When I was 19, an 18-year-old woman groped me at a frat party. I did not report it because I thought I'd be laughed at. Now I realize how serious it was. I clearly remember her face but not her name. Maybe Dr. Ford's lawyer could help me remember.
Bill B
5
Why would Kavanaugh still have a calendar from 1982? Because it's an "Alibi Calendar" that he can produce if ever accused of... things. And you know what a "Character Coaching Position" is? It's a position coaching young girls that you volunteer for in case you ever are accused of... things.
8
I guess what I’d like to hear from Democrats is how this in any way, even if it did happen, would incapacitate Kavanaugh from being a competent and capable judge of the law based on his experience and knowledge, not simply that he was a nasty boy.
2
Your first paragraph does not even use Dr. Ford's name - the "woman has accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh".
And why use her professional name, Blasey? If so, then use "the professor who accused the supreme court nominee."
NYT - very biased.
2
Dr. Blasey's letter noted that she had received medical treatment regarding the assault. Shouldn't there be records of that treatment somewhere?
Her letter was written after the WaPo published excerpts from the Georgetown Prep yearbook that included Kavanaugh, Judge, and various references to heavy drinking. Is it possible there's some projecting going on?
3
Ford claims she was at a house in the Maryland suburbs. She says there were 4 others at the party (her communication to Feinstein says the party included her and 4 others which isn't clear as to whether there were more). But let's say she meant there were 4 others at the party. Having been a teenager, I imagine that at the age of 17 the party is at the home of one of the other four whose parents are not home.
How hard would it be NY Times & dems, to get the addresses of the 4 when they were that age? Ford provides this description of the interior:
"Kavanaugh physically pushed me into a bedroom as I was headed for a bathroom up a short stair well from the living room"
If any of the four lived in a house -- particularly in a Maryland suburb -- that had an interior that fits this description, wouldn't that make the house a likely candidate? If the parents are still living and can recall being on vacation at the time....
Now, this description does sound kind of an odd design. I'm having some difficulty imaging it. She's headed for a bathroom up a short stair well from the living room. But there's a bedroom door off the stair well, or off the living room before you get to the stair well which is off the living room? Nevertheless, a house with that kind of layout should be reasonably unusual and if it belonged to the parent's of one of those 4, I think we would have the location.
3
I wonder how all those defending Kavanaugh with concerns of a presumption of innocence were able to shout "Lock her up!" with impunity?
7
We STILL don't know whether these accusations are true or not. What we DO know is this:
1)- Accusations of sexual assault MUST be reported in good time to avoid the high unlikelihood of gaining any justice decades later.
2)- When will people confess that the drinking culture so celebrated in America (and here in the UK) is one of the main conduits and enablers of immoral behaviour? If Kavanaugh is guilty of these accusations against his name, will people back laws that vigorously punish drunkenness and campus alcoholism?
3)- Accusations MUST be discussed in a Court of Law. The fact that the New Yorker does not have firsthand accounts to back up Deborah Ramirez's allegations, the fact that she herself cannot be sure Brett Kavanaugh exposed himself to her, are yet more stumbling blocks. There is nothing any member of the public can do without making presumptions on either side.
Bottom line: until we hear testimony, we have nothing to go on.
5
To ask the obvious question, why do Democrats believe for one minute that even compelling testimony from Christine Blasey Ford or Deborah Ramirez or any other woman who may come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh will deter the Republicans who control the US Supreme Court from putting him on it? They nominated, elected, and now unconditionally support a PRESIDENT who admitted on tape to sexually assaulting women, for heaven's sake.
8
Our young people today can learn much from this discussion and hopefully make better choices than the persons who are alleged to be involved in this serious matter.
Some common threads which contributed to this alleged assault are under age consumption of alcohol, being inebriated to the point of loosing self control and hanging out with individuals who lack responsible social behavior.
There is no excuse for sexual assault. We as parents/mentors have to openly discuss with children the responsibilities which are expected of them and how to avoid dangerous situations as they enter adulthood.
6
What is there for the FBI to investigate? There’s no ‘blue dress’, there are no photographs, there are no corroborating witnesses. There are two politically-motivated women with extremely vague memories and a team of lawyers. You’re going to nail this guy to the cross based upon what, exactly?
7
My 7th cousin once removed told me Kavanaugh gave him a wedgie in the second grade. Father O'Rourke didn't see it happen so he didn't punish him.
11
After hearing of this new allegation, I was waiting for the ever predictable Trump to do something nuclear, to steal the narrative. Within the same hour, Rosenstein is called to the Whitehouse to be fired. Trump is such a coward in that he can never really fire anyone face to face, unless it is a scripted T. V. Show, so I suspect he will have his Pitbull, Kelley, do the dirty work.
5
I do not share some of Kavanaugh positions, but as Mubarak Hussein Obama had said: "Elections have consequences." But what bothers me is that what starts to appear is an orchestrated series of "stories". So now that the NY Times has Kavanaugh's records showing that most of that summer he was out of town and no record can be found about that "party", now that this "story" does not hold water, here comes a new one, even uglier, and my prediction is that if it will also end up nothing there will be a third one. As an American citizen, and one who had been a long time Democrat, I am appealed. Do not tell me that this is a revenge for holding Obama's nominee, because this is not the same. What is unfolding is a clear engineered plan to destroy Kavanaugh's life's long achievements and reputation, and this should be unacceptable to every fair minded American on both sides of the political divide.
12
Kavanaugh just happens to have calendars from the summer of 1982? And we're supposed to believe what's in them (or not in them)?
9
Let's be clear. This is only about trying to delay the selection of the next Supreme Court Judge. I'm astounded that readers and the NYTimes and the Dems in Congress are all willing to tear down a man based on a claim from over 30 years ago. It's appalling. The ends do not justify the means!!!!
13
@Ma They don't realize, the independents are disgusted. Now, just vote right down the line.
2
It is ironic that the Republican/religious right candidate for the Supreme Court is now accused of amoral behavior by several women (just like Mr. Trump). Far right Republican white men and their evangelical supporters who try to fool us into thinking that for them moral and religious behavior is everything can find no better candidate for the Supreme Court than Judge Kavanaugh? They must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel to find someone like him who will kowtow to them and do their bidding to remake American law to repress women's rights, enhance their power, and suit their view of morality.
This is what happens in a theocracy like Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The Republican white men in the Senate, Mr. Pence, and their evangelical supporters are running the show on who gets to be on the Supreme Court. Their goal is to create an evangelical Christian theocracy in America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/us/politics/trump-evangelicals-nation...
What Trump and his Republicans are doing to destroy America and shred our constitution is beyond belief.
4
There are twenty-five names on President Trump's posted list of potential Supreme Court nominees. Many of them are probably more conservative than Kavanaugh and a few are women. Trump and the Republicans need to climb down off their high horse, send Kavanaugh back to his current job and pick another candidate. Their unwavering support of him is misplaced. I begrudgingly accept that they will get another conservative on the Court, but not this one. He's bad news.
6
@Elizabeth - have any of other Heritage Foundation picks said that a sitting President can't be indicted or held accountable and is above the law? That is why Trump and the Republicans want this one so badly.
A confirmation and a coronation at the same time. A twofer!
1
@Elizabeth But hold on Elizabeth: if he has done these things, then he shouldn't go back to his current job, either. That's the problem: are we trying to establish guilt (which has not been proven), or are we just interested in him not being SCOTUS?
3
Regarding Memory - it seems to me the judge and his friend may be the ones who "can't remember" since they are the ones who were plastered. I believe the women and I doubt the judge will get on the Supreme Court. I certainly hope not.
7
@BettyInToronto The women themselves were also inebriated: 1 cannot recall the place or time, the other doesn't have any firsthand corroboration, despite being at a party with many others. So we are just going on assumptions here. We should wait until the testimony for a better idea. One thing is clear: accusations of this kind must be reported in good time unless there is a serious safety/violence threat. Otherwise, there is almost no chance of getting justice. If Kavanaugh did commit these (attempted) assaults, then he ought to have faced at least a criminal record a long time ago.
“When the first link in the chain is forged, the first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, it chains is all irrevocably.”
We cannot allow the presumption of innocence to be trampled underfoot in any context. It is not just a concept in criminal procedure, but is a solemn principle in logic, thousands of years old, and woven into the basic precepts of our society. Please don’t forget that.
12
It's abundantly clear what's going to happen. The Republicans are going to put on their phony display of "fairness", and then immediately afterward confirm Kavanaugh. There is too much at stake for them not to, regardless of any political backlash that happens. His confirmation will seal a decades-long quest for conservatives in gaining control of the SCOTUS so they can undo Roe vs. Wade, and push forward their assault on liberal and social policies, not to mention protect Trump from indictment and prosecution.
What is left for Democrats and those who oppose this totalitarian takeover to do?
1. Mobilize a tsunami of Blue voters in November and take back both houses of Congress.
2. Upon gaining a majority, launch impeachment proceedings against Kavanaugh and remove him from the bench.
3. Having thus removed Trump's Get Out Of Jail Free card, launch impeachment proceedings against him for treason and other high crimes and misdemeanors committed.
We are in the midst of a political war and negotiations won't settle it, only brute political force, gained via the ballot box will. Failing that, we should remember what Edward Counsel said: "Wars of pen and ink often lead to wars of cannon and bayonets."
7
@Kingfish52 But isn't this the problem? Tying serious allegations that ought to have been dealt with in Court, to a political process. We know that the Democrats have thier own history in being lax towards accusations of sexual assault. Bottom line is, the two issues should not be connected with the SCOTUS hearings. So the best option is to delay the hearings and deal with these accusations entirely separately, before proceeding.
2
Why don`t Republican Senators Collins , Murkowski , Flake , Joni Ernst , Corker , Shelly Capito & Deb Fisher announce that they will NOT vote for Kavanaugh unless there is a thorough & complete FBI investigation of the growing claims of his totally unacceptable behaviour & character ?
Isn`t one Thomas on the SCOTUS one too many ?
14
Given the mounting evidence of Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual predatory and lying nature, which the GOP leadership is doing there ugliest best to suppress and ignore, it is all too fitting that Donald Trump choice for a seat on the Supreme Court should go up in a small orange mushroom cloud.
4
I'm ashamed at what the NYT hasn't done.
The real story, now, is Ramirez and the story in the New Yorker on Sunday.
The Times is so parochial, that they don't give this story what it is due. Maybe they're upset that Ramirez decided to talk to the New Yorker instead of the Times or the Post
4
@sheldon No, they have cited the story fairly and have dedicated an article to it. However, they have noted that the New Yorker has no firsthand references and the new accuser was quoted as saying she cannot be sure it was Brett when asking former classmates to come forward.
2
Can we talk about the highly questionable decision of the New Yorker and Ronan Farrow to publish the new accusation?
This matter has gone way too far and, now, has all of the trappings of a McCarthite witch hunt (he was in the same room as me at a communist party meeting years ago). This whole thing needs to be reigned in before it’s too late to stop the stagecoach from going off a cliff.
16
I'm trying to remember if I calendared my "nasty and dirty" parties when I was in high school . . .
9
This is a job interview. If problems keep popping up, move on to the next candidate.
10
For all the brave men on the GOP side of the Senate who want to be righteous about their questioning of Ms. Blasey Ford, I ask how many of them were ever molested as a boy or teenager by an older man (or woman). When I was 13 I was molested by a 16-year old boy who had failed a couple of grades. We were bench mates in a classroom where he would expose himself and ask for a hand job. I was shocked. I didn’t understand. He kept up the pressure and when I refused, he and his friends surrounded me outside after school and he began shoving me, goading me to take a swing at him. I didn’t. His sexual harassment continued even after I convinced the teacher to change my seat with a note from my mother after I lied to her that I was sitting in a draft from a nearby window. He continued intimidating another boy. It’s been 62 years since that terrible experience and yet I can remember in detail what happened and that the older boy was not circumcised. Details stick in one’s mind for decades. I didn’t tell my mother until I was way into adulthood, after my father had died. She had no idea of my experience. The president apparently doesn’t understand the impact of such experiences; perhaps he was never molested.
13
@bkbyers: Since your memory is so precise, what does that say about Dr. Fords? She can't even remember what YEAR this supposedly happened in.
2
What's next, Brett get accused of kissing a girl when he was 7 years old?
9
@Stuie57
He immobilized this girl and covered her mouth so she couldn't yell. That's way worse than he tried to kiss her and she wasn't having any of it.
3
@D He is ACCUSED of immobilizing Professor Ford. We do not know whether he did or whether he did not.
1
The second, third, fourth... accusers who came out of the woodwork were the undoing of Sen. Al Franken, even though their personal credibility and supposed offenses were increasingly flimsy. The irresponsible reaction of his Democratic colleagues in pushing him out not only did him a disservice but set the precedent that numbers alone raise enough doubt to undo a career. The second accuser in Kavanaughs case remembers another drunken party where the offense, at worst, was taken as a raunchy joke by the alleged witnesses. As many commentators have agreed, teenagers especially in the 70s and 80s engaged in rowdy partying. There may be many valid reasons to oppose the Kavanaugh confirmation — most obviously that it will change the ideological majority of the court for a generation — but reaching for a fatal character flaw based on stories of adolescent behavior is disingenuous. The Democrats were prepared to oppose any Trump nominee, and will continue to do so.
14
@PL - Wow! a "fatal character flaw" is disingenuous. You must be kidding. A man like that should be on your Supreme Court?
Vote Americans - vote and take 10 others to the poles with you! The world is waiting.
1
If sexual assault is likely the skeleton in the closet for defenders of such actions, then the push to roll back victim's protections on campus speaks volumes.
4
It's pretty impressive just how many people (men and especially women) have stepped up and given Kavanaugh exceptional character references.
The result of all this churn has been to show just what an excellent choice Mr Kavanaugh to sit on the Court.
9
@Amy Compared to Donald Trump he is excellent. But compared to Dwight D. Eisenhower or Harriet Tubman, forget it.
1
Just another democrat lynch party. The mob mentality from the left continues. You are innocent until proven guilty and there is zero evidence that Kavanaugh is guilty of anything. Every "Witness" that Ford has mentioned has denied her claims. Enough is enough. Confim Kavanaugh now.
11
Ben, bad anology. I happen to have re-read Lee Miserables recently. Jean ValJean, after a rough start, lived an honorably life. Javert finally caught up to him and had him in his grips, but let him go. Then threw himself in the river and drowned by suicide. I don’t see any parallels with this current crop of characters. And now we have Avenatti in the mix. Will this national freak show never end?
3
@Albert
What's wrong with Avenatti? A brilliant lawyer who has won enormous settlements for his clients. A brave man who is not intimidated by the Liar-in-Chief and all the little liars who lie for him and about him.
Handsome and polite. Just what we need. If Trump had a brain, he'd nominate Avenatti for the Supreme Court. But he cares not for the country or for anyone other than himself.
2
@Pecan
Avenatti is a fraud. His bankruptcy & bad debt shenanigans are worse than Trump's. Do they not have google where you live?
1
Odd, Republicans produced a letter signed by 65 women to defend Kavanaugh in 24hrs. Remarkable all those women were available and brought up to speed with such expedience. One might be inclined to believe pre-emptive preparation went into this.
7
@Ian Perhaps you haven't read how that letter was produced so quickly as per the woman who initiated it. The magic of social media .... one person made the request to friends who forwarded it to friends and voila.
1
Here is Missouri, we are known to be very skeptical about unbelievable claims unless they are well substantiated. This skepticism was also seen throughout the midwest/mideast when the same movie of Democratic partisans coming forward with unbelievable sexual harassment claims backfired on Dems in 2016 presidential election in places like Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and PA.
In this case, these claims are not substantiated at all either, as the newest accuser apparently could not make up her own mind whether the perpetrator was even Kavanaugh for 6 days prior to coming forward according to the New Yorker article. The Ford allegations are even less substantiated as she cannot tell us the house where it occurred. We know that victims of crime have a keen memory for crime location because they tend to rehearse the negative experience in their minds over and over again. Why Ford cannot give us that detail undermines her credibility entirely.
Here in Show-Me State of Missouri, we say either show us the evidence or stop the character assassination.
8
@Dan
If Judge Kavanaugh were a smart and honest judge, he would insist that the original FBI investigation re-open to gather the "shyow me" facts needed to clear or corroborate his activities to the greatest extent possible.
In light of the fact that 88% of sexual assaults are never reported, when Donald Trump said:
" 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!", it proves once again that Trump is neither smart nor honest.
8
@rich It is fair to ask why this accusation was not reported earlier, as it would have saved Professor Ford the misfortune of being treated with extreme scepticism to outright hostility. If what she says is true, then Kavanaugh should have faced legal scrutiny before he ever became a judge. There's nothing anyone can do if accusations aren't brought forward. The only two reasons that accusations remain secret for so long is 1)- threats to material comfort, safety, and or violence, and 2)- the lack of other people coming forward. That obviously has to change, otherwise no justice can be done. You cannot send someone to prison based on an accusation.
1
@Dan Would you doubt your own immediate family member who raised you from a pup if they came to you? Would you say the same thing to them? "you will need to show me evidence of detailed accounts before I believe you."?
The hard hearted and spiteful nature of so many is a grotesque reflection on to what perverse analogies born from intentions grown out of antiquated tales and traditions all need to be mothballed, especially in Missouri.
3
Let’s see:
• Roy Moore — cruises malls and high schools to meet and spy on girls, spied on what would later become his future wife when as a little girl, she was a beauty contestant, denies being called a pedophile but has a horse named “Sassy”
• Donald Trump — cheated on his two previous wives, oops, including the third and current wife, had an affair with a stripper while current wife is recovering from childbirth, bought the Miss Teen USA and walked on naked teens while contestants were naked, would totally date his daughter bragging what they have in common is sex
• Brett Kavanaugh — three women as of now coming out with stories of attempted rape and sexual assault.
Who else is getting the feeling that the Republicans are not sending us their best people?
6
What is happening to our Country’s due process....innocent until proven guilty?
Collectively, through the media and our social commentary, we are repeating history by conducting the Salem Witch Trials of the 1600’s and the McMartin Preschool tragedy in the 80’s.
Before we accuse or assume something about another and destroy a persons life, we must put ourselves in the shoes of the accused and ask what we would want from our media and social media contributors?
If your career, family and life should matter...so does the lives of everyone you report about or people we comment on!
Please, let’s work to stop the witch hunts...
12
I'm making an assumption here.... That "open to the public" also means "televised". NYT... can you please give us the definitive. Open to the public means nothing for 99.9% of us; your readers. We are actually not going to be there. The question is, "Will the hearing be televised?"
2
@Dwayne
I hope C-Span broadcasts it.
2
Trump is meeting with Rosenstein again on Thursday. Maybe he's going to replace Kavanaugh with him.
3
An FBI investigation is imperative. It always was. It is absolutely unacceptable for any Republican to not move forward with reopening the background checks on Kavanaugh, and calling witnesses. The best way to ensure the credibility of Kavanaugh and allegations against him, are to put it in the hands of the FBI before any hearing takes place. The Yale Law School published an open letter September 19th, asking the above, signed by the entire faculty. The Senate Republicans are interfering with Democracy, and the Supreme Court, once known as one our great institutions, suffers from this process. If the Republicans can't handle themselves to ask questions in a hearing, they should resign from the Senate. Dr. Blasey Ford should not testify until a fair process and investigation into this matter is completed.
11
@Mockingjay: Would you please tell me what exactly the FBI is going to investigate? What Federal crimes were broken?
5
Seems to me Republicans by and large still are deeply mired in that old excuse for bad or risky behavior, the "Boys will be boys", phrase.
After watching and listening to all that has occurred these past two weeks, I believe that Judge Kavanaugh should withdraw from consideration, announcing that the Supreme Court should not be tarred by his appointment, or the appointment of any future Justice, whose reputation is questionable, regardless the veracity of the allegations.
This is what an honorable man or woman would do.
11
@Mel Farrell Perhaps he should. It's worth considering. That would not prove his guilt (I don't think we have nearly enough to prove substantial guilt, if it exists), but it would remove the hysteria from the confirmation process.
2
Not to minimize the claims, horrific suppressed memories, PTSD and bravery of anyone who has already, or has yet to, come forward with allegations. They should all have their day to confront this man with their truths. That said, the immediate question at hand is if this individual is lying about anything he has been asked thus far, and it would appear he is based on the accounts of numerous eyewitnesses to his past behavior, then he has no place being a nominee for the SCOTUS. Period. Find someone else and move on.
7
I guess this is the final straw for me. I don't want to call a country with rape culture home. I'm going to see my children and their spouses in November and we need to talk about the future. I hope there is a possibility that the kids can aim their professional lives and their future in the direction of New Zealand.
The problem with evil is that it never really goes away. My old dad and that generation fought, and some died, to battle against fascism and hate in Europe and the Pacific theater. We defeated evil for a time, but you can't ever destroy evil and it springs up again. The historical theory that the victors become like those they vanquished, maybe that's true. I never thought I'd see a President like Trump who deliberately fosters fears and hatreds between the races, sexes, and political parties, causes babies and small children to be separated from their parents and harmed and traumatized, who says white supremacists and Nazis are "good people," who constantly lies and has a propaganda machine that rivals Stalin's and Hitler's. I don't want my kids to call this place home. They are young enough and educated enough to cut their losses and go.
The rape culture stuff put me over. I never thought I'd need to leave a country I once loved.
10
@Sue: Perhaps Sweden would be a good place to move to. They have very good health care, although the climate is a bit cold.
@Sue What country is going to be better? Rape is caused by: violence, greed, and lust. This occurs universally. It can certainly be fuelled by alcohol, if these allegations are true. No decent person in this country considers rape remotely acceptable, which is why we should all regret the conflation of serious allegations with political confirmations.
3
@Sue, My wife and I spent some time in New Zealand, a beautiful country. While we were there, news reports of kidnappings and rape appeared in local papers. There was also a report of a woman who went missing after a party on a yacht. Later, after we returned to the Philippines where we were living, we learned that her ex boyfriend had been arrested for her murder. He was convicted.
K is done. The only issue is how long it will take Trump to put him out of his misery.
If you haven't already, read the story in the New Yorker. Everything the GOP is complaining about is answered with Ramirez.
1. Didn't want to come forward. Didn't do anything to come forward.
2. How the story broke -Yale alums emailing in each other on what happened at Yale. Someone told the media. Times, Post and New Yorker reached out.
She decided to go with New Yorker
3. New Yorker interviewed anyone they could find who were at the incident, lived in the dorm or learned of the event.
4. Date, time and place known.
5.Some people said it happened. Some said it didn't,
6. What happened is known.Was it K? Some say yes, some say no.
7. Was it criminal? I'd say so. Under current CT lawy, 3rd degree sexual assault Class A misdemeanor, up to a year in jail. Conceivably, that isn't correct. Depends on whether her falling into contact with a naked penis a couple of inches away, while trying to get away is unwanted sexual contact by K.
9. Perfect case for investigation as everything is known or can be known.
8
@sheldon How long will it take for Trump to put Kavanaugh out of his misery? If history is any indication, in a week or two Trump won't even remember who Kavanaugh is unless he launches into praise of Kavanaugh and moans about how "this fine man" was ruined by the "failing" NYTimes.
So sad. (Why does that phrase always make me start laughing?)
3
Except The Chief Justice, the rest of the justices should be without law degrees, so that some common sense can prevail in the Supreme Court. Notice, that the constitution does not require the Supreme Court Justice have to have a law degree. In addition, these Supreme Court justices do not interpret the constitution as written anyway, they give their own political spin in making their decisions. May the reason why the founders did not mention about the law degrees. In fact, all the justices should be elected officials with 7 year term.
2
Let Cavanaugh speak. He has a lifetime of honorable service. If we are looking for one flaw I’m sure we can find it. But there is no one reading this article or in the in the United States who is not without a flawed moment. Move on
9
Sexually predatory behavior isn't a one and done. Give it time. There are more.
6
Statute of limitations only means the person can’t be prosecuted. It doesn’t mean the crime didn’t occur. The idea that it happened long ago that we should ignore is ludicrous. We don’t ignore murder.
If the accusations are true Kavanaugh is an un-convicted felon and sexual predator. He may be lucky he’s not in prison serving 25 to life and/or walking with an ankle bracelet.
This isn’t about sexual harassment. Sexual assault should have the same statute of limitation as murder and kidnapping - none.
2
@BWCA
Supposedly the sexual assault took place in the State of Maryland. I believe that there is no statue of limitations there. I wonder...
2
As a woman, I’m appalled that unsubstantiated ‘accusations’ are being regarded as fact. I don’t care what the motive is, it’s a dangerous precedent and smacks of McCarthyism.
18
@Shenoa
Senator Charles Grassley is the head of the Judiciary Committee, and he and every Republican in the majority, and the President, are refusing to reopen the FBI background check into the credibility of the serious allegations against Kavanaugh. They are at this point not proven or unproven. They also refuse to call witnesses. Mark Judge has published extensively, his drunken behavior at Georgetown Prep, and now his girlfriend of three years at Catholic University came forward to put forth a truth: the Judge was part of a drunken sex party where several men took turn having sex with a drunk woman at Georgetown Prep. This was the other man in the room, according to Ford. The only way to get to the truth is quite simple. The President, at the urging of so far only the Democrats, must ask the FBI to reopen the investigation, let people come forward, and if Judge Kavanaugh cant clear his name, he shouldn't be on the Supreme Court. The fact that he himself has not asked for a fair and impartial FBI investigation into the matter is suspect. How could we trust him to be on the Supreme Court? Anita Hill had an FBI background check reopened AFTER Clarence Thomas hearings were completed. Witnesses were also called to testify. 27 years later, this process has gone backward and not forward. And Orrin Hatch said it was the right thing to do back then. Not now. There are now three women that have come forward. There will be more.
3
He buys ten of thousands of dollars worth of baseball tickets on credit cards and still has his calendars from 1982?
There's something odd about this.
17
He buys tens of thousands of dollars worth ....
@A. Stanton
It's called "lying."
2
The article states: "Thomas hearings riveted the nation, infuriating women across the country and spurring hundreds of them to run for office." I have read elsewhere (probably in the New York Times) that polls showed very little change in public opinion from the beginning to the end of the Thomas confirmation hearings and that a majority of African Americans and of women approved the confirmation.
6
If for whatever reason, Kavanaugh's name is withdrawn, there is ZERO chance that another person would be nominated, vetted, and voted on by the Senate before the November 6 elections are held.
That is why the Republicans are so intent on getting Kavanaugh confirmed, no matter what may be turned up in his background, because this might be their last chance to put a Trump nominee on the Supreme Court.
If the Democrats win the Senate, Trump will be finished nominating any judges to any open positions.
The Republicans know this and it is scaring the bejeezus out of them.
There is no cockamamie argument that they will not try in their attempt to force Kavanaugh through.
My money is on Michael "Trump's DADDY" Avenati, and his client, who would be the third person to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misdeeds.
When Kavanaugh's name is withdrawn, we should thereafter refer to him as Kava-NAW!
3
@Joe From Boston
Did not the Republicans block the Supreme Court nomination by POTUS Obama for a year?
3
So is this the new norm? All unsubstantiated allegations of sexual assault will be heard before anyone will be allowed to hold high office? It is starting to sound like a smear campaign with a political end goal of paralyzing the opposition to prevent them from implementing their policies. It is a very dangerous precedent that the Democrats are setting here. Much as the "nuclear option", this will come back to haunt them in the future.
14
@Qcell
Good if it does. The perpretator's political affiliations don't matter to a woman who has been pinned to the bed and her airway cut off so she cannot scream.
Republicans need to ask themselves one simple thing and be aware of several other things before the hearing next Thursday.
They need to honestly ask themselves why Dr. Blasey Ford would make such an allegation knowing (as they would or should given recent events) that in doing so, she would gain nothing but be reminded and questioned and have doubt cast upon her as well as attacked on the veracity of something that clearly scarred and traumatised her.
They also need to be aware and also accept that in coming forth, Dr. Blasey Ford has been castigated , received Death Threats and had her safety and security compromised to such a degree, she has had to leave her home.
Why would someone risk so much and have to deal with so many things and be put at risk and have their time taken and reputation risked, all to bring forth this allegation?
There is no benefit, upside, reward, positive or even restitution for that trauma that has haunted her for so many years ...she gets NOTHING for her troubles...either the original incident or what has already transpired and no doubt will continue right up to and during next thursday's hearing and beyond.
Remember what she is doing and why .Understand that her motivations are not to punish, but to reveal the Truth.
Know what she has risked , endures and the price she is and will pay for her telling of it.
Republicans, listen not just by your ears but with your hearts and do not attack to protect your interests above the truth.
3
@Loomy Blasey would "gain nothing"? She's already gained a lot: she's become a left-liberal-feminist heroine and will receive many lucrative book offers and speaking engagements. And if the Dems succeed in using her accusations to stop the appointment, she'll have the satisfaction of having brought down someone whose politics she obviously loathes.
6
@Loomy
I totally agree.
2
Kavanaugh’s relationship with Mark Judge casts skepticism over his claims of innocence.
If Chong said “I hung around with Cheech all the time, but I never inhaled”, would we believe him?
12
What kind of "justice" is it if the judiciary committee (1) won't subpoena the named witness (Mark Judge); (2) refuses to hear the victim's expert witnesses (trauma experts and the FBI agent who gave her a polygraph test); and (3) does absolutely no investigation of the charge? It is clear to that the white male Republican Senators on the committee have their minds already made up and would not even hold a hearing if public optics did not require it.
12
@LesliefromOregon It's no less clear that the Dems have their minds already made up and are insisting on a public hearing even though there is no way to prove or disprove Ford's sketchy memories about events 35 years ago, not because they care about sexual misconduct (Clinton's record of sexual assault didn't bother them) but because they oppose Kavanaugh's appointment.
4
It's not just women. USA is still ruled, not governed, by few powerful men and religious fundamentalism. And all minorities face serious problem.
Just one example- USA now has about 25 percent people who do not believe in God. Yet this huge, the largest group of American voters (if we consider different sects of Christianity, Evangelicals being the highest with 23 percent) do not have a single atheist or agnostic Congressman to represent them. The situation is getting worse since Reagan and now reached its worst in its own recent history with 38 percent American college graduates (wrongly) believe that Human being was created by God in its present form. That's the 2nd worst percentage among 36 advanced democracies in the world, only little better than Muslim majority Turkey.
We firmly established a hierarchy that enforces the perception, in both Govt and Private companies, that women are inferior than men, as suggested in Bible and other religious scriptures or "holy" books. That hierarchy entitles White Women more privilege/power than non-white men. Our ability to understand truth and enforce justice eroded significantly and religion (coupled with political allegiance) has a big role to play there.
2
This a serious, life long appointment. I listened to Kavanaugh's performance a couple of weeks ago and found his responses evasive. His cloying tribute to Trump at the start, and the smirks and smarmy tone added to the negative impression. Note that this is the guy who wanted Bill Clinton to be asked extremely detailed questions about his sexual practices. Then these allegations come along, and the Republican response - to everything - has been grotesque.
This is about character, and Kavanaugh ain't cutting it. Lindsey Graham and the rest of these dinosaurs may only be capable of accusing the democrats of partisanship (their projection is getting more like Trump's with each passing day). But the rest of us get it.
18
@Ann
Oh, but in this country the rule of law applies. Nobody is above the law, not Congress, not the President, nobody!!!
Here we have A JUDGE who thinks the President is above the law. A JUDGE whose job is to apply and respect the Constitution. What a laugh!
I suggest this judge take the naturalization test and learn a thing or two about what immigrants are told about the mighty Constitution and the powers of the 3 branches.
3
It’s hard to imagine anyone having much respect for anything SCOTUS decides after this in the future. The process to get there is like making sausage, nobody wants to know.
2
It's hard to deny that Kavanaugh's difficulties are mushrooming.
7
I'm only a citizen, not a lawyer.
But, this is entering a new form of McCarthyism:
1. The presumption of guilty until proven innocent ;
2.The defendant (Kavanaugh) being told by the prosecutor (Ford), that he cannot be presented while she is accusing him;
3. Ford insisting Kavanaugh go before her accusatory testimony (thereby depriving him of right to defend himself).
This is both a mockery of our justice system and jeopardizes our democracy, as did McCarthy in the 1950's.
19
He is not being put on trial for a crime, none of the above is relevant.
3
It is not a trial.
2
Things that are irrelevant to whether or not Kavanaugh sexually assaulted Ford:
-- commenters in the Times believe her
-- other women have been sexually assaulted as teens
-- many women have been sexually assaulted and not reported it
-- Or that Ford passed a polygraph. Those are pseudo science and only useful for intimidation. Psychopaths (don't have typical autonomic responses to stimuli), those who have been coached or believe their own story can pass while telling an untruth. Ford as a psychologist surely knows that. It's in the psych literature.
or that Kavanaugh
-- is white (per capita, more Blacks are arrested for rape than whites).
-- drank as a teen
-- went to prep school
-- went to Yale
-- may or may not have been a party boy.
Nor is it relevant that dems don't like his judicial positions.
Nor is it relevant K hasn't taken a polygraph (see above).
The only thing relevant is whether someone can corroborate her story. That means at minimum someone can put Kavanaugh and Ford at a party together. That would, while not proving anything, at least put them in the same location. There still must be someone who comes forward and says she saw something suspicious at the party or that Ford told her soon after. Or if Ford kept a diary -- that she'd recorded something about it in the diary at the time.
And because this is a criminal accusation and dems believe committing such a crime would disqualify him, the accuser has the burden of proof.
14
If it's not a criminal accusation, is the burden equal? If so, how about we let her talk and see who is believable.
4
@Ralphie It is fine for the accuser to have the burden of proof.
It is NOT fine for the Republican rape apologists to prevent Blasey Ford from presenting such proof by barring the sworn testimony of Mark Judge and others and refusing an independent investigation to establish the facts of the case.
This isn't that hard to parse.
3
Pray tell what teenager puts Keg parties on his calendar?
17
Im very happy to see women standing up for themselves and taking action. The time it takes her to to do so is irrelevant. Men have gotten away with abusing and taking advantage of women entirely too long. People are heartless for attacking her. I believe her story and I pray for her during this time.
5
This one really stinks. The Times spends an entire week interviewing dozens of people attempting to corroborate the latest "revelation," and comes up with – absolutely nothing. But that doesn't stop them from publicizing the allegation (and burying deep in the story the fact that they made a massive effort to corroborate it, and failed.) I presume they are working assiduously to find someone who can report on bad behavior in his adult, professional life and have also failed. Why not report that? "We put everything we had into digging up some more recent dirt on Kavanaugh, and found nothing." Significant, I think.
16
Excerpts from 2007 Model Code of Judicial Conduct by SCOTUS
[Canon 1
Rule 1.1--A judge shall comply with the law,* including the Code of Judicial Conduct.
Rule 1.2--A judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence,* integrity,* and impartiality* of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.
Rule 1.3--A judge shall not abuse the prestige of judicial office to advance the personal or economic interests* of the judge or others, or allow others to do so.
Canon 2
Rule 2.1--The duties of judicial office, as prescribed by law,* shall take precedence over all of a judge’s personal and extrajudicial activities.
Rule 2.4--External Influences on Judicial Conduct (A) A judge shall not be swayed by public clamor or fear of criticism.(B) A judge shall not permit family, social, political, financial, or other interests or relationships to influence the judge’s judicial conduct or judgment.(C) A judge shall not convey or permit others to convey the impression that any person or organization is in a position to influence the judge.]—American Bar Association Website
Evidence is critical to a fair hearing over matters in dispute. And if experienced judges cannot personally demand and defend themselves given 'all' evidence, then how qualified are they? And having a SCOTUS nominee needing protections by senators and going to the White House for coaching sessions are sad facts of unfitness not hypotheticals.
4
With all the reports of Kavanaugh’s drinking and drunken exploits in high school and college, shouldn’t there be questions/investigation of whether he continues to drink excessively? Is Kavanaugh an alcoholic? Seems like that’s an important aspect of his personality. Also potential reason for blackmail.
6
@Cintia You may be interested in reading the WaPo article with quotes from Dr. Ford's high school friends re. their (the high school girls') drinking - use of fake id's at bars etc. Both Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford attended single sex, private, preppy high schools; and were part of exclusive Country Club crowds enjoying partying and drinking while underage.
2
This is not a courtroom. Kavanaugh is not being criminally charged. This is a Senate confirmation hearing. Absolutely ridiculous that any Senator would be allowed, or have the cowardice, to hide behind having their questions asked by counsel.
12
Kavanaugh is done! The best he can do at this point is remove himself and save what little he will have left.
5
@Wade I hope you're right. If I have to bet, I say he gets confirmed anyway. No one who has ever voted Republican is going to be put off by their candidate's rape escapades. Republicans have absolutely no morals and are long past caring what anyone else thinks of their despicable behavior.
3
I find it amazing how many people discount the idea that Kavanaugh kept calendars with his comings/goings during his high school years. And that he could locate them within a few days of being accused by Ford.
Would those same folks be amazed if Ford said she kept a diary? And that she knew where it was?
9
@watchdog
Far more people keep diaries from years past than calendars. Yes, it stretches credibility that he has calendars from the early 1980s that indicate he went to some drinking party. No, it does not stretch credibility that a teenage girl might keep a diary or that she might still have it years later.
2
Do you have a record of your high school social schedule from 35 years ago? Who would keep a record of an invitation to a non supervised keg party in someone's home when you were 17?
And why wasn't his mother, the first Judge Kavanaugh aware of his social life? I'm sure she wouldn't have approved of his underage drinking as it could have jeopardized her legal career.
2
Why are standards always lowered for male behavior?
8
@EDC
Because men can't control themselves, we keep telling ourselves.
It's too bad Kavanaugh's record of participating intimately in the lies and war crimes of the Bush administration is ignored. The fact he would be the first war criminal to sit on the Supreme court is conveniently meaningless to the Republicans who loved that war and the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee who voted for it.
5
Look at what Christine Blasey Ford has endured since she accused Brett Kavanaugh of assaulting her when they were teenagers.
Her entire life has been shattered. She has had death threats, she and her family have had to leave their home and go into hiding, she is continually accused of being a liar and will now answer questions from a hostile Senate Judiciary Committee.
If no one else has come forward so far to say that they remember the party where Dr. Blasey was assaulted, or that they were assaulted by Judge Kavanaugh, or that they saw him behaving aggressively toward any girl, you should be able to understand that not everyone has the courage to jeopardize their life to do what Prof. Blasey Ford has done.
Now there is another woman who has taken this risk and immediately she has been attacked as a liar and only a tool of the Democrats. I shudder to think of what else is going to happen to her.
17
The accuser may be credible, though we have yet to hear from her on a public state. The accused also appears credible, having the benefit of seeing and hearing him during the confirmation hearings. Thursday's hearing on the matter may or may not reveal much more as to the integrity of either party. However, the integrity of the Senators on the Judiciary Committee may reveal a whole lot about them. Let's keep politics out of the way in seeking the truth. I know this won't happen, but out of respect for the two people, any Senator on the Committee that puts politics first will do so at his/her detriment, and will harm the person he/she supports.
8
The Anita Hill comparison is entirely specious. Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her. This just seems very difficult to use to disqualify Kavanaugh. The white heat of anger caused by McConnell's denial of Obama his legitimate right to name a Supreme Court Justice to replace reactionary Justice Scalia and Trump's calamitous electoral college victory is the root of this.
5
Republican party became a party mostly for uneducated people, Christian fundamentalists, white supremacists, gun and other industry lobby, and morally bankrupt people, including perverts & rapists who brag about sexually harassing women. Now the same people are thrusting another rapist as the judge in the highest court of the land.
I do not know if Bratt Kavanaugh recruit only women as his juniors or clerks. But it became clear that he always favored "attractive women", who dress and present themselves in a "certain way", as told by a couple of Professors in Yale law school.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/20/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-...
There is real possibility that more women would came forward. As more such accusations are pouring, more GOP leaders and Trump are hardening their support for the accused judge. trust and respect of judiciary is bound to be affected by this. Trump's dream to make a chaos and destroy whatever little trust people still have on US democracy and its institutions, including judiciary. It's the greatest national security threat that US faced since civil war.
5
@Bonku "Republican party became a party mostly for uneducated people, Christian fundamentalists, white supremacists, gun and other industry lobby, and morally bankrupt people, including perverts & rapists who brag about sexually harassing women."
What about the millions of others that voted Trump? How would you judge them?
2
We do not know that Judge Kavanaugh is a "rapist". People should not paint him with that broad brush without hearing directly from him or Dr Blassey regarding the the episode in question.
He is pursuing a position on the Supreme Court of the United States. I expect anyone who is appointed to that position to review all the evidence in front of him without preconceived ideas or judgement. The same consideration should be given to him by the Senate and the American people.
That said, based on some of the things I have read about his professional career and his testimony in front of the Senate, I do not believe he will be able to judge every case on its individual merits. It seems he has already decided how Roe and Executive Power should be decide upon. That is the reason I do not support his nomination to SCOTUS.
3
Kavanaugh is unfit to be a Supreme Court Justice. His money issues are troubling. His drinking is troubling. The accusations of sexual assaults are troubling.
His nomination should be withdrawn. Garland should be nominated in his stead.
We must demand a Supreme Court that consists of professionals that are above reproach. The country deserves that. If Kanavaugh is innocent then one man will have suffered a professional setback- but if he is actually as slimy as he appears then the country cannot afford him to sit on the court.
No one- not even an ultra-conservative judge who is the son of a judge- 'deserves' to sit on the court.
14
I'm willing to bet that Kavanaugh's days as "The Carpool Dad" are over.
8
Speaking of betting? I’m willing to bet that Kavanaugh would take action on that bet as he has a gambling problem. Who paid off his debt? Seems like he can be bribed.
6
Just have a vote! Enough of this.
9
Should this drunken behavior in high school and possibly college disqualify him. I suspect the senators all believe that it most likely happened as stated, but unless there will be a political price they don't much care.
3
Wow! These guys lived a ‘robust’ (non conservative) life and then went conservative! What went wrong?
4
As did our Veep! It only took one year of full fraternizing in college and he rediscovered Jesus!
2
@RioConcho
Guilt maybe?
@RioConcho It's known euphemistically as 'sowing wild oats' - males have gotten this pass for centuries. It's even seen as a rite of passage for privileged males. Everyone else gets a record, rap sheet, goes to prison. Few of the powers that be who make the rules believe in 'sowing wild oats', less in rehabilitation, for the non privileged.
2
Now this just smacks of Democrat women coming forward to get their 15 minutes of fame and desperately try to delay and kill Kavanaugh's nomination. And it is all about trying to kill the Republican nomination. If Kavanaugh were a progressive, fellow progressives would be ignoring these women and circling the wagons around the progressive nominee.
20
@Tony Frankly, I'm shocked that the NY Times even allowed your comment to be posted...especially since it reeks of pure common sense, reason and of what's really going on here.
I always try to see the good in people and in what their innermost intentions are. But I can't fathom how so many people can bring themselves to automatically believe these scathing, last-minute allegation w/o any corroborating evidence whatsoever. Is this all it takes to destroy someone's like & reputation...and possibly even alter the course of the SCOTUS????
This is so absolutely SICK that I can hardly believe its happening! And you're right about if the tables were turned. This is nothing more than a political HIT JOB, plain and simple...with no basis in fact or law as we know it. Common sense and common decency have gone down the gutter.
4
What this should be is an advisement to the President whether or not his nominee is qualified to be on the Supreme Court.
Not the partisan circus it has become. Not whether a potential appointee agrees with his views, politically or otherwise.
The Republican Senate should have been happy with a middle of the road, qualified appointee for SCOTUS like Merrick Garland. It was stated at the Kavanaugh hearings that he and Garland agreed on more than 90% of their rulings.
Why can't Mitch McConnell and his cronies adhere to his oath and uphold the constitution and serve all the people of the United States? Not big corporations and the Republican Party?
@Tony
So just why would now a second woman come forward?
Dr Ford has paid a heavy price so far and in all likelihood have to pay more.
The second woman will also be subjected to nasty comments and behavior.
Just what would be the upside to this?
1
Kavanaugh just might be one of those individuals who get so stupidly drunk that when they sober up they really can't remember what they did when they were drunk. Given the tales of his high school and college drinking, which he apparently hasn't denied, he could really be guilty and invoke the Jeff Sessions defense: "I can't recall". At least some questioning should ask him point blank to describe his high school and college drinking and partying.
8
“And if that man is any kind of man, he’ll allow himself the awesome power, the wonderful beauty, of uncontrollable male passion.”
--Mark Judge
10
Who keeps calendar pages from 1982? This stinks of whole cloth lies and a blind ambition by both the senate and the nominee to get the process over and done with in their favor.
10
Not 17-year-old boys on summer vacation...none that I raised, anyway.
2
@Jsbliv
Or it stinks of someone who's a mild hoarder.
We can't have one of them on the SCOTUS! Nor anyone with ambition. Only the unambitious should be eligible.
3
They should open the hearings with the following questions of the senators and Kavanaugh:
1. Were you a member of a social fraternity in college ?
2. Were you proud of the the way parties were conducted in your fraternity house ?
3. Would you want your daughter or your wife to attend these parties ?
9
I truly wish all the media spent a fraction of the time they are wasting pouring the “details” of uncorroborated memories of a possible assault and instead examining Judge Kavanaugh’s long record as a Federal judge. What opinions written? What rulings has he handed down? What articles and research has he written?
16
Excellent post. Of course, we know the answer. There is no case against Judge Kavanaugh down the usual path of examining judicial qualifications. Uncorroborated charges about sexual violence, however, growing more and more graphic each day, stir up powerful emotions and memories and histories and feelings of violation and guilt and confusion. Down that path lies the need for a scapegoat, someone to punish, a sacrifice to make things right, some way to redress these awful feelings. Of course, this also makes for compulsive and addictive clickbait.
None of has nothing to do with judicial qualifications. It has everything to do with a politics based on emotional manipulation.
It is possible that Professor Ford is telling the truth. It is possible that Judge Kavanaugh is telling the truth. I cannot see how we will ever know.
3
@Maureen
One problem is a lot of his legal stuff is not available as he was in the White House at one point.
1
I read the Letters sent by Ms. Ford to her Congressional
Representative.
In it she states:
That she fled the gathering and made her way home.
Now, if she was fifteen years old, how did she get home ?
Did she call someone from a public phone, or did
she live nearby ?
Again, it is very odd that she cannot remember the
where the house was, when this took place.
Now we are told that no one at the gathering will
support her claim.
The New York Times, following the lead of Ms. Ford's
lawyers say Kavanaugh's calendars prove nothing, but
that is not accurate and the NY Times should not
"parrot" her lawyers. It shows that the gathering
was not on his schedule, it imparts a degree of credibility
to his claim.
The Times needs to be very careful and not place its
credibility on the line over this dispute. Report what
is known, not speculation, and do not report a claim from
30 years ago, then only now comes out, about a party
at Yale that no one else has verified, until your reporters
have investigated it.
Be fair to all involved, even if their politics/judicial views
are the opposite of yours.
23
@John Brown I also read the letter and find it suspicious. Paraphrasing, she reports going from the living room to the bathroom when Kavanaugh pulled her into a bedroom, closed the door and turned up the music loud so her yells couldn't be heard. Then when Judge jumped on the bed the boys started sparring with each other. She escapes, goes to a bathroom and locks herself in.
This is questionable on a number of levels. Who keeps their stereo that is loud enough to cover screams in their bedroom? They keep it in the living room. They might have a radio but who has a radio that is loud enough that it would cover up screams? And she remembers going and locking herself in the bathroom but can't remember how she got home? And two boys in the process of sexually assaulting her decide to stop and spar with each other?
And remember the Times has no journalistic integrity when it comes to pushing a progressive narrative.
5
It’s time for a new candidate. Enough already.
9
Judge Kavanaugh produced a calendar from the relevant months that the alleged assault might have occurred. These documents fail to corroborate his attendance at any party matching the one Dr. Blasey said he attended.
Yet this paper needed to retort "But the calendar pages from June, July and August of that year, which were reviewed by The New York Times, also in no way disprove her accusation."
What in his calendar would "disprove her accusation". Did it need to contain an entry "this is the day I definitely did not attend a party and get blistering drunk and sexually assault someone"?
This paper is now effectively asking for proof that a teapot is not in orbit around the sun between Earth and Mars.
The alleged sexual assault may have occurred, but this paper's editorial bent is all over it's "news" coverage of this topic.
16
@ML
well, if the calendars had only had an entry that read:
"Went to party at X's house, folks not home, lots of stuff to drink, hit on several girls, did not attempt to rape Chrissy Blasey"
that would settle the matter. 100%.
Oh, wait, ... Kavanaugh says HE WAS NEVER AT SUCH A PARTY. (Did his calendar list all the parties he heard about but did not waste his time going to? No? Pity.)
Which reminds me of an old joke:
A kid comes home from school and asks a parent "what is sex?"
After a lengthy discourse, with a lot of stammering on the part of the parent, the kid says "How am I supposed to put all of that on this little line after the word 'sex' on this form that the school wants me to fill out for tomorrow?"
How big are the entry spaces for each day on that calendar?
Kavanaugh must be super organized if he can produce his 1982 calendar on such short notice. I need to look for a while to find papers that showed up in the mail two weeks ago.
5
Why does a 53 year old man have records of his whereabouts when he was 17 years old? It is not believable and seems someone wants him on the court way too much......
4
From NYTimes 2-24-199:
“The problems with Mrs. Broaddrick's accusation are obvious. There is no physical evidence to verify it”
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/24/us/on-tortuous-route-sexual-assault-a...
Evidently, the NYTimes is very selective when reporting the lack of "physical evidence" as an "obvious problem".
16
@rfmd1
The New York Times has indeed reported that.
Another one bites the dust. Am not talking about the Nominee but the accuser!!!
9
@Pete the Greek She'll be a leftist celebrity for the rest of her life, get lucrative publishing and speaking offers, possibly job offers from better universities than the one she's at now, and dine out on this as long as she likes. That's biting the dust?
4
There are 5 articles today about Kavanaugh, in NYT today relating to nebulous accusations from many years ago, yet nothing about Ellison and his much more recent and credible problems with Domestic violence.
The hypocrisy of the NYT and the liberal dem elites is amazing.
22
@john palmer
Oh - is Ellison up for a Supreme Court seat?
4
I see, so—Ellison’s a nominee for the United States Supreme Court and who is engaged in current confirmation hearings?
2
@john palmer
1. Kavanaugh is seeking lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. Ellison is seeking election to a state position.
2. Kavanaugh's appointment impacts every citizen, Ellison's doesn't.
3. NYT addresses National and NY issues before investigating other state issues. Minnesota has a functional press and based on my readings is taking the issue of Ellison seriously.
4. The voters of Minnesota will determine Ellison fate. Kavanaugh's by a group of senators funded by outside group's seeking reversal of SCOTUS decisions.
5. Several Republican senators have already stated that Ford testimony will not influence their votes, how's that work for supposed truth-seeking Conservatives!
6. The majority of Americans see the hypocrisy and its with the religious right, excessive wealth accumulation, a sick president, the electoral college, the lies and corruption of the GOP.
5
The New York Times left out an important detail , one from salon.com
Grassley wants a lot of the questioning done by Kavanaugh attorney, Beth Wilknson. If Grassley is still holding to that, that's really, really nasty.
Wilkinson is exactly the type of lawyer you would expect.
If Grassley wants to use a male or female lawyer on the staff, that has to be Ok, because hearings are often this way. If G doesn't have a competent male or female lawyer then hire an outside counsel Don't use Wilkinson and don't give inside or outside lawyers a unilateral extension of time to get ready
3
I keep hearing and reading how trump and his GOP pals call all this a schmeer campaign by the DEMs. You can have a case that Feinstein should of come forward sooner however the DEMs did not manufacture Ford or the new victim. The fact that some Senators are saying they still will vote for Kavanaugh regardless shows how rigged this hearing really is. After the sham pulled on Obama and Garland Lindsley really lives in the trump bubble to clamed the DEMs have destroyed the process and to have Mitch indignant!! come on!!
5
Kavanaugh was a member of an organization notorious (DKE) for disrespecting women.
Yale banned DKE from campus for five years in 2011 after videos circulated of fraternity recruits chanting “no means yes, yes means anal” in front of the University’s Women’s Center.
https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2018/09/20/a-flag-of-underwear-photo-from...
10
@Stephan was Kavanaugh in school in 2011?
4
If he sits on the Supreme Court every time you hear of him or see his picture, images of these incidents of sexual assault will come to mind. You will see him flashing his penis drunkenly or grinding himself into a young victim. This will just be so, unfortunately. He will be forever tainted by this. And it taints the court just like having Clarence Thomas there. It is too bad the Republicans do not want an investigation of either incident that has been brought forward so far with respect to Kavanaugh. Such investigations could either help confirm or put these allegations to rest. We need to do this for the sake of the court, the country, and for women.
9
@Mary Kovis Watson
I think the boys assaulted the girls to impress/thrill the other boys.
As Mark Judge put it: “And if that man is any kind of man, he’ll allow himself the awesome power, the wonderful beauty, of uncontrollable male passion.”
7
@Pecan Let's restore the context of the line yo've isolated:
"Every man who’s fit to live has his own stories about the time, like a Hard Case character, he ducked the police, got in over his head with money, or abandoned himself in pursuit of love or sex. We’ve all climbed up windowsills, driven all night, and gotten into fights over a girl. Of course, a man must be able to read a woman’s signals, and it’s a good thing that feminism is teaching young men that no means no and yes means yes. But there’s also that ambiguous middle ground, where the woman seems interested and indicates, whether verbally or not, that the man needs to prove himself to her. And if that man is any kind of man, he’ll allow himself to feel the awesome power, the wonderful beauty, of uncontrollable male passion.
Hard Case Crime, and pulp fiction in general, is not about controlling and hurting women, although there’s some of that. It’s an expression of authentic male passion, of sweaty sexiness, in a world of pajama boys, government-mandated health food, and reactionary conservative blowhards."
The situation with this nominee is untenable politically if it were not for this President. What we have here is the GOP acting like Emperors saying let them eat cake, but we supposedly have a democracy in this country. Wake up voters: push these Emperors out of the majority.
4
Contrary to what Mr. Alan Mass suggests in his well-reasoned response, unless she is deprived of all her senses, a woman is extremely rarely "mistaken" about who attacked her; it becomes tattooed on her memory for all time. What is more interesting to me if why it is that even reasonable men have trouble believing women's experience, in regard to this case, the Anita Hill case and many others. I warmly recommend that those who are interested in exploring this topic further read "I Believe Christine Blasey Ford" by Claire Potter, professor of History at The New School, in this week's Public Seminar.
6
The decision to open the door to character assassination as a legitimate tactic of the political process should be very worrisome to all. To normalize this behavior will make some feel vindicated and others outraged but likely to destroy what ever may be left of political party civility.
15
@clarity007
Where do you see any political party civility now?
Curious minds want to know.
8
I find it amazing that Kavanaugh actually saved a calendar from what 30 years ago? Hmm makes one wonder why....
6
@wonders
Because he's a mild hoarder?
Because he had a trunk from school that he keeps in his possession that has some sentimental items and some junk?
Because the calendar had some type of value to him (maybe each month had pictures of his grandparents)?
There are a bunch of normal-ish reasons to have a calendar that old.
However, you imply that he knew he would sexually assault someone who would accuse him of it decades later so he maintained a calendar, intentionally left that party off of it, and then kept the calendar as proof.
now THAT sounds silly.
3
Lets cut to the chase, the stakes here for the GOP and Trump are astronomical. Any significant delay of these proceedings holds the real chance that this nominee’s actual confirmation would be delayed until after the elections in less than two months time.
After these disgracefully biased hearings and the unmitigated Republican rush to confirm Kavanaugh, the congressional post election line up could well mean that the grand prize of a staunchly conservative SCOTUS would evaporate.
Its hard to imagine that the Republicans will forgo any measures to prevent that outcome.
4
@G. Sears
So you think Trump will sit on his hands like Obama did if a Democratic Senate refuses to hold a confirmation hearing? He won't. He will do what Obama COULD HAVE Done, he will wait for Congress to go on Recess and appoint that person anyway. Nothing the dems do now will stop Trump for seating that 5th conservative Justice. Nothing. No miracle, no Hail Mary. So your argument holds no water since they will still put that Justice on the Court anyway.
1
I do not know who is telling the truth and I favor a hearing so that all can be heard. However, what I fear most is that if smear tactics are being used it will damage, perhaps irreparably, the Democratic party. Both parties are behaving poorly, President Trump is bombastic,and the Department of Justice seems to be in disarray. Is there not one adult who might rise out of this chaos to lead this great country. The balance of power looks shaky and the world is watching.
9
Was Kavanaugh drunk when he bought those baseball tickets?
Over-spending, a years-long history of heavy drinking, and current history of glibly bragging about public and private drunkenness (in effect, promoting, and certainly not seriously condemning, alcohol abuse and behavioral issues it causes) — these qualities, alone and especially taken together, do not describe a person of steady and sober character.
8
If for no other reason than this guy was nominated by a guy who simply isn’t worthy to make adult-like competent decisions, not to mention decisions with far-reaching, long-lasting and potentially life altering implications, this nominee should be deemed unqualified. Let’s just do what the Republican Congress did to Obama’s nominee and make do with 8 justices until 2020.
7
How is the future of the Supreme Court at stake when, if Kavanaugh is not confirmed, the Trump administration will only nominate another judge with the same ideological bent?
3
@Vear Gogan
But is there another one who believes/pretends a president is above the law?
6
Amidst the he said/she said circus, there are some qualitative issues that should be addressed:
This proceeding has brought doubt to Kavanaugh's truthfulness, and there is a case to be made that he perjured himself in front of Congress (a serious crime). This aspect can not be overstated.
Thousands of unreleased documents and two accusations--one of whom asked for an impartial investigation and took a lie detector test --it simply stands to reason the LEAST that should be done is a FBI investigation.
8
Perhaps Ms. Ramirez was so hammered that she got Judge Kavanaugh mixed up with Congressman Weiner., He was attending SUNY at the time and might have dropped by Yale for the festivities.
11
@tkivlan
Perhaps you dropped by and sexually assaulted her. If you are going to add third unrelated person, I too will add a person. I choose you.
3
We are witnessing a Kangaroo Court and it is very dangerous. In yesterday's NYT article "Christine Blasey Ford Reaches Deal...," Blasey’s lawyers' statement, quoted verbatim, refers to the alleged incident with Kavanaugh as “sexual assault.” They object to the committee's refusal to invite other witnesses. They seem to be asking for a trial.
In an earlier article this weekend, however, her lawyers' statement, also quoted verbatim, referred to the incident as "sexual misconduct."
Is Kavanaugh being accused of misconduct or assault? These are legal terms of different weight; either could be considered unlawful. Shouldn't this be agreed on upfront by the accuser and the committee?
If Kavanaugh is being accused of a crime, why isn't it being taken to the courts (presumably in Maryland). Instead the Senate is making this up as they go along, trying him in what appears as a classic Kangaroo court.
He is asked to prove this did not happen, but in our system of due process, the accused does not have to prove anything. If Ms. Blasey is believed, it has been conjectured that he could be accused of perjury for denying the incident! But doesn't an accused have the right to deny guilt? Isn't the burden of proof on the accuser?
Has anyone noticed that in a confirmation process for a position that is responsible for upholding the law of the land, that the basic principles of law are being violated?
20
@Eastsider Wait until you see what we do to trump during his impeachment .
1
@Eastsider
You appear to be extremely confused. Calling this a "kangaroo court" is extraordinary stupid, because we are not in court. No one is bringing or considering bringing criminal charges. That's why it's not being "taken into the courts." He's not being tried.
Due process rights aren't implicated here. Again, we are not in criminal court. He wasn't charged with a crime.
Due process, burdens of proof, innocent until proven guilty...these "principles of law" do not apply in confirmation hearings.
Are you even aware of the difference between a criminal proceeding and a Supreme Court confirmation?
Where did we lose you?
On Fox News Ben Shapiro (9-23-18)described the assault detail that Mark Judge had assisted Kavanaugh in "pushing" Professor Blasey "into the bedroom", and, I think included, on to the bed but I did not attempt to accurately record his statement. That markedly alters the nature of the attack alleged by Blasey and is entirely consistent with the degree of trauma and corresponding memory impairment she records.
A male youth under the conditions cited, extremely inebrriated and acting with or under the added influence of an assertive or aggressive male partner is proved in multiple cases such as within the FBI BSU(Behavioral Sciences Unit), can or will act in a manner entirely inconsistent with his normative behavior. Blasey's letter suggests that both actively participated in the assault and may have hoped or intended a shared sexual conquest, or a gang "rape"would result.Judges denial based upon her letter, is self serving. Senator Grassley's and GOP Judiciary Committee refusal to engage the FBI to investigate Mark Judge, or to subpoena him- once they read her letter, is inexplicable as it clearly shows Judge as an active participant and fully complicit-a party to that crime.That refusal in this new context appears to be an intentional obstruction of the Senate duty and deliberate obstruction of a criminal investigation, criminal sexual assault by two males in Maryland-a state which has NO statute of limitations for this type of crime. Use of a Female to question is Sexist.L
11
@Laura Coker
The two boys, Brett and Mark, may have been more interested in each other than in Chrissy.
@Pecan - Possibly that is why they haven't asked Mr. Judge to testify? Or why she escaped?
Is the story more about he said he said rather than she said he said?
Dr. Ford's claims are ridiculous. She must have been so drunk herself that she can't remember basic details of her evening so many years ago. It's astounding how quickly feminists devolve to victim status when they need a little attention or are driven to make history with their own Anita Hill moment.
15
No one likes being manipulated when being asked to make a judgement or give an opinion. Why do Republicans think their constituents are any different?
1
If these allegations prove true and Kavanaugh is not approved, he'll go back to the DC Circuit Court, where hopefully the presiding chief judge, Merrick Garland, will show him the door out.
17
Today, the New Yorker reports another accuser in the ongoing saga surrounding Judge Kavanaugh. This is not surprising as people born to privilege continue to assert it in personal and professional realms thereafter.
While it would seem counter-intuitive, it is quite possible Judge Kavanaugh does not remember either episode asserted by his accusers. This is a direct effect of the drug, alcohol, which he was acknowledged to have used on both those occasions.
Alcohol specifically affects memory. Our short-term memories are deposited from the sensory inputs of sight, sound and touch but only later are encoded into long-term less volatile memories. This secondary encoding is specifically attenuated by alcohol when taken in large amounts at the time of the initial experiences.
So, both Judge Kavanaugh can seriously believe he did not do what his accusers can assert with equal certitude.
I am more concerned about ongoing use of a mind-altering drug by a Supreme Court Justice than I am about past actions even up to two criminal acts.
5
Surprise, surprise! Senator Feinstein - she who sat on Dr. Ford's accusation for weeks then pulled it out when it looked like the nomination was going to sail through - has uncovered a second sexual abuse victim from Kavanaugh's college years and has demanded for the second time that the hearings be postponed. This 2nd victim is not even sure Judge Kavanaugh was the drunken perpetrator; and after trying for days to find someone who can corroborate her story the Times cannot do so. But no matter .... her accusation gets front page coverage anyway.
We are unlikely to ever know if, in fact, Dr. Ford was assaulted as she claims. I have no doubt she believes it, but that does not make it true. The woman she named as one of the party goers has not only joined the others in not remembering the event but has denied ever knowing Kavanaugh - that is much more significant than not remembering one party among many from 36 years ago.
Democrat, Republican, Independent or Libertarian, I cannot help but think that mothers and fathers recognize that a similar situation could befall their sons. Accusation. Presumption of guilt. No way to prove your innocence. The definition of a conundrum - and we're seeing it play out on college campuses across the country.
32
The New Yorker story said she was quite sure about who it was. And there were others that were discussing the issue at the time.
2
@Catherine Given all you've so insightfully said... and IMHO with great wisdom...how on God's earth can any of this be legitimately used to derail Kavanagh's SC confirmation?
If that's the case, then literally ANYONE and any time can come forward and make any accusation w/o any probative evidence whatsoever...and throw the burden of proof on the accused to establish his or her innocence...in the court of public opinion.
What a disgrace this whole thing is! Kavanaugh has already gone through a grueling interrogation by the Senate Judiciary Committee. He's already been vetted extensively and screened by the FBI both prior to and throughout his career on the bench.
So, the only way they can stop him is to pull a dirty stunt like this. And if it works, what kind of precedent will it set?
No, this is NOT Merrick Garland re-visited. What the GOP Senators did then was political, but it was totally above board, transparent and well within their Senatorial discretion...a far cry from the shameful, carnival side show we're witnessing now.
6
She took a polygraph, will Kavanaugh? Perhaps he’s too busy gambling to do so.
1
Kavenaugh is not qualified to serve on the supreme court /period .
22
Everything I've read about Dr. Ford's allegations - and the other corroborating details such as discussing this with her husband and therapist 6 years ago - has the exact ring of truth. I believe her.
Those who question her credibility yet refuse to support having Judge and others testify under oath are doing so purely for political ends. They are afraid of the truth.
The Republican Party and their supporters will pay dearly for their handling of these allegations, but moreso if Kavanaugh is seated.
What also emerges from these developments is the absolute hypocrisy of most evangelical leaders and their followers. These are not any followers of Christ I recognize. They show themselves to be in the same category of corrupt institutions that led to widespread sexual abuse by the clergy, with coverups and lies.
23
@Michael: The "ring of truth" is not proof. You can feel something is true all you want, but without proof it is just your opinion. and in this case there is no proof for the accusers accusations, but there is proof in the form of 4 party attendees who say what she asserts against Kavanaugh did not happen. That's proof.
9
Something's wrong with Kavanaugh. A father, husband, two daughters, maybe one or more houses, has kept a calendar from 1982? Oh please! Most people would throw out such things in a springtime clean-up. I douubt the authenticity of the calendar.
27
@John
Fair enough.
But where are your doubts about (a) Ford's story (which she has yet to testify to under penalty of perjury); (b) the therapist's notes (which nobody has ever seen); and (c) the alleged polygraph results (which they have never disclosed or released the questions & answers & polygraph operator.
People believe what they want to believe. I think your bias is showing.
8
@John Perhaps his mother kept it along with much other memorabilia including kindergarten artwork. I have a high school friend who can produce almost any photo, note, newsletter from high school. I can't even produce my yearbook.
2
The approach of Kavanaugh and the GOP to this debacle shows them to be beyond stupid. The whole thing could have been easily avoided by Kavanaugh stating he did indeed have a raucous past and cannot be sure that he stayed on course, but doesn’t remember any such event and apologizes if it actually did occur. What could be more straightforward?
Instead Kavanaugh and the GOP see the debacle as an occasion for demonstrating brute force response and the triumph of control over fact, reason, or logic. Tells us who they are. What a character demonstration for a judge! Empathy, vision, and forthrightness: NOT!
10
I have no grounds for making a judgment one way or another about what actually happened. It is possible, however, that Kavanaugh's approach can be explained by the fact that he is telling the truth. If I were in his position, and I knew that this never happened, I would tell the truth. Over and over again. It would be my only hope.
Kavanaugh is defending not only his nomination to the Court, but also his reputation, and of course something that has not been mentioned much, his relationship with his daughters and with his wife. None of his supporters, not his wife or his daughters, will forget the things they have heard. Even the story the NYT doubts, the graphic one, is published on the top screen, and sticks, like a smear, on the judge.
Prof. Ford, of course, faces the same life-upending consequences.
The truth lies somewhere in the obscurity of time.
3
@John Brews ..✅✅, say, whatever happened to those green checks? How egalitarian things have become.
With respect to Republican committee members having a female staff member ask their questions for them, it is difficult to imagine politicians with a national television audience sitting mute while the action takes place around them. Perhaps they are setting themselves up for self-torture.
Secondly, with respect to the accusations that this is all a Democratic Party smear campaign, an astute commenter on the Washington Post website pointed out that no such accusations were made against Neil Gorsuch and other nominees that Democrats opposed.
7
We all knew there were more women. He protects himself, the men and women and news media of the Republican party circle the wagons. His attack on the Dr. was not “one off”. It is always a pattern of bad behavior, lack of shame, boundaries and respect for women. #metoo
22
You know? How do you know? Were you there? The accuser doesn’t even know when or where!
5
@Paulette TI agree we all knew there were more women willing to lie
3
@Paulette T
The second woman isn't even sure if Kavanaugh was her attacker. What's next? Perhaps a third woman who dreamed of being "attacked" by Kavanaugh.
7
I find it terrifying that the women who have commented on this claim, including my sister, firmly believe that it happened. It is a dangerous thing that even where there is no proof that if a woman claims to have been sexually assaulted she has been.
In this matter, a woman who Dr. Blasey claims was at the party and witnessed the assault has publicly stated that she was never at any such party with Dr. Blasey.
22
@Jeff
She hasn't "stated" that to the FBI or to the committee under oath.
Why are Brett and his apologists so afraid of lie detector tests, FBI investigations, and sworn testimony?
2
@Jeff
Read Dr.Ford’s letter to Senator Feinstein, which is linked in this article. As for proof, She indicated she received medical treatment, and we know she did seek therapy many years later for her lingering trauma. Her therapist made notes and her husband witnessed those sessions too.
Keyser, who is a friend of Dr. Ford, did NOT witness the attack in the upstairs bedroom, and Dr. Ford ran out of the house after the attack and never told anyone about the attack then or anytime soon after. So it’s no surprise that she cannot verify if this attack ever happened or not. She simply had no knowledge of it.
Secondly, Keyser has stated that she didn’t know Kavanaugh. So there’s no way she can say if he was or wasn’t there, since she didn’t even know who he was.
The question posed to Keyser was if she was at THAT party, somewhere (but with an unknown address) on some date circa 1982. How could she possible answer anything at all to such a vague question? If nothing memorable happened at THAT party for her, why would she remember THAT party. There were lots of parties.
For the record, she does believe Dr. Ford is telling the truth. She’s yet to explain why yet to my knowledge, but perhaps it’s because she trusts her friend and perhaps this kind of thing happened all too frequently back then.
You’re terrified? Read the volume of comments from other women’s experience of sexual abuse, who were justifiably terrified.
1
@Jeff
"I find it terrifying that the women ... firmly believe that it happened"
I find it terrifying when the default judgement, 'belief', about girls/women who report sexual assault is that they are either perpetrators of the crime committed against them by men - or it just didn't happen. Note: this is not some mindset from the past it still happens with depressing regularity today.
"It is a dangerous thing that even where there is no proof ":
You can tell that to Trump. Trump paid $85,000 to take out advertising space in four of New York city’s newspapers to advocate for the death penalty (before the trial and with no evidence) for the boys wrongly accused of the central park jogger's assault. They were exonerated after being wrongly convicted when the actual perpetrator was found. No apology of course. Little outrage either.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/17/central-park-five-donald...
The persistent question about Donald's collusion and obstruction is, why does he act so guilty?
Donald is advising Judge Kavanaugh. His persistent denials are not enough. His reluctance to call witnesses -- or to provide requested documents -- makes it seem he is hiding something.
But the worst scorn goes to Senate Republicans. They knew of the new charges against the judge and they tried to speed up the confirmation process before it was known.
Cold, calculating deception. Shameful.
29
@Occupy Government No the Democrats knew of the attempted rape allegation and they sat on it until it was obvious they couldn't stop Kavanaugh any other way. I agree there may be shameful conduct but I'm far from convinced the Republicans are the problem. And judging by a HuffPo poll most Americans are far from convinced by Ford's claims.
3
Issues with Ford's story.
- She can't remember date or place.
- All 4 she ID'd as at party deny it, 1 says she doesn't know her.
- No one places K & F together at any time.
- She had a "drinking & partying" time in HS though at 15 she was sexually assaulted at this party. Make sense?
- Didn't tell anyone at the time.
- Memories conflate. W/O corroboration, memory is fallible.
- Memory was recovered in 2012 during marital therapy. But she nor husband thought it important enough to do anything about.
- Memory came after K was well known & Judge wrote his book.
- Therapist notes don't name K, say it was 4 guys.
- Details in her e-mail to Feinstein don't add up. She says K turned up stereo in bedroom -- who keeps a loud stereo in their bedroom? They keep it in the living room, where the party was.
- She wasn't old enough to drive. Who drove her? They must have noticed something wrong - abrupt departure (who would stay at a party when you'd been assaulted), tears. Why haven't they come forward?
- No one has come forward re changes in her behavior at the time.
- Boys were intent on assault but instead tussled and she escaped?
- Feinstein didn't think story credible enough to bring up at hearings. To investigate then.
- She has political motive to stop confirmation.
- And Gains by accusing: lefty hero, $$$ (book), TV.
- Lie detectors are pseudo science.
- No other credible accusations against K. Instead, testimonies as to good character.
36
@Ralphie
Your litany to St. Brett would be funny if it weren't so . . . abject.
(Maybe the loud music was from a radio.)
The two boys "tussled?"
3
Ralphie,
Have you ever been assaulted? It’s traumatic.
5
Yeah, reaching on this list. So much for there not being any other accusers. By the way, most serial killers can find character witnesses. BTK Killer has tons of them.
4
So the NYT apparently knew of this new accusation for a week, but never reported on it because they could not corroborate it, but they decided to run with the story about Rod Rosenstein which was just as dubious, as well as openly contradicted by some with first-hand knowledge. The former story simply adds to existing dossier in an on-going job interview for a Supreme Court nominee, while the second may be about to provoke a constitutional crisis.
Certainly, I can't be the only one wondering what they heck the editors were thinking here.
16
Whatever his chances might be at this point, I don’t see his failure to be confirmed as a great setback for the nation. He can cite cases by date and page number, but that’s about it. Anyone could press enter on Google and come up with the same information. The whole list of candidates Trump came up with is a bore. He should throw it out and come up with someone who is less of a follower or a social conformist as Kavanaugh’s own background shows him to be.
5
More uncorroborated accusations of drunken adolescent behavior - now brought forth in the partisan press.
Even those of us who do not support either Kavanaugh or Trump are appalled at the clown show that this process has devolved into.
We have seen every aspect of due process, including the presumption of innocence, basic standards of evidence and the accused's right to hear the charges and his accuser before responding, thrown out the window.
At this point, we have to restore integrity to an absurd, degrading process.
Those who accuse Kavanaugh of assault must do so under oath, with witnesses and corroborating evidence.
If they can do so then Kavanaugh must withdraw; if not, a vote must be held immediately.
Either way, we must fix this process.
If the accused is shown to be guilty of sexual assault, then something is wrong with our FBI, our legal profession and with Yale Law School.
Kavanaugh has passed 6 FBI background checks and was heartily endorsed by dozens of peers and colleagues at Yale for his sterling character, professionalism, expertise and his treatment of female associates, clerks and colleagues.
Were these lawyers, judges and elite professors lying?
Only one of two things must be true:
A) (if he's guilty of assault) our FBI is incompetent and our legal establishment and Yale Law professors are corrupt liars,
or
B) (if he's not guilty of assault) this man's accusers have faulty memories and are being manipulated for partisan ends.
15
@T-Bone -a job interview is not a trial.
Let's see three others that Ford identifies remember no party. No physical evidence such as a calendar entry. No subsequent behavior by Kavanough of a similar nature as alledged. Sorry folk but I suspect Ford is a nut.
12
@jaco
Sorry Jaco, I'll believe the person who requested an FBI investigation as opposed to the Supreme Court nominee who didn't.
Maybe some of the doubters need to remember what it was like in the 80s, when co-ed dorms were fairly new and sexism was a proud ritual. As a woman who attended (a different) college at the same time as Kavanaugh and Ms. Ramirez were at Yale, I dealt every day with harassing and misogynistic behavior from the rich and entitled boy-men. Some of the frat boys set up a table in the quad (and another in my dorm's cafeteria) where they sat and held up numbers (like in the Olympics) to rate girls as we went by. There were always kegs and lots of drinking at dorm parties, where girls were pressured to drink or smoke weed or take pills. Resisting resulted in ridicule and shunning. There were regular episodes of men "accidentally" going into a women's shower room. Women were told not to walk across campus alone at night or to risk sexual assault or rape, which happened frequently, though arrests were non-existent. I knew women who were assaulted at parties, but we all knew that filing a complaint was not really an option as the attitude was "boys would be boys" and girls needed to protect themselves. One friend, who was assaulted at a frat party, left school and told me she just was too embarrassed to go back because she had gotten too drunk to fight a football player's advances. In the early 80s she called that her mistake; today (in our best moments at least) we call that rape.
16
She learned 2 years shy of 17,
That love's a male entitlement,
That breaks a girl her tender hope,
Her world, where she is safe and sound
And her heart does not sink through the ground,
As her truth confronts unsettlement,
And her trust meets with sheer destroyment,
Abused as his sex toy or tent,
If the guy that lusts is a brag or bro
Or a Kavanaugh
At 17
They locked the doors, turned the music loud, and he prevented her mouth from screaming as he assaulted her. That's a triple rape attempt whammy of apparent premeditation. A soul piercing trauma for her at 15.
Shame on America if a guy like that can continue to be a judge at all.
Shame on America that metoo has not stopped yet the intolerable mansplaining, the kleptocratic conspiracy and the polluter assault facilitation careers of Chucktoo, Mitchtoo, Bretttoo, Trumptoo, so many Hatchetmentoo, as their faked culture war indignation tantrums to distract with are escalating through the (and Dylann's) roof, building a Wall and cages of racial and misogynistic and downward socio-economic cruelty enforcement, while transforming rooms, public service offices, courts, voting machines elaborate global financial labyrinths providing anonimity, and media empires, into set-ups and traps to promote and facilitate assault, power abuse, and widespread deference and submission to it.
An entire career of duplicitously co-plotting the global kleptocratic tyranny makes this likewise disturbing, precursive 'warming up' plausible, at 17.
7
@For Aukje Or did he?
@For Aukje
1. "They locked the doors"
From Ford's own account: I was able "to get up and run across to a hallway bathroom"
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/16/politics/blasey-ford-kavanaugh-letter-fei...
FYI, an individual could not exit a room on their own volition if they were "locked" in.
2. "turned the music loud"
Since when is loud music at a teenage gathering evidence of wrongdoing?
2
“The Times had interviewed several dozen people over the past week . . . “. So like the GOP the Times knew about this and chose not to say anything? Why so cautious with Kavanaugh but headline news for the anonymously sourced Rosenstein story?
5
Hopefully, our wonderful Democrat leaders can come up with even a better way to postpone the vote on Kavanaugh, or any other Trump SCOTUS pick for the next 6 years!
2
The fact that this pack of Republican old white men now plan to line up and hide behind a female facade to do their dirty work demonstrates that they KNOW they do not represent the American majority.
Disgraceful...
9
@Jeff
This is not a popularity contest. Kavanaugh is not running for HS Prom King. It is time for an up or down vote so the nation can move on and stop giving hysterical women their 15 minutes and then some of fame.
1
@Lynn in DC: Hysterical women? How offensive. Do you have any other tired, old clichés you could trot out?
A girl also ought to be able to have a few drinks without fear of a guy on top of her.
21
"Let the jury consider their verdict," the King said,
for about the twentieth time that day. "No, no!" said the Queen.
"Sentence first–verdict afterward." "Stuff and nonsense!" said Alice loudly."
Source "Alice in Wonderland" By Lewis Carrol
Today's democrat's idea of justice
7
WHY is Dr Blasey Ford repeatedly referred to first as "the woman who has accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her" while Kavanaugh is fererred to as "Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh "?
Why is she implicitly presented as a "nameless accuser"? And why isn't Kavanaugh referred to as the "accused sexual assaulter"?
This sort of language seems to feed into the Republican "she said-he said" spin on things.
And generally, words matter, as George Orwell told us many times!
10
I am 83 years of age. Retired military. When I was 13 years of age I was sexually assaulted by two gay males. I have told maybe two people about this incident. Had I disclosed it when it happened to my Father...to be sure he would have killed them.
The second incident, In 2000, I came out of federal retirement to take a retired annuitants position position with a federal government agency. While in that position I was accused by a black woman that I took an unfavorable action against her because she refused to allow me to have oral sex with her...that was an absolute lie....and was willing to take a lie detector test. Furthermore the action that I took against her was not unfavorable in that she was not terminated.....but was transferred to a position that offered greater prromotional opportunity....provided she performed well. It is my understanding that the federal government settled with her for $125k with the understanding that she would never again apply for a federal employment position. I begged a justice department lawyer to defend myself in a trial but was told the agency wanted to get rid of this employee, that she was a terrible employee and that the chances of losing was great because she was entitaled to a jury of mostly females who would most likely rule in her favor.
Nonetheless I am eager to hear from Dr. Blasey Ford...and for some reason I am leaning toward believing her.
10
So that we are all on the same page; Last week when Ms Blasey's name came out and Grassley et all reacted with shock as if it were all new to them, they had known about her for at least a week. Then the inexplicable move at trying to speed things up and not ask the FBI to investigate was apparently due to the fact that they also knew about Ms Ramirez allegations! There are a lot of other disturbing anecdotes from Kavanaugh's classmates to include his roomate who never saw him do abusive things did say he was regularly excessively drunk. The New Yorker articles also spoke to a former girlfriend of Mark Judge the co-accused/witness in Ms Blasey's allegations who recounts a story he told her of a party where he and his friends all had sex with a girl who was passed out drunk.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/senate-democrats-investigate-a-...
Sure seems like the republicans on the Judiciary Committee are a bit unfit for that job themselves, and they are certainly not concerned with Mr Kavanaugh's character as much as they are with getting another one of their guys on the SCOTUS.
It is definitely time for the FBI to start running down leads it seems very suspicious they did not turn up in the much ballyhooed 6 previous clearance procedures.
11
So Mr Smith and Ms Keyser want to stay out of the spotlight. What a shock! Possible witnesses who can’t remember having been at a party three decades ago where neither one was assaulted or was assaulting someone else. I can’t remember all the parties I’ve been to, either—but I WOULD remember one where I came close to getting raped.
Let's say the aforementioned people remembered the party where Ms Ford says she had been assaulted. If they chose to enter the fray, they would have to put up with threats on the lives of their families from either side, maybe offers of pay-offs from others on either side, camera crews in their yards and news folks thrusting microphones in front of their faces in the yard or at the supermarket or where they work. Do any of us think we would welcome those intrusions?
And now another allegation comes forward.
It's time to write this guy off. He's toast—or, at least he should be. There's lots of other judges to pick from. It seems the womanizer prez doesn’t have any cronies who haven’t any skeletons in their closets. But they are out there and can stand up to scrutiny.
Let's get on with it!
6
While those on the left pile on they ignore that Salem Witch Trial like atmosphere taking over here. Today it's someone you disagree with politically being destroyed by an unsubstantiated accusation. Tomorrow it can be yourself or a family member who maybe got a promotion over the accuser who will have their life destroyed. Be careful what you are letting happen.
12
@Garth
That is the same ploy the Roman Catholic Church used and all that turns out to be true. Ditto Weinstein and #metoo ditto every guilty lowlife who is used to getting away with it.
10
@Garth
Bingo.
Easy to foresee that both parties will now adopt this as a standard tactic. Smear the male candidate of the other party with unsubstantiated accusations of adolescent misconduct from 10, 20, or 30 years ago. Let the partisan press and social media jackals whip up a frenzy, and watch your opponent twist in the wind.
4
These allegations have in fact been substantiated by others. The fact that republicans are willfully ignoring what appears to be a clear pattern is disturbing to say the least. The right loves throwing around the term “witch hunt” when their behavior smells.
2
I have been very critical of the Democrats’ behavior during this hearing and suspicious of their motives, but Kavanaugh’s elitist background does raise some questions in my mind about white male privilege in our society. Upper class boys typically go to all boys prep schools and colleges where they engage in their hijinks. Traditionally they pair up with a neighboring all girls school where the boys meet their potential mate. It’s like livestock breeding. Lots of drinking and horseplay go on. Just ask any dean.
We have had many social changes—gay, transgender, etc., but nothing has essentially changed least of all the privilege of being an upper class white male whose ability to get away with everything is almost institutionalized. Just look at the Kennedys who are supposed to be so liberal. They acted like adolescents who never grew up and got away with it.
Though I’m conservative myself, I’m not from a privileged background and actually believe the moral lessons I was taught. As a result, I find myself not liking the social, gender, and racial uniformity of the recent Court picks. If I were black or Hispanic or female, I wouldn’t be too happy walking into their courtrooms. Unfortunately at the same time I have to question the moral integrity and sincerity of the Democrats. They’ve been acting like idiots. What has happened to them? I think Trump has thrown them for a loop.
3
Of course, she should go first. Then he can address each charge. This story has had multiple change. First, they were both drunk, Then just him. Then Both again. She says he turned the music loud and locked the door. Then she says someone came into the room and jumped on both of them. How did that person get in? Did he break down the door? Then she says there were people there who absolutely deny it. The NYT says she has been under threats but so has Mrs. Kavanaugh and his family. But you wouldn’t know that from reading this editorial. The person who has the dirties hand in this is Feinstein who had the letter months before but holds it until the hearings were over. You don’t need Windex to see through that window. But does she believe the accusation is true? Her own words give the answer to that question when she says she "can't say' whether Christine Ford's sexual assault allegation against Kavanaugh is true". In the end she wasn’t raped, beat up or had her clothes ripped off. She walked out of the room on her own power. Can anyone prove what did or did not happen? Of course. It was never reported and her best friend says she never said a word about this to her. As far as thinking the Republicans will cave because of lose the women’s vote, they will lose a lot more of those who helped Trump and they win the presidency and both houses.
12
@Ron
Your recounting of what "she" said is wrong. read the Emma Brown article it is relayed very clearly what "she" said.
5
C'mon. This is not rocket science.
It is so obvious Kavanaugh is lying, it is insulting.
An INNOCENT person would request an FBI investigation to prove he/she is telling the truth.
Dr Ford has requested an FBI investigation
Kavanaugh has not.
Case solved.
10
@JM "I demand the FBI investigate me" - said no one, ever.
5
@JM
Let's test JM's proposition. JM, why don't you call up the IRS and demand that they audit you? If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide, right? Let us know how it goes.
2
@JM how would such an investigation go JM?
K-I have never sexually assaulted anyone at anytime? Investigator - What about in 1982? K - Nope, 1982 includes anytime. Investigator - hmm, can you prove this? K - How can I prove something I didn't do? Perhaps if you could provide me with a name, a date, a location, something.
Seriously, think people. What if it were you JM? How would you prove that you DIDN'T do something 30 + years ago? You wouldn't be able to, because you couldn't. There isn't enough to go on. If she remembered a bit more, they might be able to do something. For example, "it was the summer of 1982 and happened at Joe Smith's party." In that case, you would still need to find out who attended Joe Smith's party, but at least you would have something to investigate, somewhere to begin. But she hasn't provided any details like that, and the witnesses she provided said it didn't occur.
4
Kavanaugh's got more skeletons than Coco. . .and they're tumbling out of the closet.
For Trump's highest court choice. . .fruit doesn't fall far from tree!
7
@Wade
Trump only "hires the very best."
In this case, the best binge drinker, by his own admission.
The New Yorker articles says:
Quote:
The classmate said that he had been shocked, but not necessarily surprised, because the social group to which Kavanaugh belonged often drank to excess. He recalled Kavanaugh as “relatively shy” until he drank, at which point he said that Kavanaugh could become “aggressive and even belligerent.”
End quote
That would explain why many people, who did not drink with him, might think he is a "nice guy."
But just give him a few beers ...
2
This whole thing is such a disaster. First of all, how on earth does someone like Kavanaugh get through 6 FBI background checks without any of this being found out? Background checks are very extensive and they talk to a lot of people in the person’s life but not one of the background checks turned up anyone in Kavanaugh’s life who said anything about him behaving inappropriately. So the Left must believe that the FBI is just so utterly incompetent that they can’t even do a background check, right?
Also, is it really that surprising that people don’t remember so much? These things allegedly happened over 30 years ago. How is it at all fair to Kavanaugh to have these half remembered allegations put in front of the public when Feinstein wasn’t confident enough about it to bring it up during the hearing and when they can’t be confirmed?
I will give the Left a lot of credit, well done. Kavanaugh was in the bag and you found a way to take it away. Everyone knew there was going to be “another accuser” because that is how you build a cloud of doubt. Truly, you guys are good. Even when you are out of power you find ways to get what you want.
7
Just two words for you, Bob: Merrick Garland
9
@Bob
Thanks Bob. I must admit Dr. Ford’s legal team skills were quite impressive, you know, holding up the rule of law.
As for the Dems, their political skills have improved so much now and outdid the GOP, which you know, was a pretty high bar to pass.
As to why the FBI fumbled on the background checks all these years, well that needs to be investigated. Clearly not stringent enough.
One has to ask too: What did Bush know when he first nominated him for the bench? But I digress, and would urge my fellow posters: Let’s keep the focus on the current nominee, not the past wounds, right now.
The truth always comes out. One way or another. Now or later.
Drip drip drip.
3
@Bob True or not, they're playing by GOP rules and I couldn't be happier.
The first no vote on Kavanaugh will be cast by karma.
4
Kavanaugh's history on the bench is that of an ambitious GOP operative. His rulings and dissents are darker than a Dick Cheney handbook.
That said, his big mistake was entering the orbit of Donald Trump and getting himself nominated. Everything Trump touches spells ruination.
14
Not sure why anyone would want to hurry a lifetime appointment or not have all the facts on the table.
11
@Denver Fan
Which "facts" aren't on the table? Even if Ford and Martinez testify, they don't have facts. They have their stories (real or imagined), but not facts. They also don't have witnesses or evidence.
2
For the first time, at 57, I share this story. 1978, Senior Week, Jersey shore, there as a Junior with friends. Little to no experience with alcohol, let alone excessive drinking. I went to a party and my last recollection is walking with a boy I had a crush on, a senior, to go and get more beer around 9:00 at night. I was 17 and it was not my senior week, and I thought it was so great to be included and to be at a party with these cool guys.
I wake up the next morning back in my room, with my pants on but undone and my underwear on backwards. Can I say what happened with any certainty? I can not. I blacked out. I never told anyone because I thought it was my fault. When I made love for the first time in college, there was not the usual evidence of having been a virgin. Do you want to know what I think happened that night at the Jersey shore? Draw your own conclusions. I have drawn mine.
There was a culture in the late 70's and 80's of excessive drinking and anything goes. It was before AIDS, it was way before "me too" and predated Anita Hill. For those who grew up then, you ALL know to what I refer.
I don't know if Brett Kavanaugh us guilty or not. I don't with know with any certainty if these women who are coming forward are telling the truth. I do know he came of age during a time when this kind of drinking and sexual abuse was accepted and normalized. Let's at least be honest about that and examine everything carefully.
9
I am very sorry to hear about your experience yes, and wish you peace of mind, and if you choose, justice.
However, I did not grow up in a culture of excessive drinking nor sex binges. To paint the era with a broad brush like the one you use only speaks to your experience, and not to the many millions of others who knew right from wrong.
6
@EB - Thank you for sharing your experience. Seems like you were able to move on from that time.
1
I'm not sure if Mr Kavanaugh exclusively take 'attractive' female for law clerkship. But it surfaced that,
Brett Kavanaugh as a “Kavanaugh’s female law clerks all “looked like models” and would provide advice to students about their physical appearance if they wanted to work for him". Jed Rubenfeld, also an influential professor at Yale and who is married to Chua, told a prospective clerk that Kavanaugh liked a certain “look".
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/20/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-...
3
@Bonku - Professor Amy Chua has denied the allegations.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/09/24/yale-law-investigates-rep...
Interesting the Guardian did not include photos of the female law clerks.
3
I hope every Senator has been extremely careful to go back and review their own pasts........Collins, Gilliland, Murkowski, Feinstein, included..........I seriously question their own behavior when they were 17-21. And WORSE.....I question some of the Senators' more recent behaviors as adults while serving in the Senate. After this Farce of a Kangaroo Kourt is concluded.......I'd like to see an Ethics Violation Hearing set up to examine the techniques used to get re-elected................
9
@Wherever Hugo careful what you wish for since I would include them all.... GOP also... lots of things under those rocks
1
Well, Mitch McConnell insisted on waiting for the next elected president to appoint a candidate to the Supreme Court and what do we have? We have a president who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct, plus many other sins, and who is also under federal investigation, appointing a Supreme Court candidate who has been accused of attempted rape and sexual misconduct. How's that going for you, Mitch?
5
CNN just aired a video of Trump going into the UN saying this whole thing with Kavanaugh is “Totally Political” and “I’m with him all the way”.
Well there you have it. No more of “Let’s see what she has to say” (interesting choice of words: see, not hear?). Was there a grand bargain here? Vote for me and I’ll set you free?
Or maybe there’s a deeper reason for his loyalty? Perhaps some crack reporter or sharp lawyer can look into the “train” schedule in the DC area in the early 80s and check the passenger list. The trip from NY to DC in particular.
6
“With him all the way”’is trump code for he will be dropped like a spoiled potato in 1...2...3.
2
I will love seeing how all women's rights advocates here will react when the same tactic will be used against a Judge nominated by Democrats.
11
@Renby
Democrats don't abuse women.
Love all you want.
4
@matty So Franken or Bill Clinton just didn't get the memo?
@Renby The Democrat would step back, like Al Franken whose behavior was nowhere near as bad as what Trump or Kavanaugh (allegedly) did.
4
Dr Blasey is asking for conditions that “went against standard committee procedure.” Huh. Thought any such historic relics were cast aside by the Republicans’ Dear Leader McConnell in 2016.
It is clear that electoral outcomes are too ephemeral for McConnell and his comrades to care about. The only outcome of consequence is this SCOTUS seat, Trump, frantic only in self interest, goes along.
6
Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley remind me of another distinguished politician, also a Republican.
During the Watergate hearings, Congressman Earl Landgrebe (R-IN) said “Don’t confuse me with the facts.” The day before Nixon resigned, Earl doubled down: “ I’m going to stick with my President even if he and I have to be taken out of this building and shot.” A few months later Earl was defeated in his bid to serve us further.
10
This morning, Trump says that Kavanaugh is a "fine person", an "outstanding person" and that his accusers are represented by ...OMG ... LAWYERS!
Given the allegations by Dr. Ford, and Ms. Deborah Ramirez (his classmate at Yale) and now a possible third allegation by an as yet unnamed client represented by Michael Avenati (which allegation appears to be the most damaging if true), there needs to be a complete halt in hearings and a careful additional FBI background check that takes all the allegations into account.
We should remember that the FBI did numerous additional background checks on Jared Kushner when he was continuously updating his documentation to add information that he had "forgotten."
If even one of the multiple allegations of sexual misdeeds by Kavanaugh are substantiated, he needs to withdraw his name from consideration.
If the worst of the apparent allegations is true, Kavanaugh may well be looking at jail time.
"Deny, deny, deny" as a strategy is NOT going to work without more information.
8
@Joe From Boston unless Avenati actually produces something, all else remains the same. We know nothing more about Dr. Ford's allegations. And if you were to simply read the article you're responding to, you would see that Ms. Ramirez "herself contacted former Yale classmates asking if they recalled the incident and told some of them that SHE COULD NOT BE CERTAIN MR. KAVANAUGH was the one who exposed himself."
2
The Constitution nor the law,applies to GOP presidents, senators or their nominations. And, they are free to invoke or revoke the statute of limitations, sexual assault notwithstanding, as the mood suits them.
Just look it up. It says so somewhere!
2
I see. So the right to trial by Jury doesn’t apply to democrats? Hmmm. No double standard there.
2
I feel sorry for Lindsay Graham. At one point, he displayed some independence and rational thought. Now he his just another Trump lackey.
9
We knew Kavanaugh would be keen to overrule Roe v. Wade. Now there's no doubt as to why.
2
Kavanaugh has shown many personal lapses and questionable behavior throughout his life. Besides these sexual harassment and assault allegations, we know that he had a gambling problem, is probably an alcoholic and was unable to manage his finances. He doesn't sound like someone with the character we need on the Supreme Court.
14
At 21 a close friend of mine jumped to her death from the roof of a student flat. A tall, beautiful blonde, blue eyes that would instantly disarm even a gun nut, she painted, played the piano so tenderly, she had it all, she jumped. Event of my life. Still can't speak of her and not weep, after over 30 years.
Without fact checking I'd not have been able to tell the year or month she jumped, or even the place we once lived.
Even with the revelation of shattering details on what pushed her over the edge, my rich intuitive wisdom managed to graciously forgive everyone involved, but my long mourning mess still turned a lot better, when, ten years after, I attended a lecture I remember nothing from in a cellar (in another city) that I won't be able to ever find again. I'd distractedly left my glasses at home, so I only could discern things until, 'optimystically', a 5 feet distance. An artist had an exhibition in there. I lóóóved what I saw, the soft, spiritual style of her drawings touched me deeply. Lecture ended, I stood up, to go and take a look at the drawing facing me directly from the other end of the room (our chairs had been circled). It. was. HER! I asked the organizer who is this artist? Right off, as instantly everything turned foggy, distant, dissolving, spiraling, she said: "This artist clairvoyantly draws people she never met, but that spectators recognize as people they knew or know."
Trauma? You never fully recover. You somehow cope. Justice is imperative. 1/2
2
@For Aukje
Justice is imperative, so victims can reach a place of reconciliation. That doesn't mean it should be harsh and relentless, those adjectives contradict the essence of justice. What helps most is if the culprit authentically repents. This ship has sailed in the case of Trump and Kavanaugh.
Even for me as a recovering empath, feeling for and with the victim from a distance, it'll help if Brett Kavanaugh will never be appointed on the Supreme Court, and if all evil ole boys get voted out, duly punished for being reflexively, patronizingly dismissive in precondemnation of Christine Blasey's testimony and for vowing for their fellow robber baron puppet and their fellow co-consiprer in the big, global locust capitalist assaulter plague.
Owww, I just read about Rod Rosenstein. These are our days, these are our times, where America is getting overtaken by a Fascist coup.
Justice is imperative, so victims can reach a place of reconciliation. That doesn't mean it should be harsh, relentless justice. What helps most is if the culprit authentically repents. This ship has sailed in the case of Trump and Kavanaugh.
Even for me as a recovering empath, feeling for and with the victim from a distance, it'll help if Brett Kavanaugh will never be appointed on the Supreme Court, and if all evil ole boys get voted out, duly punished for being reflexively, patronizingly dismissive in precondemnation of Christine Blasey's testimony and for vowing for their fellow robber baron puppet and their fellow locust capitalist assaulter.
2/2
2
If someone would craft a credible withdrawl statement which would allow K to maintain his dignity (what's left after the exhibitionist allegation) and not feel he has been irrevocably humiliated, maybe he would resign rather than maintain this charade of lifelong propriety. I wonder what the past and current Supreme Court Justices are thinking about right now as they contemplate K joining the Court... Oh wait, they've had practice working with a humiliated low-life.
4
@farhorizons
Most wives and daughters would get ill if the man of the family was accused of the stuff that is being asserted against Kavanaugh.
You want a credible withdrawal statement? How about this?
"I regretfully announce that because my wife and my two daughters have suddenly fallen ill and I am required to see to their care, I am obliged to withdraw my name from further consideration as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, I must retire from the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and for the foreseeable future, I will be unable to coach any girls' basketball teams."
1
the irony is that the presiding judge of the DC District Court, where Cavanaugh would presumably return to work, is none other than Merrick Garland. Perhaps he can show him the way out to a life in the private sector?
1
But where is the real evidence?
7
How is it that the committee can decide not to subpoena Mark Judge ?
9
@Adele
Because he knows a LOT about Brett, about other schoolmates at Georgetown Prep, and about many other people in D.C., including their (and his) sexual orientations, sexual conduct, religious views (Opus Dei), etc., etc., etc.
He's an experienced observer, reporter, author. Why would the old men on the committee want someone like that mad at them? Who knows what he would blurt out during his testimony.
5
Let's not forget this is a lifetime appointment onto the Supreme Court of the United States. Now, two allegations have been brought to light, and wouldn't it be dilligent to investigate at the very least? His character matters to me as a citizen, and I deserve to know the full story.
At this point, I'm cynical about Judge Brett Kavanaugh just because these stories that are coming out do not entirely surprise me. We are not of the same generation, but I did attend an elite school with students from similarly affluent backgrounds.
And thinking back to those days, I can remember stories of other young women being inappropriately touched - a couple of stories of clear sexual assault and rape. But such shiny, promising people seemed incapable of such grotesque conduct to a younger more ignorant and naive me, even though I am myself a survivor of sexual abuse. Now, I wish I had listened more carefully.
6
@Anna
Two allegations of sexual impropriety and excessive drinking, and don't forget the gambling debts and the apparent perjury and the undisclosed judicial record. He was not properly vetted. He's just another loser on Trump's team of "the Best."
3
The new accusation of sexual misconduct was sent to two Republican senators as well as the Democratic ones, and the GOP response was to try to hurry up the hearing without addressing this.
So much for their attempt to blame Senator Feinstein for her delay in the initial accusation, entirely due to trying to honor the confidentiality requested by a sexual assault survivors who had been deeply compromised. It's not a good look anyway to pile onto the senior Democratic senator and for McConnell to say they were "plowing ahead". Grotesque Old Party.
Republicans had no high ground anyway, considering the treatment of the Merrick Garland nomination.
3
Given the new allegation, it would seem that Brett Kavanaugh, from an early age, was determined to do everything he could, by any means, to help ProLife.
1
Who is more believable, Blasey-Ford or Kavanaugh? Personally, considering what Ford will or has endured since stepping forward, I side with her.
3
I find it interesting that the Republicans on the senate judiciary committee are considering using a female lawyer, not in committee, to question Dr Ford because they are worried about the optics.
To be sure, the truth of the matter is that they and the voting public should take a good look at the makeup of this committee. It does not have any women or people of color. So now they want to hide themselves from the voters because they know they don’t look like the America of 2018. They look more like the America from the 1950s.
4
@Oliver
That's because THEY ARE "America" from the 1950's
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
Nothing is going to change until every member of congress was born after 1990 / 2000.
2
I just finished reading Dr. Anita Hill's forceful op-ed in last week's NYT describing how the Senate Judiciary Committee should proceed to get the process right this time. She outlines clear steps that support an objective, fair, and respectful investigation.
One of those steps is something not just the judiciary committee, but all of us who report, comment, and discuss this case can do: refer to Dr. Ford by her own name, and not as "Kavanaugh's accuser."
The headline of this article is "A Deal Is Reached With Kavanaugh's Accuser; Feinstein Calls For Delay."
Please do better.
9
Why is it Mr. Kavanaugh can introduce a calendar of appointments, but the eye witness of the incident isn’t being subpoenaed to testify before the Senate committee? For me, this is the final straw confirming Kavanaugh’s story is one of manipulation, and he should not be confirmed to the S.C.
4
When I was a criminal defense attorney, I tried many cases where the defense was that there was a crime but my client was erroneously charged as the perpetrator. After one of my clients shouted out "she's lying," during the testimony of the complaining witness, I had to explain to my future clients that the witness wouldn't be lying, she would just be mistaken. Apparently, Judge Kavanaugh denies the charges against him. But he, unlike some of his supporters, has not seen fit to accept the possibility that Dr. Blasey Ford was the victim of a crime but wrong about him being the perpetrator. Indeed, in the absent of evidence to the contrary, his apparent defense is that she's lying. Had he expressed compassion for her, his confirmation would be more likely and more likely accepted by the public. What this controversy boils down to character, something that we all would expect of a Supreme court justice who would have to consider the impact of his decisions on real people.
129
@Alan Mass Actually what you said he didn't say he did. He categorically denied being the person but said that it could be a case of mistaken identity. Interestingly he was taken to task for that comment and various opinion pieces in the Times have tried to paint this as black-or-white. In other words, one of them is lying. In my life experience it's very common for people to be "honestly" mistaken. That possibility seems to be closed off from discussion. I'm glad your comment recognizes that reasonable possibility (especially with so many details missing and very likely to never be known).
Dr. Blasey accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulted her. Kavanaugh's response has been that he did not assault her. There is no need for him to go through the feminist sensitivity gobbly-goop of stating that Dr, Blasey was molested but he didn't do it. The only evidence that Dr. Blasey is the victim of a crime is her own uncorroborated claims. In fact one of her women "witnesses" claims that she never was at a party with her and Judge Kavanaugh.
To tell your client, who is accused of a felony, that he should concede that the "victim" was assaulted but he didn't do it is pretty unprofessional.
1
@Alan Mass I doubt she is mistaking. I would imagine an incident like this would not lose detail over years. The likely fact, especially in light of now a second accusation, is that Mr K has a nasty past that could very likely be influenced and even extorted, compromising his judgement.
2
Another salvo in Senator Finestein's effort to delay the inevitable and destroy Judge Kavanaugh. Her actions are shameful, unethical, and immoral! I hope Judge Kavanaugh is confirmed and seated to the SC, where he join the rest of the originalists to dismantle the unconstitutional liberal legacy. Thank you.
5
C'mon Dianne. You are well over the hill. At 84 something, you are locked in the past fighting old battles again and again. Move on. Something of the same could be said for her colleagues on both sides of both chambers.
7
I consulted with my lawyer and after days of preparation ( I mean ‘therapy’) I recall an incident in college where Diane Feinstein crashed a party, flashed me and groped me. I have been traumatized ever since and I am going to contact the New Yorker! Then I am going to insist they halt these confirmation hearings.
4
@J F Dulles from DC
What a clever screen name you have! Isn’t there an airport by that name in DC? Sexual assault is no joke and what a Sick job you have. I used to work in PR too, eons ago. Get a new job, you’ll feel much better about yourself.
Fact check:
As reported early this morning on MSNBC in an interview with Jane Mayer, co-author of The New Yorker article:
The story of the attack on Deborah Ramirez was known to many Yale students at the time, but not because SHE spread it around. This July, when Trump nominated Kavanaugh, some Yale alumnae raised questions about Kav and his past behavior. Ronan Farrow followed a tip and tracked Ramirez down to ask her about the incident. So no, she didn’t make this up and contact the media first.
Farrow said today that Ramirez was unsure that she even wanted to come forward at all, and took a few days to carefully consider that option. She bravely decided to tell her story, and Ronan did a great investigative job, even better than the NYT I would dare say, in finding a “sober” collaborative witness.
Oh yeah, this needs a thorough FBI investigation.
3
@Vicki
The story (gossip) about Martinez's encounter with a penis may have been out there. But Kavanaugh's name was never attached to the story back then. That's what Meyer and Farrow wrote. So don't twist it. It's very convenient now for anti-Trump Yalies to put fellow Yalie Kavanaugh's name on this decades old tale.
There won’t be a hearing on Thursday. With new allegations surfacing, Kavanaugh will withdraw. Trump can then nominate his daughter and law student Tiffany Trump to the Court, which may have been his plan all along.
@Demosthenes He can't withdraw now. However, if he does or if he's forced, the Dems might get someone like Amy Coney Barret. Enjoy.
2
McConnell and some Republican Judicial Committee members led by Grassley have already made up their minds Dr Blasey will not be believed. However, they are too frightened to question her themselves under the guise Dr Blasey will be more comfortable being questioned by women lawyers.
In other words, Republicans plan to use women to take down a woman.
Despicable.
These “men” don’t have the courage to do their dirty work themselves.
2
@BMUS I imagine they have no problem questioning her whatsoever. But they need to consider how that would look. Democrats continue to complain about how Anita Hill was questioned by "white men." How would prefer they question her, and if it's just "white men," will you be commenting on all of the articles that will be written about how misogynistic that is? I doubt it.
1
“The calendar pages from June, July and August of that year, which were reviewed by The New York Times, also in no way disprove her accusation.”
They don’t disprove the accusations, because the alleged event occurred 36 years ago; all involved parties including Dr. Blasey had been drinking, and none of the parties, including Dr. Blasey, remembers any details. The allegation cannot be proved or disproved.
Thus, the presumption of guilt has become the law of the land.
History is replete with such triumphs of rage. There are the Salem witch trials, McCarthyism, the lynch mobs (some of the most reprehensible events in our history), and the day-care child abuse prosecutions of the 1980’s (in which many innocent people were prosecuted, and often convicted, of crimes so absurd they could not possible have occurred). During the 1990’s there was rage against alleged fraud in federally funded science, later proven to be untrue. In current times, there are the rules for adjudication imposed by the Obama administration for allegations of sexual crimes on campuses. These led to many unjust verdicts, which only today, are frequently being overturned by courts of law.
All these, and all too many more such miscarriages of justice, have much in common. Many involve accusations of crimes of a sexual nature. All involve the psychology of the mob, and all too often rage fueled by the media.
It’s long past time to learn from history.
8
"Hey Brett, want to go to a party tonight?"
"Sure, just let me put it in my calendar first."
7
The second accuser admits to being blind drunk herself, and has a vague memory of someone exposing himself to her. Nobody can confirm her cloudy recollection of the event. yet we are supposed to delay the confirmation of a perfectly qualified judge to the Supreme Court based this woman's highly questionable, last minute accusation. As with Blaisey Ford, this woman has no corroborating witnesses, no proof of her accusation, and a background as a far left Democrat partisan. Are Democrats, liberals and progressives so low as to ruin a man's life work with false accusations to advance their own agenda? of course they are. They did it to Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. Now they are doing it to Judge Kavanaugh.
8
Senator Feinstein wants to delay the proceedings? Imagine my surprise!
Before Brett Kavanaugh was nominated, indeed before Donald Trump was inaugurated, the Democrats promised retribution for the "stolen" SCOTUS seat of Merrick Garland. Whatever the merits of that position, it has to be obvious to any person with an IQ in triple digits that this entire sordid affair is political machinations at their worst.
If the Republicans had any brains, if they had any spine, they would dispense with this charade and vote. Let them reap the benefits, or suffer the consequences, this November but, for G-d's sake, spare us this miserable spectacle.
6
Democrats are showing they believe in a system where you are guilty until proven innocent.
The fact that Ford has no evidence and remembers only that Kavanaugh attacked her 36 years ago doesn't matter.
Think about this the next time you vote.
8
@Don
Regressives believe in a system where they are never guilty, of anything.
I'll think about that when I vote, DEMOCRAT, across the board.
1
“It is time to set politics aside,” Ms. Feinstein wrote in her letter
Hypocrisy at it's finest, as Feinstein has never set politics aside ever.
8
Kavanagh versus Ford
Part 2 of 2:
What may be the worst part of this problem is that the majority of people with a religion-based belief system will most often support the guilty males and that includes many in the wealthy and more power linked families in this nation. The sexually traumatized youth cannot be treated fairly for as long as the subject is hidden from the majority and the related gender bias remains hidden. The male side of our species is protected more than the female side due to this unquestionable gender bias which dominates our cultures. What is stranger is the fact that they will believe the guilty party more than the injured. The time has come for the educated female voters of this nation to first standup together and express their frustration with this failing part of our legal system followed by spending the time necessary to teach those females who accept male dominance that they are not only hurting themselves but will via that support pass this unacceptable behavior on down to their children. If that were to happen we would continue to see our nation’s ignorance related to sexual molestation continuing while at the same time continuing to accept male dominance of our cultures.
So. Concerning the latest allegation.
"The Times had interviewed several dozen people over the past week in an attempt to corroborate her story, and could find no one with firsthand knowledge."
The liberal mass media have known about this new maybe allegation for a week. On the other hand, the Washington Post reports:
"Spokesman Taylor Foy said the majority Republican committee staff learned about Ramirez’s allegations from Sunday evening’s New Yorker article. Neither Ramirez nor her attorney have contacted the chairman’s office, Foy said, adding Democrats never informed the GOP staff of these allegations."
Similarly, Sen. Feinstein sat on Dr. Blasey's allegation for months before leaking it to the media.
There's something wrong with this picture.
5
At this point, I am sorry I was ever a registered Democrat. They have gone crazy.
11
I read the New Yorker article. Everyone has done something (or could be construed as) illegal, inappropriate or embarrassing as a minor or early adulthood. Is this new purity standard by liberals a stealth move to keep inner city black kids that have overcome their environment from ever being able to serve in government, or all men in general?
6
Way to rationalize David
The vast majority of men do not act in the way these young men in Washington are described to have done so in the New Yorker article.
I resent your rationalization and am fed up with the justifications of this kind of behavior as acceptable. It is not.
Grow up
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@David from Flyover Country
Wow, pass the Kool-Aid! But add some vodka first. You’ll never know what hit you, David Ray Cyst.
Where on earth are you getting these talking points? Oh, I forgot, from another country/galaxy far far away — Flyover Country? Not. There are actually a lot of nice people out there.
From the article:
"It is time to set politics aside,” Ms. Feinstein wrote..."
Amazing! This is like a cow suggesting that eating grass be put aside.
6
An FBI investigation is warranted to get to the truth.
If Kavanaugh is proven to be a molester, like Trump, then let's hope the next right wing operative that Trump attempts to spear the supreme court with, does not get away with having 90% of their record hidden by republicans.
Trump is desperate to get another rubber stamp to join the "accessory after the fact", Gorsuch, who, true to the republican way, has greedily occupied the seat stolen from Merrick Garland.
1
This is an easy one. Trump knows that if the people, who we must remember consent to be governed, can stop "Bart O'Kavanaugh", they can stop Trump. He can't let this happen or it sets up a precedent for going after him. Kavanaugh is a bone in a dog's mouth.
5
I've watched some of the nomination hearings and I don't think Kavanaugh seems very bright--he seems to have a very average intellect. To me, that should be enough to keep him off the Supreme Court. It shouldn't need all this history of alcoholism, gambling, credit card debts, and sexual assault--he's simply not smart enough for the highest court.
5
A path forward
If the Senate confirms Kavanaugh to SCOTUS by Friday, thereby equalizing the political affiliations on each side, the Senate will re-adopt the 60-vote rule for confirmation, although not necessarily for closure.
When Judge Kavanaugh said: “No president has ever consulted more widely, or talked with more people from more backgrounds, to see input about a Supreme Court nomination.” How did he know; was he flattering President Trump? Once a president nominates a Judge for a judicial post then, the Senate takes it from there to begin their own investigation about the nominee’s qualifications. Of course, from the moment Donald Trump became president there hasn’t been any conflict with the Republican Congress; he commands and they obey.
This coming Thursday, let’s hope the Senate Judiciary Committee finds the decency to listen with civility to what Christine Ford has to say. I find it disturbing the roles played by Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski for manifesting their concerns about this issue but in the end, they‘ll vote with the Republicans because that’s what they always do.
4
Ah! The United States of Sexual Assault ? As goes its Prez so go the followers.
2
The Times had interviewed several dozen people over the past week in an attempt to corroborate her story, and could find no one with firsthand knowledge. Ms. Ramirez herself contacted former Yale classmates asking if they recalled the incident and told some of them that she could not be certain Mr. Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself.
-----------------------------------------------
This smacks of desperation: now that Blasey's jig up what with the four others who supposedly attended the "beerthon" at an unknown place on an unknown date denying such a thing happened, the desperate Dems are looking for anyone who is willing to claim, however falsely, that Kav misbehaved.
If the Times could not verify the story, and if Ramirez herself is not sure it was Kavanaugh, why all this fuss?
Vote him out of committee and confirm him pronto. That will put an end to this madness.
This is getting silly.
12
Now that Avenatti's on the scene, can Gloria Allred be far behind? Will this expose the entitled DC crowd? Is Kavanugh the newest Bill Clinton, minus the slick (slime)? What goes around comes around. Prep school/Ivy League entitled credentials are on a lot of resumes in DC, on both sides of the aisle. Figuring that Kavanugh is done, the genie is out of the bottle. As my high school football coach used to say before a tough game, "Strap on your bonnets, girls. This one's gonna hurt."
3
“Strap on your bonnets girls”. To an all male football team. OMG that’s just indicative of the imbedded sexism and mysogyny of our male dominated culture.
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@TexasR
What a piggy ending to your post! But I do agree that some piggy pols should be fearing a political slaughterhouse as the details of the DC rapefest become known. We just may be watching a real House of Cards come crashing down.
However, Kav is a die-hard Republican, so I’m guessing most of the bangers are Republicans. Just a guess.
@Judith Barzilay
It was 45 years ago. Come in off the ledge.
If the incident wit Ms. Blasey happened, Kavanaugh has been lying to the American people. If the FBI investigates. and Kavanaugh lies to them it is perjury. Should a liar/perjurer be appointed to the Supreme Court?
6
@rj1776 Lot of "ifs" in your statement, not so much your conclusion.
2
@rj1776
Since he lied in Congress to get the seat he has now I'm thinking the republicans are perfectly fine with it. But to answer you no he should not.
2
The Democrats would try just about anything at this point to stop this nomination. Guess what dummies it’s going to happen with you like it or not and he will sit there for the coming decades and straighten this country out.
4
@Mike DeMaio. Or, maybe not.
5
@Mike DeMaio. Kavanaugh appears quite capable of stopping his nomination all by himself. He seems to be an upstanding citizen, except when he's drunk, which apparently happened quite a lot and then he doesn't remember what he did because he was too drunk. Mr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde...
3
@Mike DeMaio.
Sorry but you do not get to keep up that lie. All this phony We are the victims here stuff is a lie the republicans have known about both women for at least a week before either story was made public and they chose to refuse to have the FBI look into it and try to speed up the process and get him in before Ms Ramirez story came out.
The legal term which describes this behavior is called "consciousness of guilt".
3
Am I reading the New York Times or 'The Crucible'? This modern day Salem Witch Trial scares meet death. In both cases, a partisan group of people charged members of another group with crimes that cannot be proven by fact or law.
Today's Democrats have substituted political ideology for the religious puritanism of the 1600's. Due process be damned, today's accused are being subject to the same trial by ordeal that Giles Corey was when he was slowly crushed by stones, piled upon his chest, because refused to admit his guilt.
In both cases the accusers have absolutely no evidence or corroborating witnesses to the events which they allege. In fact it is the opposite, their own witnesses deny the 'crimes' ever happened and yet the Democrat leadership continue to push their cynical agenda.
Herman Miller wrote 'The Crucible' in protest of the communist witch hunts and McCarthyism of the 1950s. Here we are 65 years later and the world is turned on its head, with modern day Democrats using even more diabolical tactics to achieve their political goals, relying on unproven accusations and spectral evidence to destroy the accused's reputation.
It is deplorable and disgusting that the Democrats, champions of women everywhere, have reduced the #Metoo movement from a noble tool for justice and education to a dull axe used to attack their political rivals.
11
Was it Hermie Miller? I thought it was his brother Artie.
@Rob
Sad to sad it’s more like ...
“The Exorcist”
@Rob Who's Herman? Arthur Miller wrote the Crucible.
2
I have no idea if Brett is guilty of the things he is accused of. But, it is worth noting that of the three GOP Speakers of the House that lead the charge to impeach Bill Clinton, all three stepped down in disgrace at their own sexual deviations and one of them is now rotting in jail: Newt Gingrich (affair with a congressional aide while trying to impeach), Bob Livingston (four confirmed affairs over ten years), Dennis Hastert (found giving millions in hush money to a boy he sexually abused when he was coaching him in high school).
Despite all the bad blood, I bet if Brett reached out to Bill he would have lunch with Brett and help him navigate, "how to explain your sordid past to the women in your life".
4
@N8t, you skipped Ken Starr, he had his own scandal to reckon with. https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2018/03/30...
2
Lets not lose track of something...............Ms. Feinstein is up for re-election....and she desparately needs to "out-democrat" a fellow democrat....Kevin DeLeon. Diane looks bad.......real bad.........Made a fortune off of repossessing forclosed properties in 2008 and got a generous bailout. hired a Chinese spy to be her attache.....lotsa dirty laundry for DeLeon to air out. So anything Diane can do to rally the Females to vote for her....thats gonna save her bacon.
11
I don't know if any of this is true but no one thought the Catholic priests were abusing Kids for years or that Bill O'Reilly was a sexual predator until it was proven both were true.
7
@DC
The process to get there was the same as we are seeing here as well.
1
On Saturday, while everyone was watching the unfolding Kavanaugh debate, and the TV "News" was holding discussions on the NYTimes "explosive" headline about Rod Rosenstein, rebutted by several world class news organizations including NBC and the Washington Post, the Administration put out a 447 page document changing the definition of the words "Public Charge" in immigration law, which will simultaneously make many immigrants in this country eligible for deportation when they had been expecting to get green cards, and will kick in more wind out of the still very much in effect ACA, or Obamacare.
The NYTimes covered it, but with no link to the original document. And then you buried the coverage in the print (National) edition in the back pages of the second section of the national news. Today, it is not around on the online catastrophe of your New Front Page: It isn't on the page, it isn't in U.S., it isn't in Politics.
It is another piece of Stephen Miller radicalism, notable for the fact that it brags about the cost savings from people who won't apply for programs they are eligible for because they will mistakenly think they would put their future in jeopardy.
But MRE pizza, robot furniture, and Chinese kids going off to college in China are all more important.
Kai-Fu Lee's Op-Ed yesterday was far more propagandistic than most of the Russian trolls during the election, but he was wrong. The U.S. is losing because it's press is a concert radio station playing Muzak.
7
Thank you a million times for recognizing what’s important. I am seriously considering canceling my NYT subscription. The Economist covers real news.
2
I used to have some respect for Graham even though he is Republican, but I have lost that since he has pre-determined that Dr. Blasey is not to be believed.
6
Multiple accusations of sexual assault, gambling debts, financial irregularities in his past, addiction issues, potential perjury, massive amounts of hidden and unreleased records and documents, a lack of impartiality in his written statements along with radical beliefs regarding the executive branch, evasiveness and stonewalling during questioning...
Enough. Kavanaugh has to go.
17
There are 2 accusations against Kavanaugh -
the first is that he overstepped acceptable conduct even for a high school adolescent.
The second is that at a time when there are young boys and girls seeking to lift up the world, he habitually used his privilege in a manner that may be frequent but is by no means typical of aspiring youth.
I find the second accusation more troubling than the first.
There is an arc to ones life, that is no less telling than that of an object hurled into the night. Little angles turn into large distances over time.
If that was his trajectory in the beginning, than the image of a noble character with a conservative philosophy no longer works for me. Rather, I now see him as an insider - a sleaze who wormed his way through the system - playing by anything goes rules as with his 'Javert' like character behavior from Les Miserable in his hounding of Bill Clinton.
Such conduct would conform to the arc of this mans life. Is he a scoundrel? Depends on your meaning of the word - but noble, someone who can unite the country and restore faith in the Supreme Court at this time NO.
I don't have a problem with conservatives - I am an independent at this time - but this guy gives off bad karma.
7
The allegations are the best reason to vote for Kavanaugh. They demonstrate he is a normal typical man. Almost every man would take advantage of a woman if he could. It’s a dark secret the humanists wish were not so, so they ignore or decry.
1
@No....." Almost every man would take advantage of a woman if he could". ......Maybe you should speak for yourself.
6
@W.A. Spitzer: I speak with knowledge and evidence. Look at Trump, Eliot Spitzer, Weiner, Schneiderman, Cosby, Weinstein, Bill Clinton, John Kennedy, Matt Lauer, Eric Schneiderman, Hockenberry, Moonves, Ansari, Louis CK, Charlie Rose, Kalanick.....
If Brett Kavanaugh hadn't been put forward as a candidate for the Supreme Court, we wouldn't have heard from this woman, it just could come down to, she doesn't think he's fit to hold such high office, to hold such power. Might be a lesson in courage.
4
Comparison with Anita Hill case is not valid.
We have to acknowledge that teenagers make bad decisions, and trust that individuals can mature, learn from mistakes and and become better persons. Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh's careers prove that they both accomplished that. We the public should stop besmirching BOTH their characters and move on. Dr. Ford can put a stop to this circus and so can Judge Kavanaugh but it seems no one wants to be the first to forgive.
2
As a youth he was rowdy and couldn't hold his liquor. As an adult he seems to have problems controlling spending, with unexplained debts and unexplained, sudden payments of large debts. Just looking at his professional record, the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have squelched a he number of significant documents that are relevant to understanding the legal thinking of a Supreme Court nominee. Of course the Republicans want to rush this nomination through, while they still have the slimmest majority, rather than do the right thing with a thorough evaluation of all the facts pertaining to his character and his qualifications.
5
The fact that other women have been abused and other boys at prep school have been drunk is not proof, as it seems to be to the readers of the Times, that Kavanaugh is guilty. As frustrating as these unsupported allegations might be to people who believe in fairness and justice, the appointment of Amy Comey Barratt will be fitting.
6
Fitting to what? An impartial Court and justice, or your desire for payback? And since y’all are so worried about women being used, why’re you so eager to use one?
2
@No Frankly, in DC a girl was more likely to be molested on the Wisconsin Ave bus on the way home from school than to be molested by a boy at any of the prep schools in the area. There was no great culture of sexual antics at these schools, but plenty of youthful bravado.
2
Tell me Senator Graham and Senator Grassley, if it was your daughters that Kavanaugh was accused of assaulting, would you approve his nomination without an investigation?
9
For all those who are saying that this is a case of teenage drinking - it isn't because Kavanaugh chose not to use that defense. He is saying he was never in that kind of situation, that it never occurred, and that Dr. Blasey Ford is lying or mistaken at best.
And if he is not confirmed it will not be because he did something stupid as a teenager. It will be because he lied as an adult because that is the simplest way to see it. There are many reasons why he is following this line of defense - that his pride won't accept that he did this, that he believes he did nothing wrong, that flat denial worked with Trump so why not, that setting up a "he-said-she-said" scenario gives him and the Senators voting for him enough doubt that they can get away with it, that he is so delusional about his own righteousness that he was incapable of committing those acts, etc. Whatever the reason it will still be a choice he made as an adult that sealed his fate.
10
Quite possibly he feels that at a national scale, with two daughters that have long lives ahead of them, it is best to try to preserve the family name.
Were it all done quietly, maybe he could just admit that maybe these things did happen.
But in front of the entire planet, he feels he has little choice in the matter.
@Lucas Lynch
Exactly. Very well said. And you delineate all the reasons K should not be confirmed.
"It's the character, Stupid."
1
@Lucas Lynch But is it a lie?
The reporters of this piece write: "The hearing with Dr. Blasey, coming at the height of the #MeToo movement, promises to be a similar spectacle."
Has the #MeToo movement reached its height? Who says and who told them? Do they know something about a coming diminishment? Even in this highly charged moment, which continue ceasely these past 2 years, perhaps 'in the midst' might be more like it, even-handed and closer to reality.
3
Why is it that when women confront bullies and sexual predators we tremble for their safety, and admire their courage? Hillary on the debate stage with the prowling, interrupting vile trump, Anita Hill facing the senators and now Professor Ford facing ( incredibly) some of the same Senators. I'm with Professor Ford in that senate chamber. #MeToo is having an impact. Kavanaugh has earned an asterisk beside his name. His opinions will be tainted. The republicans can think of this as another victory. It isn't.
10
Of the 113 justices in the history of the US Supreme Court, 109 (96.5%) have been men. Boorish he-man trump adds one more white male (Gorsuch) and nominates a second white man (Kavanaugh), as if white men (he-men or otherwise) are under-represented on the court.
Now we have a Senate judiciary committee with an all-male, all-white, nearly all old majority passing judgment on the reputation (not the character) of another white male. If you had the audacity to rig a decision in someone's favor, this would be as good as the rigging gets.
8
The apologists need to do a little "soul searching," if they can find one. I was a teen in the 70s; lots of drugs, alcohol, "ditching parties," and absent parents from whom I never heard "no means no." Nevertheless, I instinctively knew not to physically assault someone; I somehow knew--perhaps it was "written on the heart"--not to violate someone else's body. I do recall, however, hearing about one drunken episode of a bunch of jocks who assaulted a girl who was passed out at a party; this was public school, and I don't recall anyone finding it very funny or praiseworthy.
If you're defending BK with cries of "youthful indiscretions," perhaps you should search out those apologies and amends from your past to make, rather than apologisms and excuses for the sake of extremist politics.
6
@Gustav Aschenbach
I don't hear any Kavanaugh defenders using the excuse of "youthful indiscretions." They are defending him based on the facts that a) he has completely denied he committed these alleged acts and b) the women haven't come up with any witnesses or corroboration.
2
I propose a compromise......the hallmark of our unique American Democracy. Painful to both sides of a struggle, yet beneficial to both sides as well..........1. Withdraw the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. 2. Ruth Ginsburg resigns.. 3. Package deal........Trump nominates both Merrick Garland and Roy Moore to the Supreme Court.
Right, because Moore’s really Ginsberg and Garland’s peer, not to mention their moral equivalent.
3
@Wherever Hugo
Wait a minute, why does RBG become a sacrificial lamb? Withdraw Kavanaugh, yes. Then nominate Garland whose nomination should have been considered long ago, but for Mitch's pathological need to thwart Obama whenever possible. After all, Garland isn't like having Gloria Alread we'd have on the court.
Democrats have turned the Kavanaugh confirmation into a fiasco and a farce.
Christine Ford is obviously troubled now by her memories, but there is literally no evidence beyond her memories that a party took place. She said four other people were at that party, but all four (including a friend) say they were not. When memories first surface in a marriage counselor's office, and when no evidence can be found that they are real, they are false.
Deborah Ramirez and Michael Avenatti have presented no claims that pass even the loosest of smell tests. They stink of being manufactured for publicity. Shame on them.
When will this all end? We have lynch-mob hysterics from a bunch of Democrats and incredulity from a bunch of Republicans. Can this really be happening in the Senate Judiciary Committee? It boggles the mind.
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@John Smithson
Not really as there many that want a Theocratic Government. These folk want to believe that their beliefs are paramount to the saving of Christians.
While I believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ I have major problems with the so called Christian Dogma.
I truly believe there is much of value in the Holy Bible there is much left out in particular when the Bible was first established by the Emperor Constantine and his council.
I also believe wholeheartedly in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and that there HAS to be a separation of church and state that government is not a religious organization.
The merger of government and religion scares me.
The other thing is so many who have been subjected to any sexual assault frequently do not report it as they feel they will not be believed. This is what we are seeing now.
It takes much courage to talk about this stuff and look at what is happening now.
1
The New Yorker article that broke the story of the 2nd accusation by Ms. Ramirez reports that Republicans learned of the allegation last week and rather than investigating it took steps to accelerate Kavanaugh’s vote:
“Senior Republican staffers also learned of the allegation last week and, in conversations with The New Yorker, expressed concern about its potential impact on Kavanaugh’s nomination. Soon after, Senate Republicans issued renewed calls to accelerate the timing of a committee vote.”
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/senate-democrats-investigate-a-...
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@Dan88
Some how that rings of truth.
3
@Dan88
And yet the Republican head of the committee put off the vote and agreed to re-open hearings -- first to Monday, then Wednesday, then Thursday to accommodate the accuser. Not surprisingly, New Yorker left that part out.
2
THREE THINGS
1. sexual assault does not have an expiration date.
2. in any event he has denied that it happened, so his credibility today is in question, even if you want to give him a pass on the behavior.
3. men who are writing "why wait so long to report?" and "everybody does things like this" JUST STOP.
9
Kavanaugh will always be seen as a flasher in robes, even if the Republicans insult us all by ramming his confirmation on us for political domination of our treasured Court. The women of America will pay them back at the polls.
4
GOP Senators do not want to appear on TV grilling Prof Ford. Instead they want a woman to do their questioning for better optics. This approach also means the GOP Senators can avoid interaction with their Dem colleagues and pass the whole thing off as a “courtesy” to Dr Ford.
1
Republicans should have jumped at the chance to have the FBI look into the allegations by Dr.Ford -she requested it.There is a chance that given the passage of time the FBI would find nothing- then the Republicans could have gone through with the vote vindicated in their choice.
5
Now that a second woman has come forward with accusations of inappropriate behaviour by Kavanaugh, the hearings may have to continue even later than this upcoming Thursday, September 27, 2018. Batter up....
1
Kavanaugh will always be seen as a flasher in robes, even if the Republicans insult us all by ramming his confirmation on us for political domination of our treasured Court. The women of America will pay them back at the pills.
1
Polls!
Be careful what you wish for - if Kavanaugh withdraws, the next candidate will be Judge Amy Coney Barrett. She would be promptly confirmed on a party line vote, even (if necessary) during a lame duck Senate session following the midterms. There is absolutely zero chance Justice Kennedy's seat will not be filled with a Trump nominee before calendar year-end. Zero.
8
There was also zero chance Kavanagh’d have any trouble being confirmed. But by all means, spend October fighting to get a far-right Christian fundamentalist on the Court.
That should set the election up nicely; or as we’re recently told, be careful what you wish for.
2
Regarding the latest from the U.S.Senate (“Christine Blasey Ford Reaches Deal to Testify at Kavanaugh Hearing”). I have one thing to say to Senate Republicans who ask why Dr. Ford and Debbie Ramirez didn’t report the respective assaults to police immediately; why they waited so many years to come forward; why they have decided to come forward now in what the Republicans deem a politically opportunistic manner; and why the Democratic Senator who received the complaint kept it secret prior to the hearing: Juanita Broaddrick. You seem to have understood a few things 20 years ago: either you understood then why women who have suffered assault don’t come forward so easily, were truly outraged at what this woman had alleged, but now have changed your minds about it; or you understood then the lowest form of political cynicism and how to use assault victims for your own selfish purposes, and are now projecting that onto the current circumstances. Take your pick.
4
@Ted F., you don't think that to hold a 17 year old kid of 30 years ago to the standards of today is a little unfair? Look at the person in the present day context of who they are now. If we're supposed to care what women felt 30 years ago, so should we too the men. Times change and people with them, today is about the present, except when it's politically disadvantageous.
3
@John Doe: I was 18 back in 1982. I didn't ever attack a woman, then or now. Even at age 18, I would have considered it vile, and completely beneath all human decency. In my community (a pretty average Midwestern town, with no strong religious identity), certainly the way that Dr. Ford describes having been treated would have been considered beyond the pale back in 1982, just as it is now. I had a friend who was similarly attacked back around that same time, when she was 16 or 17; the term date-rape had only just been coined, but she already recognized that is what had happened. So, no, I am not willing to excuse the alleged behavior with such cavalier and convenient rationalization.
We already know that Kavanaugh is not a decent or honorable human being -- if he was, he would have withdrawn from the nomination already. He has no credibility whatsoever with the majority of the citizens of this country, and therefore is not a worthy candidate for the Supreme Court. In the meantime, Grassley and the Republicans are ensuring that entire generations of women will never be able to vote for a Republican candidate for office. Whatever their accomplishments before the Trump presidency, they will always and forever be remembered as the spineless GOP who attempted to sell our country down the river. We will never forget, and we will make sure our children never forget.
7
I agree here. If Kavanaugh was truly honorable, he would not drag the SCOTUS through the mud to prove a point. He would always have this smear on his resume.
2
@soleilame So, he's neither decent nor honorable because he isn't withdrawing for what he considers to be a false accusation? Great precedent you're setting there. If someone accuses you of something, whether true or false, you should withdraw your nomination. You see no problems with that?
3
A step further and Dr. Blasey-Ford would have been obliged to only respond to the questions of senators. Anything but fairness. And these people ask for confidence.
1
The #metoo movement is becoming the McCarthyism of our time. I find it highly disturbing. There are plenty of reasons to not confirm Judge Kavanaugh, but these allegations are not one of them.
9
As the mother of a son, I question the standard that in alleged sexual abuse cases, women must always be seen as truthful.
Having taught 5th grade, I witnessed how girls were sometimes clumsily manipulating. They would at times tell untruths to give retribution to whomever was the foe of the day, male or female. I worry that someone may use the specter of a false sexual assault accusation against my adult son.
Now move this to the high stakes of the political arena - this hyper-hysterical age, of thwarting anything from the opposite party, age of by any means. It give me pause to wonder just how much the supposed adults have matured beyond middle school. In both of these allegations, I question the timing of the revelations, because this man was investigated in 2000 before he was appointed to the Federal Court of Appeals. The first Mark Judge memoir had been in print for 3 years prior, and his confirmation was in the news at thew time because of the method President G.W. Bush used to circumvent Congress in the initial appointment. No one came forward then. I question the jousting and posturing of the lawyers to cause delay, perhaps for the sole purpose of delay, or for the purpose of coaching the accusers.
Are the Democrats are using the ME TOO movement to use some women to their advantage? Are there no sexual indiscretions among the Democrats? I do not believe either sex, or political party has the corner on the market of complete integrity.
10
If Kavanaugh can just admit that this happened and apologize for his immaturity and youthful exploits, show remorse for his actions and the trauma he caused his victims, and say that he has grown up, sees the errors of his ways and has not acted in such an ill manner since that time, I think folks might be able to show some respect. If you are to be a judge at the highest level of government, I think this is a way you should act, if you want to rule over the country. Truth IS TRUTH. Own up to it.
2
What a scam. Kavanaugh "vehemently" denies the allegations. Why did The Con Don hold back 100,000 pages of the FBI investigation?
One of my children vehemently denied that he stole my checkbook and forged $4000 in bad checks when he was just out of high school, too. He did.
One of my daughters vehemently denied that she was sexually abused when she was an adolescent. She was.
Denials mean nothing. WE THE PEOPLE demand a full FBI investigation of all these allegations, made public before The Con Don gets his nasty hands on them so WE can decide who we want on OUR U.S. Supreme Court.
If the eleven old white supposedly christian men on OUR Senate judicial committee and Traitor Mitch McConnell try to ram this thing through there will be hell to pay - and not just at elections.
This is not their country to control. It is OUR country - WE THE PEOPLE.
Please, Good People, call your U.S. Senator, Traitor McConnell and the eleven old white men and tell them
NO KAVANAUGH!
Here is a link to their phone numbers:
https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact
14
Why is NYT burying story of second allegation as well as information from Mark Judge's ex saying he admitted taking turns raping a drunk woman with his friends from school?
Kavanaughs own yearbook tells the story. Why is this nomination even on the table at this point?
And why isn't NYT making this more public? Is this a repeat of the 2016 election that got us into this mess in the first place?
10
It’s a repeat of the Anita Hill “trial” - actually it’s worse than that. No FBI investigation, no witnesses allowed - yeah it’s much worse than the Anita Hill fiasco.
I’m confident women and people who can empathize with sexual assault victims will rise up in great numbers come November to put these obtuse, old white men where they belong - back home writing their memoirs.
3
@MS
Why? because they are extremely weak allegations with fuzzy details and zero, credible corroboration, that occurred more than 3 decades ago.
3
What is up with Ronan Farrow and the New Yorker magazine? How can a story be printed containing the "recollections" of an admitted drunken college student with hazy remembrances of a small dorm party and a "supposed" incident involving Brett Kavanaugh? With no evidence or proof that this incident with Ramirez happened 34 years ago, the New Yorker published another story that the editors should have pulled the plug on. Ronan Farrow has never gotten over the non conviction of Woody Allen on molestation charges against his sister Dylan. Even tho Woody was found not guilty by a court, even tho no actress or any woman working on his films for the last 50 years has accused him of harassment, Ronan Farrow has written stories with venom towards Woody Allen. You have to ask yourself is this a credible investigative reporter?
12
@Carl LaFong Farrow's articles exposing Harvey Weinstein and Eric Schneiderman make no mention of Woody Allen. The reporting is beyond credible.
4
Two key points to consider:
1-All moral boundaries have been removed in the post-Christian, secular society, for people of all ages. You decide your own moral standard, no matter how low the bar is (Viz., Hitler with the Aryan race against the Jews).As a result, anything goes...
2-When I was a Fulbright scholar in the USSR, my close colleagues had ONE, common sad wish..."we are hungry to know the truth' they kept saying.
Sadly, now that politics determines what 'truth' should be, we too have lost our freedom, because we have forgotten what the humble Galilean said: "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free". (read Gospel of John, Chapter 8).
5
People keep asking, "Why didn't the Republicans know these things about Kavanaugh?" The answer is, they did. Trump knew, Trump's inner circle knew, and the unimportant Republicans -- the rubber stamp club in the Senate -- knew not to ask. The point is: Kavanaugh was not chosen despite his history of rape, but because of it. They looked for a man with enough grime in his background that they could control him forever. Their having the goods on him puts Kavanaugh on a very short leash, ensuring that he will do as his masters tell him, all the rest of his life. This is the way Trump works. More to the point, this is the way Putin works. And, even stepping aside from morality for a moment, this is yet another reason why Kavanaugh must be rejected, as must any and every appointment Trump makes to the Supreme Court.
17
That's an excellent observation, David. Thank you for your insights; they ring true.
Calendars? From a high school kid who evidently spent a lot of time partying?
Please tell me that no one will believe Kavanaugh put on his calendars every get together that happened during high school and college, no matter how spontaneously generated. Especially a gathering of the literal handful of kids that Blasey describes. That's barely definable as a "party", and it's perhaps the biggest flaw in how the whole incident is popularly described now.
It sounded to me like a few guys decided on the spot to get drunk, and roped an unassuming girl in to participate. At which point things went downhill fast, particularly for the girl.
The fact that Republicans didn't insist long ago on further FBI investigation, with Mark Judge as a star target, all of which likely would have been finished a week ago, tells me all I need to know about the real deal here. The ones on the judicial committee are so intellectual incapable of processing modern understandings around sexual predation, that they want to secure outside counsel to question Blasey because they don't trust their own sensitivity and knowledge on the subject. That fact tells me that a terrible miscarriage of judgement looms, and the GOP will have to absorb the brunt of it this November if they misstep.
9
For the highest court in the land I demand total divine intervention and nothing less than direct descent from heaven to the bench on a beam of light. A chorus of angels would be a nice touch too, unless Diane has some problem with angels.
11
John,
You made my day. It would also be a nice touch if his/her mother were a virgin, unless, like you say, Ms. Feinstein would find that too Christian.
4
I grew up in a left wing family environment during the McCarthy heyday. I never thought it possible but I fear we’re going through a repeat of that era right now. One of the bulwarks of American democracy is due process, which is under attack not only on college campuses, where mere allegation of sexual abuse can virtually put the burden of proof on the accused - but in the political arena. The unsupported allegations against Brett Kavanaugh threaten his appointment to the Supreme Court along with the stellar reputation for integrity built over the course of his life.
Now a second accuser has come forward with a case that wouldn’t make it to the courthouse steps - and possibly a third, hinted at by Michael Avenatti. From the current Business Insider piece on this story: “Avenatti did not identify any witnesses or disclose more details about the alleged incidents” -https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-avenatti-brett-kavanaugh-2018-9.
What could be more reminiscent of Joe McCarthy? This has got to stop, before our system of justice becomes a distant memory. I know it’s difficult because of the tie-in with a just cause, the movement to out sexual abusers of women.
But no just cause can be allowed to spark an unjust one - allowing little more than mere allegation to ruin people’s lives. I call on liberal thought leaders like the ACLU and people like Jimmy Carter to speak up - before it’s too late.
18
@HurryHarry: You seem to forget that it is Chuck Grassley who has denied a full investigation... And, speaking of due process, does Merrick Garland ring a bell?
4
@HurryHarry
I too grew up in an EXTREMELY liberal environment - Greewnwich Village in the early 60s on.
"I call on liberal thought leaders like the ACLU and people like Jimmy Carter to speak up - before it’s too late. "
too late - BOTH are leading the foul attack on due process! As well of course are ALL the mainstream and traditional media - and the "social media" giants - especially the NYT and WAPO, FB and Twitter
Frightening? Terrifying really. "Has to stop"? Sure - but it's far too late...
The forces that control the information you receive, control it absolutely.
#thetrumanshow
#no-rule-of-law
#1984
I'd say the really frightening part is how many "citizens" eagerly embrace this mind control.
3
@Jeff - Merrick Garland did not have his name dragged through the mud. And the term due process refers to treatment of individuals against whom accusations of wrongdoing are made. I don't recall a single accusation of that nature against Merrick Garland.
It's too bad Mitch McConnell couldn't see fit to give Merrick Garland a hearing. Playing politics with judicial picks will be the norm from now on and we can thank McConnell for that. As for the charges against Kavanugh, they are not nearly as serious or numerous as those against Trump and look where Trump is sitting.
8
I am hoping the President will weigh in and demolish these accounts, as he did with Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, Obama the Kenyan, and inauguration day figures.
A man of his integrity and courage will not stay silent.
Drain the swamp, lock them up, drain the swamp, lock them up.
3
Lindsey Graham is fixing to be this generation’s Arlen Spector.
9
I believe Brett Kavanaugh when he says he did not sexually abuse Dr. Ford and was not at the party. Maybe it is just my female intuition or trusting nature but I think he is telling the truth. These are simply smear tactics against him and most of us know it. It is the liberals and Democrats that want to keep him off the Supreme Court who are pushing these allegations. Let him have his testimony before the senate judiciary committee to clear his name and restore his excellent and outstanding caliber.
Let Dr. Ford also appear before the senate and tell her side of the story. Something very unpleasant may have happened to Dr. Ford and we may never know the real truth. But I do not think for one second that Judge Kavanaugh was involved in any way, shape or form. He is innocent and will most likely be confirmed and be soon on the bench. This nightmare will then be over for him and his family.
10
@WPLMMT: So you would support a full and complete FBI investigation where they would interview both Mark Judge, Kavanaugh, and Dr Ford, because all would be under the threat of perjury if they lie. Isn't it interesting that your beloved Kavanaugh has not called for the FBI investigation to clear his name, maybe because he knows they would not. But you want him on the Court to fast track the reversal of Roe v Wade to exact your revenge on all those women who want to abort!
5
@WPLMMT
LOL, your female intuition? No, it's your deep seated yearning for a 5th conservative justice who you think will overturn Roe, which is your pet project.
2
Democrats have become judge, jury and executioner with no evidence against Kavanaugh other than Ford's claims.
Why would anyone vote for democrats and subject themselves to this system of justice?
15
Let the circus begin. Featuring hysterical Democrats. An event you don't want to miss. Once in a lifetime performances. Free of charge.
7
This is all staged by the democrats. They know that the accusations are either mistaken identity or just lies. It’s sick politics. Destroy somebodies reputation for politics. Who would ever want to accept a nomination again.
9
@Jim, well if a person doesn’t attempt rape, they have nothing to worry about, no?
1
I know everyone wants to focus on Kavanaugh’s possible or even probable assault of Dr. Blasey. I don’t understand why no one is troubled by the fact that this man is an admitted black out drunk. (Reference his own remarks and the writings of his friend.) Can they not find a better candidate than a drunk? I hope the hearing will focus on his drinking as well as the assault.
Which begs the question-how does one rely on the testimony of a black out drunk?
23
It raises the question. It does not beg it. Two completely different concepts.
4
Can the Times confirm or deny that Judge Kavanaugh's calendar included ANY entries for parties he attended? If there were NO parties listed, I would assume these were not the type of entries he made in his calendar making the absence of the party in question irrelevant.
5
Fools rush to judgment without careful analysis of all relevant details and then regret their decision. Senator Lindsey Graham seems to be doing just that. Incidents such as this are never an isolated occurrence in the life of a person. There is always a pattern indicating an underlying personality.
8
My understanding is that sexual predators rarely stop after only one or two victims. The Republican Senators are in a rush to get Kavanaugh confirms before additional women come forward, as they probably will.
13
I believe these women would be speaking out, even if this nomination and the events described took place in the Merrick Garland case
2
A total smear campaign against a good man. The dems are reaching for anything that will delay Trump in having a conservative majority on the Supreme Court. Disgraceful conduct by the dems. Both accusers cannot find a legitimate and impartial witness to back up their claim. Witnesses present thus far claim no such event occurred
12
What if he did it Vincent? Even you do not and cannot say, you prefer instead to attack the Democrats, the accusers and the purported lack of other witnesses. Yet you seem to know for certain he is a "good man," and not one who carried out one or more sexual assaults. How?
4
I cringe every time I read the headline “Kavanaugh accuser”, and the disparity in the ensuing articles between references to “Judge Kavanaugh” and those to “Christine Blasey Ford” and not “Dr. Blasey Ford”. These choices of language signal deference to the judge and something less for the person who sought to make an anonymous report to her local House representative, which reflects poorly on the nominee to a crucial national position, that has since spun out of control. (That anyone thinks she sought the resulting torment, vicious trolling on social media and even in comments here, or demeaning treatment by the powerful Republican men on the Judiciary Committee is not realistic.)
17
NEVER a matter of IF other accusers will come forward...just WHEN.
Emboldened by one, there'll be two, then three....
His nomination is in jeopardy WHEN he approached the number of claims against the so-called president.
The boor is NEVER number two.....
7
I have no great affection for the Republican party, nor for Judge Kavanaugh (nor for the Democrats these days), and I will say this:
The accusations that have surfaced so far, which, having attended a "good" college at the same time, I see as credible (stuff like that happened all the time), tells me only one thing: that Judge Kavanaugh is that type of person who is usually described using a vulgar anatomic term for an excretory structure.
Unfortunately, this is not news, nor is it something that would preclude one's appointment to high political office, as, in my experience, the vast majority of politicians, of both sexes and all parties, can be accurately described using the same term.
Far as I'm concerned, all this does is shows that this guy is just like the rest of 'em.
7
Those people who say they don’t remember anything like that happening might have a better recollection of the party if they had been victims of a sexual assault.
16
“As with any witness who comes before the Senate, the Senate Judiciary Committee cannot hand over its constitutional duties to attorneys for outside witnesses..." Yet Republicans intend to hand over their "constitutional duties" to a female staff attorney to question Dr. Ford. Instead of showing their true colors and honest contemp for one woman's tragic life-long trauma from sexual assault they shield themselves at another woman's expense. Misogynistic cowards the lot of them.
7
National Lampoon's Animal House was released in 1978. I wonder how much this movie influenced Brett Kavanaugh and his friends in prep school and as undergraduates at Yale.
6
@Carson Drew And everyone else, don't forget.
1
Dr. Ford has two sons. Wonder how she will feel when an unfounded allegation comes out against one of her sons. Or Ms. Ramirez if she has a son. This is the world you create with tactics like this. Maybe a dozen Dems leading this fight, is the rest of the party sure they are on board? You will rue it in November when the mothers, wives and sons of all the men now at risk of this kind of attack go to the polls. Shameful.
11
Consider the assumptions in your statements. Most of the mothers of those sons you talk about have been groped, threatened or even assaulted at some point in their lives. I know, there is assumption in my statement too. But last time we experienced this sort of thing (Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas) women came out in force against the GOP in the following election. The reaction you speak of is really a dream. The GOP could have picked someone less vulnerable. They knew and were prepared for his flaws. A flawed candidate is easier to influence, if not control, once in office. That’s my theory of why they picked him. There are other conservative candidates who are seemingly anti-abortion, but they might also be less reliable. Anyway, the party lead by a groper, who has problems with the truth (perjury), and can be compromised because of financial dealings has selected the same for the Supreme Court. Again I thing that’s because these flaws make him easier to influence or control. Clarence Thomas hasn’t said hardly a word in nearly 30 years on the bench, except in the one instance he had some standing, race, but has reliably voted the conservative line.
6
@GregP
Shouldn’t an investigation be done? You’re defending Kavanaugh, while doing to Ford, what you claim others are doing to Kavanaugh. Demand an investigation! (Yet, so far, watch what side refuses! Shouldn’t Mark Judge, and now Whelan, who claims to know, be put under oath?)
3
Yep...believe the guy, not the gal. How about the fact that he lied under oath to get his current job? How about the gambling problem? The bribes he received via baseball tickets.
2
There are too many red flags to "hire" this candidate: serial alcohol abuse into adulthood; soaring debt (suspiciously erased); lack of insight and empathy, including for a young teenage girl seeking a legal abortion; and craven, almost amoral ambition. Credibly reported cases of sexual assault and aggression when drunk are only part of the picture. He was not on the original list of potential candidates - only his views on kingly presidential powers moved him to the fore.
12
Republicans on the judiciary don't want any more FBI involvement into the matter. Just as they did with the cover up of thousands of documents from Kavanaugh's Bush Administration days they want to limit any real scrutiny.
"He's already been investigated," they say. Perhaps in the preliminary investigation Kavanaugh stated that there was no other episodes in his past he was aware happened. Perhaps that wasn't true and he has, perhaps, lied to the FBI.
4
The majority of the Judiciary COmmittee is being played and seems gullible enough to be going along.
6
One thing is clear: Kavanaugh is one of the elite and he has an elitist sense of entitlement. Whether or not he felt entitled to attack a women in high school, as a judge, he has consistently protected the elite from challenges. Is that really what Trump's populist base wants?
11
@Michael, its not a surprise that the wealthiest have gotten wealthier after Trump was elected. Go figure.
1
So what if Dr. Blasey Ford's recounting of her assault cannot be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. This is not the test in any event as this is not a criminal case. It seems to me that reason and fairness are the only arbiters. For that the collection of information from all accounts must be gathered and that means the FBI must be tasked with this investigation. But this is not what the slim majority of Republicans on the Judiciary Committee want. Instead by disallowing witnesses they are effectively putting their hands over Dr. Blasey Ford's mouth so she cannot call out.
8
Even if Kavanaugh gets seated (and it is likely in my opinion), his presence on the court is still further diminution of the institution of the Supreme Court itself, due to the rank political shenanigans going on to get him that office across the street from the capitol.
It appears the search for men and woman who are true "jurists" has degraded itself to finding candidates who will back one or another political point of view.
That statue of Themis, the goddess of justice, standing in front of the US Supreme Court ought to have holes drilled into her blindfold.
7
There are many conservative judges. Surely they can find one who hasn't engaged in this type of behavior. I don't understand why they continue to back up Kavanaugh.
10
@Matthew S
He must've given them an iron-clad guarantee that he will always remain true to the ideological purity required to please the Greedy Old Patriarchs.
2
Like the first one ,this one was found and prompted by operators working for the DNC these women have not just dropped out of the woodwork at this precise time on their own accord . They will continue this circus of the willing to fabricate stories for the media every day for the remainder of the year until the legislative process is halted. It is the supreme travesty of justice and hopefully justice will prevail with a forceful ,if necessary final vote on Judge Kavanaugh.
12
Run that smoke jumper scenario through your head until you realize how absurd it is. You envision a row of women lined up to have their reputations and families destroyed just to score a political brownie point? Just nominate somebody else and move on.
2
@Alan Wasn't my pick ,and I did extensive study .As stated they didn't come foward ,but were coerced ,corrupted if you may by political operatives. Certainly the motive was political on all parties ,not concern for family ,because they are being hailed as devout saviors. In question,where were they for the last nearly 40 years ,when Kavanaugh was persecuting their Hero WJC .of course he's done nothing wrong ,according to his ,...many accusers.
A seat on the Supreme Court carries with it the ability to make final decisions about millions of people's live, with very little recourse by those affected.
It is close to being an unelected monarch, who can set rules with no, or very little, chance that those rules will be changed.
In rare instances, the Supreme Court has challenged Congress to pass laws that would restrain one of their decisions. Even more rarely has Congress taken up their challenge.
Before we seat somebody on the Supreme Court, for the remainder of that person's professional life, we should be sure that the character of that nominee is above reproach.
Somebody with a history of taking advantage of members of a class that represents at least half of our population does not meet that high standard of being above reproach.
We do not need absolute proof, or even proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Convincing proof that such a character flaw exists, by examples of specific failures of character, should be enough to prevent such a person from sitting on the Supreme Court.
The fact that we made the mistake of seating a person with such a character flaw in the past (Justice Clarence Thomas) is not an excuse for doing it again.
There are plenty of conservatives with character. It certainly appears that Brett Kavanaugh is not one of them.
Donald Trump should withdraw Kavanaugh's name and try again.
7
There are some problems here.
Dr Blasey comes forward at great personal risk and cost. She shared her traumatic memories priviately in the past. She is credible and does not seem to be politically motivated. However her inability to remember time and place weakens her case. Without collaboration, if she can not remember when or where, can there be certainty about who or possibly even what?
Is certainty necessary?
There is a shadow of doubt. It might be difficult to convict Kavanaugh if this were a criminal case. But this is not a criminal prosecution. It's a confirmation process. There should be a very high bar in terms of character and reputation. A candidate should be an exemplary person. Is Kavanaugh such a person? Is he someone worthy of serving on the Supreme Court?
No. At a minimum Kavanaugh is damaged goods.
Even before Blasey, there were unanswered questions about Kavanaugh's character and integrity. He shouldn't have gotten past the first round of vetting.
The committee Republicans are not forthcoming. I wouldn't even buy a "new" car from them. How much are they hiding?
7
@Cap
How can you say she is credible or not? She hasn't said anything publicly.
Kavanaugh might be damaged good, at the hands of the Democrats. Sickening behaviour based on politics.
You will reap what you sow.
5
@Steve
Concerns about her credibility should be answered by having her testify before the committee under oath. Kavanaugh should do the same and for the same reason. Ideally, the FBI would extend Kavanaugh's background check in light of the accusations she brings forth. These steps can either clear his name or not.
Here are the issues that need to be investigated by the FBI
Drinking behavior/alcohol problems
Finances, including credit card debt, home down payment and so forth Where did the money come from?
Sexual assault allegations
Until we have clear answers to these questions, this man does not deserve a vote for Supreme Court Justice. The current Judiciary Committee hearings are a travesty.
11
Kavenaugh's initial denial --"I did not do this back in high school or at any time"-- suggests that he may have been anticipating other women's accusations of sexual assault. Thanks to Farrow and Avenatti, these are now emerging. A full FBI investigation should be undertaken forthwith.
7
If nothing else, please read the New Yorker article:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/senate-democrats-investigate-a-...
I don't understand how Kavanaugh has made it this far. I don't understand how he got through law school.
10
@Duane McPherson
You answered your own question - he made it this far in a decades-long stellar career including repeated vetting - because the allegations are not true.
5
@Duane McPherson
The alleged, and later proven false incident by the so called "Central Park Five" caused Donald Trump to take out a half page ad and demand they be hung for gang rape. They did serious time.
In the New Yorker article there is a credible account of Mark Judge and others doing the same.
Rich white boys being boys with no repercussions.
Now I understand white male privilege.
3
Are there no other candidates for SCOTUS willing to protect Trump from criminal indictment, and be the vote to overturn Roe v Wade? That’s what Kavanaugh’s nomination is really about. Anyone else without skeletons in the closet? Anyone?
3
Regardless of what happens, this has all been very enlightening. We now know that Kavanaugh spent his youth partying, drinking heavily and also was in a fraternity known for mistreating women. His friend wrote a book about how they all drank heavily and chased women. He was a member of a society known as 'tit and clit'. Is this really who the republican party wants to reward with a lifetime appointment? Good old fashioned boys club continues to rule.
13
How far into the face of our nation will the Republican Party continue to throw its junk before the Democrats begin to shove it away in December?
3
“At least one Republican senator, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said Sunday that it was unlikely that Dr. Blasey’s testimony would change his mind.”
After McCain’s death, he’s reverted to the right wing slug we knew he was. Shocking,eh!
7
Liberals argue that we should ignore the fact that Dr. Blasey did not report the alleged assault to the authorities at the time because most women don't reports such assaults to the authorities because they don't believe that the authorities will believe them and do anything about it. Butt Dr. Blasey didn't even tell her parents or any of her friends. I don't know but I rather suspect that most women and girls that are assaulted do tell at least some of their friends if not their parents. How else could we possibly know that "88 percent" of sexual assaults are not reported to the authorities, as some claim? Indeed, Dr. Blasey didn't even tell the only other girl she says was at the party. After the alleged assault she says she left and went home leaving the other girl at the party with three boys that allegedly had sexual assault on their minds without warning her. Nice girl. Or is it all a lie? Did she leave without warning the other girl because she knew the other girl didn't need to be warned because the whole point of the party was to get drunk and hook up.
Liberals say that they don't doubt her. How is it possible not to doubt her? Anyone who says he or she doesn't doubt her is a liar, doesn't really care about whether she is telling the truth, or the harm that she is doing to Kavanaugh or to herself but only cares about only one thing: saving Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to kill her inconvenient fetus.
6
And Conservatives think Kavanaugh did nothing that they wouldn’t do themselves, or nothing that Trump hasn’t done.
3
@Bob Richards - You're a man. You cannot possibly understand what a girl or woman goes thru when she is sexually assaulted Mental health experts say it is not unusual for a woman or girl not to report a sexual assault. Over decades women and girls have been demeaned and criticized for what they wear and whether they have been drinking, etc and that they are probably "asking for it." And as far as Roe v. Wade - it is a matter of privacy. Abortion is a medical procedure and any medical procedures are between the patient and her (or his) physician.
4
@Bob Richards
No bob, most women do not report to anyone. Is that clear enough?
2
Kavanagh versus Ford
Part 1 of 2:
It is very interesting that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a Roman Catholic, is questioning Christine Blasey Ford’s account of an alleged sexual assault. Here is a man who totally supports his church. It is very sad that he does not understand how a molested woman would not be able to speak about the atrocity for many years. It is apparent that even though he is an attorney he is very limited when it comes to general knowledge and as a result he is more like the rest of this society and does not understand why a sexually molested child cannot share their experience with anyone for quite some time or even never. Most who have been molested want to suppress their feelings and thoughts to protect themselves. If you think that she is alone and exaggerating her situation with that young male Brett Kavanaugh then take a look at the more than 1000 young men who were sexually molested by priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Most of the young women and men who were sexually molested or were subject to attempted molestation never told anyone and only a few have started to come out share their experiences from 30 to 40 years ago.
3
The NYTimes reporters need to read the whole New Yorker article before writing about it because they get a key point about the new accusation completely wrong. It was in fact independently corroborated:. "The classmate said that he is “one-hundred-per-cent sure” that he was told at the time that Kavanaugh was the student who exposed himself to Ramirez. He independently recalled many of the same details offered by Ramirez, including that a male student had encouraged Kavanaugh as he exposed himself. The classmate, like Ramirez, recalled that the party took place in a common room on the first floor in Entryway B of Lawrance Hall, during their freshman year. “I’ve known this all along,” he said. “It’s been on my mind all these years when his name came up. It was a big deal.” The story stayed with him, he said, because it was disturbing and seemed outside the bounds of typically acceptable behavior, even during heavy drinking at parties on campus. The classmate said that he had been shocked, but not necessarily surprised, because the social group to which Kavanaugh belonged often drank to excess. He recalled Kavanaugh as “relatively shy” until he drank, at which point he said that Kavanaugh could become “aggressive and even belligerent."
7
Anyone still defending Kavanaugh is at best naive and feckless, and at worst, an admirer of bad people.
Kavanaugh is typical of the wealthy, entitled, prep school bullies who believe themselves superior to all others, especially women.
Kavanaugh's record has been a hit man for disgraced Ken Starr, a defender of torture, a cover-up artist, a toady to presidents who want to be emperors, and a man who believes he has the right to tell women what to do with their wombs.
Being a drunken wannabe rapist who pins down 15-year-old girls or engages in other sickening sexual escapades isn't out of character for him.
I knew something was especially sinister when he trotted out his wife and daughters, and war criminal Condi Rice, to sit behind him as props as he lied and evaded his way through the so-called confirmation hearings!
3
New allegations from a 2nd woman who says Kavanaugh exposed his penis to her, and held it near her face, while others stood around and laughed. It was at some kind of gathering, in college. She's being represented by Michael Avenatti. Uh oh...!
3
Congressional Republicans have turned a blind eye to the Predator-In-Chief from day one. And now, it's coming back to haunt them. November 6 will show just how much of a price their complicity has cost them.
3
What is making a mockery of this situation is the statements of VP Pentz and Senators McConnell and Graham, all of whom have already annointed Kavanaugh as the next justice. Of course, they believe anything that Kavanaugh did falls into the category of "boys just being boys". This process is supposed to be about finding an objective candidate not just another member of the GOP frat pack.
Of course, the best quote of the day was from the leader of the pack, Trump, who told Geraldo Rivera that ".... I’m an honest guy." Sure, and Kavanaugh is supoosedly "a fantastic guy."
5
the Republicans are reaping what they have sown - this is a religious reference that they should be able to appreciate privately - of course their public spin will be of the perfidies of the Democrats, who (of course) learned from the masters, the Republicans
2
Dear Senator Burr:
As credible allegations of sexual abuse continue to emerge, one has to ask, why has this nomination needed to be rushed so urgently? At a minimum, the Senate needs to hear from Mark Judge, who was not only alleged to be involved in the attack on Dr. Blasey Ford but has also now been alleged to be involved with Judge Kavanaugh in gang rapes at parties as a young adult in Washington DC.
Senator Graham is worried about "ruining" Judge Kavanaugh's life. I'm not even going to speak to what might have happened to any young women unfortunate enough to be at a party with this guy, and whether that might have ruined a little more than her weekend, because much more to the point is this question: Why are Republicans not at all concerned about ruining the Supreme Court by rushing through a nominee who clearly does not have a sterling personal reputation? These charges do not come from nowhere.
This nominee should have the decency to step down himself. Failing that, the president should have the decency to withdraw the nomination. Failing that, surely some Republican senator has the decency to vote against this man, who does not deserve this lifetime appointment simply based on the credible questions about his treatment of women, who should be investigated thoroughly, and who perhaps should lose his current judicial appointment if the investigation so indicates.
3
Occam's Razor says that the simplest answer to a question or issue is probably the best answer. Ms. Ford has no reason to lie about her accusation and Kavanaugn has every reason to deny the accusation. Figure it out.
7
The GOP theory of governance " A government is an entity set up by good 'ol boys for the benefit of other good 'ol boys and so help me god"
3
"What happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep." - Brett Kavanaugh (2015)
Maybe not.
Same apparently goes for Yale.
Do the right thing and show some real integrity Mr. Kavanaugh. Remove yourself from this SCOTUS nomination.
5
Heaven knows how many other skeletons will come rattling out of Judge Kavanaugh's youthful days at the DC prep school and the ivy league law school. The judge's friends and acquaintances are probably all respectable citizens by now, and even if they know the truth they will find it difficult, if not impossible, to come out with the truth.
In the memorable words of Hamlet: "Conscience does make cowards of us all."
The two women who have come up with allegations against Judge Kavanaugh have done so at great peril to themselves. It seems strange that while some women are waking up so many men are wrapping themselves in blankets of amnesia and "cannot recall."
There is something rotten in the state......
6
Kavanaugh doesn’t have the party on his high school calendar and so must be innocent? How many high school kids would write “keg party” on their calendar for their parents to see? If Kavanaugh wants to make a convincing case that he couldn’t have done what Dr. Blasey says he did, he should insist on an FBI investigation and that his friend Judge testify under oath. That the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee aren’t calling for that already is a deriliction of duty.
6
@Galfrido The diary has witnesses attached to dates and places who can collaborate the events. That is why the accuser does not remember the date as this would disqualify her statement outright. Also, she has to name some people present since otherwise she would need to explain her private connection to the accused. Unfortunately for her all people she named deny the event taking place. So, no date, no witnesses, no place, what do we have to believe?
1
@DL
I'm so confused. Half of you rape apologists are stating that she shouldn't be believed because she can't even give a date range or identify where the party took place, and the other half of you are saying that there are witnesses who deny the event took place. Which is it??
What happened to Christine almost happened to me and I never told anyone about it. I'm almost 60 and just told my husband about it the other day because of this saga. Christine Ford did tell someone back in July as soon as she heard Kavanaugh's name being floated as a SCOTUS pick. Many people - including Trump are wondering why she never reported it. Well things were different back then and look how she's being treated even today - (can you say "Anita Hill"?).
If Kavanaugh was drunk he might not even remember he did this, however, as drunk as my friends and husband have been in our life he would never try to put his hand on someone's mouth and force them to do anything!
6
Lindsey Graham doesn't believe her, neither does Mr Trump or Mr Pence, Senators McConnell and Grassley have describe Thursday's hearing as an event they must plow through to get to the confirmation. None of these Republican leaders has listened to her testimony yet, but all have decided not to believe Dr. Blasey Ford's story because that would be so unfair to Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh. Now that a second woman has come forward about another incident, I suspect they will flick her away like an ant at a picnic.
The Republican Party has no interest in what women have to say, and it is disingenuous for the Republican women Senators to pretend Judge Kavanaugh wouldn't take their rights away.
Don't the Republicans have a better candidate they could consider, one who doesn't have a history of binge drinking and dismissing sexual assault accusers. Don't they have someone who is willing to share his professional history more than Judge Kavanaugh. Shouldn't we want the best in our Supreme Court?
6
Chairman Grassley should recuse himself from the Judiciary Committee. He has shown outright disdain for Dr, Blasey Ford by refusing to subpoena her main witness, Mr. Judge.
No court or no hearing committee should deny a party the right to subpoena a witness. Grassley's failure to allow this should disqualify him for extreme bias in the matter.
In my 40 years of practicing trial law, I never encountered a judge who would deny a lawyer the right to subpoena witnesses on the client's behalf. Grassley's failure to obey this tenet of law proves his extreme bias in this matter. He should recuse himself not only as chairman of the committee, but also as a member thereof.
10
@Donald Coureas
Grassley is an Iowa farmer, not even a lawyer.
1
Not only has a second woman accused Kavanaugh of misconduct, a third is apparently waiting in the wings having hired Stormy Daniels' attorney. It's time to postpone any though of confirming this nominee until the FBI conducts a thorough investigation of all the allegations.
8
The guilt before innocence proponents have got the wrong guy. This man is no Harvey Weinstein, Ted Kennedy, or Bill Clinton. Judge Kavanaugh’s life choices and conduct these past decades makes these alleged events ring hollow in many ways. The fact that no prior concerns have been uncovered all these years should give one pause as to the last minute accusations that have now appeared. As to the new accusations, Ms. Ramirez herself contacted former Yale classmates asking if they recalled the incident and told some of them that she could not be certain Mr. Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself. Bravo Democrats, you have played the Commity Republicans not like a trombone, but like a fiddle.
6
Hart, you just have no clue how trauma, and sexual trauma in particular, works, especially in the period that Kavanaugh was in school. I would bet that many if not most women who are his (my) age have experienced some kind of sexual trauma, of varying degrees, that they never reported. I am one. Women and men throughout history have been spoon fed a diet of female objectification since birth, and only now are women’s blinders coming off with attendant realization of what life would have been like if we had just been treated like people. Your blinders are clearly still steadfastly affixed to your head.
3
Surely there will be more victims coming forward. Quite likely Brett won't be on any bench, except the one in the park, after this is over.
7
@tbs. who's not a victim of something these days? All of our forerbearers' sufferings and struggles all for naught as a result of our present generation's inability to cope with even the slightest annoyance.
1
@John Doe
Sexual Assault is a slight annoyance?
Wow!!!
To me the behavior is the symptom. The problem is the world he grew up in, as you note, that allowed rich white boys--the privileged ones, to learn early they could do as they wished and their 'parents' would make the mess go away, if they even acknowledged it; afterall, she was not part of their family. We do not need another white privileged male making judicial decisions for this country and the rule of law. Their view of justice is inherently biased to support they world they grew up in and is not justice for all.
9
This article is behind the times, as Michael Avenatti yesterday disclosed there are even more explosive allegations about Kavanaugh participating in a practice called "training."
I am also glad to see that the New Yorker did locate a witness who does recall and is able to back up Ramirez' version of events. Therefore, this article might need to be updated to reflect all of these developing events.
Given the seriousness of the charges and the number of women willing to come forward, I think a withdrawal of Kavanaugh's nomination is imminent.
17
When the Democrats are in power, they should start proceedings against Clarence Thomas. We ALL know now that Anita Hill was telling the truth, he was lying, and there's no reason why he should continue to have the privilege of a SC seat. The GOP would do it in a heartbeat.
6
@CarolSon: I think we have more pressing issues.
I patiently wait for the day when Republicans lose in the Democratic process and talk of moving to New Zealand.
5
@Dan Au
I seem to remember Barbra Streisand and Alec Baldwin threatening the same actions if R's won.
3
It is interesting to look at the video where Kavanaugh accepts Trump's nomination, back in July.
I won't post the link but it's easy to find.
The VERY FIRST thing he says after Thank you, it's an honor blah blah, is that no nominee has ever been so thoroughly vetted as he has been.
Really.
That sounds awfully suspicious in retrospect.
People, let's not be naive. It's not that they didn't very him. They did! They did vet him thoroughly! They KNEW this stuff was out there.
Think about that. Think about what it says about these ancient fossilized Republican men.
Last grasp at power. Enjoy it while it lasts, gentlemen, 'cus this game is almost up.
17
Open season on all males! Any woman can accuse any man of anything with no evidence to back it up and all the other women will believe her and not him. All Democrats will believe her too if the accused is a Republican.
16
@john holcomb You are correct, Sir..
5
@john holcomb
How come Neil Gorsuch didn't have this problem?
2
Mr. Trump has a long track record of picking corrupt, flawed people who will do his bidding. Flynn, Manafort, Pruitt, Cohen... it’s becoming apparent that Judge Kavanaugh is yet another member of the “Only the best people” club.
17
Continuing, an imbedded, sexist bias by the media, this story begins,
"The woman who has accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers . . . "
and the second paragraph continues with,
" . . . a potentially explosive hearing that will pit the woman, Christine Blasey Ford, against Judge Kavanaugh . . . "
She is a woman, he is a man. They are equals. What's the matter with saying,
"Professor Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers . . . "
and
" . . . a potentially explosive hearing that will pit Professor Blasey Ford against Judge Kavanaugh . . . "
Identify her as Professor Christine Blasey Ford if you are going to identify the man, Brett M. Kavanaugh, as Judge Kavanaugh.
20
You are exactly right.
3
@dutchiris
It is far more important that they emphasize the timeline of when the republicans knew what juxtaposed with what they have been saying and doing in public. They have known about both accusers and the other stories all along and their reaction is not to have teh FBI do its job but to try to speed things up so they can get him confirmed.
I wonder what's in the rotation for the SCOTUIS case load this round that is so important to them?????
1
So the Males members on the Republican Side have committed the most serious crime our our times... Of being a man.. But let us not forget that it was all men sitting on the Supreme Court 45 years ago who voted 7-2 in favor of Roe vs Wade... But i'll shut up, because Senator Hirono of Hawaii has told me, you, your sons, your husbands, your fathers, or grandfather, to do so... This is what sexism really looks like.. But then again, i'm a man, i'm guilty...
5
@Hillary Clinton
Being a man makes sexual assault OK?
I am a man and do not think Sexual Assault is OK I believe it is a crime and an indication of character.
2
Feinstein's trying to ruin an honest man's reputation.
14
@New York I believe she is trying to protect the country from a bad choice. Incidentally, when I insult someone or accuse them, I use my name.
3
Really? Who?
1
@New York
1. Not trying, she’s succeeding
2. Not honest
3. Not a man. A monster
1
I guess America is now fine convicting without any evidence? Except when it comes it comes to Democrats. No one cares about the woman who Keith Ellison beat
15
Nobody is being “convicted.” Kavanaugh does not have a right to this SC seat- this is not a criminal trial. Every American, Democrats and Republicans alike, and presumably you, has an interest in filling this seat with a person whose ethics and morals are not in question. For example, Gorsuch was confirmed without any “hiccups,” even though his seat was essentially stolen from the Democrats. This mess is not the fault of the Democrats, but rather the Republicans insisting on trying to ram through this nominee with all his 100’s of thousands of pages of baggage, and a few alleged closet skeletons.
3
America might be able to recognize a repenting adult male who has gone to great lengths to apologize to women who he sexually assaulted, and paid for their therapy.
But an adult male who claims such bad behavior never occurred and hides behind frat brother accomplices or frat brother senators,
not gonna happen.
8
I have noticed something in photos of Mr. K. ,, please look at his hands.. what do you see? size, waxed or shaved, very soft. I see his face as very soft & troubled. When the man came up to him at the Hearing, First Day, .. to shake his hand, and have a few words' with him, Mr. K. seemed to cower, and made a face, like a young child.. he then turned his back on the Father of a daughter who was killed at Parkland Shooting." There is something , off about Mr. K. That is all I have to say. Thank You.
5
According to the rules of the Senate, at least two members of the minority party must be present to meet the requirements for quorum, without which the committee cannot conduct a hearing.
At least in theory, Democrats could boycott (and halt) the hearing until a thorough FBI investigation has been conducted and until all background files have been delivered in a relevant time frame.
Democrats need to stone up.
4
Since the Republican committee members have refused to question any other parties to the alleged incident, Dr Blasey should refuse to take any questions from anyone other than a senator. Or at the least, answer such questions under direct and repeated protest that they are questions that the senators are too fearful to ask.
3
I suspect that Dr. Ford will be able to recall certain specific aspects of Kavanaugh remembered from the incident (e.g., a cologne, an article of clothing, a ring, a phrase he used, etc.) that will be hard for Kavanaugh to deny.
This will be collaborative evidence, since nobody can remember such details about someone they were acquainted with in high school decades later, unless there is a reason such as it being part of a sexual assault.
So if I were the Republicans I wouldn't be too sure that not conducting a prior investigation, and turning this into a "he-said, she-said" event will result in Kavanaugh "winning." It may well result in him being blindsided by testimony he is not prepared for.
2
There's too much smoke here. Even if it isn't a four-alarm blaze, a spark in this context is too much. Kavanaugh has to go.
8
As a recap....Brett Kavanaugh, originally called in for a job interview, is now having to answer questions regarding behavior that hasnt been classified as a crime, yet, nor has he even been formally accused of such poorly defined crime. Fairly accurate? Yep. Franz Kafka just called in to say,"it's worse than I ever imagined."
3
Kavanaugh is highly partisan, and is rather outspoken in wishing to violate people's constitutional rights either to freedom of religion or freedom of privacy.
For details, search the web for Kavanaugh's speech in 2017 at the American Enterprise Institute, in which he praised Justice Rehnquist. The text of Kavanaugh's speech is public, and one can read Kavanaugh advocating for these things:
*Public taxpayer money put towards religious causes
*Denying people access to contraception
It's no wonder that the radical-right-wing Republican party of today wants him on the Supreme Court.
Kavanaugh is dangerous to our civil rights.
10
It is critical Dems not get too far forward on their skis to avoid a serious tumble. Let's not turn any allegation, independent of gender and equitable procedure, into a premature judgment.
With that disclaimer out of the way, it's 101 everything to anticipate that aggressive sexual misconduct rarely occurs in a single incident. At this point, it's imperative that the FBI be brought in to investigate both allegations against Kavanaugh. Early reports of the accusation reported in The New Yorker state there has been no secondary corroboration of any early
vague statement, which upon reflection became highly specific and if true, extremely disturbing.
All also now confirms an absolute need for reasonable time to get a thorough investigation of both allegations done, lest the thin veneer claiming proper course be totally exposed as thoroughly rotten. Both our current Supreme Court and Congressional legitimacy are not at stake.
1
@Ben Brice I agree. A thorough investigation by the FBI is a responsible next step. American Citizens need to be asking themselves WHAT the RUSH is about. Many of these same Republican Senate and House Leaders intentionally refused to act on allowed Merrick Garland's nomination. WHAT is the REAL MOTIVATION for this RUSH to push Kavanaugh's nomination through? WE need to be asking ourselves WHAT ACTION serves the best interest of the American People? Mr. Kavanaugh isn't on trial, he is applying for a job... A very important job that it appears his past behavior could indicate the reflect that he is NOT the best person to serve on the Supreme Court. Again, WHAT is in the best interest of the American People?
3
The most likely reason for rush to confirmation is to seat him on the Court before the Mueller investigation brings charges against 45.
2
What we should be demanding for Christine Blasey Ford at this moment is not belief, but a respectful and open-minded hearing.
As far as the credibility of Blasey's accusation is concerned, we're in the position of following her through a minefield. No good can be done by getting out in front of the testimony and declaring the conclusion that should be drawn from it. This is an individual human being, not a composite of all the women who have suffered sexual abuse or a hologram generated from the research consensus on the subject. This individual has an obligation to convince her listeners that her particular accusation has merit, and they -- we -- have an obligation to judge conscientiously.
I do believe that Blasey made her accusation in good faith. Now I want her to be listened to in good faith.
9
And I believe K made his denial in good faith, and thus should be listened to in good faith also. You know equality, supposedly the bedrock of the Democratic Party.
2
The democrats are playing a cynical game with these women's accusations. They Democrats are obviously spacing out the accusation in a way to maximize political damage to Kavanaugh, they are not interested in finding the Truth behind the accusations.
What's more, as these high-profile accusations are consistently shown to be false, they greatly damage the credibility of the womens movement. It sort of the Democrats "calling wolf" when there is no wolf. After a while everybody ignores them and when there actually is a wolf, the citizen ignore the warning.
are have the effect of the boy
8
The only outcome the Republicans require is that Kavanaugh be approved as the next justice on the Supreme Court.
They cannot allow nor afford not to put another far right conservative in place before the 2018 elections and will do whatever is required to guarantee this.
They have done everything they can think of to prevent this catastrophe from steering this selection to steer the court to the far right.
Bring on all accusers. Bring on all eveidence. Bring up anything you care to but the republicans are lock step in giving trump what he wants and they cofer.
They will employ every possible tactic to mute the opposition , ANY POSSIBLE TACTIC.
They are no longer the party of the people but of the rich , powerful, corporate industries and the far right wing Evangelicans, .
The POGO comic strip was right, "We have found the enemy and they are us. "
There goes democracy!
5
Let's be real here for a moment. Let's stop debating details and fine points. Let's stop insisting that this nominee has to be confirmed no matter what. Let's step back for a few minutes and look at the big picture. Kavanaugh's confirmation has been hurried--running to the beat of some invisible but obvious Republican drummer. GOP wants him confirmed, sworn in and in his robes a week from today. They want the promises to their evangelical base kept. They want their rogue--and possibly criminal--president protected from himself and his behavior. They want their donors happy. Those are the Republican goals.
What they have is a dangerously flawed candidate. He has possibly lied on more than one occasion in several confirmation hearings. His large debt has magically disappeared. He may have drinking issues. At least two, possibly three, women have accused him of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. These issues need to be investigated before Kavanaugh takes a lifetime seat on the Court and begins to change American law and norms.
And the big picture? GOP knows that this candidate will not pass FBI scrutiny and possibly questioning under oath on these matters. They want to ram him through no matter who he really is or if he's qualified.
Question is--can they do it? Can we stop them? Our future is at stake.
15
@Meg Well said. Here's another important question. WHY isn't this "dangerously flawed candidate" withdrawing his nomination? WHY haven't or government leaders strongly encouraged Judge Kavanaugh to withdraw his nomination? Is this "the only" candidate the Republican's and Mr. Trump could come up with?
3
@Leslie374 I have considered that as well. I think Kavanaugh has been bought and paid for when someone took care of his debt. I would guess, knowing the strong-arm tactics preferred by Trump, that Kavanaugh doesn't have the option to bow out. He's being put on the Court specifically to protect Trump from the Mueller investigation and vote to overturn Roe. The GOP leaders all appear to be owned by Trump at this point--witness Lindsay Graham's obeisance yesterday. They are not going to speak up except to support Kavanaugh and then vote for him. I'm afraid a week from today Kavanaugh will be a Supreme Court Justice--for life. Thanks for the kind words. We're all going to need some kindness in the weeks ahead.
Like so much else of the Trump administration, this Court appointment has now become a circus. Kavanaugh should withdraw from the process, or else the Senate committee should do it for him. Forgotten in this mess is that the authority and legitimacy of the Supreme Court is at stake. This is no small thing. Kavanaugh shows little respect for the court by continuing to participate in this partisan carnival. There are hundreds of judges in the country who could probably move effortlessly to the high court, who have no skeletons and who would restore dignity to the court and the process. Why prolong this sideshow any longer? We already have one justice on the supreme court whose qualifications are questionable. We don't need another. There is nothing inherently remarkable about Kavanaugh, except that for whatever reason Republicans are determined to "ram him through." End this mess and bring forward another candidate. The validity of the Supreme Court matters more than Kavanaugh or the Republican Party.
7
@Ms. Pea Amen.
2
What would the FBI do? Without something more than a hazy memory this accusation would not make an episode of "Cold Case". Its an impossible task. Are they going to find DNA evidence after 36 years? Are they going to find a surprise witness who recalls the incident? Those who have come forward have no recollection of the event. Maybe there's some secret recording of this incident in which Kavanaugh was recounting the incident step by step. What's the objective of a FBI investigation? What methods would be employed? There are no witnesses. They don't want to get in the middle of yet another political storm.
If they were to conduct some sort of investigation and clear Kavanaugh's name will Senators change their minds? Their votes? No they will not. Its a political sideshow. Each member of Congress should have a background check done by the FBI that includes everything they've done as far back as high school. Now thats fair.
6
Kavanaugh has been through multiple background checks and has been a federal appellate judge for over a decade. If any of this had any merit, it should have been raised long ago, and it is no coincidence that all of this comes up after the nomination hearing was over. The Democrats have clearly decided that Kavanaugh's life and reputation are worth being destroyed for their own partisan political agenda. Oh, and now Michael Avenatti, future Democratic candidate for President, has more witnesses to pull out of his hat. This is truly nauseating, and will not bode well for any Supreme Court nominee proposed by a Democratic President.
12
We expect a Supreme Court justice to have the character that insists on truth-finding, on process, on precedent, on transparency.
Breaking precedent, thousands of relevant documents were withheld from the Senate advise and consent process for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination. Now, these two allegations will not re-open the FBI investigation even though that is the procedure for all civil servant background checks, let alone for a Supreme Court justice.
Mr. Kavanaugh, on his own, would demonstrate those character credentials if he insisted on full disclosure of all relevant documents and complete, thorough, background investigation by the FBI.
3
One more things is becoming clearer that children from rich, well-connected and 'elites' families, being trained in expensive private schools and then attending ivy league universities (again, by virtue of parental connection and wealth) are increasingly occupying higher positions in both Government and private sector. It has a very serious consequences and a indicates a grave social issue emerging since early 1980s (Reagan era) that we must solve without any delay.
5
We now are beginning to see why the Republican leadership was in such a hurry to push through the Kavanaugh confirmation vote. Do they not realize that at least half of American voters are women? What a sad state of affairs our government has become. Well, just as fast as Americans voted for this Congress and this President we can vote for something better in 2018 and 2020. (So help us, God)
6
Trump is not going to order an FBI investigation. The hardline GOP are not going to delay until the midterms and are not going to change their votes no matter what Dr Ford says or how many other women chime in. The only chance of derailing Kavanaugh, or having a chance for voters to make their wishes known by delaying until after the midterms, lies in the hope that any two Republicans are more moderate, honest, and ethical than the rest of their party and vote “no”.
4
One more things is becoming clear that children from rich and 'elites', purchasing and trained in expensive private schools and then ivy league universities (again, by virtue of parental connection and wealth) are increasingly occupying higher positions in both Government and private sector. It has a very serious consequences and a indicates a grave social issue emerging since early 1980s (Reagan era) that we must solve without any delay.
4
@Bonku: well said! For me, this has been the most depressing aspect of this whole story, to realize that the top of the US government, at least the Republican side, is populated by private schools rich kids / Ivy frat boys types, who think that everything and everyone is literally up for grab.
3
It was the emotions. I watched the Anita Hill proceedings and saw such an intelligent, well-spoken woman giving testimony. She was calm and rational; her answers composed and dignified and she faced a wall of white man. But that was the problem perhaps. Where was the anger, the emotions, the outrage, frustration, tears at being victimized? Although I can a great respect for her as a person, as a victim I could clearly see she didn’t look at sound like one. I believe her, but she didn’t appear like her life was turned upside down, like she couldn’t handle or believe what had happened to her. I hope Dr. Ford just doesn’t read a cold dispassionate statement but shows us the outrage and the trauma that she experienced. Otherwise I’m afraid she won’t appear believable and this episode will just pass over.
1
@Electroman72, the minute Hill displayed emotion, she would have been written off as hysterical. Or as an angry black woman. There is no way for a woman to win when she’s judged on impressions, not facts.
Let me clear up something that a number of you have raised as to why this woman brought up her traumatic past after so many years. .Why Now ?
I have no professional doubt, that Christine Blasey has suffered from PTSD since the time of her ordeal.
In a number of different ways and manifestations, she has continued to live with this handicap for most of her life. The traumatic memories related to the original event may diminish but they will never go away or the emotional reactions to living with what happened to her .
Life goes on and she does the best she can but the scars of PTSD can predispose one, in adult years to all sorts of psychological conditions. She sought professional help and very quickly the source of her problems was identified.
But why now ...Because , I imagine ,that since Brett Kavanaughs name came to the public fore ,after being nominated and lauded by Donald Trump and thereafter ,the demons of the past are well and truly to the fore
.She cannot escape from it , the traumatic memory is a real time present experience which she endures each day and night This issue should not be criticised in terms of the Democrats playing dirty political tricks (in reality ,the Republicans have been shameless from the outset and continue to do so , a classic example of the ends justify the means )
Few of us who have not known or lived with PTSD can remotely appreciate what she is and has been going through. . Her courage to do what is right is extraordinary ..
264
@efitzg7950
Agreed. And now that there is another woman stepping forward, the committee must absolutely follow through on both accounts, along with the FBI.
This is about our country, not about a political party.
1
@efitzg7950
I did not find out that my mother had been abused until after she died.
Lacking this piece of the puzzle had made understanding her alcoholism and abuse of my father inexplicable.
Once I knew what had happened to her as a child, I understood her behavior as an adult, which enabled me to forgive her, and recall that she loved me.
I went to private schools more elite than the candidate, and while we misbehaved in ways I am embarrassed by now, I don't know a single classmate who would forced himself on a woman over her objections.
I have no sympathy for the his delicate feelings in this political moment. He is being considered for a permanent appointment to the highest court in the land, where he will be dishing it out to all and sundry with little concern for their feelings, I am only too certain.
If he can't take the heat, withdraw.
5
@sailmelody
Yes another woman stepping forth with foggy recollections.
1
I bet we do not see Kavenaugh daughters in the front row on the next session.
Matter of fact, cover your ears this is about to get downright pornographic with the Yale College classmate.
Trump reality TV politics really gets the ratings.
@Chicago
The day is young. Still time to bow out BK.
This may become the second year of the woman, but I think this is also the start of the age of androphobia.
5
It struck me that Kavanagh was referred to as Judge three times (including caption) before Dr. Ford was referred to by her title, Dr. Instead, Dr. Ford was referred to by her gender (“the woman”) or her full name sans title. Both Judge and Dr. indicate terminal degrees.
NYT, is this in line with your style guide? If so, rationale?
2
If Kavenough were a priest with these allegations would you vote to make him a Cardinal?
5
Now, Michael Avenatti has come forward claiming he has been contacted and has investigated cl multiple claims of drug and
alcohol induced gang rape by Kananaugh and others. He was riduculed for supporting Stormy Daniels and was proven right
Kavanaugh should do the country a favor and withdraw. I wonder if he should even be allowed to continue on the federa bench. Let the Evangelicals, Miller and the rest of the alt.right claque find another "victim".
7
Sexual predators - not drunken teenagers -- are a minority. (See Jon Krakauer's extensive study of college sexual predators in hs great book Missoula). That BK would reoffend was inevitable. It was just a matter of time that the women who were assaulted by him would have the courage to come forth. There are more, I predict. Feinstein is right in calling for a pause to proceedings lest this whole thing become more embarrassing than we can all stomach. Here is the truth: BK does not measure up. Next candidate?
10
The meddling of the leftist radical troublemaking Democrats, such as Senator Feinstein, with the potential witnesses casts only more doubt in their political motivation.
Kavanaugh's opponents should "create evidence" of his having smoked marijuana after becoming a lawyer, which would be the easiest way to his disbarrment.
1
@Tuvw Xyz, Senator Feinstein is hardly radical.
1
@Tuvw Xyz
What?
1
I believe that Dr Blasey may have participated in a high school party where a young man groped her in an uninvited manner. But -- given what is well known about her behavior pattern at the time, and given what is well known about her political activism (despite both of these subjects being 'hushed over' by the New York Times and other liberal media) - I don't believe that Judge Kavanaugh was the perpetrator. Blasey had a bad experience during her youth. Thirty years later, she shared it with her psychologist. Only very recently did she attach Judge Kavanaugh's name to it. What motivated her to do so, we can only speculate.
Notably -- her accusations comprise only a minor action and only a small fraction of the tally of rape accusations against Bill Clinton by multiple women. The New York Times pays scant attention to those claims -- because it doesn't fit the liberal narrative.
This is why the New York Times is referred to as "fake news". It brings only the news which fits the leftist narrative.
13
Another attack on trump. thats all this is
7
Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer, as expected, did a better job investigating Ms. Ramirez' allegations. Read it for yourself, but though the NYT says it couldn't corroborate her allegations, Farrow and Mayer produced a pattern of some very convincing corroborations. That's why they ran the story.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/senate-democrats-investigate-a-...
8
As a male, my heart goes out to every woman who has been victimized by our culture of misogamy toward women.
When I was in High School there was horrible peer pressure of proving your manhood by how many girls you had gone all the way with. All girls were then labeled as "slutty, and wanting it."
If Kavanaugh truly cared about women who are assaulted, he would at least show compassion and empathy toward Dr. Blasey Ford, even if he was supposedly, "unequivocally" innocent.
Believe you me, if a woman accused me from my past, I would want to meet with her and reconcile any misunderstanding.
Senator Orin Hatch should also be taken to task for saying "Dr. Ford was mixed up," and within days, the
Ed Whelan scheme of "mixed up identity" was shamefully
floated.
Why is Mark Judge not being called? He gets to hide behind "I don't' recollect." The fact that Grassley won't call him to swear under oath, is disgraceful.
The Republican cult of judging the female victim no matter what--has got to stop!
355
@Ron Kendricks
"I don't recall" - yet Judge was able to recall enough to write a book about his drunken escapades?????
@Ron Kendricks if a person doesn't remember what happen over 35 years ago, that doesn't make him guilty. It also doesn't make Judge K guilty either. But what it does do is that there would be a black mark on his Professional record forever. There will alway be a doubt in the people mind.
@Ron Kendricks And remember people, Mark Judge was a part of the situation, she said he jumped on top of B.K. , then both of their weight was on her. So, he has reasons for not wanting to testify, also, when the accusation was public, B.K. was whisked off to the W.H. He had been there less than a day before M. Judge made his statement. We need him to be honest, and unmesh himself to B.K.
How is it possible that the Republicans will not call Mark Judge, who Ms Blasey claims was present during the alleged attack, as a key eye witness to testify under oath? This is incredible and makes a farce out of the entire hearing. If Kavanaugh is innocent, as he claims, what do they fear from Mr Judge? Something is fishy here and the refusal to make Mr Judge testify under oath makes a kangaroo court of this whole proceeding.
9
I was an undergraduate at Yale during those years. There were a lot of very drunken prep school boys (remember the scene at Dorian's?), a lot of casual sex and sexual behaviors, a lot of blackout drunkenness, and not too much accountability, as we had no constant tracking and recording on cellphones and other devices as do current teens and young adults. A lot of penises were inappropriately exposed. A lot of them belonged to currently prominent (no pun intended) men. Do they all step down from their positions now? Or do we make the sensible choice and move FORWARD with a new understanding of what is acceptable, appropriate behavior. Enough of the hazy memories and alcohol soaked accusations of past wrongdoing.
100
@RE
Inadvertently exposing your penis is a mistake, shoving it in someone’s face or other body orifice uninvited is assault. Why is this so difficult for some to understand?
6
@RETrusting his word over hers has been the traditional response to sexual harassment and assault for centuries. We're now at a crossroads where women's allegations aren't just automatically dismissed. Kavanaugh is nominated to the Supreme Court, where his opinions may affect every woman in the country. His dismissal outright of these allegations, combined with Republicans' refusal to take simple steps (like put Kavanaugh's friend Mark Judge under oath) to refute them, speaks volumes about his attitude toward women and their allegations going forward and the party's attitude about women in general. There's a reason why the GOP is now the party of older white men.
1
@RE
No one is asking anyone to step down, although that could be a side effect for his current position.
He is applying for a lifetime promotion to SCOTUS, the top job for any lawyer, which is a STEP UP.
This country doesn’t need a new definition or understanding of what is acceptable, appropriate behavior. He crossed the line and more than once. Game over.
Don’t try to Trump us down.
4
This is really all about Roe v Wade and a woman’s right to abortion. Republicans want to keep women back in the home raising their children. Democrats want to “liberate” women by allowing them to compete with men on an equal basis in the workplace. One little problem is biology. Only women bear children. Roe v Wade gives women more control or choice over whether and when they give birth. To accommodate this interest, the Supreme Court not only fashioned a right to privacy but also, in a nod to the traditional role of women in society, concocted a nonsensical trimester system in which the interest of the state in childbirth is given more weight as the pregnancy progresses. What is that interest? Are we afraid that abortion will become so attractive an option that women will always choose it so that we will no longer have a self-sustaining population? I guess it works well enough because most abortions are conducted during the first semester anyway. The second and third semesters are more problematic and illustrate the essential absurdity of the Court’s decision. So we arrive at this hearing on Ford’s claim which is really a proxy for the right of abortion. The Democrats will do anything to preserve that right because they believe the end justifies the means which means denying Kavanaugh his seat by putting up unreasonable obstacles. But for their trickery their cause will be lost which only shows how questionable the “right” to abortion really is in the first place.
4
Exhibit A, your honor. As the record will show my client has produced a calendar from 35 years ago that he still has for some reason, whereupon underage drinking is not scheduled. I rest my case.
33
Democrats have facts and logic on their side in wanting a legitimate investigation of Ms. Blasey Ford’s credible allegation as well as the others now coming to light, and in pointing out the inconsistency of endlessly delaying consideration of Merrick Garland while rushing through the Kavanaugh hearings. However, this language isn’t going to resonate with Republicans in Congress. Power is their tool; they’re masterful at using and abusing it to get what they want. Therefore, power is what must be taken away from them, and the electorate has that ability. Vote in November!
21
Whatever your view on the merits of the case, or the political and societal implications of the appointment or rebuttal of this person to this office, it is highly concerning that all branches of government, all political institutions, the press and the public of a country focus on the question what a drunk 17 year old did 36 years ago, while this same country holds 6000 nuclear warheads, has accumulated the largest debt any country ever has, and is engaged in almost every conflict the world is currently suffering through.
6
I have found it very disappointing that Judge Kavanaugh has not spoken out against the death threats and harassment that Dr Ford and her family have received. Kavanaugh is in line for an appointment to the highest court in the land, the instinct and ability to rise above his own loss or gain and put fair process and orderly rule of law first is an trait that I would hope to see. It is a shame that we do not expect and demand such leadership from those that form our government.
20
@Ed D
Not for anything but Mrs. Kavanaugh has also received death threats, silence from the media.
2
Regarding the inability of other participants to recall the alleged incidents, one is reminded of the consequences: a deluge of life changing criticism and hostility.
3
Putting this over, isn't that what Feinstein has been angling for with her 3-month delay as to releasing the Dr. Ford letter and other Dem shenanigans.
Clearly the Dems want to put this over until after the election hoping that Dems will be elected and that they'll have more say in regard to the nominee. It's got nothing to do with Democrat morality.
This can also be viewed as a payback for the Merrick Garland debacle where a perfectly good nominee was set forth by President Obama only to be met with recalcitrance and delays by the GOP until after an election.
The GOP wrote the playbook on this maneuver.
13
Here is what is perplexing: If Kavanaugh is such a wonderful jurist, why didn't he just say,
"You know, as an adolescent I did a number of less than prudent things. It is possible this happened with Christine, though I have no recollection of the incident. I sincerely apologize if it did occur, and I have no objection to an FBI investigation."
That would likely have been the end of the story, and would have displayed a respectful and responsible character. Instead, his denial and lack of support for an FBI investigation and/or a lie detector test belie the truth - and suggest a character less than wise, thoughtful and upright.
29
Why would someone make up these accusations? Where there is smoke, we should see fire.
The Senators should get at the facts and make a decision on that. It is obvious that they want the nomination to go through before the November elections.
They are not putting the country first.
8
@Thomas E Martini Why would someone make it up? Well, other than his mother ruled against her family in a foreclosure, and she's a known rabid anti Trump SJW, and the Democrats will do or say anything to derail trump and his agenda, I can't think of any reason why.
2
What about due process, so what its been 35 years, don't we still need to know the facts, the truth, or are we at a point where we just brush these allegations aside because they were teenagers, so what's to do about nothing. I grew up hearing as adults we needed to be there for our most vulnerable, which would be our very young and our very old. I retired with 24 years in law enforcement, sure I was lied to many times by people who falsely accused someone, but you know what they, the accuser needed to be brought to just then. No one should get a hall pass for bad/criminal behavior, even if it was 35 years ago. It does matter at the end.
6
The prevalence of alcohol in Brett Kavanaugh's behavior should raise major alarms. (Was this part of the "baggage" that raised concerns for McConnell with the nomination?)
I am a recovering alcoholic now sober almost 30 years, and while I never lost a job I did wreck one car and three marriages. I have also heard hundreds if not thousands of recovery stories from other alcoholics and one common thread seems to be that habitual heavy drinkers find it virtually impossible to cut back from blackout-type drinking to acceptable (and reasonable) "social" drinking. I was not able to do it for more than a few days at a time, and any who can are very rare.
So I would ask: when (if!) did Judge Kavanaugh has moderated his drinking, and how did he do it? Does he still drink to blackout occasionally? (The noises in the background about gambling and debt fit into these concerns all too neatly.)
Another characteristic of alcoholics, as with other addicts, is chronic lying, to themselves (I don't have a problem) and others (can't you smell the breath mints rather than the booze?) to the point that they lose almost all connection to the truth itself --- as In another famous case, this can happen even when "dry drunks" forego the ethanol itself.
260
@jprfrog Is the evidence of drinking coming from the same place as the so called assault?
@jprfrog Alcohol is a manifested symptom of a deeper issue. I believe that he, B.K. has a personality disorder, that can not be helped by medication. His hands are extremely de-haired, softened, it is striking . meaning to the extreme. When he walks he is very unanimated, almost robot like. He seems to be highly sensitive to criticism, or simple questioning. But true, Alcohol, if an issue says at least, he is self medicating for.. courage?
@jprfrog
Thank you for such an open and honest commentary. I wish you would email it to those on the committee so they might have their eyes opened.
To my knowledge and thats a key caveat, in my town we havent scoffed at the idea of local law enforcement launching an investigation into charges of sexual assault. And it certainly hasn't happened twice in one month and with the same (known) individual under suspension, as faras we've been told.
1
Some skepticism is still merited, but the New Yorker report(available online) is more than just a one-person accusation. It's clear Kavanaugh will be withdrawing his nomination.
5
"Ms. Ramirez herself contacted former Yale classmates asking if they recalled the incident and told some of them that she could not be certain Mr. Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself."
This is insane.
It’s now official. “Suspension of disbelief” is the Ds’ operant principle.
I am stunned by how many lefties fall for the smarmy circular nonsense of Kirsten, Mazi, Hillary! & Dick (both of them).
14
@Marian what about asking for a proper FBI investigation? So we can clear this up. Once and for all, or at least for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme court.
11
@Marian
There is no rush to this process and an F.B.I. investigation of these allegation is warranted.
Sadly the all male, GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee has declined to invite the F.B.I. to investigate Dr. Ford and Ms. Ramirez's accusations. Worse still is these same men who suggest they'll give Dr. Ford due consideration in her testimony have already come out saying nothing will change their mind on nominating Kavanaugh.
Add to this Trump's lie that the F.B.I. declined to investigate Dr. Ford's accusation yet they were never asked to by Trump or Chairman Grassley.
2
@Marian
The New Yorker article says:
A classmate of Ramirez’s, who declined to be identified ... , said that another student told him about the incident either on the night of the party or in the next day or two. The classmate said that he is “one-hundred-per-cent sure” that he was told at the time that Kavanaugh was the student who exposed himself to Ramirez. He independently recalled many of the same details offered by Ramirez, including that a male student had encouraged Kavanaugh as he exposed himself. The classmate, like Ramirez, recalled that the party took place in a common room on the first floor in Entryway B of Lawrance Hall, during their freshman year. “I’ve known this all along,” he said. “It’s been on my mind all these years when his name came up. It was a big deal.” The story stayed with him, he said, because it was disturbing and seemed outside the bounds of typically acceptable behavior, ... . The classmate said that he had been shocked, but not necessarily surprised, ... He recalled Kavanaugh as “relatively shy” until he drank, at which point he said that Kavanaugh could become “aggressive and even belligerent.”
...
Another classmate, Richard Oh, an emergency-room doctor in California, recalled overhearing, soon after the party, a female student tearfully recounting to another student an incident at a party involving a gag with a fake penis, followed by a male student exposing himself. Oh is not certain of the identity of the female student.
"Ms. Ramirez herself contacted former Yale classmates asking if they recalled the incident and told some of them that she could not be certain Mr. Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself."
What else do you expect the corrupt, power-crazed Ds to do? Ford’s “case” is collapsing.
Her shifting story, her gaping memory holes, her hand-selected witnesses failing to corroborate & even denying, her conflict-of-interest financial ties to abortifacient RU-486, her bacchanal high school scene, including binge drinking to induce memory loss, & her consciousness of guilt revealed by her scrubbing of the documentary evidence—her yearbooks.
19
@Marian Dr. Ford's story hasn't shifted, she said all along she didn't remember things that were not a part of the assault. As for 'her bacchanal high school scene', that would apply to Kavanaugh (or should I say O'Kavanaugh?) as well, no? And what of the things in his yearbook that suggest women are only to be used for sex?
The New Yorker article makes clear Kavanaugh's buddy Mark Judge is a liar--no wonder Repubs don't want to do an FBI investigation, as Ms.Ford has requested.
5
Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? I don't want to see this man confirmed but he is entitled to due process no?
Teddy Kennedy let a woman die and he was re-elected time and time again.
Dr. Ford's recollections are fuzzy at best and there has been no definitive proof that K was even at this party. The FBO should investigate and the Dems should block this confirmation with everything they have. So too must Collins, Flake and Murkowsky.
8
It is different. The standard for politicians is no standard. For high court it used to be higher.
1
@Margo Channing
... no, he's not entitled to due process. There's no due process rights implicated in being nominated for the supreme court.
He's not being criminally charged.
Whether you believe the ladies rendering on Mr. Kavanaugh has absolutely nothing to do with what facts and truths might be revealed, and absolutely everything to do with what “party” you have membership in.... the sc has been issuing evidence of this for years... look it up.
A bunch of male Republican Senators hiding behind a female attorney looks really bad. I mean the optics are worse than if Grassley hadn't said anything at all. His insistence on that one condition means Republican Senators fully intend to pull an Anita Hill on Dr. Blasey. Listen to Lindsey Graham. His mind is decided on the matter no matter what happens on Thursday. The humiliating part is he and his Republican colleagues need a mouth piece to do their dirty work. The negative campaign ads write themselves.
17
By all accounts, including his own, John McCain was a total jerk at Annapolis and in his early military career. And his social behavior left a lot to be desired as well. Yet he is remembered as a great American.
And many look fondly back on Bill Clinton and his Presidency, notwithstanding the fact that he was a MeToo poster boy. He has not been shamed into oblivion.
The standard of what makes a behavior at some point earlier in one's life disqualifying for the entire rest of their lives seems to be a moving target. And highly dependent on what fits with one's political goals.
20
@RM--Times change and we evolve. If John McCain was entering politics today, his past behavior would be an issue. If Bill Clinton was president today, and the Lewinsky scandal occurred, he would probably be removed from office. The past is full of examples of behavior that would not be tolerated in the present. To expect better of ourselves in the present than we did in the past shows that we've learned from our mistakes and grown as a culture.
2
RM, The world has changed: men are not getting away with sexual assault or harassment. They are being called on it and in many cases paying for it. Women will not tolerate abuse, disrespect and sexism. Period.
3
@RM. Kavenaugh has shown nothing in the way of good character in the way he has handled the allegations of his behavior. Rather than consider the possibility that the incident occurred and he has forgotten it and offer an apology he has denied that it could have happened. He has stood by when one of his good ol boy pals slandered a former classmate by naming him as the possible attacker. His work on the Clinton-Lewinsky hearings shows how he operates as a lawyer. His later writings reveal his lack of impartiality as he now doubts he should have used the tactics he did. Now that the president is a Republican.
Kavenaugh's appointment to the court will be the final nail in its coffin
2
What's incredibly disturbing, and thank goodness the capacity to be outraged by this Admin has not died in us, is that the old, white, male GOP establishment asserts that he will be confirmed, period. They express zero interest in finding out the truth and it doesn't matter to them whether or not a Supreme Court Justice nominee has sexually assaulted a woman.
31
A searing question: why doesn't Kavanaugh welcome an FBI investigation to clear his name? It can't be the midterms given McConnell's resolve to "plow right through..." the Blasey Ford accusations to confirm Kavanaugh. What are they hiding?
14
@weneedhelp You repeat the Democrat talking point, but, just what would possibly be in an FBI report that would clear an innocent man of charges like this? It's simply the case of the unsupported word of a woman with no supporting facts. So the FBI reports they find no support for the allegation and the Democrats still scream "you must believe the woman".
5
@Mac Of course what you're saying about any FBI report is pure speculation. Just wondering: when there's neutral source available to ferret out the facts, why would a person aspiring to a position of trust and authority want to clear their reputation solely on the basis of self-serving testimony?
I have a new name for the GOP/culture of corruption instead of making America great again. There seems to be more women abusers showing up there who want to work for the biggest women abuser who is above the law Trump. This weekend Trumps son Don had a repulsive reply about a senator and his long past issue with the wife. Don left his wife with 5 kids for a home wrecker women just this year. He is like his father though married 3 times and during the marriage going after porn stars and remarrying. This is character flaws when men do this to their families and should not be in any office. The GOP are a culture of corruption and all supporters and politicians need to be in jail.
6
@D.j.j.k.
Kennedy...Clinton...Booker...Repubs?
2
@william f bannon
You GOP/culture of corruption are breathing to much coal dust and now coal ash from your illegal dumping it in N and S Carolina. How you got so bad is sad and you will reap what you sow.
If Kavanaugh's daughters are paying attention to what Daddy and Senators Graham, McConnell, Grassley, et al are saying, they are learning that if they are ever sexually assaulted and don't have DNA or other irrefutable evidence, they should just keep their mouths shut.
All of our daughters (and sons) are hearing that.
29
Enough has come out regarding Kavanaugh and his youth to know that he spent his time at Georgetown Prep and Yale partying with drunken party animals. "What happens at....stays at...".
Enough has come out regarding Kavanaugh's finances and activities to indicate that his judgement and quite possibly his behavior are no better than they were when he was younger.
You are known by the company that you keep. With another story coming out if it wasn't him, then it was his buddies. None of them objected to this behavior; all are complicit in the sexual abuse and denigration of women.
The GOP will no doubt stick with him no matter what - "boys will be boys", "the little lady is sadly mistaken, etc, etc.
None of them will say or do anything that will jeopardize their membership in the exclusive clubs of the superrich, the old college boy networks, or the "DC DKEs" (to stretch a point).
10
Isn't it strange that every male classmate who ever knew Brett Kavanaugh now has amnesia?
The CDC should look into this epidemic.
38
@Wimsy not all witnesses support Kavanaugh. Maybe he is innocent?
Republicans want to avoid the FBI, since that might well subject Kavanaugh to charges of perjury
30
@rj1776 not true, Kavanaugh’s written response carries the same penalties. The vast amount misinformation going around is regrettable.
4
When will we hear from Edward Whelan and Mark Judge under oath?
23
As far as teenage drinking goes, I don't know one guy and not many women who I went to school with who didn't occasionally tie one on. Sometimes to the point of being stumbling drunk. Should they all be disqualified from having professional careers? If so, that would remove a lot of doctors, lawyers, academicians, business people from the scene. And let's not forget that Churchill was a famous drunk and somewhat of a social boor. Wish we could have kept him from becoming prime minister. That would mean we would probably wouldn't have needed a d-day or needed to fight the United German Republic of Europe.
If K got drunk in college, hs, etc., I really don't care. If he has an occasional drink now and then now, it's none of my business or yours.
Do I care if K assaulted Ford as described? Yes. But since she can't id place or time, all of the people who she says were at the party deny it and the one female says she doesn't know Ford and never saw K and F at a party, I have difficulty believing her. Nor has anyone else come forward to place K and F together at any time. Memory plays tricks. We know that. And we also know when it comes to sex and teens a lot of awkwardness, a lot of experimentation, a lot of drinking to get rid of inhibitions. Some embrace it, some feel guilty. Some misbehave. Some interpret something as misbehavior, others don't.
97
Yeah, it is really tuff for teen girls who always misinterpret a hand held over their mouth while the rape is being perpetrated.
22
@Ralphie Yes, yes, boys will be boys. It's just locker room behavior, after all! Let these stumblers get on with their lives, and let their victims forever wear the Scarlet 'A.' Once accomplished, these 'boys' will continue to reign over their victims' bodies, and legislate what they can or can't do with them.
16
@Ralphie
Classic 'what about'ism. What about Winston Churchill? What about all those other lawyers and doctors? What about experimentation? Embracing it?
This isn't about comparisons. This is about a Supreme Court nominee. A position which is not a right. This is our business. In fact, when you have a public trust for position for life, it's everyone's business. If he doesn't like it, then don't become a nominee.
Ford has passed a polygraph and has repeatedly requested an FBI hearing. Not so for Kav.
9
Women could deliver the House and Senate to the Dem's this November. But I suspect many, if not most, blue and pink collar women will vote as their husbands vote. Working class women living in financially precarious situations fear any disagreement within their families and marriages. They "go along to get along".
3
That of course is why you vote in private. I know plenty of women who nod and smile at their husbands and then go quietly and vote as they please.
6
Last time I voted I was in the voting booth alone. Women can vote anyway they want and they aren’t beholden to their husbands or families - only themselves and their conscience. Resist. Vote republicans out
2
"What am I supposed to do, go and ruin this guy’s life based on an accusation?” Sen. Lindsey O. Graham, quoted in the Washington Post.
No weasel, you're supposed to insist that the White House direct the FBI to investigate this (as apparently only the WH can direct this). Take time out from playing with your new golf buddy and do your job Senator. Ditto to all the other GOP Senators.
77
It won’t ruin his life if he doesn’t win a seat on the Supreme Court! He already has a lifetime judicial appointment of great status and power. What you are supposed to do is consider carefully if this man is really ethically qualified to be on the Supreme Court. And you are supposed to take enough time to think about your choice and consider all of the evidence. You are NOT supposed to race through the process as fast as possible to ensure that your party “wins”. It’s not supposed to be a zero sum game! It should be a consensus.
4
@Cntrlgal
Senator Graham, your best buddy John McCain would be so ashamed.
1
Sampling of some of the other men Trump has referred to having impeccable standards and as highly qualified:
Bill Shine
Roger Ailes
Rob Porter
Corey Lewindowsky
Steve Bannon
Bill O'Reilly
Roy Moore
and
Himself.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/us/politics/donald-trump-women.html
37
Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are penultimate connivers. “Mr. Grassley said Republicans ‘reserve the option to have female staff attorneys, who are sensitive to the particulars of Dr. Ford’s allegations and are experienced investigators, question both witnesses.’ “. This is further proof of their ruthless Obsession: politics over people. Period. Grassley’s statement provides evidence that these men are only concerned with two things: 1) getting Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court come hell or high water, and 2) hiding backstage so they don’t have to be held responsible for the outcome of this “hearing” come midterm elections, only weeks away. However, like so many Republicans in the current Congress, not to mention the White House, they underestimate smart Americans who see through their deviant machinations. Vote, my friends, vote. Your vote counts toward the end of this autocratic rule by these bigoted old men.
27
They are quite rightly terrified of the optics of a bunch of old white men grilling a woman about her experience as a child with sexual assault.
3
@Horte
Penultimate is the next to greatest. The one right before the ultimate one.
The Democrats need to destroy Kavenaugh otherwise they have only hardened him against them.
8
If Kavanaugh has the moral compass to be a good judge he will rise above the partisan politics and not engage in some sort of judicial revenge for the rest of his life. If he does not have the moral compass to do so then he has no business being a judge on ANY court.
6
@Alexandra Hamilton. Kavenagh would seem to have the moral compass of a Clarence Thomas.
In a reply below the number of weeks stated is incorrect. From September 24 to November 4 there are six (6) weeks and not seven (7) as incorrectly stated. Can't edit it, Mea culpa.
2
Who is the African American woman in the front row behind Kavanaugh (on the left side of the photo)? She looks like Condi Rice. Why would the former secretary of state be there for Kavanaugh's hearing?
8
@Scientist
Because she worked with him in the White House and knows him personally. She gave a very moving and heart felt testimonial to his qualification for the job. Sorry you missed it.
1
@Scientist
Yes, it sure looks like Condi.
NY Times - identify, and look into why she's there.
@Scientist
It is Condoleezza Rice. She and Ohio Senator Rob Portman attended to introduce Kavanaugh and speak on his behalf.
1
It was a huge mistake on the part of the Blasey Ford camp to agree to the hearing on Sen. Grassley’s terms re. outside counsel questioning of Dr. Blasey Ford. I fear they will regret it, and Judge Kavanaugh will be confirmed apace, regardless of the content of the hearing, as multiple Senate Republicans have stated or implied (looking at you and your ‘leadership,’ Mr. McConnell).
The Republicans rejected an FBI investigation and additional witnesses—underscoring this is not a trial. Senators have to vote on this confirmation. If they wanted better optics when judicial confirmation hearings are filmed, they should have handed out committee assignments accordingly. The least they should do is voice their own questions.
3
They did not have much choice. Testifying was the only way Dr Ford could have any hope of putting her accusation permanently on the record and mitigating the GOP smear campaign against her. It is harder to dismiss her as a liar if she has testified under oath.
Just for one minute, I would like every person to imagine what it would feel like to be physically restrained and have one or more people attempt to take off your clothes with the apparent intent to have sex with you with or without your consent.
When I was In middle school, there was a group of boys who would regularly try to trap a girl in a circle and physically strip off her pants. They called it "pantsing" a girl. After school one day while waiting for my parents to pick me up, I was caught by this group of boys. As I screamed for help, I can still vividly remember scratching and clawing at them while desperately trying to keep my pants on. Finally, a male friend who was nearby came running and yelled at them to stop. I was 13 years old and it was 1978. Those boys were NOT acting with the exuberance of adolescence. So many men wonder why women are angry about these types of allegations. It's because so many of us grew up during a time when such occurrences were classified as "boys being boys" and young girls were considered to have done something to instigate such assaults. I never told anyone what happened because I knew that there would be no consequences for the boys and that I would be made out to be the guilty one for being in the wrong place at the wrong time or doing something to "encourage" the boys to attack me.
623
@L Bodiford
Hello there. There is scientific evidence about what happens to memory when we experience a tramautic event: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/opinion/kavanaugh-christine-ford-sexu...
@L Bodiford
Just for one minute (indeed longer), I have tried to imagine anything like that happening to me at the age of 13 and my not reporting it to the police, my parents, and telling friends about it, if only to warn them.
I cannot.
And just for one minute I would like you to imagine (at whatever age) being falsely accused of a horrible act by an accuser manipulated by others who do not love her.
@L Bodiford
Just for one minute, you should consider what it would be like to be accused of doing something 36 years ago that never happened.
You were attacked, you called out for help. When you were freed by your friend, you did not casually walk back into a party and not comment to your girlfriend who was not a witness to your attack.
2
The SCOTUS nominee - Brett Kavanaugh - seems to believe he is entitled to a seat on the Nation's highest court. His evasiveness, countenance, lack of forthrightness have conveyed this attitude consistently throughout the confirmation process. I would imagine a candidate instead would be honored for such a consideration. I would prefer one too.
10
The GOP doesn’t seem to understand that one huge reason victims of assault wait to come forward is because they don’t want to have their lives defined by a transgressive act that they had little control over stopping. It’s a perpetual taking away of one’s agency over their own life. In this case it’s a type of “life sentence” at the cost of another’s “lifetime appointment”.
It’s time to let the voters weigh in and postpone any new SC nomination until after the election. The Torturer’s Apprentice should withdraw.
18
With another making the claim the FBI will investigate that claim but needs to do a thorough investigation of Kavanaugh, and investigate this claim too.
7
As definitions of every kind of malfeasance are broadened to encompass virtually every variety of behavior in one way or another, there is going to have to be some kind of cut-off relative to vetting processes for political positions, etc.
The confirmation is being held up by ad hoc accusations. These happen to be sexual in nature but they could be anything -- gripes from an ex wife; former business partners; reminiscences of offensive language and ideas from the middle-school playground.
Are we literally looking for candidates who no one in the world has a bad thing to say about?
At a certain point these processes need to be procedural -- meaning, unless a crime was officially reported or some system is set up for addressing every variety of spit-ball accusation, the process just moves on.
4
Just some questions:
Why did she wait to come forward? Men wait 30 years to come forward after being assaulted by priests for the same reason. So, what applies to men should apply to women as well.
Doesn't her drinking disqualify her testimony? No, alcohol effects motor skills, not memory, especially one as vivid as being sexually assaulted. Besides, drinking doesn't give men the right to sexually assault a woman.
Does Ford have anything to gain by testifying? No, and this makes her more credible.
Certainly, someone else coming forward with an assault story would add credibility. Is there anyone? Yes, someone has come forward today. And, there are probably others out there. A serial abuser doesn't stop at just one or two.
12
I was adopted at 2 months old by parents who could not have children. My mom said she had been injured when catching her foot on a thorny vine and falling hurting herself leading to a surgery that left her unable to have children.
My dad died in 1990 of brain and lung cancer. My mom died of heart attacks in 2005 at age 87.
The point of this is around 2000 I was driving my mom to visit relatives. She told me that she felt the reason she could not have children was that an uncle (whom I had known and had died years earlier) had hurt her badly when he molested her as a young girl.
I was stunned and had no idea what to say other than I was sorry and felt her pain. We never talked about that again.
The point of sharing this is even though I am male I never told anyone else as she asked me not to.
She held that in for so many years when my dad died they had celebrated their 50th anniversary. I am sure my dad knew as they talked about everything. She even at 87 felt shame about what happened even though she couldn't stop it.
I believe women when they say this stuff happened to them I hope more men can wake up and understand that pain.
62
1) . Who keeps calendars from 1982 to 2018? This defies credulity
2) . What has Kavanaugh and the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary have to hide. Why are they afraid to call witnesses for both sides?
3) . There must be some mechanism that the Democrats on the Committee can use to make sure that all witnesses are called, including the latest woman to accuse Kavanaugh
4) . The fact that Grassely wants a woman to question Ms. Ford shows just what a coward he is and that he is trying to stack the deck agains Ms. Ford.
5) . This whole debacle is making a mockery of the Supreme Court and what it is supposed to stand for.
6) . If Kavanaugh is truly the family man he proposes he is, he would withdraw his name in order to protect his family from further scrutiny. Look what happened to the man who was put forward as the Surgeon General by Trump. His reputation as a medical doctor was ruined.
7) . Trump is a one man wrecking crew and he is taking down the entire GOP and the Institutions that used to have relevance. Is their agenda so important to them, that they corrupt themselves and those around them?
What a fiasco the Republican Party is. They humiliate everything this country used to stand for.
36
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ,
September, 21,2018
USA Today:
“In the very near future, Judge Kavanaugh will be on the United States Supreme Court,” McConnell said to applause from religious conservatives at the Value Voters Summit Friday. “So my friends, keep the faith, don't get rattled by all of this. We're going to plow right through it and do our job.”
I don’t think so Mitch. All this "rattling " is not going away.
"You can bend it and twist it. You can abuse it and manipulate it but the truth always prevails!"
10
It is not his job to represent the wishes of evangelical conservatives. It is his job to represent all of the people of his state. He is unethical and a disgrace to his office.
2
Mitch McConnell says there is nothing that Christine Blasey Ford can say that will stop Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. One more example of dangerous partisanship and lack of any intellectual capability. What is wrong with Mitch McConnell?
22
What is wrong with the voters in his state who would continually elect such an unrepresentative representative?
3
Brett Kavanaugh's senior yearbook posting alone calls for an investigation of his claims of innocence. It certainly calls for questions of the sort that Michael Avenatti raised in an email to the senate committee. I really wonder why some of this information didn't come up in the original FBI background checks for his other positions. Possibly not the specific charges but the innuendo regarding his behavior and that of his classmates.
11
"Mike Davis, Mr. Grassley’s chief counsel for judicial nominations, wrote in his own message to the lawyers on Sunday that some of their concerns went against standard committee procedure."
“As with any witness who comes before the Senate, the Senate Judiciary Committee cannot hand over its constitutional duties to attorneys for outside witnesses,” he wrote. “The committee determines which witnesses to call, how many witnesses to call, in what order to call them and who will question them. These are nonnegotiable.”
But the all male Republican committee members think it's ok to hand over the Republican questioning to a female lawyer they can hide behind?! Shameful. Hypocrisy is the Republican motto.
9
Hmmmm... Sounds to me like Senator Graham and some others are borrowing a phrase that I saw on a billboard on a social media post: "Just because you did it doesn't mean you're guilty!"
23
I am afraid this is doing the opposite of what the feminist movement worked for. It makes women seem weak and unreliable. Not to mention encouraging girls to think of themselves as victims who are not ever responsible for their behavior.
10
What behavior was Dr. Blakey responsible for? While I appreciate your greater point - and I share it - I view her as taking full responsibility for the elements she CAN control. It takes considerable strength to come forward given the way women are shamed.
3
I disagree. Dr Ford is being incredibly brave to come forward and is a remarkably accomplished and strong woman. She was a victim of drunken assault at age 15. That isn’t her fault and is not a sign of weakness. Your comment victimizes young women by suggesting that they are responsible for assaults and will appear weak if they have the courage to ever talk about it.
4
@Erin
Not to mention the cry wolf affect. People will stop believing women now. That will happen.
2
Kavanaugh should resign from the bench altogether. But like the other undesirable on the bench, Clarence Thomas, he will put his personal fortunes ahead of the integrity of the court. How can we put faith in a judiciary that's been shaped by uber partisans like Hatch and Grassley who are all to anxious to sacrifice the country in the name of Republican political victory?
5
Why not just get a line of victims? This person has just vaguely remembers an incident. Anyone could make similar accusations.
8
Now Feisntein wants to postpone the proceedings? What about Ford testifying?
Well, thats convenient.
They never wanted Ford to tesify. Either use her as long as possible, or they know her story doesnt hold water. The claim that she needs to DRIVE to DC was bogus. In the original letter she sent to Feinstein, Ford said she was vacationing in the mid Atlantic. She also traveled to Hawaii for her PHD.
If this nomination could be derailed by such nonsense, then any nomination could.
11
It's encouraging to see that Lindsey Graham feels sorry for and thinks Dr. Ford is being used. Now if only he could have those same feelings for her when she was 15.
22
I sincerely hope that the truth comes out on Thursday but I doubt it.
The biased process, lack of witnesses and due diligence , the rush to judgement and in the case of most Republican Senators a predetermined position in favor of Kavanaugh all work against the truth.
I am in awe of Dr Fords courage and if this hearing is a farce as I suspect I hope she gets to take her story to the court of Public opinion and the FBI to get the justice she deserves.
Just as critical is the role of the Supreme Court in our lives for decades to come.
Kavanaugh confirmation or that of another Conservative judge will give this Court absolute power over civil rights, money in politics cementing the power of the few and rich,assault on Woman’s rights and the destruction and prevention of any much needed Health care.
We need term limits urgently just as every other Democracy has.
8
Under the circumstances presented in this case, Judge Kavanaugh's nomination should be dropped. No matter the outcome of post hearing hearing there will always be suspicion about him, therefore he should not be confirmed for the Supreme Court. There are other individuals that can be nominated in his place.
The senators in the committee have already made up their mind, even though the witness has not yet been heard. That's dishonest and unacceptable. I pledge that in the event of Kavanaugh's confirmation, he becomes impeached when Democrats get the majority in congress.
Kavanaugh's confirmation is unacceptable.
6
If Kavanaugh has any respect for the Supreme Court, he will bow out and allow the nomination of someone who has less baggage. So far he has been accused of lying to the Senate during his nomination to the federal judiciary and has been accused of sexual misconduct. What next? Surely the country has another one or two jurists who could qualify for the bench. Why not try for someone who is a moderate and is not 'ethically challenged'? Maybe then that person could get a bipartisan vote. Where are the grown-ups in the Senate? I, for one, am really sick and tired of the childish behavior that is on display.
10
If Judge Kavanaugh were a smart and honest judge, he would insist that the original FBI investigation re-open to gather the facts needed to clear or corroborate his activities to the greatest extent possible.
In light of the fact that 88% of sexual assaults are never reported, when Donald Trump said:
" 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!", it proves once again that Trump is neither smart nor honest.
5
Perhaps Judge Kavanaugh will simply produce his dusty old day planners from Georgetown Prep and Yale. For the days in question, the pages might show, categorically and unequivocally, “no assaults today.” Case closed.
20
This whole episode is a lesson on how fragile out democracy is and how easily it can be subverted by those dedicated to put party dogma over honesty and integrity. It obviously does not natter to the republicans if Kavanaugh did what he is accused of or not. He's their boy and they want him on the Supreme court no matter what he may or may not have done.
How can women vote for republicans when they continually treat women like second class citizens.
21
Trump damages everything he touches. He has tried to destroy public trust and confidence in important institutions like the Justice Department and the FBI. Now he appears to be about to put a stain on the Supreme Court that could be around for the next 30 years.
9
I beg Dr. Blasey Ford to challenge her congressional antagonists face to face at the confirmation hearing with a simple question: Why would I lie?
7
@Jordan: Didn't you mean to say because she is a woman, too, you know because all women who accuse a man of sexual assault are liars, right???
Kavanaugh js a "frat boy", a low form of life I've came to recognize in 25 years of college teaching.
Never trust a frat boy.
17
Now I understand the GOP's rush to vote---everyday without vote is just another opportunity for Judge Kavanaugh's wild side to emerge.
17
Diane Feinstein says this isn't about politics but now introduces another party who recalls an incident at Yale but has been reaching out to former classmates because she isn't sure it was Kavanaugh. Sorry Diane, it's all about politics and you insult us all by claiming it isn't.
11
There are other accusers! Stop! Take a breath. Read an excellent article in The Guardian about the pathetic pathology we’ve lived since time immemorial blaming the victims — ‘The Brett Kavanaugh case shows we still blame women for the sins of men’ by Rebecca Solnit. And realize this SHOULD be the nail in the coffin of this nomination. Do not let Orrin hatch and his ilk destroy another victim’s life! It’s not too late!
9
Can Mark Judge beat a lie detector?
9
That's it for Kavanaugh. Stick a fork in this nomination.
4
Corruption, is what this administration is peddling.
45 smears the FBI, instills doubts in the American mind and attacks them repeatedly.
Why?
Because they are the body to investigate him, his cronies and potential SCOTUS justices that he appoints.
We need no stinking FBI!
Vote on November 6, 2018. Vote “D”
6
Why no headline about the new accuser? A second woman has accused him of sexual assault.
3
The Clarence Thomas stink has never quite left Joe Biden, and Brett Kavanaugh stench will linger on Grassley and the other committee Republicans that will vote for for him, whether he gets appointed or not.
6
I feel sick to my stomach with this whole spectacle.Are we really not better than this as a nation?Are women still second class citizens?What woman would subject herself to this circus,unless there was abuse.To the commenters claiming this is just smear politics,talk to the females in your life.I can tell you from personal experience,sexual assault is not something you readily talk about.The stigma and the shame is horrible.I thought we as a nation had evolved.I guess I was wrong.
9
After reading of this second alleged incident that WaPo ran, I’m convinced that Brett Kavanaugh doesn’t have a “sex problem,” per se; his demons all seem to come out of a bottle.
I’ve been on the wagon since 1991. I’m an alcoholic and I know the dangers that hide in the bottle. Without at all minimizing sexual predation, when someone, especially a man, can’t handle his cups, that’s a problem. If Mitch McConnell and Charles Grassley et al want a guy on the Court with a (now undeniable) addiction to mind and mood-altering substances, then the Supreme Court may as well proceed with eight justices, not nine.
I quit because I was addicted to drinking and driving. Then, one day, I decided I didn’t want to be a man who killed a family of six on their way to grandma’s for Thanksgiving dinner. Not me; I had reached my bottom.
What is Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s? Can Mitch McConnell tell him?
6
Jane Mayer from The New Yorker was just on MSNNC 6:30AM discussing their article about Deborah Ramirez. She said Ronan Farrow tracked Ramirez down to get her story and contacted Ramirez first. A number of students had heard of the event at the time, so he was following up on that lead.
She made a valid point in saying that just because the NYTimes couldn’t find a “sober” collaborative witness as Ronan did, that doesn’t mean Ranirez’ account isn’t true. Maybe his buddies didn’t want to go on the record against their buddy, or maybe they were part of the party?
Get the FBI in there and check this out NOW Senator Grassley. However long that takes.
Mayer also said in this same interview that she has spoken with Mark Judge’s former girlfriend, who said Judge confessed to taking part in gang rape parties at Georgetown Prep.
Yes, just like the horrific ones we’re hearing about today in Michael Avenatti’s report.
Full. Whistle. Stop.
12
Sorry, but Ms Ramirez’s own words in the article are pretty damning.
5
The panel of old white male Republicans hovering above the committee room represent the 21st century counterpart to another infamous panel of truth seekers, the old goons who sentenced Joan of Arc to death by bonfire. Lindsay Graham's public whining only confirms what Americans suspected: that the Republicans are determined to confirm Kavanaugh. Who remembers Nixon's Supreme Court nominee, Harold Carswell, another conservative jurist who was caught lurking in a bus station men's room looking for love in all the wrong places?
7
Kelly Anne Conway said on CBS this morning that the NY Times withheld the story about the second accuser and she seemed to question why the story was withheld and that maybe the second accuser's story is specious. There was another conservative pundit on CNN who said the same thing. So suddenly conservatives seem to recognize that the "failing NY Times" is not "fake news." Go figure.
11
@susan, she probably meant "The New Yorker".
1
Isn’t it ironic?
We all thought it was a tragedy when Trump was elected President. True, he has been a disgrace to not only his office but also a poor example of a human being.
But look what good has come from this.
Criminals who had been operating out in the open as American Patriots have been indicted and either convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes of greed and corruption: Flynn, Manafort, Gates, ..., etc. And there will be others.
Trump’s myriad crimes have surfaced like pus in a boil for all the world to see. He’s a cheating, pathologically lying, narcissistic nincompoop. And he will be held to account for his crimes.
He has exposed the “Religious Right” as neither.
And now Kavanaugh. He was flying under the radar as a D.C. Circuit Appellate Judge. The public would’ve never known about his sordid past, his hypocrisy, his intellectual dishonesty. Or his overall disingenuousness. But now we know about all that and more. He not only does not belong on the Supreme Court, he should not be on the D.C. Circuit or in any judgeship.
So, Thank you Mr. Trump for the intense attention you have brought to yourself and to your ilk. It was long past time to clean out the septic tank and you have helped us all in that regard.
9
I was wondering if, not when, other women would come forward. Blasey's story makes sense; Kavanaugh's doesn't. He asserts he was not present when Blasey was sexually assaulted. However, alibi is only a defense if you have a real alibi. A calendar you wrote which supposedly lists your extensive party schedule and a bunch of inebriated people who say they don't remember where you or they were is nothing. Further, most men are not sexually violent. Those who are sexually violent don't just wake up one day and try to rape a 15 year old. They work up to it, continually crossing lines that normal men never come close to. Another woman has said that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party while they were at Yale. It's possible Kavanaugh's innocent, but Republicans having been acting like he's guilty all along, withholding and suppressed over ninety percent of his records, and frantically rushing his confirmation vote. To this ex-prosecutor, and seasoned criminal and civil rights attorney, it indicated that Republicans knew Blasey was not the only woman. Senator Dianne Feinstein has written requesting "an immediate postponement of any further proceedings related to the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh" because of the second accusation. Republicans pretend the Democrats are pulling a fast one, but it's been confirmed that Republicans knew of the second woman weeks ago. They've been in such a rush because they wanted Kavanaugh confirmed before anyone in the press wrote about her.
475
@Robert B I was also wondering the exact timing of the next accuser. Just as the escape hatch for Dr. Ford to sidestep potential perjury narrows, a second accuser appears to muddy the waters and bring renewed calls for the FBI and of course the true goal - more delay. Back it up with a solid performance by the stalwart Mr. Avenatti and specious accusations piled high equate to condemnation. So happy to finally be free of our storied Puritan past where innocents were subjected to the pillory based on unsubstantiated accusations by the pure.
1
@Robert B Well Said."
@Robert B Leo Frank just checked in to say, "I know how this turns out."
I think the following is a greater issue than the current sex scandal.
Russ Fiengold produced evidence of Kavanaugh being untruthful under oath when nominated for the judship he now holds. Why is this not an issue?
79
@Grain Boy Tthe answer is boys in power don’t care Kavanaugh lied.
5
With allegation after allegation of sex abuses against Brett Kavanaugh it is difficult to make out whether the Senate judiciary Committee is confirming the SC judge or holding a sex crime trial of the Trump nominee Kavanaugh who scores identically so low on the moral index as Trump does.
23
@Prof. Jai Prakash Sharma
You win everything.
There'd obviously be more, severe crimes to put him on trial for, if the 100,000 documents that were withheld, would be made available.
2
Isn’t testifying to the Senate for confirmation hearing done under oath?
Well then, Kavanaugh lied under oath to the Senate and the American people and he is unfit to be a judge at any level.
The GOP with the help of Kavanaugh, impeached Clinton for perjury.
The GOP is currently a party of men who are the most greedy, corrupt, craven, racist, misogynistic and destructive force in our nation, in fact the world.
If you want real change, vote them out into oblivion.
9
Regarding the sham process referenced earlier I'd like to know how the women in the nominee's life view this behavior. He has two young daughters. How are they handling this? What are their guidelines for high school parties? Is this behavior acceptable to tolerate or receive? Somehow the generational hypocrisy seems worse, if it all possible, than the Anita Hill episode. Wake up, America! Start educating young women and men to be strong and have good values, not continuing toxic masculinity and win at all costs.
9
My guess is that his daughters are highly supervised since their Dad knows exactly how predatory teenage boys can be!
When someone is a contender for the highest court in the nation (a nation of men and WOMEN), their credentials should be impeccable. Being a drunken teenager and collegian (who may or may not have attacked women) is not an impeccable credential nor is it an acceptable character for a Supreme Court nominee. Trump needs to come up with another disaster. I was a young woman during the Clarence Thomas trials and believed that he should never have advanced to the Court.
16
Democrats will stop at nothing. This last desperate gambit is doomed to fail. Sorry Lady. 36 years too late.
8
So what is your statute of limitations? One day, one week, one month, one year? Have you ever been subjected to sexual abuse? If not, who are you to say that 36 years is “too late”? Dr Ford has risked her privacy, her reputation and her personal safety and that of her family to bring forward information which is critical in learning of the moral compass under consideration for a lifetime appointment. It is never too late for that.
5
Republicans are rape deniers.
3
Kavanaugh's bigger problem is perjury now, not the inycident 36 years ago. How can a purjurer be seated on the Supreme Court.
3
Nymag already ran a header stating Brett Kavanaugh is Probably a Goner Now.
"Probably?"
Dead sure!
Anyone here been taking a quick glance at the reddit/r/politics megathread on Kavanaugh?
Michael Avennatti just sent the most deadly email I have ever seen to the Senate Judiciary Committee. His client is not Deborah Ramirez.
The scrubber sludge pain that's been hiding in plain sight ain't pretty, but on the upside it starts to show that even Trumpland teflon can be removed.
What happened around Georgetown Prep town is forever out of the Pan-Kavanaugh-train-all-over-drunk-Dora's-box now.
8
An impartial view of the Reddit r/politics postings and comments shows that, then look at other postings where the converse is assumed.
Just be sure to have a strong stomach when looking there, the discussions devolve to vulgarities and convoluted logic pretty fast.
If there are Russian bots, I'd look there first.
Is that Republican "Party Line" (not my) Senator Rob Portman (OHIO) seated in the first row, red tie, in the above picture? If so, no surprise there.
1
That Republicans are still whining about the timing of Blasey Ford's accusations is pathetic beyond words given the hard-ball politics they played with Garland's nomination.
11
A second allegation comes out, and it's not in the headline?
How is that not a headline?
And where are the discussions of evidence that Kavanaugh lied under oath in previous confirmation hearings?
And where is the dismay that a blatantly corrupt president its appointing a Justice to shut down an investigation into Russian hacking of our elections?
Stop lying by omission.
And why did you spin the Rod Rosenstein story (based completely on third party sources) to make it sound like like it was about Rosenstein and not about a president surrounded by cabinet members that wonder about his fitness for office when all of the evidence says that numerous cabinet members were discussing the 25th Amendment?
NY Times, We the People need the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth.
Stop taking the side of Darlinghurst administrations and relaying their lies as truth. You helped start the Iraq War! Enough.
Stop manipulating us. Your less than true reporting is what opened the way for fake news.
17
This second accuser isn't helping. Uh, hey! He exposed himself to me! Wait, I was drunk. I'm not sure if I want to go public with my news...oh hello Mr. Lawyer - ok, I'm ready to go public. This is all such a charade.
11
The only calendars I've kept from 1982 and beyond were published by Hugh Hefner. They probably wouldn't help someone in Kavanaugh's situation.
9
@Scott J.
Maybe he kept a baseball-themed scorecard of his party activities? First base, second base, third base, home runs.
Even stolen bases. That I would believe.
6
Dr. Ford is being used as a pawn by the Democrats and her lawyers. They are using her testimony as a last ditch effort to keep Brett Kavanaugh off the Supreme Court. If I was as vague as to the events of the night in question (she doubts the place, day, who was there) I would never consent to going before the senate judiciary committee for a hearing. Her memory is too fuzzy to be believable. She has the most to lose which is her credibility. Poor thing.
8
@WPLMMT Memories fade quickly in any case with human witnesses, but not the essense of traumatic memories, of the trauma i.e. the abuse itself. And i disagree that the democratic politicians are only using Dr. Ford to stop Kavanaugh becoming a supreme court justice - they are not only in it for power, but for values too - to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the politician - for women's safety, for justice, for thoroughly checking if a candidate is worthy of one of the highest seats in the land, against the Republican politicians abusing their power and stealing a seat from the previous administration. Dont you think?
3
It will be impossible to seat a replacement judge for Justice Kennedy if uncorroborated charges from decades ago or recently prevent Senate Votes on any Trump nominee. This could potentially occur again with nominees of a Democratic President. We have already seen how changes in the number of votes required to confirm by using the nuclear option by Democrats set a precedent used by Republicans to confirm Gorsuch. On the other hand I believe Republicans sewed the wind by impeaching President Clinton for lying about a sexual matter from years ago and are not reaping the whirlwind. The problem is the entire country is also victimized by this culture of power hungry politicians of both parties who will stoop to anything to retain or obtain power. Let the charges be heard, let the Committee, and the Senate vote is the only, albeit imperfect, solution . And, lastly, let the nation vote in November.
6
Lindsey Graham has slightly modified his dismissive ("I'll listen to the lady") stance. But the words "if nothing changes" do not alter his prejudgment of Ford's testimony. It's one thing to presume innocence. It's another to presume an outcome. McConnell's battle cry to "plough straight through" is going to haunt these senators.
22
Yes! A bunch of patronizing ol’ boy misogynists. Sickening, isn’t it?
6
"Ramirez was initially hesitant to speak publicly, she told the magazine, partly because her memory contained gaps because she had been drinking at the time of the alleged incident. She was unsure of his role in the incident at first, but after six days of carefully assessing memories and consulting with her attorney, Stan Garnett, Ramirez told The New Yorker she felt confident enough in her recollections to say she remembers it was Kavanaugh who had exposed himself."
Really? After careful assessment with her attorney? Was the attorney there? Now please tel me this has nothing to do with politics. As bad as the Reps have been at times it's really great to know this sliminess is across the board.
10
Apparently, 30+ year old recollections of a then teenager are enough for Dem/Libs to weave into a story to derail a SCOTUS nominee they find so objectionable that the end justifies the means. Wrap it in the fuzzy emotionalism of #me too and no man can challenge it. This is our society's new Scarlett letter
15
@RJPost, so why doesn’t Kavanaugh ask for an FBI investigation?
Yet more craven behavior from the Republican Party as the august Senators hide behind the skirts of female lawyers or female aides to their committee to be the mouthpiece(s) through which their questions are made. All so it "doesn't look like" they are ganging up on her.
Hey! Senator Grassley & Co., it's too late to not appear to be contemptuous, bullying as you cast aside every request --and very reasonable requests they are-- for the very same reason a dog can lick places on its anatomy that humans cannot. Do you really expect the American public, the VOTING American public to "unsee" this spectacle? Or to "unknow" the reason for your behavior?
6
I have a lot of questions about what is being described as Kavenaugh's 1982 calendar. What teenage boy keeps such a detailed calendar? And would any teenager have listed a party with underage drinking and no parents at home? Not any teenagers I have ever known in my 20+ year career of teaching them. And what 55 year old man still has the calendar he kept 30 years ago as a teenager? Has this calendar been verified as being authentic? Why are the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee and the President refusing to call for reopening the background investigation of Judge Kavenaugh? What are they trying to hide?
28
@Edie Clark
I'm 55 and I've still got calendars I used in high school and college, which do mention parties and events, and I also have the letters I wrote to friends outlining, night by night, various parties I attended, so I find this completely credible.
7
Absolutely! Thanks!
It would be hilarious if it weren't so sad that Republicans are accusing Democrats of withholding information.
Dear Republicans: What about the 100,000 or so pages the Democrats have yet to see that are related to this confirmation?
I suspect there's more in those documents that Mitch McConnell is anxious the American public not see. What utter hypocrisy!
54
Terrific comment! Thanks.
Two words for the Democrats to ponder: Keith Ellison
10
@Hjb: Is Keith Ellison being nominated for a seat on the SCOTUS??? Whataboutism at its worst. And what about DJT - ??????
9
@Hjb
Distract and divert. The country is not falling for that trick.
1
@EHooey no he’s an already elected official who ran for DNC chair. There’s no what about anything. He needs to be investigated!
Or is it that only some women need to be heard, political circumstances aside.
#himtoo
Anybody else notice the pattern? A powerful man is accused. He and his group do everything possible to destroy the woman and her reputation. Their followers threaten her life. It's he said/she said. But then another woman comes forward. And then another. And another. And soon there is a dozen. Or more. Its not as easy to dismiss a dozen women or destroy their lives, the man and his group find. And then the law starts to exam the case. And then its Bill Cosby heading into sentencing.
13
According to this morning’s news there appears to be a new allegation about Judge Kavanaugh’s drinking and overt sexual activities. It seems right to assume that Judge Kavanaugh had an active sex life during college. I’m curious that if he had gotten one of the students pregnant would he have encouraged an abortion or would he have done the “right thing” and marry the student? Maybe that’s one of the questions that the Democrats could have asked during his hearing although I’m sure his answer would be that he cannot comment on a hypothetical question.
9
@VMG
Guys who get falling-down drunk and display themselves at parties do not have active sex lives.
Quite the opposite.
7
It’s simply incomprehensible that this is happening again a generation later. Dr. Ford’s reputation and credibility is going to be questioned and ripped to shreds by a group of old white men for political gains. It’s sickening. This country has truly sunk to a new low.
18
"whether senators (Republican) on the Judiciary Committee will question Dr. Ford themselves, or use an outside lawyer or a committee aide, most likely a woman."
This alone should disqualify Judge Kavanaugh. His own backers wish to hide behind a woman attorney because their hypocritical self image might look bad.
Don't worry though Grassley and company, you're image with the American people is already at rock bottom, you can't sink any further.
17
Half, or more, of this country has gone bonkers. Now we have this Feinstein character at it again, desperate to win over millenials by her thoroughly corrupt nonsense. But let's stick with Blasey.
Aside from all the details that she doesn't "recall", her self-reported behavior doesn't mesh with who she seems to be, and probably was, as a person. She seems to be a caring, and many feel, courageous woman. Yet how did she behave at this "party"?
Two drunk, older boys try to rape her. Luckily, she escapes. But also at this party is her girl friend, and another older boy. Would a girl of Blasey's fine character have fled the scene without a word of warning to her friend, who is now left alone with two rapists and a third, presumably drunk and evil boy? Wouldn't she at least have hollered to her friend "Rape! Run!" as she exited the (mysterously located) premises? If not, wouldn't she at least have called the police, in an effort to protect her friend?
She's now going out of her way to protect American women from Kavanaugh. Wouldn't she have done just this little bit to protect her friend from these horrid rapists?
And now that Blasey will tell her story (and quite a story it is, but as they say, this is the metoo era!) and Kavanaugh will most likely be approved as Supreme Court Justice, this Feinstein character reveals the truth about her reason in launching the Blasey bomb at the very last minute. We need to investigate Feinstein!
2
@red sox 9
I am punting your comment in "washington swamp" where it belongs!
4
@red sox 9 please educate yourself about sexual abuse and its immediate, deep and long lasting traumatic effects - a sexual assault is so far removed from something like the experience of a fire breaking out where you would shout about it.
4
As someone from the left you would think I will be happy with this new revelation. Actually I am disgusted. Disgusted that a potential / presumed sexual predator could just do a brilliant career and got one of the 9 most prestigious job of the US as nothing bad happened.
7
Apart from the serious allegations of sexual assault, Kavanaugh also has a recent history of serious debt and gambling. None of these commend his judgment or the necessary temperament to be a Supreme Court Justice. Our country deserves better.
33
@J. Unless he would support Roe v. Wade. Then he would have your full-throated support.
1
@J. Did he have a history of debt and gambling? I havent heard of this. Does anyone have info on this?
@A.A. He had a credit card debt of $200,000 and sent emails in the past apologizing for "growing aggressive after blowing still another game of dice." Sen. Whitehorse questioned him on the subject. Kavanaugh said he'd gone into that debt to buy tickets to Washington Nationals baseball games. Seriously?
Diane Feinstein, more than 80 years old, plays a major role in a political drama that perhaps took place 35 years ago between two kids. Don't they have real work in DC.
13
What?! Nominating a Supreme Court Justice is only play time?
3
As an eternal optimist - not - perhaps this group of rich, white, privileged, unprincipled, undemocratic, autocratic because they can get away with it, old men are digging their own metaphorical graves with this brazen attempt to manipulate, coerce, rig, the testimony of Dr. Blasey against a Supreme Court nominee whose credentials in jurisprudence are rather lackluster but whose credentials as a political operative - for Ken Starr or whoever needs a political operative - are sterling.
Just as Trump's legitimacy, his position as the President of the United States is questionable, made possible only by a variety of illegal and unethical acts, these self-satisfied men of the senate are only there through gerrymandering, unethical and possibly illegal campaign donations through Citizens United, and they are quite comfortable being there given the undemocratic, unpatriotic, anti-American manner that they got there.
In my opinion, we as Americans have become much to complacent, fatalistic, impotent -- we have adapted to, rationalized Trump and the illegitimate Republican hegemony over politics and ultimately over our lives.
But, we can still vote, and hope the vote won't be rigged (which it will be).
4
@Jose Pieste
Spoken like a true patriot, and Republican...
Merrick Garland, in spite of his scandal-free, even-keeled judicial bearing, was denied fair consideration only on political grounds by extremist partisans who had no problem leaving a gap in the Supreme Court in order to stack it with anyone sympathetic to hard core religious radicals and those who believe it's the government's duty to oversee and control a person's private life. Now we have a scandal-ridden candidate whose record has been hidden from the world by those same extremists led by the fascist from Kentucky, and who has been so evasive in his responses to the Senate Judiciary Committee, he's on par with Sarah Huckabee Sanders in his dishonesty. The main reason the fascist republicans want him on the SCOTUS is his record of favoring dictatorial executive powers. The stakes could not be higher. The whole world is watching in disbelief.
27
Looks like the judge has a problem with his gavel. I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop. This won’t be the last. I have a feeling this will look like Imelda Marcos soon.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer group of people, the GOP and Trump.
9
"The Times had interviewed several dozen people over the past week in an attempt to corroborate her story, and could find no one with firsthand knowledge. Ms. Ramirez herself contacted former Yale classmates asking if they recalled the incident and told some of them that she could not be certain Mr. Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself."
11
Though Kavanaugh's record on the court should be sufficient to disqualify him, at least two other women are coming forward with accusations of sexual impropriety. That Republicans were aware of other charges and were keeping silent in an indictment of their lack of principle and their culture of misogyny. If Kavanaugh has any decency, he will step aside. If the GOP had any decency left, they would withdraw this tainted nomination.
32
@Al M in fact, the NYT knew of these women and after their investigation, did not report because it did not past the “smell test.” This presumption of guilt has been used well by the Democrats. When one looks at Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, the Democrats have very little to talk about.
3
@Hart: Donald J Trump, Dennis Hastert, Tom Delay, Curtis Hill, Eric Greitens - see we could play that game all day.
Kavanaugh and the "Good Old Boys" Republicans that support him really creep me out.
If Kavanaugh is innocent, a fair investigation of the facts would clear him.
If Kavanaugh is guilty, a fair investigation would uncover the truth about Kavanugh's alleged crimes.
Kavanaugh and his "Good Old Boys" Republican supporters don't want a fair investigation. They have refused a routine request for the FBI to investigate Dr. Fords claim. They want to ram the confirmation through before more facts can be uncovered. They have refused to disclose thousands of documents that relate to Kavanaugh.
It appears that the Republicans that support Kavanaugh would be fine putting an attempted rapist / sexual predator on the highest court in the land.
Think about that for a moment.
Now that thought, really creeps me out.
26
If Blasey just wants the truth to come out, and if politics isn't her end game, then she shouldn't care if she is interviewed by a group of male senators or a group of female lawyers. The questions will be the same.
1
@Sue Haynie For male senators to hide behind paid female lawyers seems patronizing to women. Women don't need special arrangements at hearings other than open, honest questions directly from the senators who ask them. Having puppet intermediaries is an affront to women and men and cowardly of elected representatives.
2
@Sue Haynie
I don’t know how old you are but Dr. Blasey is old enough to have watched how Anita Hill was treated by an all white male committee. Several of them are still on that committee and will be questioning her. I wouldn’t want to subject myself to that. Stop questioning her motives and try to have some empathy for sexual assault survivors. Not only does Blasey have to testify before the committee but it will be televised. I had a hard enough time telling my husband and I trust him. Nothing about the GOP treatment of her should inspire trust in the process.
3
A "potentially explosive" confrontation? More likely wince-inducing.
I'm glad I don't watch TV to get my news. I guess every guy who,
in the exuberance of adolescence, put the moves on a chick is going
to be squirming. Maybe that's the point of this whole vast exercise.
4
@Charles Packer I'm not sure that "making the moves...with the exuberance of adolescence" is the same as drunkenly trying to take a woman's clothes off.
3
Making moves on a chick?!!? Seriously? Hard to conclude attempted as being remotely romantic.
2
I’m not inclined to have much confidence in either side’s recollections about events or non events at a teen drinking party 30 years ago at a an unknown place, date and time. Heck, my wife and I disagree over gobs of events, some going back decades, including whether the event ever happened.
A friend once told me about witnessing a serious automobile accident telling the police his story and testifying in court. Then the accident reconstruction people presented. They showed it could not have happen the way he testified. He believed the reconstruction experts, but when he pushed play in his head, he still saw what he testified to. Our minds fill in stuff all the time that is not accurate.
Negotiators remind us the truth is just one more argument; what people think is true is what we have to deal with. This NY Times article makes the point: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/15/nyregion/witness-accounts-in-midtown-h...
5
This is stalling. Vote on it now.
5
It is understandable why women that many years ago would not have come forward about their experiences. If nothing else, hopefully, the #MeToo movement now encourages women to come forward immediately when incidents like this occur, whether to the police or others in authority so at least there is some objective, contemporary reference to it.
It is a shame that these two incidents will likely go down as simply a ‘he said she said’ because there is no contemporaneous evidence or report to support the allegations. Women must now feel empowered—not ashamed-- to come forward immediately when assaults like this occur-- #MeTooNOW
8
@Leo
Go to the police? This is like something out of a Victorian short story warning girls about 'bad men.'
This is encouraging a back-to-religious values atmosphere: a neopurity. Women like Debbie Ramirez 'I wouldn't have sex before marriage' are, frankly, not the sort of women I'd want to be associated with . Being shocked at seeing a penis or touching one (with others present)? OMG, shock horror. Sheltered life or what? I don't believe that account is about sexual assault at all. l I am the same age as her and I don't recognise this as anything that a liberated woman would have felt in those days.
This is totally trivialising real sexual assault.Period.
2
Perhaps nominating flawed candidates is a deliberate strategy?
I had thought that "Drain the Swamp" only accidentally aligned with Russia's model for subverting US government and society.
10
I never know what I'm going to read in the news each day. Wow! Another accusation.
Both accusations involved the use of alcohol. Maybe Kavanaugh ought to be asked about his use of alcohol and drugs, too.
Do we really expect him to admit to his dalliances? Of course he will deny wrongdoing, just like Clinton did and trump and so many others.
Is Kavanaugh really an honorable man or is he just one more Catholic boy who tries to sow his wild oats on a Friday or Saturday and then show up in church Sunday morning to pray for crop failure?
If Kavanaugh is the bets trump or the Republicans have to offer this country, we are all in trouble.
12
In light of of new allegations by a second woman in The New Yorker article by Ronan Farrow who won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking the story on Harvey Weinstein, it's time for the Republicans to pull the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. In addition to the graphic details of another sexual assault by Judge Kavanaugh when he was a law student at Yale portrayed in The new Yorker article, Michael Avenatti, the attorney for Stormy Daniels, claims to have a third woman willing to come forward. We have moved beyond "he said/she said" as the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary had hoped to a growing #MeToo chorus of "they said/he denies." It's time for Chairman Charles Grassley and his own chorus of insensitive deniers--John Cornyn, Lindsey Graham, and Orrin Hatch--to realize sexual assault is a serious crime and to find an honest conservative judge who really respects women.
10
@Paul Wortman
Do you honestly see this as sexual assault? I'm a woman the same age as the second alleged 'victim' and I don't see this as anything other than a bad-taste joke. Even if it's true.
Be careful about trivialising real sexual assault; be careful of criminalizing bad taste; and think about the portrayal of women as helpless victims that is all part of your narrative here. There are unforeseen consequences arising from such hysteria
2
Very simple solution to this: Kavanaugh withdraws and Merrick Garland takes his rightful place on the high court.
93
@M. Grove
So this is all about setting scores. Any man out there should be very very concern.
2
@Joelia Not about settling scores, it’s about the integrity and transparency of the judicial confirmation process. Garland is a fine man and judge; republicans refused to even meet with him. Now they seem all too eager to overlook or conceal Kavanaugh’s many flaws. Why?
@M. Grove a much better choice!
Republicans egregiously assassinated Anita Hill's character in order to get Clarence Thomas seated on the Supreme Court more than 25 years ago. Sadly little has changed.
An all male GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee suggests they'll fairly hear Dr. Ford's testimony then denigrate her character beforehand.
The depths the Republican Party has sunk in an attempt to appoint Kavanaugh clearly shows they place party over country. They've degraded the highest court of our beloved America for political aspirations.
11
The New Yorker article states Republicans knew about 2nd assault allegation from Debbie Ramirez last week, which is why they want to rush the process! He was 18 then. Several Yale classmates recall hearing that it happened (& know BK drank to excess). Plus Avenatti says he has a client with sexual misconduct info about BK too (WaPo). Republicans are trying to hide this from We the People.
39
We now have new allegations by a Yale student that Kavanaugh may have exposed himself to her at a party during college. It is critical Dems not get too far forward on their skis to avoid a serious tumble. Let's not turn any allegation, independent of gender and equitable procedure , into a premature judgment.
With that disclaimer out of the way, it's 101 everything to anticipate that aggressive sexual misconduct rarely occurs in a single incident. At this point, it's imperative that the FBI be brought in to investigate both allegations against Kavanaugh. That also implies reasonable time to get it done, lest the thin veneer claiming proper course be totally exposed as thoroughly rotten.
10
Republicans caused this mess with their rush to confirm. In addition to possible sexual assault, have they properly vetted Justice Kavanaugh’s other issues? For example, have his under-age drinking habits carried over to adulthood? What else don’t we know?
18
The problem is the Republican sense of entitlement because they are (temporarily) in the majority position. They treat the majority of the country and the Democrats like sworn enemies in a gang fight over turf. After the hypocrisy of the Merrick Garland refusal to hold hearings or even shake the man's hand and the lies they've told about Hillary Clinton and so many innumerable realities, they act surprised that anyone should doubt Kavanaugh's moral, ethical, or judicial fitness for a lifetime appointment. What a joke! Why don't they wait until after the election? If the guy is really up to snuff, won't he win anyway?
7
“As with any witness who comes before the Senate, the Senate Judiciary Committee cannot hand over its constitutional duties to attorneys for outside witnesses,” he wrote. “The committee determines which witnesses to call, how many witnesses to call, in what order to call them and who will question them. These are nonnegotiable.”
This is true in that it reflects how the Senate conducts business. It is fraudulent in the context of getting to an honest answer.
A team of very smart, very experienced people is managing this hearing. They have a lot of history to inform how they behave. If the Senators decide to limit witnesses or otherwise stifle the flow of information about this situation, I think the American people should say that we will drive those men from office. And that is not negotiable.
19
As high school principal for over 30 years, I have never seen of nor heard of any 17 year old boy keeping a calendar and certainly it would strike me as bizarre that a man would keep a calendar he put together in 1982. Very difficult to believe. Does the judge really believe anyone would buy that. Only if it were Aaron Judge claiming that would it be believeable.
20
@Mike, if Brett Kavanaugh has pledged to uphold the truth, he cannot be pardoned or excused for manufacturing and concocting a lie, viz. a calendar in defense of his innocence. Likely, his working parents kept some kind of organized calendar to keep track of their sons' church school extra curricular activities. I know I saved calendars from the birth onwards of my children some 27 years ago, but only the early years, rest of the school calendars were recycled when they left home for college and subsequently, when we downsized our home.
1
"Ms. Ramirez herself contacted former Yale classmates asking if they recalled the incident and told some of them that she could not be certain Mr. Kavanaugh was the one who exposed himself."
Are you kidding me? Feinstein wants another delay and this 2nd woman doesn't even know if it was Kavanaugh at all? What's going on here?
8
@DavidRead more closely. She could not see his head because another portion of his anatomy was in the way. She did however, see him pulling his pants up in the doorway while hearing someone make a comment about "Kavannah" exposure. Those dots connect rather clearly.
Feinstein has no credibility to call for a delay when she sat on information for seven weeks and is still withholding information. Because of her efforts to undermine the Senatorial process, the Senate has lost control of the process. This is no longer about a Senatorial advice and consent process, but pure and simple blood sport.
This situation could be handled by the Senate if the Senate still had control, if it was all about following rules of procedure and evidence. But this is a lawless environment, and The New Yorker is setting the rules, not the Senate.
Will Feinstein and the other Senators permit regular order or do they want to destroy the Senate? Feinstein appears to want to destroy the Senate more than bin Laden with her antics. Any Senators who decides to back this abuse of process based on uncorroborated reports in the media have thrown away the Committee process and the rules of evidence, Feinstein among them.
Ms. Feinstein is violating her oath to the Constitution. Next time, California should send a more forthright terrorist to the Senate.
2
@JB
This is the Republican process. Remember Merrick Garland, whom Mitchell would not even give a hearing to?
This was the beginning of corrupting the process, not Diane Feinstien or the Democrats.
6
@Jean
You and so many others keep comparing what’s happening now to how the GOP Senate refused to grant a hearing to Merrick Garland…BHO's pick to replace the deceased Antonin Scalia back in 2016. Yes, what they did was political, but it was legal under the system and totally within their Senatorial discretion pursuant to the Constitution.
But what we’re witnessing now completely defies any semblance of common decency…even within the realm of POLITICS. This is a no-holds-barred attempt to sabotage Bret Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the SCOTUS by any means necessary. What occurred with Merrick Garland is a far cry from the orchestrated carnival side show what we’re witnessing now.
Is this all it takes to eviscerate someone’s life and reputation, and possibly even alter the course of the SCOTUS? An 11th hours onslaught of sexual misconduct accusations that are extremely vague, nebulous, speculative and uncorroborated. The timing of these accusations alone raises serious questions…not to mention all the other glaring holes and inconsistencies.
And yet, the burden of proof is now inexplicably on Kavanagh to prove his innocence in the court of public opinion. This is SAD…very sad, indeed!
If Kavanaugh was or is in a secret society and fraternity, questions should be asked about whether the men who allegedly witnessed these events, but staunchly deny they took place, were/are also members. Their membership would raise serious questions regarding their credibility in any such matter, as they are routinely sworn to stick together.
If there is any chance the allegations are true, America can do better. We deserve an ethical, moral person to serve on our highest court.
7
@enzibzianna
Don't forget what Kavanaugh said; "What happens At Georgetown Prep, stays at Georgetown Prep. Maybe the whole 1982 class should be subpoenaed.
2
The Supreme Court has struggled from its origin. The controversy raised in Marbury v Madison on Supreme Court judicial review is now in the the forefront, the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh could result in Edwin Meese’s dream, an executive branch that not bound by meanings determined by the Supreme Court.
The first federal law it found unconstitutional was the Missouri Compromise, and worse it was part of the Dred Scott decision.
The case has not been overturned by the Court; the case was overturned by the Thirteenth Amendment. Some 160 cases since have been overturned.
However, the existential threat is that laws may simply be disregarded.
Unfortunately, sexual assault is rarely an isolated incident. Would Mark Judge remember things differently while under oath? The short answer is probably not. The full throttle, all consuming, libidinous behavior of teenage boys has no earthly need for recall. Dr. Ford's terrifying ordeal has a lifetime of recall in technicolor detail.
25
I imagine that every Eli in the Yale yearbook has received phone calls begging (coercing) them to remember SOMETHING about Kavanaugh.
17
Republicans are on course to harm Judge Kavanaugh, Dr. Blasey, the Senate, the Supreme Court, their party and the American people.
Grassley is conducting a sham hearing to confirm Kavanaugh for his conservative judicial views, despite Kavanaugh's character. He said even before Thursday's planned testimony Kavanaugh will be seated on the Supreme Court in two weeks. So it matters not what testimony is given on Thursday, Republicans intend to confirm Kavanaugh.
About the sham process:
Republican senators are arrogant to think they know how to determine the truth when a woman alleges a past sexual assault. "Dr. Blasey has said she does not recall the specific date or location of the house where the alleged incident occurred, though she believes it was during the summer of 1982." Republicans claim the fact that she did not speak up contemporaneously, the timing of her now speaking up, the fact that she can't say exactly when or where the attack took place, all undermine her credibility. That shows their arrogant ignorance of how young girls handle sexual assault.
Glaringly missing from Thursday's sham-planned inquisition is expert testimony. Psychologists and social workers experienced in treating the trauma of young girls who have been sexually assaulted need to be called to testify to their knowledge of how young girls often cope with sexual assault, how they often suppress memory of details, why they don't speak up earlier -- because they are all too often not believed.
37
I went to a high school reunion years ago. What was an eye opener was, some people who I remember as jerks in high school had gained maturity with time, while others who in high school were viewed as "cool" now had nothing attractive about them. Similarly, a fellow I knew as a hostile bully in junior high school, I ran into again in college, and he was a totally changed person.
My point is, the allegations, even if 100 percent accurate and true, are about the behavior of a teenager who has had a subsequent career as a distinguished judge.
The MeToo movement, as I understand it, is about men in power who use, or have used, their power over those around them to subjugate women. Apparently it now has been politically weaponized, to advance political goals, going back to poor social skills (by today's standards, by mature adults) by teenaged jerks.
Criminal behavior by minors is handled in our society in juvenile courts. These records are usually sealed, the identity of the bad actors never publicly revealed, because our society recognizes that misdeeds committed as a foolish minor should not be held against one for the rest of their lives.
39
Yes, of course someone can change in 30 years. The way to judge this metamorphosis is to see if he lies about his behavior or if he takes responsibility for it.
31
@RM if true then he is lying about it now, which is itself disqualifying
What about the new accusation, from college, when he was no longer a minor?
1
Mike Davis is not too good a legal counsel to Grassley if he fails to see the irony in telling Dr. Blasey's attorneys that "the Senate Judiciary Committee cannot hand over its constitutional duties to attorneys for outside witnesses," yet is apparently unconcerned that Republican Senators are willing to "hand over their Constitutional duties" of questioning Dr. Blasey to a female attorney or staffer because they think it will improve the "optics." If Republican male senators believe they are incapable of asking questions in a civil, respectful manner, or incapable of discharging their "Constitutional duties," then they should resign from the Senate because they are cowards and incompetents. As for the supposed need for corroboration, every day in courts throughout the country, juries of ordinary citizens are asked to assess the credibility of witnesses, often without any other corroborating witnesses or evidence. Having watched Judge Kavanaugh duck and evade numerous questions during the earlier sessions of his confirmation hearings, I'm willing to bet that Dr. Blasey's credibility will be better than his. As for all the other witnesses having their lawyers write letters, the same standard should apply to all. If Kavanaugh & Blasey have to testify under oath, then these other witnesses' claims of faulty recollection or alleged lack of knowledge should similarly be under oath, not from the unsworn carefully parsed wording of their attorneys.
44
What he means is that the Committee makes its own rules and procedures and, in fulfillment of its Constitutional duties, can consult with or delegate attorneys to examine witnesses. A witness does not have either a Constitutional duty or a right to have the same prerogatives as the Committee conducting the hearings. Because she’s only a witness and not the subject of the hearing, she is not even entitled to due process in this setting because she has no property interest, e.g. a job, that is at stake. Kavanaugh does. If she doesn’t like the arrangements she doesn’t have to attend because she has not been subpoenaed. That is her only recourse. So basically you’re comparing apples and oranges.
5
What a sad mess.
It is clear to me that Kavanaugh, if he has any sense of broader responsibility as a public servant and father, should withdraw.
He is an instrument that is hyper-fueling the damaging polarity we have in our nation. If he does not withdraw then it is pure ideology driven by ambition that is motivating him as well as the GOP. Not good for the country.
His daughters will never overcome the trauma if he is appointed - imagine a lifetime of being a woman with this legacy.
He can save face by saying that to protect his family he is withdrawing his nomination. While not healing the damage done or addressing larger issues it will at least take it off the front page.
We need to give the nation a chance to show our true colors in the mid-terms. If the election does not create a counter balance to the Executive by changing majorities in the House and Senate we have the answer about our nation that few dare to acknowledge. But I am hopeful that the Democrats - SO far from perfect but better - will win both chambers and start a correction and a healing process for us all.
65
@Bill Wilson If he is really not guilty of these accusations then I hope that he stays and fights. And I say this as a Democrat who wished that Franken would have done the same.
1
@Bill Wilson Its not that easy anymore, if he even wanted to withdraw, he is damaged goods, unless he stands up for himself.
If he withdraws, without defending the allegations, he is most likely jobless.
@Ron: And Ron, maybe he should be jobless as he obtained that job by lying at the hearing for his confirmation. And with the assistance of the GOP on the Judiciary Committee, he has withheld thousands of pages of documents that would certainly prove his unsuitability from his time in the Bush White House.
Will the media just state plainly why the Republicans are absolutely determined and committed to keep the FBI from investigating Kavanaugh?
It's absurdly simple and obvious. They already know things (some of which they are holding back in certain documents) that will prove he is unfit to be a Supreme Court justice.
It's that simple. Republicans are terrified that people (namely us) will find out what they already know.
80
@Alex Vine
No--they don't want to drag this out past November. That is the reason.
@Bret
My calendar tells me that from today. Monday, Sept. 24, to Sunday, November 4, there are seven (7) full weeks. So why this unholy rush?
All of these reports, articles, opinions, controversy, accusations will not make one bit of difference to the Republicans in the U.S. Senate. Haven't those who write, opine, talk on TV, etc. paid attention to the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell? He told an evangelical group what was going to happen, which is Kavanaugh will be sitting on the Supreme Court.
Now a second accuser. There won't be a change in Republican Senators' minds if there were a 3rd or 4th, even with hard evidence. That's the political reality.
The Democrats need only to cite Merrick Garland's name to justify their no votes.
40
@tom boyd
No votes?
Where is the outrage?
Where are the calls to shut down the Senate?
Where is the spine of the Democratic Party?
Republicans blatantly say or do anything to get what they want, but Democrats won't even loudly say the plain truth tip protect the Constitution from being corrupted by a corrupt president making a corrupt nomination.
I'm trying to talk myself into voting for a spineless doormat party out of desperation to stop Trump, and I don't see any evidence that Democrats understand the problem, much less actually want to stop Trump.
Fasttracking judicial nominees, and voting for his nominees and legislation is not stopping Trump.
@tom boyd
They didnt make one bot of difference to Democrats over Bill Clinton either.
By these standards, Clinton should have been yanked from office and banished from the public eye.
Democrats made him a hero and offered up his wife as nominee for President instead.
I just keep wondering what's going on in the mind and soul of Clarence Thomas as this thing plays out.
38
@Bob Graham probably absolutely nothing.
2
@Bob Graham, what soul?
@Bob Graham:
Perhaps Clarence Thomas has no soul.
It's unfortunate the FBI will not investigate Dr. Blassey's allegations. The FBI is the only agency with the resources to establish the when and where this incident occurred, and these are critical facts that might prove his guilt or innocence. The inability to recall these crucial facts indicates that the incident was not that traumatic to Dr. Blassey; but it does not in any way exonerate Kavanaugh from the consequences of his actions.
3
I’m going to say something wildly unpopular, but here goes.
I think this assault, which Dr Blasey Ford certainly believes happened, probably lasted no more than a few minutes. And yet it seems to have become a defining characteristic of her adult life. She told her husband about it, and it came up in a couples therapy session some time ago which might imply that the effects of the assault have lasted well into adulthood.
What does this say about our ability to process bad things that happen to us? It is tragically unfair that this episode has followed Dr Blasey Ford so far into adulthood and continues to affect her life and marital relationship. How I wish, for her sake, that a pastor, priest or counselor had helped her with the process of forgiveness instead of what we see today.
There is almost no chance that Dr Blasey Ford will see any justice related to this alleged assault, as there wouldn’t have been back in 1983. The way Senator Feinstein held the information back and is now requesting further delays is making this look like a power game and it smacks of revenge. This can’t possibly be in Dr Blasey Ford’s best interest.
16
I think the whole point here is that we don’t want a Supreme Court Justice capable of such a thing. THAT is why she is coming forward.
86
@Amanda Schwartz: Dr. Blasey Ford said that when Kavanaugh put his hand over her mouth, she was terrified that he was going to inadvertently kill her. According to experts, fear of imminent death is the major factor causing PTSD. It's a big deal. It shouldn't be dismissed as something that can be cured by a pastor advocating "forgiveness." That idea is deeply offensive. It puts the blame for her years-long anguish on the victim. I doubt that your concern for her "best interest" is genuine.
78
@Amanda Schwartz it’s not in her best interests, but it suits the democrats just fine. A new political low.
My first reaction was suspicion that Dr. Blasey's delay was done to allow time for this new witness to be convinced to come forward. Farrow's article that led this accusation said it took six days of pushing her to do it.
Also on Sunday, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels sent an email alleging there are even more women to come forward. In fact, he said Kavanaugh and his buddy organized "gang rapes" with drugs and alcohol used on women to make them vulnerable.
There is a real risk here that over reach in using the #MeToo movement for this political purpose could damage the movement. There is far more to #MeToo than just Kavanaugh, but as we saw with the Asia Argento turnabout, it does not take much to risk real damage to the brand.
Those who have genuine concerns expressed by the #MeToo movement ought to be concerned that the movement is taking second place to the cause of the day, and the movement's larger purposes could be sacrificed by people who never really cared that much for it before they latched onto it for this.
23
You are missing the entire point of #metoo apparently.
18
@Mark Thomason: There's also a "real risk" that the Republicans are trying to ram through confirmation of a sexual predator to the US Supreme Court. Kavanaugh wasn't sufficiently vetted. If he's innocent, there will be no harm in allowing the FBI to investigate.
10
@Mark Thomason
So exactly what are you saying? That only some victims should be heard? Only some victims deserve justice?
Labeling ‘Me Too’ as a “brand” and claiming Dr. Blasey testifying against Kavanaugh will “damage the brand” gives you away. I don’t think you’re concerned for the MeToo movement, Dr. Blasey, or sexual assault victims.
As a woman and survivor I believe Dr. Blasey is mustering the strength to face a committee of mostly hostile old men, some of who sat on the same committee and who denigrated Anita Hill. Like Anita Hill before her, what she is doing takes courage.
Many of the older men have already made statements that suggest their minds are closed and made up. Hatch, Grassley, and Graham. McConnell told a conservative group he was going to “plow ahead” and Kavanaugh’s confirmation is a done deal. McConnell likes to make snide “jokes”, his use of “plow ahead” was not an accident. These men are not willing to consider the truth. They won’t allow a FBI investigation. They won’t allow Dr. Blasey to call witnesses.
We are witnessing a charade, a sham, perpetrated by Republicans to take what they want. Much like some men take what they want. Perhaps they identify with Kavanaugh’s behavior towards 15 yo Christine Blasey.
6
The Republicans—all of them aging, prideful, wealthy, males, long comfortable in the cool halls of power in that [almost exclusively] male preserve known as the United States Senate—should have the guts to question Christine Blasey Ford themselves, not hide behind female staffers or “outside counsel.”
They’re the ones who have denied, disparaged, disgraced or otherwise demeaned Dr. Ford. They all need to own all the thousand-and-one ugly optics of their disgraceful spectacle, particularly now, in this election year, one that may see their last handholds of power being loosened by the fed-up “We, the People.”
They need to have the nation watch the (white male Republicans) on the Judiciary Committee “gang up” on her in what very much is shaping up as an administrative duplication of what she has alleged that Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee—and another drinking buddy—did to her in the early 1980’s.
They can’t run and hide when the clouds get dark and a storm is coming. They’ve got to own this. They wanted Judge Kavanaugh on the Court. This monumental humiliation will forever stain the Republicans, this judge, his president and, irretrievably, the “high” Court to which the judge thinks he’s qualified.
They all asked for this. They can’t have it both ways.
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@Soxared, '04, '07, '13 Um hello? Are you even paying attention? They DO have the guts. They have been accommodating her left and right while she's been playing games with her lawyers. And why won't she sit there like Anita Hill did and take on their questions? Why does she need two lawyers sitting next to her? Brett Kavanaugh doesn't have two lawyers sitting next to him. The liberal mindset is so brainwashed. They haven't run from anything! And Brett Kavanaugh, like him or not, has said nothing this whole time but "still waiting on her to testify. I'm ready."
@John: Why do you think that Kavanaugh has not said I want the FBI to investigate these claims so that I can clear my name? I think because he knows he would not be cleared and he would not be able to damage more women with his rulings while he is on the Court. But let me know why you think he hasn't demanded an investigation.
@Soxared, '04, '07, '13 Franz Kafka just called in to say, "it's worse than I ever imagined."
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Many wondered why Mark Judge - the 3rd person in the room with Kavanaugh & Christine Blasey - has stated he remembers nothing & isn't available to appear before the Senate. (This is the guy who authored a memoir of his alcoholism at Georgetown Prep.
The New Yorker article includes a statement from a woman who claims she was Mark Judge's girlfriend for 3 yrs. She told the reporters that Judge "confessed" to her that he & his friends once had sex with a drunk woman - as a group -
& he knew that it was wrong.
The other notable thing about the Jane Mayer/Ronan Farrow New Yorker article - aside from the new allegation about Brett Kavanaugh exposing himself to a drunk "friend" at a party while a Yale freshman - is the Yale classmate who told the reporters that during Kavanaugh's freshman year he was "frequently incoherently drunk."
Brett Kavanaugh knows he was a heavy drinker as a young man. Rather than tell the Senate that he had an alcohol problem, Kavanaugh's strategy is to DENY DENY DENY these allegations - and paint both Dr. Blasey and the woman he accosted at Yale as liars.
Brett Kavanaugh has been exposed as someone who lacks the capacity to take responsibility for his actions.
He's not fit to serve on the Supreme Court.
He's also not fit to be a Court of Appeals judge.
It was arrogant & disturbing for Kavanaugh to agree to a Supreme Court appointment believing none of this past behavior would surface.
Or that if it did, he'd just lie about it...
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@fast/furious
It appears he matured and did take responsibility by going onto a sober, decent life. No one says he is a drunk now. Who didn't do wild and crazy things in college? All this is political theatre. All of us today live in glass houses---who wants to throw stones?
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I'd say it's right in line with what every other abuser, grifter and criminal in the Trump administration has gotten away with. I don't know why we're even shocked by it anymore. It's standard operating procedure in Trumpland.
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@fast/furious
"Or that if it did, he'd just lie about it..."
I think it's very likely that he, like the president and many of his people, have gotten so good at lying to themselves that they're not even aware of their chutzpah.
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A lot have been said about pros and cons of alleged attempted rape by Mr Kavanaugh, Supreme Court nominee . The victim Dr Ford, and her allégations have been maligned as frivolous ,manipulated and she being mixed up.On the other side there is a call for the issues involved to be properly investigated by appropriate authority ,i.e; the FBI before hearing Dr Ford allégations or Mr Kavanaugh denial.
Not to investigate the allégations thoroughly ,with threadbare detailed analysis, is a gross dereliction of the constitutional obligation and moral propriety.Why such a course is insisted upon by the Republican Chairman Mr Grassley is hidden. But the veil is being uncovered with the passage of time and American people ,in particular the women electorates are conscious that here is a brazen attempt unfolding a ploy to put all under the rug and manage the confirmation process.
Furthermore, Judge Kavanaugh seems a party to the Republican sinister tactic by remaing moot on the background investigation by the FBI.Mr Kavanaugh is a sitting judge and is projected as a legal luminary.This claim itself is put to doubt since natural justice calls upon him to seek a through background investigation that he ignores.If he is innocent as intrinsic in his denial; the FBI enquiry can only support that claim.
Mr Kavanaugh classmate at Yale in 1983 now reveals that she was exposed to genital by Mr Kavanaugh in a drunken state at a party.
Mr Kavanaugh could be absolved only by FBI fair enquiry.
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Let’s see:
1-Lying to the FBI is a crime
2-Dr. Ford wants to talk to the FBI
3-Judge Kavanaugh does not want to talk to the FBI
Test your logic:
Who do you think is lying?
1-Dr. Ford
2-Judge Kavanaugh
Test your logic, part two:
If Judge Kavanaugh lied, he should:
1-be prosecuted and if found guilty, punished
2-be confirmed as a supreme court justice
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@Opinioned! Dr Ford is no doubt being pushed by the Democrats to sing like a Canary. Of course she’ll talk to the FBI bit what will it prove? Nothing that’s what, it will just be a means to an end for Feinstein And the democrats who are using her cruelly as a political pawn.
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Does anyone really believe this will be a fair and impartial hearing ? It will continue to be the shameless and spineless attempt by the Republicans to confirm a disingenuous far-right judge as justice who appears to be a sexual predator and alcoholic. Just the very wrong person to decide on women’s rights for a generation or two. Outrageous.
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@Baskar Guha -- No, not on either side, and hasn't been for some time.
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When Donald Trump calls someone, “a fine man” the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
When Lindsay Graham says, “I’ll listen to the lady.” It makes me feel like we’ve gone back to an even less kinder time for women.
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It’s amazing how Trump makes you think “well, maybe he’s not so bad” about those that you once had a very low opinion. Graham’s words yesterday were a good reminder not to let it happen.
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Dr. Ford has agreed to testify before the Committee 10AM Thursday! A few details to iron out, but the big one is: Who will ask her the questions? The Democrats on the Committee will each ask their questions but the Republicans seem perplexed, and we all know why.
I can imagine the GOP conference call:
Plan A: All of us? Yikes, looks lopsided for our all-white, all-male team. Maybe only Hatch? He did so well with Anita Hill. It’s likely his last term anyway. Perfect sacrificial lamb if it’s a train wreck & Utah is a safe, super red state. Maybe Lindsey? He’s a bit friendiler and that Southern accent sure is nicer.
Plan B: Or maybe a lady? We need a lady, any lady, so we can ask questions of the other lady. Another Senator not on the Committee? Maybe Susan, Lisa, or Joni? Or the junior varsity — Cindy? Deb? Shelley? How about a female staffer? (seriously?).
Plan C: Let’s outsource the job and hire an unelected female lawyer to ask the questions, since we can’t do our jobs and well you know, the optics are better.
Whatever we do, remember guys: pink ties and pink breast cancer pins on your lapels on Thursday. Better optics.
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Wow. Only four women on the panel and all are Democrats. The 9 Republicans are all male. At least two of the Republican senators have publicly declared that they have already made up their minds: Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell, the latter pledging to a group of evangelicals that Kavanaugh will be appointed. Okay, so 9 Republican guys, already drunk (with their majority power) are hanging with their ‘bro, Kavanaugh, and begin to advance towards Dr Ford. Does this sound like a gang assault (or another word) waiting to happen?
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@Christine Houston
"Gang assault" would be a shameless euphemism.
"But Republicans have repeatedly rebuffed requests by Dr. Blasey’s team to subpoena Mark Judge, a high school friend of Judge Kavanaugh’s who Dr. Blasey has said was in the room at the time of the assault, or any others said to have been at the gathering where the alleged assault occurred. Mr. Judge has said he knows of no such incident."
This says it all. The only link to the incident that may bear fruit. If the event took place and Mr. Judge denies that it occurred the republicans would be in a real jamb. So they completely block that avenue of their so-called investigation. They are so transparently cynical and dishonest. And that is a reflection of their sweaty, frantic, desperation.
These are, after all, the same guys who could stand in the midst of multiple hurricanes, tornadoes, and assorted environmental disasters and still deny climate change. Zealots.
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