding.
39
@h glass--Why can't an investigation occur? Normally, when additional information is presented after a background check has been completed, the check is reopened--witness the cases of Anita Hill and John Tower.
It merely requires Grassley to request the President to instruct the FBI to do so. We don't know what evidence exists because witnesses have not been interviewed. Besides the coward Mark Judge--who refuses to testify and should be subpoenaed--there are other attendees at the party and schoolmates who talked about the incident at the time.
What do you think the Republicans are afraid will be made public if they give this allegation the attention it deserves? After all, it is only for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land--and any doubts about the character of the Judge will have a negative effect on how the public views the Court as a whole.
25
@h glass
Her recollection of the important details seem to be crystal clear.
I had a near death experience about 40 years ago. Can’t remember what day it was, can’t recall the names of all the people who were there, can’t remember what shoes I was wearing... but certain other important details are as clear to me as if it had happened yesterday. I can still see it and feel it exactly as it happened in the critical moments. There is probably no evidence of it ever happening.
8
If their outspoken President could take the direct charge of ruining the reputation of a sexually assaulted woman by questioning the veracity of her accusations against Brett Kavanaugh, where's the need to be candid and forthright on the issue for the Senate Republicans, who can easily opt for the safest course of obfuscating the facts, and trivialising the whole reality of sexual crime against a woman?
30
Putting what happened to Ms. Ford aside, Kavanaugh has already proved he doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong. He has no business being on the Supreme Court.
61
@Ginny, when he walked away from the Parkland student's
father without acknowledging him or shaking the man's out stretched hand, showed in that one action, BK's lack of compassion and integrity.
34
It is rational and reasonable to have doubts about Ms. Ford, even before hearing any evidence or testimony. Why? 36 years. We cannot and really should not make judgements about events so old. It is not really a case of believing or not believing, but recognizing that this is an accusation that can neither be proved nor disproved. Feinstein's impulse to sit on the accusation was reasonable; when she broke that impulse she gave in to the political furies. It is extremely unlikely that any testimony, evidence, or investigation will resolve an accusation with such a stale date. No doubt, Ms. Ford will seem an appealing character, but that is not relevant.
Best response, proceed with a confirmation vote.
Next best, private hearing.
9
@wnhoke -- your argument to me is that I must silently accept a man, because you claim a charge of felony sexual assault "cannot be proved or disproved."
I see no reason at all to do so. There are a very large number of right-wing justices against whom nothing is alleged. I would point out that no allegations were made against Gorsuch --the "they'll do it to everybody" claim is nonsense.
Trump should nominate Joan Larson or Amy Barrett e.g., and get this over with and done. (Barrett may be hard to confirm due to evident anti-Roe-v-Wade views, but that battle would at least be squarely what the Evangelicals are about.)
What is disgustingly evident here is that Trump has picked another bird-of-Trump's-feather, to protect Trump. What makes Kavanaugh unique to Trump is precisely his bad-boy history and his extreme views of presidential privilege.
13
@wnhoke--So you don't think Professor Ford's serious allegation should be investigated to at least attempt to
determine the truth?
The Republicans have refused to proceed with any action which would help do so. They refuse to recommend the FBI to reopen the background check--which has been normal procedure until now. They refuse to call any witnesses--like other students at the party or students who were talking about the incident. They refuse to subpoena the coward Mark Judge--who has said that he would not testify.
How can they responsibly proceed with a confirmation vote in these circumstances?
8
@Lee Harrison First, I cannot speak to how you choose to make your decisions, but as a society we need to base our decisions on reasonable information. When we make scientific decisions, we consult scientific experts. We ridicule people who do not vaccinate their children based on rumored harm. Second, a 36 year old accusation is not reasonable - it is nakedly political.
Trump:
“I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with Local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!”
Mr. Trump - That's gaul, coming from you!
And how many women have recently come forward, accusing you of non-consensual groping, kissing, and other no's, that happened years ago!
47
@Majortrout
Trump basically said that what Kavanaugh did was worse than anything he himself has done to women.
The way this charge and Kavanaugh's nomination are being handled, as usual, is pretty ugly.
it seems the more power Reublicans accrue--by any means--the less they try to hide their motives and power grabs.
If things keep going the way they have, the US will fall further down on the democracy index that at this point is termed, "flawed".
Flawed seems such an innocuous term until you consider how far we've fallen.
73
The Republican Senators are in Trump’s pocket. He wants a vote - they will give it. The dissenting Senators - all for show - it’s not about the people - it’s Me Myself and I.
31
@Barbarra
Trump doesn't know Kavanaugh from a "hole in the ground" , BK is a creature of the right wing Republicans and would have been nominated by any "Republican President". Trump is in the right wing Repubs pockets since he has little if any knowledge about anything but real estate and illicit sex.
Kavanaugh's nomination and confirmation has been a done deal since the 2016 election. When all is said and done, no Republican is going to vote against Kavanaugh's confirmation. They fear any potential negative backlash far less than alienating the NRA and the Christian Right - two powerful players in Republican politics who have spent millions getting an anti-abortion, pro-gun justice on the Supreme Court.
39
@citybumpkin -- there are plenty of anti-abortion, pro-gun justices.
The reason Trump and the Republicans want Kavanaugh is that he is that, and he's pro sexual abuse and an extreme partisan for presidential authority and immunity.
13
Misogynists like Brett Kavanaugh do not belong on the supreme court. His record suggests that not only is he anti-woman but recent credible allegations suggest that he's a male chauvinist pig who treats a woman like a piece of meat. It's not surprising that he was nominated by a president who bragged about groping women.
I was infuriated by the indignities that Anita Hill suffered when testifying at Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearing. And now a courageous woman has come forward to complain that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her while she was a 15 year old high school student causing lasting trauma and emotional problems that have affected her even to this day. And the senate Republicans on the judiciary committee won't even ask for an FBI investigation of the matter!
I am absolutely appalled at the lack of respect that judiciary committee Republicans have shown this woman. With such misogynist attitudes they do not belong in the U.S. senate.
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@Bill Eisen
They are first of all to be seekers of TRUTH. There is not enough consistency with Dr. Ford's changing story - witness free - to get her any assumed credibility.
We are watching the weirdest fringe of the Democratic Party burn their party down just to stage fights in the Senate that even thirty years ago was a professionally-managed place.
Any intact adult over the age of 40 has to be shocked at these destructive tactics.
3
@L'osservatore -- H'mmm ... lemme see ...
Ivanka Trump is "the weirdest fringe of the Democratic Party ?" Really? Days ago she told her father to "cut bait" on Kavanaugh.
Patti Davis is "the weirdest fringe of the Democratic Party ?" Really? Go read her article in the WaPo.
Bill, did it ever occur to you that you're being used?
1
This is the GOP's last grasp at power. They know they are a shrinking minority which is why they have resorted to massive gerrymandering, voter suppression and a variety of win-at-all-cost tactics. They know that with their outdated ideas such as tax cuts for the wealthy, killing health care for the middle class and climate change denial they will soon be unable to win any more elections so the Supreme Court has become the vehicle by which they hope to wield power for the next 30+ years.
119
You're right.
And they must be stopped, even if the majority have to "revolt".
1
The fact that 90% of Kavanaugh's record was withheld from the scrutiny of Senate Democrats also taints his nomination. Surely as a judge, Kavanaugh would insist that all relevant evidence and information be presented in the cases he presides over. If he's proud of his record, why has he agreed to testify on such incomplete information?
https://www.afj.org/press-room/press-releases/afj-applauds-effort-to-obt...
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As mentioned in this Opinion, if the F.B.I. investigated Anita Hill's accusations, then, the same should be extended to
Dr. Blasey's accusations.
What we are also seeing here is that those in power, with influence or in social standing, are seen to be having a different treatment.
39
Amazing that Judge Kavanaugh himself is not clamoring for justice, as in an investigation that would clear his name! What kind of Justice will he be if he has no desire to press for as much truth as possible? Where is his respect for OUR Supreme Court? Doesn’t he want the entire institution to rise above party politics? Or at least shouldn’t he want that? His own satisfaction with a blanket denial reveals his unsuitability for the role he wants to fill. His stance betrays a tragic lack of seriousness.
207
@Elizabeth Common sense would dictate that Brett would have to recuse himself from any issue involving Trump that comes to the court. However, this is not law, and it is at the sole discretion of those on the bench.
6
@Elizabeth
Mr Kavanaugh is clamoring for justice! He is desperate to testify and clear his name. It is Ms Ford who refuses to come forward without a whole series of limitations on what she can be asked.
5
@Hopeful Libertarian-she has NOT asked for limitations on questions put to her, but she does want GOP senators to question her, not a female GOP attorney on the Committee staff. Let's watch these eleven men grill her-it'll be 1991 all over again.
I think the U.S. media is not only against the President but all those he nominates.He is right when he says why Dr Blasey took thirty years to blame Mr Kavanaugh and that too when he has been nominated.What if he had not been nominated he would not have been in the headlines?
10
To quote the late pundit Harlan Ellison, “everyone is NOT entitled to an opinion, they’re entitled to an informed opinion.”
“I think” is no informed opinion, considering the studies which have been done on the press, and Donald Trump, who began his tenure denouncing a free press as “the enemy”.
Think about that - freedom of speech/press the enemy? The institution he continuously refers ti, without providing reason as “the free press- which he slapped a special tariff on to destroy. Something like 90% of non-post consumer use recycled newsprint used in this country is made in Canada - there’s no evidence of dumping at below-cost prices, the alleged reason behind the tariff (other than the obvious/ help refill empty federal coffers now that millionaires and up have won tremendous tax breaks) threatening the existence of the smaller community papers in this country.
The courts shot that particular tariff down.
This kind if unAmerican anti-press action would be enough to anger editorial writers and should infuriate a patriotic public.
Again, though, newspapers are not “anti-Trump, but opposed to what has been proven by prosecutor Mueller’s 100% conviction rate of those charged with a variety of charges, from tax- and election law evasion snd violation to acting as agents of foreign governments.
There is a cancer growing on the Presidency, and the Only one, the newspapers say, not obviously infected yet is Trump himself.
Can that really be possible?
Read them speak.
2
@Surprat, as a former Indian, now an American citizen, I find your comment offensive. Please do not make an accusation on the victim, Dr. Ford without knowing all the details. Sexual assault victims want to hide their shame and will do anything, anything, to keep it hidden from the families and from the police. It is common knowledge and well researched. This is the nature of the beast.
Ask your sisters (if you have any,) mother, your female friends, (again if you have any.) There are every day cases in India where this happens, even more extreme than what happened Dr. Ford, remember the Delhi bus case?
People in glass houses should not throw stones.
3
Karma
The nomination is the culmination of his rightful demise
The focus has been upon the rhetoric, intentions, actions, tactics, ethics and morality of the parties and disputants. This has produced rollicking political theater that has done little to illuminate a grave risk to our precious polity. Much of the power of our courts resides in the respect afforded them. Judges possess ample coercive power but that alone is prone to being perceived as tyranny. Respect for courts and judges is an essential element that encourages submission of disputes to the courts with the belief that they will be fairly resolved and that the affected parties will ultimately recognize the finality of outcomes. Respect is promoted by the perception that judges advance to their positions fairly. This is especially crucial for Supreme Court justices, who frequently have the final word on matters that are important and vigorously contested. The selection of justices was once far less politicized and most prized and most carefully scrutinized was the professional qualifications of candidates. Now, candidates are favored or reviled for their positions on the most divisive issues. We tolerate politicians in their role as combative advocates but expect judges to be authoritative arbiters. Sadly, when politicians so overtly wield judicial appointments as weapons, the authority of judges is diminished, they are less likely to have the respect of the populace, the role of the courts as a separate and equal branch of government is eroded and our democracy fades.
39
@Pete It’s long been the case that congress has been easy to label as disrespectful. I never though that would extend itself to the presidency, but it has. With two out of three of the branches of government so afflicted, it’s not a surprise the disease will spread to the third, judicial branch if those two are the only check and balance we have.
14
Kavanaugh could be the first justice in a very long time with serious grounds for impeachment if he is approved by the Senate. The 90% of his Bush era documents that weren't released now, but will be released in a couple of years could indicate that he lied under oath to get confirmed.
1
The most telling fact of all is that, while the 11 angry men on the GOP side of committee want to hear from her, none of them want to speak to her, choosing instead to hire private, taxpayer funded, non-elected outside counsel to ask their questions for them.
Men have complained for decades that they are being denied their rights because of a "he said-she said" situation.
Well, here we have the 11 angry men on the GOP side of the committee doing all they can to insure this issue remains just that.
171
@Paul I think their idea was to procure a female lawyer to question her, as the visual of 11 men questioning a woman aren't great, and, they may even have thought that she would prefer to be questioned by a woman. So it's not necessarily as evil as you think.
1
" G.O.P. Leaders Can’t Even Fake Respect for Christine Blasey Ford"
They are NOT leaders.
Leaders ascribe to higher standards, wider responsibility and greater values.
These people are not the stuff from which true leaders are made.
They fall far short of those things and which make men Leaders and worthy of the title.
They are small , petty men who do not deserve our respect nor the trust we expect and hope they have earned and by their actions made.
But not these, not them do we get the leadership they have shown us they do not have to give, nor the capacity to have.
89
The current incarnation of the Republican party is solely concerned with maintaining political power It has no regard for the means by which this power is gained. The logic that follows is inescapable. It exists to support an elite group of people, a faction whose sole purpose is to perpetuate this elite. Elite, in the sense that I'm using it, does not mean intelligent or thoughtful. It, instead, suggests a willingness to stress emotional manipulation over reasoning or thinking, a fear of actual discourse. I lean left but I have come to respect the dissenting right. I realize that my fellow progressives will, at this point, bring up the GOP's culpability our current state of affairs. Okay, but if you hold deeply felt political views at some point or another your going to be guilty of something. Democracy, by necessity, is imperfect
7
I suggest that Christine Blasey Ford walk into a police department in Maryland with her lawyer and swear out an assault complaint against Brett Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh went to school, prep school and university in Maryland, a state which has no criminal statute of limitations.
The Senate Majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has already publicly proclaimed that Brett Kavanaugh WILL be voted in to the Supreme Court after the hearing.
If the outcome is already preordained, why should Christine Blasey Ford endure a day or more of grilling by a panel of Republican men?
How is Justice served if the outcome is already known?
How is America served, or the rule of law?
The whole world is watching.
America was once so much better than this.
Democrats need to make America Great Again.
534
@Tom McLachlin Excellent suggestion because it will establish a clear legal standard under which the proceedings will occur. But I guarantee that Ms. Ford and her attorneys will never file such a case. If Ms. Ford files a criminal case against Mr. Kavanaugh, she will definitely lose. A legal case requires a very high standard of proof, one that Ms. Ford will not be able to meet. And she will have to follow legal standards, including cross examination by a hostile lawyer, outside of public view, which means no TV cameras focused on 11 older White men questioning her. Republicans would fall over themselves with glee if she filed such a case.
2
@Tom McLachlin
The Democrats were against Kavanaugh before he was even named.
The Democrats assert that Kavanaugh is guilty based on a unsworn letter w no evidence other than the accusers say so.
Dr Ford has a vivid recollection of events that can't be verified but a suspicious memory gap for anything that could be verified by the FBI. e.g. date and location
How is the rule of law served by proclaiming someone guilty before any evidence is heard?
2
Under the Statutes of Limitations, she cannot.
I suspect you know this too.
Isn’t it obvious that the Republicans will say anything and do anything in order to further their goal of stuffing the Supreme Court with right wing ideologues? They know that demographic changes will eventually prevent them from controlling the executive and legislative branches of the federal government unless they can maintain their advantage via state voter suppression laws, gerrymandering and dark money, all of which can be assured by rulings handed down by a far right U.S. Supreme Court.
85
“Professor Blasey Ford, welcome to the Judiciary Committee. Thank you for appearing to give evidence on a matter that relates to the confirmation process for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I understand that you have a prepared statement. Please proceed.”
“Thank you, Senator Grassley and Senator Feinstein.
“About 35 years ago I was physically assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh while at a high school party held in the home of a school mate. I was fifteen years old. I’m not sure precisely when it happened or exactly in which house, but my recollections of the incident are very precise. Some have expressed astonishment that I would make such an accusation after so many years without first refreshing my memory as to details, but this has been a very trying experience – I might have been more attentive to proof, but I thought it was more important to get the facts before this committee, hoping that my letter would be enough to scuttle the nomination of an unworthy 17-year-old boy, even if he’s 53 today and no other such allegations have surfaced in the intervening 35 years that might suggest a pattern of such behavior.
“He was blind-drunk, as was the only other witness to the outrage, another student named Mark Judge, who egged Kavanaugh on. I may have had a beer … I think.”
“They locked me in a room and he threw me on a bed, pinned me with his body, grinding himself against me and sought to remove my clothes. I thought he might inadvertently …
1
… kill me. But he was so drunk that he fell off me and I was able to escape. As I didn’t show signs of the assault such as bruising, my parents didn’t see anything amiss, and I chose not to reveal to them what had happened. I didn’t bring charges at that time, or at any time since, over 35 years of intervening time, because I feared recriminations and I was too ashamed. This incident haunted me for years afterward.
“That concludes my statement, and I thank you for your willingness to hear it. I’m ready to answer your questions.”
“Well, Professor, I’m not sure that questions are necessary. So … you claim that a 17-year-old, blind-drunk Brett Kavanaugh assaulted you 35 years ago when you were 15, at a place and time you’re not sure about, but didn’t manage to rape you although you’re certain that was his intent, you may have had a beer yourself – you think – and that as Kavanaugh became increasingly visible nationally and was appointed to the federal bench years ago, you were too traumatized to reveal the incident over decades. And you’re a registered Democrat.
“Frankly, with Senator Feinstein’s assent, I’ve heard enough. I withdraw my support for Judge Kavanaugh, and I will personally corral the votes necessary to defeat his nomination on the Senate floor. I will also urge impeachment proceedings against Judge Kavanaugh, a federal judge, and insist that he assume the status of a sexual predator.
“Thank you for providing such invaluable service to this committee.”
2
@Richard Luettgen
Those who proclaim innocence are the ones who want no investigation, no witnesses called, no subpoenas issued and no questions asked, leaving that advise and consent function to a non elected, taxpayer funded private citizen.
Those who are unsure, confused, mixed up, pushing an agenda want the customary investigation that has occurred 10 times in the last 3 months when new revelations required additional vetting, want witnesses called, want subpoenas issued and want to follow the conservative principle of respecting the original intent of the Constitution and be questioned in accordance with the advise and consent clause and be asked questions by elected official accountable to the will of the people.
Guess which one conservatives want on the Supreme Court?
42
@Paul
Great argument to use on the floor of the U.S. Senate when debating the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. What it has to do with the substance of Christine Blasey Ford's accusation is quite beyond me.
Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski: You now have more power over the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice nominee than either of you could have possibly ever desired. You've both asserted your concern for women's rights often enough in the past. This is your moment. Don't blow it.
843
@stu freemann
Don't hold your breath on these 2. These are Republican loyalists first or foremost. They are neither advocate for the truth nor for the respect of their fellow American women.
4
@stu freeman That this is even being considered by these two woman is more than disconcerting.
1
These guys haven't progressed in 100 years. I swear if one of them asks her what she was wearing, I will just about lose it.
128
Grassley and his fellow Republicans have conducted themselves in the most stunningly disgraceful manner I have ever witnessed. In all of the time they've been bullying Dr. Blasey, the FBI could have conducted a substantial investigation.
What other hearing has the Judiciary Committee conducted without including members of both the minority and the majority in matters of scheduling, witnesses, etc. Now many times has the committee engaged outside counsel to speak to the witness of witnesses instead of conducting their own questioning? That just the beginning of a very long list of questions concerning the treatment being accorded to Dr. Blasey.
I, for one, would like to know what Republicans are hiding. We already know most of Kavanaugh's papers have not been released. We also know that he has not been fully honest with many of his answers in the earlier hearings. And that all happened before Dr. Blasey came forward.
A lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land requires a thorough vetting. In this case, the process includes giving Dr. Blasey a fair and full throated hearing just like one that would be accorded to Silicon Valley executives. To do less would be an insult to Dr. Blasey, Judge Kavannaugh, the judicial system, and the American public.
117
@MNPatt
There really does seem to be more than meets the eye in the Republicans' behavior in this situation.
One wonders if they know more about Kavanaugh than we have been told ?
McConnell,with his wild,threatening statement "Kavanaugh WILL sit on the Supreme Court!", seems extremely afraid having power slip away from him.
8
"G.O.P. Leaders Can’t Even Fake Respect for Christine Blasey Ford"
I believe that, almost to a person, they do in fact respect her in their hearts. It's just that they fear the consequences of non-conformity more than they are moved to do what is right.
8
@polymath I think you give them too much credit. Most of these guys are Old School. They come from a time when only rich white men had power and women were, at best, supposed to sit down, shut up, look pretty and be grateful. What women felt, thought or experienced did not matter, and women's issues were to be ignored. If they had their druthers, they wouldn't give one second's notice to Dr. Ford or listen to anything that she or other women had to say. They are cold hard men; you can see it in their faces, and they're definitely not worth their paychecks if they're going to ignore half of the American population.
6
What's the rush? The Court has functioned many times in our history with fewer than 9. In fact, The Republican controlled Senate felt the Court could function perfectly fine with 8 for an entire year to prevent Obama from seating Scalia's repacement.
So someone please explain what the rush is? For a lifetime appointment (he could be on the Court for 30 years) there is certainly no harm in slowing this down a bit. Worried about the mid-terms and a change of control in the Senate? Hmmm, maybe best to let the people speak right?
328
@John -- Well, the McConnell Doctrine says that when an election is pending, the people must be heard from before any nomination can be considered. Certainly the McConnell Doctrine was established to block the entirely valid nomination of Merrick Garland, and stalled and stymied the hearing and vote that could have taken place, so it is clear that the very same principle should be applied here, with an election looming only a few weeks away. Certainly Republicans will want to be consistent and stick with the principle they established. Oh look, I made a funny, a non sequitur -- I used "Republican" and "principle" in the same sentence and paragraph. Words that never belong together. McConnell should rot in shame forever for his seditious treatment of Merrick Garland, and that he will ignore the serious allegation against Kavanaugh and 'muscle through his vote, a done deal' is as shameful as Garland's treatment. Vile, and shameless.
15
@John -- "the rush" is the fear that the Republicans will lose the senate, or even just lose one vote ... making it hard to confirm the tainted extremist the extremists want.
It makes no sense in one way, because the senate won't change hands till next January, no matter what. It will be much easier for a lame-duck senate to do anything it wants with a confirmation, outgoing Republicans particularly -- they get a completely-free vote.
And that's why Trump and the extremists are scared. They know that far too many of the Republicans in the senate won't confirm Kavanaugh afterwards ... particularly if Trump's base fails to get them reelected, or fails to deliver a senate majority, amidst growing public outrage against Trump and his calling-all-gropers entourage.
Trump could still get a justice confirmed, just not Kavanaugh.
Dr. Ford's statements should bear considerable weight in a situation where the effort to appoint a person to a position of lifelong authority is concerned. If The right can smuggly ignore Obama's efforts to appoint a justice- a right guaranteed by the Constitution- for a period of around a year, then they can certainly wait a few weeks while an investigation takes place. This Republican effort to once again place their party above the law is insufferable, and this is one situation in which the left hand is absolutely required to wash the right- because it is filthy beyond tolerance.
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@Craig
Once upon a time, the Republican Party was a principled entity, whose members had distinctive ideas as to how our country should be governed.
Once upon a time, many moons ago, however, Republicans could and did cooperate with Democrats, upon occasion, for the good of our country as a whole. That was in my youth.
Then came the age of Gingrich and of the win, win, win, by fair means or foul, philosophy of the Republicans. Forget about the good of the country, they say.
While my lifetime is coming to a close, I fear that I am also witnessing the dying days of our democracy.
I pray that I am mistaken.
42
Out of respect for Dr. Ford and even Kavanaugh (ugh) there should be no hearings or testimonies. The FBI should investigate. That will put a temporary stop to the partisanship and political gamesmanship.
106
The sad thing about this, as usual, is that the Democrats are impotent. Trump's prattle about the Democrats is, also as usual, effective and a true description of how the Republican Party and Donald Trump operate. It's such a cool strategy to accuse your opponents of doing the wrong that you do. They successfully delayed and denied Garland's appointment but now claim that it's wrong to delay and deny. They are total immoral hypocrites. Still, there is no question that they run the. country. The Democrats should be ashamed. Can you imagine the moral outrage if this were a Democrat being considered? Hah!
71
@Ralph. Yes! I do not understand this. Why can’t the Democrats get their act together and speak with one voice, forcefully and loudly? Could the need for outrage be any more clear? Their lack of response is mystifying and infuriating.
@Ralph Personally I consider them amoral rather than immoral.
2
The only remedy to that impotence is to vote blue, all the way down to dogcatcher. Otherwise, we remain in minority and, yep, impotent.
1
The republican senators are small people. They are abusing their public trust on multiple levels as they shake our Democracy with raw power plays and end runs around the truth. Dr. Blasey-Ford , the American people and Judge Kavanaugh all deserve to have the FBI investigate Blasey-Ford’s claims. This is a candidate who is put forward by a president, who by appearances, was ascended to the presidency with Russian help. The stink caused by their rancid hypocrisy combined with Russian interference in the 2016 election will be overwhelming and the backlash it will cause will not be pretty.
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Sadly, ponder just how bad things really are, when the Trumpists (there is no GOP anymore) can't manage to disguise what's going on.
Toto keeps pulling back the curtain, and the Trumpists pulling the levers behind it keep trying to draw the curtain back over themselves and continue merrily along on their last gasp Senatorial buddy road trip, the one that's lasted 35-40 years.
McConnell, Grassley, Hatch, et al are intent on their mission, not minding what they tear down or tear apart or tear up to fulfill their wish.
223
Oh, sorry, there is a GOP.
This is who they are.
We are seeing what internecine warfare within the Democratic Party has wrought. The democrats had the White House if they were unified in 2016. Sanders folks sat home. The Dems nominated a flawed HRC. The democratic women in numbers were miffed at Hillary. Yet, the GOP field was a joke and could be had for a taking. Today we'd have two moderates sitting on the bench. It's too late to complain about republican senators and Trump. They are who they are. Enough has been said about them.
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@Hmmmm...SanDiego
Hillary "flawed"? You mean, compared to the alternative? Really!
34
@Hmmmm...SanDiego
I supported Bernie Sanders but at this point, I think Hillary Clinton is like Churchill. Clinton's interview with Rachel Maddow earlier this week was stunning: her reason, her patience, her calm, her refusal to jump to conclusions about Trump and Russia based on facts not in evidence and her intelligent analysis of what happened and the problems we are now facing with Trump. How I wish she had been able to save us from the damage being inflicted on our beloved democracy.
21
@Hmmmm...SanDiego. If HRC had won the White House and the Republicans had held the Senate, there would be no moderate appointments to the bench. They made it clear they would block her appointments if she won.
3
Forget about faking respect, they are engaging into a multichannel character assassination campaign against Prof. Ford. Not just the official politicians but also their twitter contingent. Twittersphere is ablaze with some guy named Ed. He is supposed to be an unofficial individual but he is assuming an attack vector even while some of his compatriots are banned. But make no mistake, it is an coordinated attack!
An epiphany. The GOP could engage in disinformation campaign as well as the Russian after all
96
@Bos-Sadly, the Fox Entertainment News/Twitter echo chamber amplifying and reinforcing the talking points; orchestrated thuggery and ugliness.
13
So what are we going to do about it? Every woman should vote for the Dems and every man who respects women should vote for the Dems. That will be a step in the right direction, but it won't keep us from having an alt-right court for a long time.
387
A lot of “men” don’t respect women!
2
Culturally, we need a better collective understanding of trauma: How it impacts the person , how it impacts their initial decision-making, and how it impacts their life long-term. Most victims of sexual assault do not immediately report, if they report at all. There is shame, confusion, disbelief, fear of being not being believes, of being stigmatized, as seen as a trouble-maker or attention-seeker.
That statement aside, Republicans could understand trauma as well as trauma researchers or trauma-focused therapists and they still wouldn't care to treat Dr. Ford with consideration or respect. She's just a woman getting in their way. And they resent her for it.
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@Anne
These are the SAME MEN that were in the Thomas hearings with the same attitudes and antediluvian opinions of women. Nothing will change until they are voted out.
2
@Anne
Just to take it a bit further, this version of the Republican party just flat out resents women. Not just the ones that get in their way... just women in general seem to annoy them.
5
In the category Awful-Outrageous-Disgusting-Contemptible with Trump/Grassley/Republicans' treatment of the woman who accuses Kavanaugh of attempting to rape her: these same dishonest bullies' contempt for adult Americans' intelligence.
263
The Kavanaugh nomination is already fatally flawed.
His statements during his hearings contradict his past history, so it's pretty clear that he has perjured himself. She should be in line for investigation and impeachment if the Republicans lose their power to protect him in Congress.
Secondly, has any previous SCOTUS nominee been as intensively coached by White House staffers in how to answer questions. The court is supposed to be independent of the otehr branches of government; how could Justice Kavanaugh be considered independent when he already owes much to the WH? He would be a dependable trumpian mole within the court.
As for his history with Dr. Blasey Ford, why are the Republicans so intent on not hearing from witnesses than the two parties themselves? If they believe in Kavanaugh's innocence, why are they so against the FBI investigating, which is the standard procedure for Senate-approved appointments. If they don't believe he is innocent, why don't they pull the nomination?
Kavanugh's presence on the bench would taint the Supreme Court, and not just because of the latest accusations.
803
@mancuroc. Kavanaugh gives me the creeps.
4
A tainted White House, a tainted Congress and a tainted Supreme Court. Check, check, check.
6
This is Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas redux.
The Republicans always make a showy splash about morality and righteousness and justice and fairness and decency--but that's just a smokescreen for the deadly power parlor games they've been playing since Richard Nixon rode the Southern Strategy into the White House (1968).
And just what has changed since 1991 in the Senate's Committee on the Judiciary? Orrin Hatch, a self-righteous, fulminating, Bible-bashing scold, a man who scaled Ms. Hill those 27 years ago is still around. He it was who has muddied the thinking of others on the Judiciary Committee, complaining that Christine Blasey Ford is "confused." The committee jammed Judge Thomas onto the Court more than a quarter of a century ago in spite of almost half of the Senate prepared to decline H.W.'s nomination of the judge to replace--of all people!--Justice Thurgood Marshall.
If Republicans were genuinely worried about the moral core of the Supreme Court they would have postponed a vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh because, well, it's the honorable thing to do. But when Mitch McConnell is busy, like Hephaestus, hammering lightning bolts to thunder down upon the Constitution and the rules and laws of our land, well, the erstwhile august upper chamber simply takes its cue from their leader.
They are so afraid of Judge Kavanaugh's accuser that they're cringing at the possibility of her testimony torpedoing the president's poorly-thought out nominee.
Republicans are afraid.
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@Soxared, '04, '07, '13'
Wow! Nailed it, Soxared. Thank you for a good read.
2
@Soxared, '04, '07, '13
Dems make a pretty good show of their morality and principles on sexual abuse, too. Right after they showed their disgust at Thomas, they ignored Bill Clinton's abuses and allegations against him, including a brutal rape, and gave him two terms. Hillary destroyed women who made credible allegations, so the Dems nominated her against Trump.
2
@Soxared, '04, '07, '13
Hephaestus? Try Pluto.
To add insult to injury, Mr. Kavanaugh has been holed up at the White House this week being prepped and tutored by Trump's lawyers, and maybe even the president, on how to respond should there be an investigation and hearing. So much for the idea of the Supreme Court's independence from the executive branch. You can bet that Kavanaugh will feel beholden to Trump should he become a justice on the highest court. Still, Kavanaugh will not promise to recuse himself if a case involving Trump comes before the court. Our founding fathers wanted the court to be completely independent of the White House and no self-respecting judge would have appeared anywhere near the White House under similar circumstances.
1266
@Whole Grains
No doubt about it. Kavanaugh is Trump's creature. As a behind the scenes Republican political operative, he has been training for this his entire adult life. Does this qualify him to represent me on the supreme court. I hope not.
43
@Whole Grains-Agreed. It's very possible that if the Republicans do nominate Kavanaugh, these allegations will continue to follow him. And if more proof is found, what then? Will he be above the law?
13
@Whole Grains This is totally outrageous that he is being primed for testimony through the White House. Not surprised at all that Trump would do this but our politicians should be horrified that this is happening and stand up for what is right and call for Cavanaugh to withdraw or Trump to withdraw his nomination. This is really, really wrong.
7
The fact that Mark Judge doesn't want to speak is no surprise. It is hard to believe that, even with the influence of alcohol and the passage of time, he has no memory of the night in question. He may not want to acknowledge his own role in the act. Judge may feel an affinity with Kavanaugh. Most certainly, Judge is aware of the tremendous political pressure for him not to contradict Kavanaugh's claims of innocence.
That's why any hearings should not be the political soap opera Republicans are scripting. The deck is stacked against Ms. Ford. That GOP Senators will treat her with incredulity is a forgone conclusion.
There should be an impartial FBI investigation. Trump's lies to discredit the agency are more proof of how good they are. Intelligence agents, speaking privately with parties of interest, can elicit more truthful answers than can political operators hellbent on getting their guy a lifetime appointment on our highest court.
615
@NM
If Mark Judge, a witness, doesn't want to come forward, maybe he doesn't recollect what happened, but apparently he remembrances being there. OK, but isn't Kavanaugh saying there was no "there"? No wonder he's being coached on what to say by none other than White House's Bill Shine, the Fox alumnus who was fired for covering up sexual assault allegations.
355
@NM-Surely, Judge Kavanaugh would want to be vindicated and have this taint removed from his record. If he believes in justice, wouldn't he trust America's top law enforcement agency to do its job? If he's not willing to submit to an FBI investigation and lie detector test, what does that say about his support (and his Senate backers' support) for due process and the rule of law?
30
@mancuroc-You raise some interesting points. Prof. Ford has not indicated the time or place where the assault happened, yet Kavanaugh, member of the Georgetown Prep "100 Kegs or Bust" Club, is adamant he wasn't there.
The POTUS molester let go
His tweet finger couldn’t say no
With gross nature free
Taunted a young rapee,
Mocking a past day of woe.
The nineteen or more he molested
In Court their claims were uncontested,
But were not allowed,
This assaulted crowd,
Was mocked for looks that he detested.
169
@Larry Eisenberg Dear Mr. Larry -- pretty sure you have never in your born days (and 9 decades full!) have never seen the like of our 45th president. Long may you wave and poeticize the plight of our beloved country! Thank you!
3