Yes, sure, ok. Kids who work their tails off in AP Physics, Calculus and literature in rigorous and highly competitive private schools to get into top colleges are just luxuriating in privilege. That worldview is so asinine and apart from reality that I wouldn’t know where to start. More importantly, however, is the misunderstanding that a Justice’s plain Jane upbringing matters. It doesn’t. What matters is raw intelligence and an understanding of and adherence to what the Constitution meant as it was written. To those who want their policy views reflected, run for an elected branch,
To those here who harp about Roe v. Wade, I’d bet almost none have read and understand the opinion, Regardless of your policy position on abortion (I’m personally pro choice), if you believe in democracy, you should be appalled by how the opinion nakedly subverts it and creates rights out of thin air. The Constitution isn’t perfect. It has gaps. The proper way to fill those gaps is through the democratic process of legislation or amendment, not by unelected judges.
33
Having worked hard in school doesn’t mean that people like Kavanaugh don’t also enjoy privileges that most of us don’t.
I agree with that there are many issues that are better settled through the legislative process.
However, the right wing realizes that their policy goals are not popular with the majority of Americans, and that they only way they can achieve their goal of repealing the 20th century is to stack the courts with far-right partisans like Gorsuch and Kavanaugh.
10
@DRS: What about all of the kids who work their tails off taking AP classes or studying for the International Baccalaureate at the many ppublic schools in this country? They work just as hard, and often without the luxuries and comforts afforded to the wealthy students at private schools. They have to pass their exams without the aid of expensive tutors, and some don't even have food security or a stable place to live. Anyone with half-a brain can do well at a private school, if given enough support. The kids who really shine are the kids who work hard at their studies under the worst of conditions, and who manage somehow to overcome their many economic and material disadvantages. Wealthy kids at private schools have no idea what really hard work means, in comparison.
9
Putin just won.
340
Excellent and scathing indictment of today's amoral, unethical, soulless GOP. #IbelieveChristine #metoo.
806
Two things: 1) Kavanaugh's rant against the Dems for all his ills should eliminate him from the Supreme Court.....he is partisan thru and thru. 2) His silence, his stonewalling, his refusal to ask for an investigation to clear himself, instead demanding a hearing before a stacked GOP committee who has already declared their vote for him prior to Ms Ford's testimony says EVERYTHING about his true commitment to fairness.....fairness to himself, alone.
Once again a GOP shill tells us he's the victim, it's all about him. His complaint that he wanted to testify the previous Monday.....ignoring that he was not the only one testifying. And let none of us forget: Kavanaugh spent the past 10 days practicing for hours, every day, for this hearing....unlike Ms Ford who simply told the truth and admitted what she did not remember.
Kavanaugh lashed out at the Dems, interrupting them, answering the questions he wanted to while stonewalling others.
If so innocent....why no investigation? Ask Judge? No his lawyer gave a statement, look at my high school calendars (as if K would have written, failed to rape B). Social projects? Not listed, but being grounded 3 times the month of May is. And parties every weekend.
853
Lindsey graham said in all his time in politics this was the most disgusting sham he had ever seen .
Dr. Ford waited 36 years to be assulted a second time .
661
Not the dude I'd want to drink a beer with.
213
"The...laughter." After Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asked Blasey Ford what her strongest memory of the assault was, she said it was “the uproarious laughter between the two and how they were having fun at my expense.” Some fun. And how awful. Call and email your Senators TODAY and the local offices of fence-sitters (Collins, Murkowski, and red state Dems). #KavNOT!
307
A well written article.
My guess is that republicans no longer read the NYTimes.
211
Dr. Ford testified we dignity and respect. Senator Graham and Judge Kavanaugh had hissy fits with Kavanaugh throwing in criticism of the Clintons to please their liege lord, Donald Trump. Huckabee-Saunders comes out to dispense that lord’s blessing on their performance, Jeff Flake says let’s vote.
I am bent over with grief for my country, my daughters, my granddaughters, and my gender.
434
As an American senior who grew up poor because my father was a disabled veteran of the Japanese POW camp, I managed to get a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and did my internship at Yale Medical School. Watching this self-pitying man cry, snivel, and pout for two hours turned my stomach. What kind of man is this? An elitist who blubbers like a cry baby when frustrated and rages because he doesn't get his "do." As a white man, I felt embarrassed by this hysterical cry baby. This is republican manhood?
842
This is very good Tim, but you should try harder to see the big picture. It's a "Bonfire of American Vanities"; early twenty-first century realities dancing on the grave of "American Exceptionalism"! "The match was lit" when Ronald Reagan proclaimed that "Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem" - never mind that the government was an American government and a democratic government! "All governments, any government=evil" - see? (You might need to squint a bit.) The fire was raging when Bill Clinton added fuel to it when he said "The era of big government is over" so confidently. (Somebody should tell the Chinese.)
Ah, the asinine "neo-liberal consensus" - you've got to love it! Of course the "free market" is the solution to all ills, always better than the good work of good people in the public service. How could it not be? It's pure goodness! Enough of that perverse "black and white" thinking by all the best people, who went to the all the best schools, and you end up with a situation where those who do not believe in government, and are not fit for it, want to occupy the seats of it so, so badly, so they can prevent it from working, or prove it doesn't work, or something. That's how you end up with a country of 320 million people that nevertheless seems like it is not capable of rational self-government.
Meanwhile the three nations rated the best in the world for women are all high taxing, high government spending, social democracies!
331
Now, I can't get Tom T. Hall's "I Like Beer" out of my head. Although in BK's case, he would change the lyric to "sometimes it makes me feel rapey."
98
Real name: Brat Kavanaugh
369
Well written. Thank you.
116
The Bonfire of the Inanities.
Sample, "I didn't black out' but in the same breathe Judge Kavanaiugh said he went to sleep when he drank too much. How do we draw the line?
161
Exactly.
230
This pouty blubbering poor pitiful me act makes me sick. This guy attacked girls as a young man and ruled with his notions of what's "right" from the bench for hundreds more. And he gleefully took pleasure in prosecuting Bill Clinton with as much pain as possible. But now the tables are turned - poor poor me! I'm a good guy. I play sports. I drink beer. So QED. It's the arrogant hypocrisy that grates the nerves and violates the sensibilities.
505
America has jumped the shark.
182
Yes. It’s true. All of it. A wonderful tour de force of a column by Timothy Egan.
.
In a nutshell, Egan explained why I have started calling the Republicans the “PUH”: The Party of Unabashed Hypocrisy.
522
What should be clear to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear is that the bullies in the republican party can dish it out, but they sure can't take it.
I have never seen so much whining and sniveling, not to mention lying, since I was in kindergarten.
Any vote for a republican is a vote for fascism. There can no longer be any denying of that.
It is the party of allegiance only to the big money that has bought them lock, stock, and barrel.
They have convinced a significant portion of our electorate that black is white, up is down, and wrong is right.
They must be turned out of power and they must never again seize the majority. They belong on the dust pit of history. No, make that the cesspool of history.
528
As one familiar with fraternities in college, the contest couch for conquests, the drinks to loosen up women, the men hiding in closets to watch assaults take place, the bragging about belt notches, gathering for “pig parade” as sororities March by, etc etc.
It is high time to abolish these clubs. Universities are complicit. They began as exclusive clubs, closed doors to Jewish and black people. Why do we still have these anachronisms? The Senate is a holdover of these horrible clubs. Most of them feel that Kavanaugh was just being a normal guy.
821
Females can't be trusted to reliably recall the truth. They are far too emotional. They desolve into angy tears and ludicrious tales of conspiracy to explain their situation.... oh wait, that was the priviledged white male jurist? Oh well, just vote him in. after all he was born for this.
442
That picture of a blubbering , self pitying frat boy says it all.
395
"If you put a man in the White House who openly boasts of being a sexual predator, a president credibly accused by more than a dozen people of misconduct, you are no friend of women'
And yet 53% of white women voted for Trump knowing full well his agenda on tax cuts and conservative judges. To these women he was their friend.
152
Kavanaugh is gross, bloated, red-faced, entitled, elitist, and shallow. He is a smarter version of Trump. He is a total hypocritical liar over and over again. I doubt he does remember the drunkenness and assaults because it doesn't fit in with his life script for the pretty boy.
What I see is a lonely insecure only child with a distant Mother (like Trump). Extremely high expectations but with an open spot at every turn. How dare this excuse for a man serve as a judge, any judge? Let him go cry in his beer. And no I hate beer.
687
Another privileged Male Peacock whining through hubris and expectation for his perceived rights. That is a frightful sight soon to be seen on the SCOTUS with another dissolute libertine, Clarence Thomas.
466
Smart Americans will remember The weapons of mass destruction debacle in Iraq, the economy Bush left us with and now a predator President and potentially his protege on the supreme court. That's smart Americans as for the other 63 million.......
94
Trump has single handedly set this nation he hates into ruin for the preservation of his own ego.
104
We are marching, slowly but steadily, not towards civil war, but to a society of Masters and Serfs. And we are marching, not willingly perhaps, but willfully.
All week I asked people I met or spoke to (not friends, but strangers, like store cashiers or salespeople or shoppers) what they thought about Kavanagh. The response from 90% was "who's that?" but no one ever refused to answer. I told them who Kavanagh is.
I asked if they intended to vote in the midterms. About 50% said yes. I asked people if they read newspapers, in print or online. Most, no. Books, ditto. Watched news on TV? Most, no. Too tired after work. Went online? Yes; FB or Twitter or Instagram - but nothing "political." Then how, I asked, would they decide how to vote? Shrugs, mostly.
Sure, anecdotal, but you can try it for yourself. It will be enlightening.
George Orwell (1984) and Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) debated the best way to subjugate populations. Orwell argued, and showed in his novel, that it's the repressive boot on the face, like the Nazis. Huxley argued that no regime could afford to keep up that level of repression forever. Too costly, and it ultimately inspires rebellion. Far better, he thought, to have a population repress itself, either though amusments like trivia, media and drugs (Soma, in BNW) - or beliefs passed down until no one can ever again imagine living a different way.
I think we know who won that argument.
205
Brilliant, Mr. Egan. It was all out there before the election: that Trump was a sociopath devoid of empathy, a sex offender, a compulsive liar, a racist, a con man, and profoundly ignorant in the bargain.
And unbelievably, he was elected President of the United States, and the Republican Party has decided to almost totally cede to him.
And now America should consider whether that Party has any any right to further participation in our democracy and Republic.
256
At this point I am convinced that the Old White Straight Boy Republican Network does not really believe that sexual assault is a crime.
It is a feature of Republican privilege, not a bug.
260
I don’t think the times has covered this nearly as well as the post. That is disappointing. Any way, regardless of how your feel about Dr Ford, kavenaugh's snarling howl of a statement was uniquely disqualifying for a judicial candidate, showing no judicial temperament whatsoever. He sounded much more like a hanging judge from the jim crow South, which is no doubt why Lindsay Graham is so comfortable with him. Stress does reveal character and kavenaugh has shown he is just the kind of rich white boy partisan hack one would expect from Trump, the misogynist vulgarian.
240
How apropos that the GOP Congress has chosen to back a man who becomes belligerent after accusations of sexual misconduct. In a rut or a trance I would imagine from the power that one party can wield when they are the majority. Trump/Kavenaugh are typical of men who lie and then become outraged when you find out they are not men of honor. I have heard and read of many women who say that Kavenaugh's anger echoed what many women see from abusive partners. No different just the usual "how dare you accuse me".
191
Kavenaugh outed himself with that raving, partisan bit about Democrats, left wingers and The Clinton’s. Couldn’t he at least have kept his right wing bias quiet until he got his God given right to sit on the SC?
158
Thank you Mr. Egan.
45
It ain't pretty when white, male, monied, elitist privilege hits a speed bump...
316
He was so passionate. The pathos was unbearable. Passionate for his ego. For the pain of his self-absorption. for his pathetic entitlement.
335
Dead on! I went to high school in the middle of nowhere then met the privileged, entitled prep school boys when I went to Yale. I know Kavanaugh's type then and now. Let them go find someone who went to an underfunded high school and worked his--or preferably her--way through a public college.
170
All things being equal -- and they never are -- Kavanaugh's arrogance, his complete sense of entitlement and his complete demonstration that he lacks any sense of judicial demeanor were appalling. It is hard to imagine -- especially after listening to Dr. Ford's impassioned testimony -- that anyone (and I do mean ANYONE) could envision her a part of a left-wing contrived political hit job. But Judge Kavanaugh can -- and that speaks volumes about his temperament to sit as a judge at any level, let alone as a Supreme.
And for this show-- this travesty -- that America's body politic had to endure this week, we can thank none other than Donald Trump, the current holder of the presidency who also is an accused (multiple times) sexual assaulter and who, true to his word, picked "one of the best people" he could find to nominate for a seat the Supreme Court.
Well done, Donald Trump. Thank you for exposing to all America another member of society who embodies the values you hold most dear. Sad.
184
Just perfect. BURN them DOWN. Politically speaking, of course.
NOVEMBER.
74
Let us all pray for Ruth Bader Ginsburg to live a long life into her nineties and that a Democrat is President when she dies or decides to retire. Amen.
157
Well said. Thank you.
54
I think you need to call Time Magazine and tell them you have their cover photo for this week.
90
There haven't been this many traitors to the Republic in Congress since the day after Fort Sumter surrendered.
97
Yesterday Kavanaugh blamed the Clinton’s for orchestrating a left wing conspiracy against him. He was very angry. Then last night Hillary Clinton had a cameo on the TV comedy Murphy Brown. She was very funny.
And so it goes.
57
“He [Kauvanaugh] had the look of a man who had drunk the cup of life and found a dead beetle at the bottom.” P.G. Wodehouse.
During the Starr Investagation of President Clinton’s sexual misdeeds with a consenting, albeit eager, adult, The Honorable “stalking” Judge Kauvanaugh revealed his slavering, salacious voyeuristic character. And yet a weepy, whiny Judge K. turned a deaf ear to Dr Ford recounting her sexual assault. Kinda like, “Why would I bother to listen to another hysterical babe?”
“It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people don’t want apologies, and the wrong sort take mean advantage of them” P.G. Wodehouse and the Trump rule book.
78
I want to thank the NYT for publishing Egan's work.
146
I can't wait for the midterms.
45
Yes, the GOP's morality was fake and a fraud all along. They some how own the brand of family values, but we now know with the election of Trump and the soon-to-be nomination of Kavanaugh, that all this goody-two-shoes posturing was fake from day 1. They take drugs, assault women (and brag about it, like Trump), cheat on their wives, cheat on their taxes, hang out with porn stars and strippers, and sadly, hit on little girls. Yes, the GOP does all this to the extreme. At least I know never to ever believe the GOP, the evangelicals, or the LDS church, when they come my way.
Of bigger concern for me was Kavanaugh exploding and ripping on the Democrats. Let's see: I'm a Democrat and everyone on the court is supposed to represent THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. If you do not know this, you need to recuse yourself now. You are not a pawn of the GOP, you are to represent everyone. I don't have a law degree and I know that.
What an awful, awful man ... and he'll soon by on the Supreme Court. A sad day for America.
382
Trump cult members (many in my small town) sneer at 'coastal elites' as evidence of some kind of liberal class thing. They say it like a mantra, as in: "Those liberal elites in San Francisco...."
Well, Kav supporters, why aren't you whining about prep-boy elites? Elite families whose kids go to the best schools to prep them to rule the masses, and feel entitled to do so. Is it cuz he drinks beer instead of lattes?
Maybe cult members can remember groping girls and swilling kegs of beer at parties, so it seems just normal.
105
NOVEMBER 6
NOVEMBER 6
NOVEMBER 6
Got the point?
173
The republicans put on a theatrical con job Thursday. Pathetic tantrums designed to draw attention away from the real issues of character and temperment. It was obviously well planned, coordinated, and rehearsed. Fake emotion. Fake relevance. Fake patriotism.
116
Thank you Mr. Egan.
55
Doesn’t matter Mr Egan ! The Trump base , that can read , loves jesus , Kavanaugh , Graham , McConnell , Coulter and all the other hypocrites .
66
Mr. Bart O Kavanaugh/The Honorable Judge Kavanaugh
The question here is, are you Honorable?
"Yup, beer is on my list of good substances".
For justice to prevail, honorable people have to administrate.
Your apology and acknowledgement of harm get you out of this pickle.
The patently, absurdly, over the top homerism disqualify. The mention of the Clintons is dishonorable. Nobody is that dumb.
40
There are so many reasons Kavanaugh shouldn't be confirmed. It is highly likely he attempted to rape a young woman, he lies, he has the temperament of a spoiled 5 year old (like the man who nominated him).
Only 100 Americans get to decide if he gets a seat on the high court.
But the rest of us get our chance to speak in November.
96
Cry baby Kavanaugh's tears don't exonerate him from his transgressions. He's the favorite pick of a man who himself sits in office under a cloud of suspicion. Tears of a clown or villain ?
We'll never known the whole truth ,and nothing but the truth unless the FBI is allowed to do its job for the American taxpayers.
62
ross you nailed it! great writing!
8
Why do we even have the united states anymore? It is a completely failed notion, and is now only a vehicle for the tyranny of the republicans. Sadly, decent people appear to be too cowardly to leave, and so they deserve the societal failure they currently have.
#calexit - you deserve better.
15
Dear female voters. They keep doing it to you again and again and again. The same people.
86
Simply put, Kavanaugh's behavior was a disgrace and an embarrassment.
74
Them with the gold rule by the gold standard. Manifest Destiny was bound to haunt us with the blow back from the delusions of our founding.
6
J. Kavanaugh was self-disgraced: he’s a lousy liar: his holier-than-anyone self-aggrandizing speeches notwithstanding, his comportment was an embarrassment: His sense of self entitlement came through, clear as a bell. His bullying tactics of the senatorial committee members clearly revealed his lack of grasp of the fundamentals of constitutional law. His repeated overtalking, his interrupting, his turning appropriate questions back on Democrat committee members showed no respect for the rule of law, and revealed, above all, his arrogance...We sure don’t need a person like him on our Supreme Court.
171
Kavanaugh forgot to say Trump's magic word: "witch-hunt". Other than that he was just as rambling, lying and incoherent as the buffoon that nominated him.
66
The Republicans made a deal and sold America's soul to the devil in exchange for tax cuts for the rich.
Does anyone else think we should pull a Trump and renege on the horrible, very bad, worst deal in the history of deal making that they made?
46
Tim great column. When I saw that crying liar say that his calendar was to be believed but his year book was not to be believed, and then see him fail to answer even one question from Democrats, I knew he is a disturbed liar. With Kavanaugh the lies are pathological, the same as with Trump. Both are ill individuals.
92
Mr. Kavanaugh has crawled in to bed with the devil and he pays the price. Many good people will be brought low by the most despicable person to attain the Presidency in the history of our country. This man's life is over as he knew it but that is the bargain he made. Tears don't move me.
113
“I knew he was a shallow, lazy ignoramus,” as Ann Coulter said, “but I didn’t care.”
Neither did 63 million voters in 2016 and look at the country today. It’s in a virtual Civil War and neither side is taking prisoners. The state of America is reflected by the president and his supporters in their determination to divide the country. It’s not just immigrants or tariffs or Court appointments that have changed America, it’s the leadership of this elected president that has infected the country with a deadly virus. America has reached the point of no return.
38
A fantastic article! It is entirely accurate in its depiction of male privilege and frat boy excesses that resulted in “grab em”, and pervert exposure like Charlie Rose and Harvey Weinstein. We learned that Kavanaugh like Trump does not know restraint and does not respect women. We see it daily in Trump’s disdain for female world leaders and the head of the Canadian NAFTA negotiating team. The private school animal house behavior does not change, Kavanaugh’s pathetic whining about Democrats, his claims of “virginity”, and his anger belong in the local beer dive. Was it the beer swilling that racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit card debt? Clearly we now know the man and he is not a Supreme Court judge.
86
We average Americans have become the rabble to these elites. Their answer to the cries and complaints of those disenfranchised, unemployed, underemployed was to give us a clown, trump. While they use trump as a major distraction behind the curtain they loot the treasury and stack the deck to favor the oligarchs. It is time we rabble started cleaning house. Vote this November, chose wisely.
62
It should be abundantly clear to everyone who watched Kavanaugh’s testimony, that he has become so politicized that he would not be able to consider Supreme Court issues impartially! He would potentially seek revenge against liberal Democrats on cases involving abortion, voting rights, ......and of course any case challenging the Trump administration!
139
ABSOLUTELY right on! This administration is a disgrace and the senators, like Lindsay Graham, who rant and rave about Democrats' machinations are engaging in hypocritical melodrama of the highest order. Brett Kavanaugh is a disgrace to the legal profession and has exploited the power structure with shameless aggression! Thank you for your editorial. It expresses my husband and my sentiments entirely!
83
Yesterday we watched a small group of white Republican men break the heart and spirit of America. They are shameful men. When we all stop crying, pick yourself up and banish them to the junkpile of history.
85
There is another equally salient observation that should be made Throughout this confirmation circus media opinion folks like Jeanine Pirro who made her bones as a defender of abused women while head of the Domestic Violence unit of the Westchester County District Attorney’s office and subsequently as the ads continue to endorse and defend the man who has enabled the attempted destruction of our bedrock institutions, Donald Trump Together with Hannity Limbaugh Levin Ingraham Coulter and others a daily non stop tirade of misinformation is spawn by these faux journalists in order to bolster the most corrupt administration since tea pot dome
32
This the best editorial I've seen yet on this long nightmare, going back to Feb. 13, 2016, when Mitch McConnell hijacked Article II, Section 2, paragraph 2 of the United States Constitution.
50
Is the rule of law over? Tune in later today and find out.
21
When the judiciary becomes a tool of one man and his obedient party, the slide into fascism becomes a distinct possibility. History should have tought us that lesson by now.
61
After the 911 attack, the first cover the New Yorker did was a black on black image of the towers.
There was another cover, after some other disaster, showing the statue liberty with tears running down her face.
Now they should have one of lady justice, also weeping.
37
Wow! Some great writing here, Timothy Egan.
40
If our Senate confirms this angry and temperamentally unfit man for our highest court, the rule of law is officially dead. We elected a clown for President, and now have a circus in place of our formerly honor-bound and distinguished Senate.
45
The party previously known as Republican, now Trumpian, took their marching orders from the liar-in-chief. The trumpists have set a match to the institution of Congress. With McConnell at the reins, the trumpists forged their plan to ignore all truths and rules, to push their confirmatory vote as soon as they danced through the show trial/process. Graham's indignation earned him a best-supporting actor in a political dramatic role.
The Trumpists dragged out the hearing by refusing to allow the FBI to participate. But truths seeped out of the cracks. They played Kava-a-no like the emasculated prop he is, and they forged a new role for him: that of a victim. Now, in the center ring, will be a Supreme Court justice unable to operate as a jurist; he will be forever known as a male accused of sexual assault, who proclaimed himself to be the victim of a false accusation of sexual assault.
This is a rewind of a bad TV reality show. The liar-in-chief will not stand for Kav-a-no to hold the center ring for long. The raging jealousies of djt will reclaim center ring as soon as the confirmation vote is done.
At the core, Kav-a-no inflicted this wound upon himself, his family, and our democracy by lying. The trumpists who assisted Kav-a-no to tell bald-faced lies and lies of concealment, have also ushered the looming aftermath of their rot. Their disease will go up in fire.
Revisit "Burning Down the House," by the Talking Heads and David Byrne. Life imitates art.
28
Anyone who goes to pieces like Kavanaugh did, crying and carrying on like a teenager on drugs, should not be allowed to pass judgment on others because he is too emotionally unstable. I’m an elderly sort and in my day real, honest men did not turn to blubber when threatened. I can’t help but wonder what his wife could add about his sordid personality. Nothing good can come of this.
60
Republican false equivalence was on full display yesterday. Asking questions of a man who stands accused of attempted rape, possible alcoholism and perjury, before his inevitable and partisan confirmation, is the moral equivalent of refusing to let him have a hearing at all, as was done to Judge Garland. The fake fury from Sen. Graham turned my stomach, and to think he's one of the GOOD Republicans!
41
A perfect summary Mr. Egan. Thank you.
18
Trumpian projection again. The national disgrace is Kavanaugh himself.
27
Will Kavanaugh make it if the senators have a secret ballot?
10
Despite all the truths that Mr. Egan has written, none of it matters anymore, because these truths have become truisms.
Why? Because the Republicans have transformed themselves into a bunch of delusional psychotics. (Or blackout drunks is a better analogy?)
You can't use facts and logical reasoning with a psychotic who, by clinical definition, has disconnected from facts and logical reasoning. They're fine living in circular reasoning, undisturbed by the contradictions that sane people see.
"I have recollection of raping Dr. Ford. I have no recollection of being a blackout drunkard. Even if other people have stated that they saw me being a blackout drunkard, I have no recollection of it; therefore it cannot be true. And even though I'm a judge, who is well-trained in logical reasoning, I will assert that the fact that 64 women testified that they never saw me do something proves that it's impossible that I ever did that thing even in situations when none of them was present. Oh, and the fact that Dr. Ford talked about these things with her husband years before I was nominated is meaningless, because this whole thing is part of a revenge plot driven by the Clintons."
When a person is so deeply psychotic as this, facts and logical reasoning are to no avail.
When an entire party is so blinded by partisan tribalism that that overrides their own ethical reasoning, they're nothing but Deplorable.
And when 35% of the public can't understand any of this, we're all toast.
36
Kavanaugh disqualified himself as a political hack yesterday. Even apart from his past behavior and his current likely lying about it, his anger and partisanship, his snide disdain, his commitment to Trump's vulgar agenda all make him unsuitable for the Court.
72
"Is this the same Kavanaugh who once demanded that the most graphic details of another man’s private life, Bill Clinton, be made public “piece by painful piece”?"
Why yes it is! What kind of man would design such questions as Mr. Kavanaugh formulated to throw at Bill Clinton. How dare he protest about character assassination now. At least what Clinton did appears to have been consensual.
78
Kavanaugh’s arrogant exchange with Senator Klobuchar sealed my belief his mecurial temperament is counter to what a Supreme Court Judge should be. Add to that Kavanaugh claimed a conspiracy of the Clintons and Obama for his problems. Do we really need a Trump clone for a lifetime appointment to the most prestigious Court in the US?
68
Kavanaugh came across as an entitled, whiny frat boy who was outraged at being questioned of his 'due' - a seat on the Supreme Court. He was cheezy (his daughters pray for Dr. Ford? We're supposed to do anything other than gag at such obvious lies?) and so very sorry for himself. He had the proceedings heavily tilted his way, had a bro-chorus of old white bobbleheads to scream and yell, he has no hesitation in smearing the women who were prevented from being there and getting aggressive with two women whose job it was to question him. And while claiming openness to investigation he avoided any actual call for one. He also showed his bitter, angry partisanship.
No one can possibly expect anything even remotely resembling impartiality from this judge. And, with his deeply compromised situation, his avowed plan to provide a one-vote margin to deny women control of their own bodies by overturning Roe may well ignite a civil war.
The GOP has driven hypocrisy into unimaginable heights. They have nothing but partisan fury behind them - no standards, no interest in truth or the national good. Their kangaroo court proved that beyond any possible doubt.
I had hopes of Jeff Flake's flirtation with integrity, but I should have known better.
I cannot wait until they are all run over, flattened and made road kill by voters on November 6.
76
This editorial/opinion piece is why I pay for my subscription to the New York Times. Thank you for the insight, sensitivity, honesty, and intelligence of this piece. It's an example of journalism at it's best!
40
Pride cometh before a fall
34
it is sickening to see how willing, even eager, the Republicans have been to tarnish the Supreme Court. This is a fundamental change to the intricate system of self governance built by the Founders. It is shameful.
80
Innocent until proven guilty , no proof and lots of doubt. From his high school days? Seriously? Let’s move on from this biased politically driven drive by attempt at character assassination. The Dems held on to this deliberately until too late for FBI investigation? Shame on them. Ethos failure and they should be punished.
1
With this article Mr. Egan hit every nail on the head. The GOP Trumpsters are clearly deplorable--they care only about benefiting themselves, they get elected to line their pockets and those of the donor class, they use people and twist the truth to the detriment of the entire country. They have no principles other than "self, first and always."
Kavanaugh is certainly their boy because he evidently shares all their warped values. His name is tarnished only in that people now see him clearly for what he is because his carefully structured facade has been ripped to shreds by a dignified woman.
What a pathetic bunch of fakers the GOP Trumpsters are, not a true leader among them, with them trying to make it appear they are capable of being effective leaders--during Blasey's and then Kavanaugh's testimonies these doddering and intellectually fading old white men made silly mistake after silly mistake. This may be the most consequential reason why these foolish men must be voted out of office because it is their vast ineptitude that imperils the United States the most.
To witness a spoiled middle aged man evade, threaten through false accusations, and then throw a temper tantrum wasn't just pathetic, it established that Kavanaugh is unfit to serve as a SC justice. And this whole process shows why the GOP Trumpsters have no intention of upholding their oaths of office and representing all of the populace. Save the country--vote all of them out on November 6.
74
Judge Kavanaugh’s hectoring and evasive performance was far from convincing.
Personally, I find Senator McConnell the most disgusting member of the GOP leadership. His shameless opportunism is far more effective in undermining American democratic institutions than even the shameless, transparently self-centered opportunism of President Trump.
That said, Senator Graham’s shamelessly bullying display at yesterday’s hearings shows that he is trying to take the lead in the GOP’s drive to plumb new depths of shamelessness. McConnell’s claim to the title of most shamelessly opportunistic within the GOP may be in jeopardy. Trump’s, of course, will be the most openly displayed. Graham will remain a self-aggrandizing mini-Trump.
46
When I hugged my teenage daughter this morning, I didn’t want to let go. What will her future be like? I cannot give in to despair, but oh! How I would like to fall to my knees and howl!
Their faux outrage is a pathetic veneer to cover up their determination to appoint a religious conservative even if he has been credibly accused of sexual assault. Lindsey Graham couldn’t make it in an amateur theatrics show. Painful to watch. All of it.
38
I tried the thought experiment of a woman behaving like Kavanaugh while testifying. Her raging, pouting, accusing, crying, attacking would be seen as a sign of mental instability and unreliability.
There is no way she would get anyone's vote for the Supreme Court. In fact, she would be seen as someone who probably should not hold any professional job, due to lack of self control and judgement.
Double standards all the way through.
124
Trump and his yahoos win again. It appears that too many Americans WANT a government of sexual predators and privileged white frat boys. What happened to draining the swamp? What happened to tearing down the system and returning power to "the people"? What happened to overthrowing "the elite"? The bullies have taken over the schoolyard, and everyone seems okay with that. Trump has established that there are NO political consequences for boorish behavior or sexual assault. After all, they're only women, right?
34
This debacle is great motivation to get out the vote in November. Regain the House and Senate, launch an actual investigation and impeach the arrogant fratboy if crimes are unearthed.
23
Kavanaugh was faking. With all the sniffing and sobbing, and even the outright blubbering, I did not see a single tear course its way down his cheek. I do believe that he's very angry, and that did fuel some of the emotional display that he put on during his diatribe against Democrats. However, this is rage induced by the idea that anyone would have the temerity to stand between him and the seat to which he is entitled by his privilege.
It's horrifying to read today of a woman in Maine who was interviewed for another column, who said that she did believe that he committed this assault but forgot it, and that he's not at all the same person he was in high school and college.
How can we put someone on the court who so obviously hates Democrats and liberals and anything that is not pure Republican, anything that does not fit in with his crusade to keep America white and conservative? Remember that this was the same man who attempted to force a 17 year old illegal immigrant to bear a child that was the product of rape, using legal trickery. Fortunately there was a way around him to a less reactionary judge, but if we put him on the Supreme Court there will be no place left to go to appeal his medieval thinking.
117
The American Bar Association, the Jesuit newspaper, the Editorial Boards of the Washington Post and NYT are unanimous in calling for an FBI investigate Kavanaugh again, specifically regarding his drinking and sexual assaults. His Yale Law School demands investigation. All this means nothing to the power hungry GOP or to wanna be dictator Trump. If you do not want a minority party GOP morphing into the first American dictatorship, then you must vote for the Dem candidates. Even lifetime Republicans are repudiating today’s twisted sister GOP. If this bunch is thrown out, more people of principle can resurrect the GOP along more ethical lines.
73
In summary, what Kavanaugh showed us was white elite male privilege bitterly angry over the prospect of being denied his deserved seat on the Supreme Court. Quite independent of Ford's allegations, Kavanaugh is temperamentally unqualified to be a Supreme Court Justice.
47
One of Egan's best, which is saying something. My two prime takeaways from yesterday's depressing spectacle: 1) Among his Republican enablers, the example of Trump's daily tantrums has normalized bad manners, narcissistic petulance, disrespect for institutional tradition and unabashed shows of contempt for political opponents. This isn't just the age-old tactic of "the best defense is a good offense," it's now "the best defense is the worst offensiveness." 2) What was really in the spotlight yesterday was the entrenched sense of entitlement worn like a mantle by the all-male, all-white, Republican establishment. It was truly ugly.
41
The only good thing I saw yesterday was a photo in the Daily Kos of the women sitting beside Brett Kavanaugh as he fulminated. The utter loathing on every one of their faces was stunning. May that portend what happens a few weeks from now.
57
If his daughters were assaulted (God forbid) by a prep school boyfriend, who would he believe? Would we see tears? A plan to extract revenge? Life as lived by ordinary people is never imagined by the Brett Kavanaughs of our country.
28
"McConnell ... wouldn’t even give President Barack Obama’s nominee for the high court a hearing." That's only part of this ugly tragi-comedy.
Back in pre-history, when everyone thought that Hillary Clinton had a lock on the presidency, more than one GOP senator vowed never to allow a Clinton Supreme Court nominee to be confirmed, no matter what, forever stonewalled if necessary.
Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina comes immediately to mind but he was hardly alone. So any complaint from Mitch McConnell about the corruption of the Senate's process of "Advise and Consent" should be called out for the rank hypocrisy that it is.
30
Well, Brett can console himself - today is National Beer Day! Trump was the audience of 1 for Kavanaugh and Graham and of course he loved the show. Graham needs to get off his high horse and stop clutching at his pearls and walk amongst his fellow Senators. The display of rich and powerful white male grievance does not play well to the 99%.
If there was any doubt, our government is totally dysfunctional. Money has helped to corrupt and partisan fealty grinds away at Congressional responsibility. Both parties are to blame. There are no heroes here at all. We have no leadership to help heal.
Boy the GOP hates it when the push back comes. Entitlement is not for Kavanaugh alone. And the dismissal of the #Metoo 'movement' shows how really scared the rich white men are to lose their superiority.
Our democratic government is struggling but not broken yet. Absent leadership of any kind we may not make it. 2 more years of this degradation is a very scary prospect after that disgusting 'show' yesterday. Voting has never been more important.
21
And now we wait for two Republican women, Collins and Murkowski, to do the decent thing for their country and derail this train wreck of a nominee. Republican women. Have Republican women done anything to stop Trump and his sycophants? Not that I can remember. What will these Republican women do? Believe one of their own sex who presented a compelling account of what happened to her or will they turn their backs on the good doctor and continue supporting Trump because he is now a “Republican” and so are they? Republican women - the paradigm example of an oxymoron.
21
This is going in the direction of a case study in high school civics for the next 200 years. This right wing mockery will be Mitch McConnell’s legacy, much like Benedict Arnold and others of shameful selling out.
18
Maybe Kavanaugh’s aggressive and volatile behavior yesterday, complete with yelling and compulsive interrupting, is a symptom of CTE? Haven’t we been hearing that even high school players can incur brain damage?
In any case, for those who still don’t understand “toxic masculinity “, yesterday’s rant was exhibit A.
35
Of course this is a "national disgrace". After all, we dare question the veracity of a person's qualifications and whether he deserves the rewards of a destiny that is supposed to be part of the Ivy-League entitlement paid for by mommy and daddy.
10
Mr Egan, Thanks for this elegant effort to expose the utter grotesquerie of Brett Kavanaugh’s performance yesterday.
The republicans are devoid of character and honor, having marinated fatally in their own paranoia and hatred of others.
19
"God forbid we would ever look outside the bubble of entitlement — to someone who went to a public university, to someone from the Midwest or West, to a person with life experiences closer to that of average Americans."
Thank-you. That needs to be emblazoned on every agency's letterhead. The eastern corridor of power has given us some of our worst "experts," who, like Kavanaugh, push and strain themselves to climb the narrow ladder to government positions, and, in the process, fail to grow up. Elliott Abrams comes to mind: he who helped destroy three Central American nations and gave us MS-13 as an unintended consequence. Or, George Bush, who did not know that invading Iraq would follow Al Qaeda's written playbook and invite ISIS to materialize, after sowing chaos in Mess-0-pot-amia.
14
Judge Mental-Day
National disgrace, he announced,
But the forgotten impulse made him pounce.
“Dems are rotten to the core,
Bringing allegations to the floor,
I didn't do it, look at my credentials, I insist,
Although nothing to do with the gist
Of my untoward behavior in my youth.
After all I guzzled beer, not sweet vermouth,
Making me an everyman that's plain to see,
Drunkenness makes connection when plaintiffs plea.”
Rising above prep boy aspiring to old boys network.
Fitting in so well, building sterling reputation as a jerk.
Sorry Senator Klobuchar for being so mean,
I really didn't want my seamy side seen.
But there it is, for all to observe in every media,
Giving me more work to edit entry in Wikipedia.”
15
The appalling statements made by Judge Kavanaugh yesterday deserve public rebuke. After all the evasiveness in the first hearings, he did the same yesterday, including lying to Sen. Whitehouse about that Devil's Triangle business. A game? Please, try 'manage a tois.'
When Sen. Klobucher asked about remembering, I thought he was going to invite her to a duel.
What a "sorry" excuse for a candidate for the Supreme Court. His belligerent tantrum reminded me of very small children, over privileged high school students, and some drunks I've known. Not exactly the kind of person you want on the Supreme Court.
Character counts and yesterday, Judge Kavanaugh's whine showed that his character doesn't meet even minimum requirements for the job he was applying to.
The first thing I did this morning was write Sens. Grassley and Feinstein asking them to heed the letter from ABA Pres. Carlson. Then to others asking them, in light of yesterdays ugly display of entitlement, to vote NO on Kavanaugh.
I hope others will do the same.
27
If Republicans won't listen to Democrats, or reason, maybe they will listen to the American Bar Association which supported Kavanaugh's nomination for the Supreme Court and now demands an FBI investigation before he is confirmed.
17
Just a point of clarification - how about replacing "person" with "woman." After all, it was a woman about whom they were chanting "lock her up", and a president is accused by "women" not just people. Isn't this the whole point - women being disrespcted, attacked, condescended to?
8
The Republicans have been building to this moment for half a century. The party made its Faustian bargain in 1968. When Richard Nixon, who was different from George Wallace in name only, co-opted the segregationist vote (Southern Strategy) and brought it “mainstream,” that is, into one of the two major political parties, siphoning off long-time white Southern Democrats, the right-wing had all the cover it needed to either seriously compete or to win presidential elections. Even in those the party lost, it still managed to seat a majority on The Hill or enough, anyway, to gum up any progressive legislation, having secured committee chairs unchallenged.
Mitch McConnell is the master thief of American politics—and he’s immensely proud of it. Mean, racist, corrupt, he’s always been content to be Iago to any Republican president, especially one so stupid and malleable as No. 45. He’s less interested in being the president in realia as he is In deconstructing America from within.
The Koch Bottles, ALEC, Fox News, Clear Channel—they’re all McConnell satellites. Donald Trump is merely the gum on McConnell’s shoes.
36
Two thoughts: First, experience has shown that allying one's self with Trump leads to disaster. Kavanaugh was not clever enough to see that.
Second: he failed to learn--had he known about it--from Moshe Katzav, former President of Israel, convicted of rape, who refused to accept the fact and failed to express "remorse." Had he done so, he would not have spent seven years in jail. Had Kavanaugh expressed remorse for youthful excess, the uproar would have quieted down in a day. That he has not done so suggests aggression, toward whomever, is still in his blood. This is not a quality suitable for a Justice of the US Supreme Court.
21
As an older white male, I am ashamed of this generation of older, white entitled males, and therefore myself. An angry, crying white man is certainly not what we need on the Court, tho conservatives and Christian leaders may disagree.
34
Mr. Egan, kudos!
A brilliant essay capturing well exactly what has been going on and pointing out the deep hypocrisy and un-American approach of Trump and the Republicans.
Just wish that you had added a call for a thorough investigation by the FBI of the many charges of sexual assault, Kavanaugh's still lamely explained massive financial debts, and his repeated lying under oath.
Kavanaugh showed yesterday that he remains a political hack and a belligerent misogynist who lacks the temperament to remain on the federal court, let alone be promoted to the Supreme Court.
30
If the young Brett Kavanaugh had shown half the pity for a terrified young girl back then as he feels for himself today, he wouldn’t be in this mess.
20
We have now seen exactly how a nice 17 year boy like Brett could have done what Dr. Blasey says he did to her. This composed, buttoned down, carefully groomed judge, who claimed a virginal and exemplary adolescence, was transformed, when called to account for the accusations against him, into sputtering rage, condemning a "vast left wing conspiracy", the Clintons, and the Democrats of attempting to destroy his life.
Clearly there are two Brett Kavanaugh's, the one for public presentation, and the seething, paranoid conspiracy victim lurking behind his thin facade of normalcy. His visceral contempt for women was on full display in his treatment of the female senators who questioned him.
He's up for a job, a very special job. Republicans are ranting about Democrat plots, but who, in their right mind, would hire this two faced guy to stand in judgement over his fellow citizens?
36
It is surprising that this man of such obvious privilege, without any experience of life anywhere near that lived by the majority of Trump’s base, has their unwavering support. Are they really that clueless ?
Surely a few of those “dumb Southerners” , as Trump called so many of them, are beginning to wake up and see — with this nomination —- that Trump has nothing to do with their lives.
10
If a female nominee behaved the way Kavanaugh did yesterday, she’d be rejected out of hand.
24
I wonder who Kavanaugh's acting coach was? Those big crocodile tears and his temper tantrum look like he was vying for a role previously held by Shirley Temple, complete with pout. But his tirade against the "Democrats" was not an act. His tirade against "Borking" was not an act. His tirade against "the Clintons" was not an act. His bragging about the years he spent on "Air Force One" with George Bush was not an act, but proof of his POLITICAL alliance with the agenda of the Republican Party. This man is unfit to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States because he is neither temperamentally suited nor is he politically objective. This is a clear case of hubris destroying a man from within. Unfortunately the same thing is happening to the USA. Add to this the ongoing problem of misogyny and out of control male aggression.
47
“The bargain was simple: Republicans would get tax cuts for the well-connected and a right-wing majority on the Supreme Court...”
Actually, the bargain was much simpler: Hillary would not be President. Anything after that- tax cuts, conservative judges- is a bonus.
18
What is so frightening about a few days delay for the FBI to investigate? How scary can the truth really be? And to whom?
11
Timothy Egan should receive a Pulitzer Prize for this commentary. He has elevated the truth high above the Devil’s polictics of the Repubican party that made its bargain with Satan the moment it sacrificed its soul to Donald Trump. Thus would Satan take down an entire democracy and all its legitimate institutions, including the Supreme Court, solidified by means of Republican senatorial subversion of due process. Are there any Republicans left who will now stand firmly against the Devil’s wiles?
6
No price is high enough to counteract the damage the craven republicans have done to the country. Once this nasty little man is appointed to a position of awesome power, it will only get worse. This could have been a turning point in the disaster that is Trump and the awful people who support him. Instead, it will cement the decline of our country on a path from which we'll never return. We're toast, and I can't describe the depth of my sadness and anger.
19
"What they have now is an immolation of principle."
Oh, please. It burned away a long, long time ago. They are chock full of principle. Call it what you want: greed, privilege, power, whatever. It's been apparent for a long time.
Why do we persist in pretending otherwise?
Obama kept believing there was principle left in the Republican party, when all there was was a commitment to achieving their political aims. Watching Obama was like watching someone have a principled debate with a partner who was punching him in the face.
But it's not like the Democrats are chock full of principle. They just play the same game with a human face.
7
What we witnessed yesterday was a shameful public display of entitled elitism gone wild. The party of sexual assault not only defended the indefensible and tried to minimize the horrors of what had happened to a 15 year old girl who grew up to be a brave woman but they even completely disrespected the woman prosecutor who they hired to do their dirty work. I only hope that women and decent men rise up in sufficient numbers in the midterms to throw the party of sexual assault out of power in both houses of the Congress.
27
What goes around, comes around. Well-said Mr. Egan.
19
Mr. Egan, it is 4:45 AM here in the West Coast, and I have spent a restless night of little sleep. I can not help but think back at yeserday’s hearing: a woman of courage, dignity, integrity, honesty juxtaposed with a weeping, self-pitying, mercurial, and at times raging nominee to the highest court in the land. Then there is the ugly tirade of a Republican Senator backed by his hypocritical, lying colleagues, and a debauched, unhinged president.
A Greek tragedy, a Shakespearean tragedy in real time. And in a few short hours the final truth will reveal itself, a vote. I fear the outcome. Our executive and legislative branches are tainted by greed and bigotry. Now will our Supreme Court fall victim too by Pandora’s Box? How much more evil does this nation have to endure? We will find out all too soon.
19
Blue Bloods, like Kavanaugh, are aristocrats, of noble birth.
To see the coarse meanness of that "class" in power is disgusting. Kavanaugh and Trump and Graham and all the rest...they can sell their souls to the highest corporate bidder, but I thank goodness that the majority in America can see them for what they are.
Truth is, they are laughing at democracy, they know their lies and assault will come to light, but they don't care, since they will hold the Supreme Court for decades, and pretend that the rule of law is a thing.
The rich just aren't worth it, they just aren't. America doesn't have crocodiles, we have alligators, so I guess those are alligator tears.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
10
I watched the testimony of both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh. I am convinced he committed sexual assault. Based on the limited evidence, it happened on July 1, 1982. Interesting that the Republicans stopped allowing the professional prosecutor to question just as she reached that date on his calendar. I saw a man at the Oklahoma State fair recently with a t-shirt that said "I liked Ike, bring back real Republicans". I can relate.
22
What we saw was a contrast in maturity. Blasey was honest, humble about what she did not know, and forthcoming. Kavanaugh was bombastic, whining, sniveling, evasive, and entitled. His sorrow was all for himself. No reflection, no measured response, no transparency, and no attempt to understand the allegation against him.
What to make of it? He is either exactly as he appeared, or he is weak enough, easily led enough, to take the terrible advice of Trump and McGahn to act like Trump's mini me: deny, deflect, attack, and never tell the truth all while proclaiming how wronged you are. A surfeit of self-pity with no appreciation of the true suffering of the person who was the victim of two bullying, drunk young men. Either way, he should not sit on the supreme court.
The tears probably worked for his parents. His wife - I thought as I watched - must take care of him emotionally all. the. time. Pity her.
Please, senators, end this terrible tragic-comedy. Get the hook and pull him off the stage. We do deserve better than this!
Republicans, if this is the best you can do, leave it for the Democrats. Trust me, they looked way better!
17
Maybe veterans of Al-Anon and Friends of Bill can help me out here, but yesterday Brett Kavanagh looked to this non-drinker very much like an alcoholic or dry drunk who couldn't keep his demons in their cage. I wondered: his wife and kids -- they never saw that rage?
27
Let’s dispense for a moment with solving the mystery and suppose for a moment that Judge Kavanaugh is entirely innocent of the charges levelled against him by Dr. Ford.
What should be make of his hatred of Democrats?
What should we make of his hatred of the "left wing"?
What should we make of his hatred of the Clintons?
What should we make of his characterization of his opponents as engaged in a conspiracy against him?
What should we make of his outbursts of bile?
What should we make of those?
11
It was a terrible day for our country. Actually, every day since Trump was elected has been a terrible day. Trump’s apparent glee regarding Kavanaugh’s demeanor yesterday shows what we already know - that Trump has no idea what Presidential looks like. It also shows that he knows absolutely nothing about the temperament required of a Supreme Court Justice. Kavanaugh’s spoiled brat hissy fit revealed exactly who he is. A political hack who disrespected women then as he does now, and a man who very well may have a drinking problem today! I get that his family has been put through the ringer and so has Dr. Ford’s. But his snarky comments, his refusal to admit that an FBI investigation might be an important means by which to get more people on record, indicated extreme defensiveness and evasiveness. He is not evolved enough to serve on The Supreme Court. But what did we expect. He’s one of Trump’s “best people.”
17
I watched as much as my schedule allowed yesterday. Judge K will get his seat, that was pre-ordained. This was just a show, and what political theater
it was! Better than any Broadway script could be. It doesn't matter what they said, who yelled at whom. It's a done deal, always was. The Grand Bargain is happening, and we will feel it long after no 45 is gone and maybe dead. I will only say one thing about K: what a whiny, cry-baby. Tears of self-pity for sure, a whining, sniveling guy who has cried his way to the Supreme Court where he is sure he will have arrived at the Pearly Gates themselves. He's pathetic, no matter his judicial qualifications (which of course weren't discussed at all yesterday).
11
Modern conservatism exists in name only.
Gone are any of the guiding principles of years past.
Now, it's the 'win-at-all-costs; might-makes-right; power-grabbing' party, no different, in that sense, from the fascists and the bolsheviks.
With 5 nakedly partisan, knee-jerk reactionary justices in the majority, the Supreme Court will suffer a huge loss of institutional prestige. If evangelicals and their ilk imagine that a court with legitimacy issues will reshape the country in their image, they will be sadly mistaken. Principles of federalism will insure that the wealthy states get wealthier and healthier, while fly-over country will wither away with bad schools, poorly educated, unhealthy residents, and a lack of economic opportunity.
13
I heard Kavanaugh’s opening statement while driving home. It was unhinged. A vast conspiracy, Clinton revenge, poor me crazy. I turned it off because it was creating a distraction . At home I saw this out of control nominee, yelling, interrupting the Democratic Senators questions, talking over them, not answering . The beer rant, which was repeated several times.
Senator Graham was auditioning for the role of Attorney General .
The Republicans were yes men straight up.
Disgraceful.
34
Let’s dispense for a moment with solving the mystery and suppose for a moment that Judge Kavanaugh is entirely innocent of the charges levelled against him by Dr. Ford.
What should we make of his hatred of Democrats?
What should we make of his hatred of the "left wing"?
What should we make of his hatred of the Clintons?
What should we make of his characterization of his opponents as engaged in a conspiracy against him?
What should we make of his outbursts of bile?
What should we make of those?
38
You're going to lose this, and you're going to lose in 2020 also. And the reason is simple: nothing positive. More scandal, more sexpanic, more socialism. It's a harsh thing to say, but you're history.
1
The Republicans will confirm Kavanaugh's nomination along party lines. They will do this because they don't care about truth, they don't care about women, and they clearly don't give a rip about the spirit of the Constitution - that was demonstrated with the Merrick Garland fiasco. What must happen now is that Republicans need to be punished and that can only happen at the ballot box. If it does not happen, then this is what we are as a nation: Dishonest, misogynistic, xenophobic, homophobic, self-centered losers who care not a bit about the environment, truth or decency. 35% of the voters demonstrated that that is the kind of country they want. We better get out and stop them or our country is lost.
17
Comparing Bill Clinton to Kavanaugh?.. Mr Egan has forgotten about the blue dress with Bill's DNA on it. That's called evidence.
Democrats had 2 months to investigate Fords accusations but waited for the best timing to inflict maximum damage to Kavanaughs reputation and delay.
It backfired.
1
Thanks Mr. Egan, my thoughts to a T.
6
It's very easy to imagine why Judge Brett Kavanaugh will get the nod to the Supreme Court bench today -- and every reason why he shouldn't.
EXHIBIT A. If anything, his sometimes teary, sometimes belligerent appearance in yesterday's hearings not only came across as totally false and contrived, but proof of someone who lacks the emotional stability and the temperament to view cases that will have a lifelong effect on the nation.
EXHIBIT B. The obvious delight and determination of the Republican Senators and a president who practically heralded his successful confirmation before the hearings even began.
EXHIBIT C. The voice and reactions of the American PEOPLE, who are as divided and angered over this ordeal and the treatment of Dr. Blasey-Ford, as they are over the current trajectory of this country and the persons who are supposed to be representing it.
Then of course there's the question of why the White House originally saw fit to withhold THOUSANDS of pages of Mr. Kavanaugh's previous decisions, only to submit of fraction of them abridged and redacted the night before the proceedings.
And one must also wonder why the good Republican Senators saw fit to engage a Prosecutor who specializes in sex crimes to question Dr. Blasey-Ford, instead of doing it themselves.
Did they forget that this wasn't a trial, as much as a job interview? And that Mr. Kavanaugh was the candidate -- not Dr. Ford.
The stage was set before the play began, but the outcome will be predictable. SAD.
7
Looks like we're going to have a president under investigation AND a Supreme Court justice.
7
Thank you, that was perfect.
It's not remotely possible to measure the hypocrisy of the U.S. Senate and Brett Kavanaugh by any known earthly methodology.
"Sniffles" Kavanaugh incoherently railing and raging about how his family was "ruined" by this unfair process despite his own sordidly enthusiastic participation in the infamous Starr Investigation that cheerfully attempted to ruin a president that you may have heard of.
It never ceases to amaze how entitled elites like this think it's perfectly fine to ruin somebody else's life but when it's their time for a little scrutiny the utterly insipid faux righteous indignation waterworks start flowing like Niagara Falls.
And please, pretty pretty please, somebody get the Vaudeville Hook out for Chuck Grassley. I would say he's past his prime but in his case I don't think he ever really had one.
19
Because fraternities reinforce pathology, they must be outlawed for the good of the country.
12
Thank you Mr. Egan for your creative summation of the sham hearing yesterday on Kavanaugh. What was patently obvious was the umbrage and aggressive behavior by Kavanaugh, when he might be denied his prize. It is clear he is an active alcoholic, in behavior and no imagination is required to see how much more aggressive he would be under the influence of alcohol. Also, his disrespect toward the female senators was visceral. All that aside, the fact he was unable to control his behavior and calmly respond to the questions should make him go down in flames. We all know if a woman behaved like he did she would automatically be considered temperamentally unfit. Thanks to the Democrats we were all able to witness this travesty, seared into our memories like the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas fiasco.
14
And, of course, it doesn't matter if it happened or not it's all the Democrats' fault because Feinstein didn't hold a press conference when she was told of the allegation.
3
The entire spectacle of Kavanaugh’s testimony was like having the wizard’s curtain pulled back. There was the pathetic, all too human man desperately pulling at levers. And he pulled every one, not remembering, deflecting, crying, yelling and accusing. And oh yes, suggesting the claims of assault were revenge for that Clinton thing in which he had a young woman who had committed no crime, locked in a hotel room to question her in the most purient detail about her sex life. That may be how he practices assault in his adult life - sublimates it into his legal authority. And the spectacle of outrage by Republican senators when it was obvious that if they believed Kavanaugh innocent all they had to do was call for an FBI investigation to get the eyewitness accounts under penalty of law for lying. They declined. The real danger is that they have so distorted the truth and fundamental democratic principals that the country no longer cares when they’re being lied to because they somehow think it’s to their advantage to protect tax cuts for billionaires.
28
All we can hope for is a huge Women March in November when the opportunity for every voice to be heard with each ballot that is counted.
10
The GOP won a Pyrrhic victory both with tRump's 2016 electoral college win and Kavanaugh's inevitable appointment. They have lost women, young people, and independents for many years to come. And, if Kavanaugh did commit these offenses, karma will be coming for him. Bigly.
20
I see some commenters saying that Kavanaugh needs therapy for his "anger issues." No. His anger emanates from his abusive ATTITUDES, and those aren't very amenable to therapy. He will always dissemble, squirm, deny and justify: it's what abusers do.
He's a vile, immature creature in the same mould as the vile, immature president. But public discourse has become so distorted, on Fox News, in evangelical churches and elsewhere, that far too many people are unable to see through them.
It's critical that those who do see, vote.
21
I hope this photo haunts Kavanaugh all of his judicially intemperate days for the rest of his life. Entitled
Brett Kavanaugh’s anger and emotion demonstrated only one thing: his unfitness for the office of any judgeship, albeit his current position or the Supreme Court. He failed to demonstrate appropriate judicial temperament. He is not judicial and he is not a judge. Brett Kavanaugh showed himself to be a reality tv star and a political hack. His extreme anger only confirmed his college roommate’s recollection of him as mean and angry when he often drank excessively.
18
I see revolution now, revolution tomorrow, revolution forever. But until then, I’d accept reasonable and thoughtful moderation. Calling deus ex machina. Please.
2
Amen. And thank you, Mr. Egan.
5
Exactly! Thank you, Mr. Egan.
4
Today, I feel ashamed to be a man. However, I have become an even stronger feminist.
9
One of the things that bothered me most about Kavanaugh’s testimony was how unmanly he was.
He was acting like a whiny, ill-tempered teenage brat.
Contrary to what most of the commentariat are saying, I think the hearing did its job of revealing the character of the man.
27
Surely you mean immoral rather than amoral?
3
The Republican party's current state is described perfectly in a satirical piece in the New Yorker by Andy Borowitz.
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/republican-party-declare...
1
The real lesson that Kavanaugh’s daughters have learned, though it may be a few years before they really understand it, the real lesson is that they will not be believed either.
17
Why do so many adult American men cry in public at the drop of a hat? Even when they are NOT provoking themselves with references to their little daughters, their fathers, childhood back on the farm (or at the country club), and in drinking beer with "Timmy"? Look at some old footage of the era of Eisenhower! In the days politicians held hands - or, in Trump's case, tried to - in public with their wives, real men had dignity and self-possession, faced facts and themselves. Yesterday we saw a man who above all else felt sorry for himself and couldn't help but weep before the world for what had befallen him. Poor baby! Let's save some pity for people who deserve it.
8
Christine Blasey Ford's testimony elicited tears from thousands of people across the country in empathy for the terror of a 15 year old girl or, in far too many cases, in reliving their own moments of assault.
Brett Kavanaugh cried alone, for himself and out of anger and resentment.
If he is confirmed onto the Supreme Court, we'll all be crying for what was once our greatest national institution.
13
It is definitely more obvious than before...People Please Vote In November. Since term limits are not an option, because those currently in power, won't relinquish it by voting for term limits, the voters need to vote for change. PLEASE!!!!
3
Here's the problem--he will most likely get confirmed! Then what do we do? He is fairly young...we will be dealing with this man and all his obvious biases for the rest of my lifetime. I am disgusted, nauseated by this man--his entitlement, his self righteousness, his self pity, his willingness to lie...is every aspect of our government now corrupted? It appears so. And I dread the outcome of this vote...
8
The Republican Party is history. Anyone who is female and/or who supports equal rights for women MUST vote against this bastion of privilege. Do nothing, think nothing, question nothing and deny everything -- the US senators today.
3
Best commentary I have read in years.
3
I would not hire Kavanaugh to do my taxes. He has no uplifting character and is not believable. He is intemperate and impulsive. He answers questions with questions, angry answers. He is not fit for the Supreme Court.
10
Thank you, Mr. Egan. This is an excellent column.
5
With the vote of deeply flawed SCOTUS candidate Judge Kavanaugh being rammed through the Senate by Republicans we have the clearest evidence of their waging “total war” partisanship that buries the democratic process.
What will be apparent years from now is that their “scorched earth” actions mark the beginning of the end of America as we knew it. The rule of law is not bent, it’s broken. And as the author Egan stated, “It started when McConnell, wouldn’t even give President Barack Obama’s nominee for the high court a hearing.
I am fearful for the future of my country. We are now staring into the abyss.
9
Additional bonefire takeaways which merit consideration:(1)Being- one's identity, and Doing- one's words and deeds, harmful in process and outcomes, are associated with toxic shamelessness amongst policymakers, elected and selected, at all levels ( local, regional and national), in a culture of personal unaccountability. Which each of US enable. Actively as well as passively. Amongst America' s WE-THEY diverse population. And a divided nation. Which violates, daily, in a myriad of visible and hidden ways, created, selected and targeted "the other(s)." (2) A traumatized, identified victim, soon after victimization, as well as decades later, can share with strangers, who can and do act shamelessly,the traumatic event, and its sequela. With acknowledged memory lapses. While once again being victimized. And an accused victimizer, may truthfully not remember their behavior. And, in addition, choose not to offer: "We are both traumatized from THEN. We and our families are both paying a huge price NOW. Let US, if possible, help one another to minimize OUR pains, and their manifestations. Pains which may never, ever leave either of US." Yesterday's faux "hearing," operated as a trial, created a mass-witnessed presentation of "politicizing trauma" in a One-Night-Stand of the "Shameless Unaccountables," Their next creative production has been "leaked" as being"Missing Contrition: A Pantomimed Cacophony, as God is my witness!"
Excellent commentary. I read it word for word.
6
Brett Kavanaugh let the mask slip a bit and we got a peek at the Bart O'Kavanaugh underneath.
5
Interestingly the same dynamic is at work in the Catholic Church sex abuse crisis.
Right now a priest in San Diego is facing charges of groping a seminarian at an event a few months ago.
His lawyer’s statement to the press was as much about how sad it would be if he couldn’t live his dream of being a priest, as about the actual charge; it suggested he may not be able to get a fair trial and would be a casualty of the atmosphere around the child sex abuse claims; and suggested the victim is not credible which implies the fellow is making a false claim.
Of course everyone deserves a fair trial, but now that society is finally saying it’s had enough of this kind of thing, the guys getting busted are acting like they are the victims. Sorry, not buying it.
3
THE MASS EXTINCTION PERIODS: Cambrian Extinction, Ordovician Extinction, Devonian Extinction, Permian Extinction, Jurassic Extinction, Trumpian Extinction.
8
Your piece was inspiring. George Washington would lose his teeth over this debacle. The Founders would be devastated by this behavior.
1
We saw no such histrionics from Merrick Garland when he was denied even so much as a hearing by the ever-sanctimonious venal manipulator of Senate Procedural rules, Mitch McConnell.
9
My guess is that Kavanaugh will make it onto the court, Republicans being who they are. Jeff Flake is full of sound and fury, but always votes with his buddies in the end, and Susan Collins is a longtime master of head-in-the-sand rationalizations. When he gets on the court, it is probable that he will make women pay for having the temerity to nearly cost him a seat he so clearly believes to be his by right.
25
Yesterday, Kavanaugh showed no self-control, little dignity and he lacked "grace under pressure". He was openly disrespectful to some of those questioning him, and thereby to the process as a whole. He has exposed himself as a red-faced bully, who whined and snivelled when he was challenged.
If anyone still considers him the best candidate for the position, I would hate to see the rejects.
19
George W. Bush still supports this man, even after yesterday's wrenching testimony. He has two daughters, who have most likely experienced some sort of harassment (1 in 3 women have), whether it was minor or major, at some point in their lives. None of this has to do with Kavanaugh's innocence or guilt. It is ALL about what is in those documents and papers that Republicans refuse to release about the Bush torture program. I wonder how Michelle Obama, who became his best buddy, feels about him now. For Trump himself, it is about what Kavanaugh will do to protect him. Kavanaugh is so blatantly partisan and aggressive that he will clearly not hesitate to get his revenge on women as soon as he is on the court. There has never been a person so temperamentally unqualified to be a Supreme Court justice. His response to the questions about his drinking suggest he may have an ongoing issue with that today. But what is most shocking about all of this is that none of what happened yesterday changed the minds of the women who support Trump. We are living in Stepford Wives times, when the Handmaid's Tale is coming to a real life near you.
7
It could be worse; it could be raining.
3
Kavanaugh is a man who tried to destroy the presidency of Bill Clinton. He wanted to pose such raw, embarrassing questions about his sexual habits that Clinton would not be able to continue in office or, for that matter, face his wife and daughter. It is one thing to be a dedicated Republican operative, quite another to say this kind of person should sit in judgement for life on the Supreme Court.
Having worked so assiduously and eagerly to advance the Republican cause, why should we assume that he would be modest and at least somewhat inclusive in court rulings? We should not. Little wonder the Democrats were outraged.
It is time, unfortunately, move the impeachment of judges forward for more consideration. The Republicans stole one seat on the Court from Obama, now they are advancing a dedicated Republican warrior with significant questions left hanging over his conduct as a young man.
Kavanaugh's drinking habits alone should cause everyone to question how well he performed in college and law school with such apparent propensity for alcohol. How do you get through Yale and Yale Law School vacillating between drunk and hung over? (The reports of his excessive drinking, and his own admissions of liking "beers" in high school, make the question fair game.)
A person with Kavanaugh's heavily partisan background should never have been nominated for the highest court. By doing so, Trump and the Republicans ensured on-going, angry and highly divisive conflict in our country.
9
Yesterday was a dark, depressing day. If people can't see through their partisanship to the authentic case Dr. Ford presented, even if just to say that maybe Kavanaugh has forgotten it because he was so drunk, then what chance is there for our country to dig out of this deep division?
If you cannot believe a woman like Ford, what chance is there for any rape victim to be believed? There are almost never witnesses.
3
Basically, there are laws for some and others don't have to follow the laws. Those in the right group can demand and get due process; the others can just be locked up or lynched. One can scream, cry, make political statements and still be suitable to sit on the highest court in the country, claiming to be an impartial judge. Others don't even get hearings, because their presence as a judge or a justice might actually be more impartial and just than necessary. One is born into one group or the other. Women should know their place and should be punished or scorned if they move out of it. Women should be playthings. Abortions should be banned except for those who can afford to fly to where they are safe, as the playthings must be punished and pregnancy is the result of wanton behavior if not the result of a loving family wanting a child, Regulations block important money making items like selling tapeworm cysts as diet pills, a big seller in the 19th century, but, unfortunately banned by those nasty regulations that cramp money making innovations. Democracy was a dream. Now it is time for the nightmare to begin and the dream to end. This is America Great Again.
3
This is what America gets when it does not vote. The midterms will be interesting to watch but the Democrats in power right now need to start playing hard ball immediately. They should be doing every single thing in their power to stop this nomination. The fact that Obama didn't appoint Garland during recess was a huge loss and simultaneously the mightiest example of how low Republicans will go. The Republicans have brought us to the lowest point in US political history and they're laughing at the Left as loud as the world laughed at Trump at the UN this week.
10
The most outraged people in my family now are my husband, a former Republican and veteran with over 20 years of service and my adult son. Their outrage has surprised me.
7
He apologized to Senator Klobuchar during the break BUT he never answered her question about his drinking. He threw the question back at her. If he were a trial judge, would he be ok with a witness throwing the question back at one of the lawyers? Surely not. And as Egan points out, he wants sympathy for his wife and children, but he surely felt no sympathy for Hillary or Chelsea Clinton. His tears were just for himself.
9
I used to wonder why Dante had chosen so many politicians to people his Inferno. Now I know -- because lack of ethics begins a cascade of destruction that reaches into every corner of our lives, as so well outlined by Egan here.
3
This travesty has been playing out on American soil, but it is also shredding any remaining bit of integrity we have in the eyes of other progressive Western democracies. I can’t stomach watching French television coverage of this debacle at the moment and listening to the gobsmacked BBC journalists yesterday analyzing Dr. Blasey’s testimony ( with a warning for sensitive listeners to tune out) was almost too painful to bear.
My French husband told me this morning that with Trump, the US seemed to be living in a permanent state “non-gouvernance,” and I had to agree.
5
I would not be surprised if Brett Kavanaugh turns out to have a touch of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. I think habitual concussion has played an under-appreciated role in American history. It sure was bad judgment to accept this nomination by Trump.
The forces striving to make a theocracy of the US are all stark raving mad, because projection of a human personality onto nature is a serious delusion. In politics, such people are berserkers, who never let up. If you don't stop voting Republican, you'll find yourself living under Chistofascism before long.
4
Great piece. I was most appalled by Lindsey Graham's feigned outrage. I was hoping one of the Committee members would have blurted out Jack Nicholson's line from A Few Good Men: "You can't handle the truth !"
7
Kavanaugh likes beer because it has been liquid courage for him. This is a weak man. This is not a man for the Supreme Court. Trump grabbed our collective private parts and the GOP is now laughing at us. They will get what they want, however they need to.
10
To the Senate, seek the truth, demand the FBI investigation. Don't make the mistake of rushing to judgment. Our lives depend on it as do yours.
2
It was Brett Kavanaugh's inability to maintain any semblance of self-composure, dignity, or equity in addition to his contemptuous and arrogant treatment of the hearing process and the Democratic Senators and his naked politicization of the confirmation process that renders him utterly unacceptable and definitely not suitable for the Supreme Court.
I believe his judgeship would dishonor and severely damage the credibility of the Supreme Court and would imperil its majesty, respect, and trustworthiness. During the Hearing, Judge Kavanaugh's volatility and shrillness did not convey, either in his words or his disposition, the ethical and principled frame of mind nor the decency and honesty mandatory for a Supreme Court Justice.
Kavanaugh can’t help himself, he’s just such a complete tool. Imagine Kavanaugh boasting about not watching Dr. Bleasy-Ford's testimony with that recognizable entitled prep school snigger of his as if to say, the fix was in, and he was confident that the Republican creed of At Any Price would prevail.
Lindsay Graham's shocking frenzied & berserk melt down, worthy of institutionalization, coupled with the blunt force disregard for the Senate rules and the fetid offensive mentality of McConnell, Hatch, & Grassley was comparable to Kavanaugh's placing his hand over Dr Ford's mouth in an attempt to silence her screams while assaulting her. These are troubling times when Senators are willing to ignore/disdain the truth, sacrificing the rule of law.
9
Mark Judge knew he was between a (Rolling) Rock and a Hard Place, and the GOP was, therefore, too. And when they called the hearings a sham, it was their sham—shame on them, their haste to lay justice to waste. 12 angry men: 11 GOP senators + 1 seriously damaged judge.
3
When Kavanaugh was asked a straightforward question, "do you want an FBI investigation?", he would not answer directly. That equivocation laid bare that he is worried about what could be uncovered in a thorough investigation.
I'm a registered Republican, but the GOP has lost me forever. Mr. Egan's column sums it up correctly.
10
Kavanaugh cried because after hearing Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony he knew that the lawyers in the room, who have heard thousands of hours of testimony in the cases they have heard, knew he was lying. He cried because he was caught in a lie. He reminded me of my children who would cry when they lied but were calm and even happy when telling the truth — especially when tattling on a sibling.
4
each day, we think we've hit the 'new low'. sadly, yesterday's egregious histrionics by senator graham, scotus nominee kavanaugh, tell us we're not even close. the thought that one with such a fragile ego, one that perceives himself as a victim from a 'left wing conspiracy' to ruin his reputation will find himself on the U.S. Supreme Court reflects we're going lower still.
7
"drastically altered my life.”
Being groped drastically altered her life? I have had a gun shoved in my chest. Twice. Terrifying? Yes. It did not drastically alter my life. Did not even alter my life. It happened so long ago that I could not tell you what type of clothing I was wearing if my life today depended on it.
Talk to any young man and plenty of young women that are growing up on the mean streets of America. Ask them about events that are drastically altering their lives. I doubt that being felt up as a teenager is tops on the list.
The tribalism in this country has gone past insane. Look to the future. Is the next step going to be judging people by something they may or may not have done in middle school? If this is what America is descending to then it may be time for me to again look for another country.
1
Ok, so we get a judge admittedly biased against a believed conspiracy against him, personally, that reflects 60% of the nation.
No excuses, no recuses. And thus, no ability to judge.
Lady Justice is drinking the punch, and she ought to be careful.
7
All things being equal about the testimony, the deciding factor for me was the verbal gymnastics of senate republicans who had no problem with suspending their stated principles and past record, logic, and evading the "elephant" in the room! No shame or sense of decency.
4
One doesn't need to wonder how different this process would be if a republican group of elderly white men were not in charge.
3
Of course he watched Ford's testimony. There is not a single person in his position who would not do so. Also he is a lawyer and a judge. He would not be able to resist for numerous reasons-of strategy, mounting a defense, figuring out where his weaknesses need shoring up, and who else of named parties will he need to worry about. And one of the congressman confronted him with the Latin for something akin to: if you lie about the small thing you can be presumed to lie about the big thing. Kavanaugh clearly did not understand the Latin phrase which should have been easy for a lifelong Catholic and an Ivy leaguer. I understood it and I went to the University of Texas ! (where I took Latin from the brilliant Karl Galinsky )
Any perjury before that Senate committee is punishable by a no vote on the confirmation. Of course he watched her testimony and he is not the only one who knows so. This is such a Potemkin court. It is just heartbreaking if you care about democracy.
5
What we are left with is a group of old white men who have washed their hands and turned their job over to a paid prosecutor rather than take part in such a tawdry attack. And now that act two of this Shakespearean drama is over they can go on to act three, the finale, and hand over the preordained outcome.
3
I grew up in an earlier generation in Bethesda and the infamous hothouse of Montgomery County, where the D.C. elites live, party, advance their careers and egos, and spawn some really terrible,duplicitous children.
There were 2 classes in Montgomery County: (1) middle-class, hard-working government workers and research scientists (NIH is in Bethesda) whose kids went to very good public schools and state universities; and (2) very ambitious wealthy types who lived in mansions (Potomac was the upscale place to buy), worked in law, lobbying, PR, politics, or owned businesses, and sent their special children to private schools.
I knew two teenagers from wealthy homes in Potomac, who attended posh private schools. One was like Blasey Ford--serious, nice, kind, smart, eager to please. The other was like Kavanaugh and his pals--full of themselves, contemptuous and disrespectful (a posture to portray "cool" to one's guy friends), and high risk-taker show-offs (alcoholic at a young age, drove too fast, looked down on everybody, and used other "lesser" kids to serve their impulses and boost their status). Bullies.
The guy I knew in the latter group despite his bravado, was a sad creature underneath--neglected by his parents (his mother was an alcoholic; his dismissive wealthy father fooled around with mistresses). Later the guy was kicked out of Syracuse University for his frat pranks and drunken behavior.
Kavanaugh believes he is to be served; I'd far prefer Blasey on the Court
8
A 15-year-old girl accuses a 17-year old boy of attempted rape. She names his best friend as a witness. Rather than defend his friend the witness goes into hiding. If the young woman is lying, why isn't the witness willing to step forward and defend his good friend? Probably because the witness knows the truth, there was an attempted rape.
I would use the word courage to describe the young woman, courage is not a word I would use to describe either young man. With a little alcohol they did find the courage to attack a defenseless young girl. How much alcohol would he need to find the courage to make a tough decision as a supreme court judge?
5
Watching Kavanaugh's tirades, I was reminded of claims that many large company CEOs are sociopaths. Maybe it takes exaggerated self-worth, paranoia, and willingness to turn on others to make it to the top. Kavanaugh sees the world in extremes, with "all bad" people against him. His intense anger wasn't appropriate, but manipulative. A wild mood change from his Fox interview.
Kavanaugh's belligerence is evidence of irresponsible behavior. He showed no respect for Blasey Ford, no remorse about the effects of his behavior on others. It's not surprising that he abuses alcohol, which probably helps relieve his evident irritability.
The nation is led by a narcissist, absorbed by fantasies of greatness (like boasting his administration is the greatest ever). Kavanaugh is cut from similar cloth, which Trump must admire. He's not a narcissist, but callous and unstable. The danger of Trump and Kavanaugh is that they're not sociopaths, but have personality disorders. They're destructive, of themselves and others. Placing them in positions of power is a game of Russian roulette.
517
There is a new cold war. We saw it play out yesterday in a US Senate committee room. We saw a victim of sexual assault tell her truth. We saw a sexual assaulter put on a show to please his boss, also a sexual assaulter. But we also saw the sexual assaulter...Brett Kavanaugh accuse the Democratic party of conspiring against him. With zero proof. And then the republican Senator Lindsey Graham threw fuel on that fire by joining in on the fake accusations and fake outrage. Right out of the Trump playbook.
But we are at war...and in war, all is fair. Any lie they can get away with is fair. They threw everything including the kitchen sink at the public yesterday. I'm surprised Kavanaugh didn't call the hearing a witch hunt and/or a high tech lynching as he seemed to be channeling both Trump and Clarence Thomas.
I do have to give credit where credit is due. And credit is due every senator who can keep a straight face while voting to put someone, someone who just claimed that a major political party in this country was out to get him, on the Supreme Court while claiming the court is non partisan. The court is very partisan and being made completely partisan...and every member of Trump's base wants exactly that.
Time for all the sleepy heads to wake up. There is a war on...and the party of bullies, lies, influence peddling, and sexual assaulters is winning. Time to go to the voting booths and
VOTE OUT ALL REPUBLICANS
964
EVEN IF it were proven that the allegations against him were completely false (which I do not for a moment believe), I think his performance in yesterday's hearing was a dramatic demonstration of why Brett Kavanaugh is not fit to be a Supreme Court Justice. He is temperamentally unfit. He is a fierce right-wing partisan, who can't even pretend otherwise. His confirmation to the Supreme Court will forever undermine and destroy any perception of impartiality on the part of the highest court in the land.
His confirmation to the Supreme Court should, at the very least, be postponed until these accusations can be fully explored. Somebody is lying.
If it's not Brett Kavanaugh, he should be moving heaven and earth to clear his name. He should be demanding an FBI investigation.
Why isn't he?
23
The GOP cheered that voters had empowered them to ensure that women remain second-class citizens for maybe decades, unprotected under the law. If the GOP demanded more clarity they would have demanded Mark Judge return from his beach hide-out and let others talk to the FBI instead we got the tumpster fire of governance.
21
Well done, Mr. Egan, well done. I could not agree with your assessment more.
Republicans will reap what they sow. It's only a question of when.
30
@Len My fear is that what they will reap, because they want no other harvest, is a harvest of uncontrolled and uncontrollable hatred and anger toward their fellow Americans on the left and in the center.
1
How any Senator can vote for Kavanaugh after watching and listening to him yesterday is beyond disturbing. To quote a senator who also had a temper tantrum yesterday, I have run out of adjectives to describe the kind of behavior displayed by the Republicans.
42
There has been a steady drift from civility in politics from the early sixties that really became openly hostile with leader McConnell stating that his side would see that Obama served only one term, at the start of Obama’s first term. At that point the Republicans stated that they would not govern faithfully with any President not of their Party. With Trump the Republicans show that if the President is from their Party, they will support him regardless of his behavior. The motive is clearly having power to control as much of the governance, administration, and the court system as they can, mostly just to have that power and keeping it.
The Republicans have become a nation unto themselves who treat everyone else as existential threats to themselves, people who they need to have what they have and to enjoy what they enjoy but who they seem to think are their enemies.
Kavanaugh is asked questions about unflattering accusations about him and he throws a temper tantrum, during which he talks like a Republican operative, in the hearing over his nomination to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh’s nomination is unraveling right then and the elections are approaching so soon, that another nominee might not be confirmed until a new Congress is seated. Catastrophe! So Lindsey Graham unloads with his outrage over the unjust treatment of Kavanaugh to save the Republicans from having to address what they just saw.
26
Best column ever, Mr. Egan! Thank you. You are spot on.
The article says, "“I knew he was a shallow, lazy ignoramus,” as Ann Coulter said, “but I didn’t care.”
No, these entitled blonde, blue-eyed women and their entitled sisters do not care. They have theirs. They played the boys' game and think they won. They apparently have no clue that their necks are ground even further into the bottom by the boots men have on them. They apparently think being a "handmaiden" to supposed male power is better than fighting for their own rights. Sad.
We must not lose hope. WE THE PEOPLE must continue to fight like hell to preserve true democracy in OUR United States of America.
If nothing else the insatiably greedy, corrupt republican men - with the Koch brothers and their Robber Baron brethren writing the "playbook to destroy democracy" and buying operatives throughout OUR governments, business and academic institutions - have shown the rest of us how to play the game.
WE THE PEOPLE will demand that lawmakers WE elect make new, rock solid laws in every segment of government that protect 99% of us. In order to do it WE need to make sure WE elect an unbreakable, Socially Conscious democratic/independent majority in November and every election in the foreseeable future.
OUR lives and the lives of future generations depend on it.
35
The irony was that many of the qualities I'd hope to see in a Supreme Court justice were on full display at the hearing yesterday. It's just that the person displaying them was Christine Blasey Ford
66
@Syliva I was also very impressed with many of the Democratic senators who spoke
3
Kavanaugh says he never drank beer to the point of blacking out and he still likes beer. But did it ever occur to anyone that he might have consumed stronger spirits? Did anyone ask him if he drank anything other than beer. The man's a lawyer--and his answers about drinking strike me as narrow and legalistic. And if the belligerence we saw in his opening statements is any indication of his true character--which it most assuredly is--imagine how that belligerence might be further unleashed with a few too many drinks, beers or anything stronger.
33
Just perfect, Mr. Egan, the most on-point editorial I've read in years. Perfectly sums-up the sad state of our disunion. Well done.
43
very well said. It is time to change how we choose our leaders, throw out all of these game players and elect people with integrity, honesty and pride. I am 60 years old, mine was the generation who were going to fix things that "The Man" broke, instead we messed it up for our children and grandchildren. We need term limits and mandatory retirement ages, no 85 year old should be making decisions for this country. Supreme court justices should have 10 year terms. All politicians should get the same amount of air time, the same budget and only be allowed to accept money from their own registered constituents, not the PACs, the organizations or the secret rich donors. Put the integrity we need in office.
31
@kpas I think Senator Patrick Leahy comported himself well, not all octagenerians are dodders.
1
I feel as I felt when Trump won the Election, I am deflated & disappointed, but I will recover & live to fight another day. We must win the Midterm election & rid ourselves of self servicing reactionary theocrats, & bring decency back to Government, when the world respected us, not laugh at us. Our hope is in the passionate young who if they come out in droves to vote will save the day & the country.
57
Poor Brett, just like poor Donald, they are the victims in all of this. And they are mighty indignant about it too.
Kavanaugh demonstrated just who he is yesterday, right in bed with Trump, how dare they bring up his past sexual proclivities and the assault on Dr. Ford.
A woman's right to not be violated takes a back seat to the self entitled men who think women are there just to please them, trophies to be put up on mantle pieces and yearbook pages, just like members of the million mile club.
Now if Brett becomes a Supreme Court justice, he has all the ammunition he needs to take an axe women's rights, environment regulations. And he will 'by God' defend his defender Donald Trump, to ensure that that man will never be indicted.
84
Kavanaugh revealed himself to the world, yesterday. The man has no independent spirit, no center to which he can go that enables him to deal with adversity with a calm and clear mind.
He’s one of the boys, at heart a political operative who considers himself part of the team, a loyal Republican who depends upon his fellow Republicans when he faces challenges in his public life. So he appealed to Republicans in the Senate and voters to help him out from under the shadow cast upon his credibility. A strong man who can stand act as a Supreme Court Justice, as a person able to follow the needs of the legal system under our Constitution and not some clan with who he identifies, would calmly deny false accusations or candidly admit to mistakes as a youth who regrets it but has grown up. Anger was not the issue, here, it was all the melodramatic exaggerations and wild unsupported counter accusations as to motives rather than directly addressing facts.
The man’s mind does not reflect any judicial temperament.
112
@Casual Observer Reportedly he was advised by the White House to behave more emotionally so as to be more convincing.
1
@Casual Observer
No. By first making a Faustian pact with Donald Trump -- a person who thrives on personal allegiances, Brett Kavanaugh revealed himself to be a person either unwilling, or incapable of independent spirit....the rest was simply par for the course.
3
Nor does his behavior.
Exactly how I feel. There's no other way to see it without lying to yourself and fellow Americans as Mr. Kavanaugh and the Republicans have. Well said. Thank you Mr. Egan.
69
As is so often the case with Republicans, the price to be paid is being deferred.
Be it social justice, reproductive rights, national debt, acknowledgement of climate change & environmental stewardship —indeed, any element of the American social compact that advances truth and fairness— conservatives deny what is right for short term, political advantage and leave the consequences to whomever is around after they're gone.
And that really is deplorable.
72
It's way too late but he could have said initially that, "something like that happened, but his memory was different in that no one was serious and everyone was laughing.” It could have been passed off as a difference in perception. Now, the lie had to be defended, and he really pulled out all the stops of indignation at his integrity being questioned. That initial lie, disqualifies him for the bench, mostly because his background and entitlement so diminishes his intellect that he couldn't see that the lie could be fairly easily exposed, and ruin his nomination. Ms. Ford, was the perfect foil to Kavanaugh. Educated, successful, reflective, attractive, sacrificing, with unquestionable integrity. She was also self effacing with her flaws, her fear of flying, her going to counseling with her husband, and how her memory became exposed by that counseling with the insistence of multiple doors to her home, (to escape.) So plausible, so believable. Kavanaugh’s revelation, repeated ad nauseam was, he likes beer, which clearly exemplifies him liking to be intoxicated. He’s toast, or should be, we will all see. If they have the votes, they will ram him through. If they pick someone else, my fear is that they will chose someone the Dems can’t refuse, but is actually more conservative, a woman.
19
@Prant I agree. If he had said I do not have a memory of that, but teens under the influence have bad judgement and poor memories, if something like that happened, then I am so sorry and will use my power to protect women..etc... just be honest and honorable, not lie and be aggressive. The Good Old White Boys Club is alive and well in Washington. I live in Ga, we have our own good ol boys club but I can honestly say I respect at least 1 of our Senators ( not Perdue) even though I am a democrat and he is not. That is rare.
I share Egan’s perspective, but I’m sure he knows that this isn’t about Kavanaugh’ past or Senate norms. This is about a civil war to save the Real America. And Kavanaugh has promised the Republican base he’ll rule to fight that fight. For my neighbors, this is a war for the survival of their beloved way of life, and the ends more than justify any means. They are angry that the Senate didn’t just confirm Kavanaugh two weeks ago. The rage shown yesterday, to them, was long overdue. A third of America didn’t see what Egan and I saw. This is just beginning.
54
In July, right after Kavanaugh was selected by President Trump, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Tampa Bay Times newspaper which was published. My letter criticized the selection because Kavanaugh went to Yale and grew up in the D.C. area. All current justices on the Supreme Court attended Harvard and Yale (RBG graduated from Columbia after transferring from Harvard). Most of them grew up in the NYC to D.C. corridor. There is a lack of geographical, educational, law practice and life experience on the Supreme Court. Appellate clerkships and Ivy League law schools should not be the only pathway. At the time I wrote my letter, of course, I had no idea of Dr. Ford's claim of sexual assault. I watched her testimony yesterday and I believe her. I believe that Kavanaugh is an alcoholic who has not seen his need for recovery. I believe he blacked out from heavy and binge drinking and does not recall the assault. I believe Diane Feinstein and her staff mishandled Dr. Ford's letter and should have shared it with Sen. Grassley and a confidential investigation not revealing Dr. Ford's name could have been conducted at the outset. I believe the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee are wrong not to conduct an FBI investigation now and Mark Judge should have been subpoenaed. Kavanaugh's rudeness, aggressiveness and belligerence yesterday show that he does not have judicial temperament.
156
@Susie For me, Kavanaugh's complete blindness to others' experiences was when he rudely insisted that Sen. Klobuchar must have been at some point out of control drunk (don't remember the exact words). She denied him. Then later, she explained that she grew up with an alcoholic father, so she didn't drink to excess. Kavanaugh still didn't recognize his faux pas, despite his apology.
4
@Susie
Well stated.
3
@Susie Yes, exactly. Well said.
3
Tim, ultimately the joke's on us. If this country keeps on reelecting congressmen/women that are only too happy to serve solely the connected elites and overlook all kinds of moral flaws for political expediency, then we have as a people the result we richly deserve.
Yes, maybe the popular vote indicates most Americans are principled. But as long as too many of these principled Americans do not vote or do so by willingly blinding themselves into voting for barking freak shows and dark room operators, and as long as too many states seem to think that voting Democratic is tantamount to voting for Lucifer himself, then there is no way forward.
Time to wake up! Demand better than this travesty!
34
From what took place, yesterday, at the Kavanaugh hearing, broke my heart. Not just for what Dr. Ford experienced, and the other women who have come forward with sexual assault accusations, but for our country. A country ruled by old, white men with no morals, integrity and honesty. How did we get here? I am no longer proud to be an American. I am deeply ashamed of my country.
91
Term limits.
Make SCOTUS picks 5 year terms and all this goes away.
No more thermonuclear partisanship.
Other countries have supreme courts but no other country has lifetime tenure.
We are backwards and anachronistic because of this insane rule.
56
I wish the Dems would stop taking a knife to a gun fight (to paraphrase Bill Maher). No questions about why he is opposed to an FBI investigation?
The Dems need to take the SCOTUS to 11 members in 2020 - it's time they start playing by the rules the Republicans have laid out.
18
It’s pretty hard to address an issue reasonably when you are dealing with a person performing an emotional breakdown in public. Whether he really was in distress or he was seeking to avoid discussing real doubts about his fitness for the high court, he was not engaging with the Senators in a reasonable manner.
I have to say that the Republicans have learned from Trump that a temper tantrum has a real value in political gamesmanship.
35
@R.A.K. I think the Republicans were opposed to FBI investigation because it might not be completed until after the mid-terms - and the Republicans might lack the majority needed to seat a Supreme Court Judge of their choosing.
13
@R.A.K. He was questioned for a while about whether he personally would wish for an FBI investigation, and squirmed and dodged (I will do whatever the committee wishes, etc), but sat silent and refused to actually say he wanted an FBI investigation. It was obvious he has no interest in the truth, either because he is covering something up or because he should be above all this.
2
One of the most striking impressions of Kavanaugh's testimony was his lack of concern or interest in Blasey-Ford's experience and testimony. Instead, his rant was all about him--how he has worked hard to get to where he is and now others are preventing him from getting it. He seemed like a privileged kid in a rage, throwing conspiracy theories around the room like broken toys. Very sad.
147
@Freddy
Guilty or not, his testimony demonstrated that he should not be a candidate for the Supreme Court, or even a judge. I think his testimony convicted him to a far greater degree then his accusers.
2
@Freddy He also didn't realize that some people like Sen. Klobuchar, don't share his alcohol-infused lifestyle, past or present. Because they have alcoholic parents.
5
@Freddy. I do believe Blasey-Ford, based on the reports on Kavanaugh's alcohol use, the Ramirez allegation, and the Renate Alumnus reference in the Georgetown Prep yearbook. However, I think it is entirely reasonable that Kavanaugh, were he indeed be innocent of the allegations, be enraged and unconcerned about the well-being of his accuser. I was falsely accused of a serious crime once, and rage was my over-riding response. One of the things that made his tears so disingenuous for me was the angry partisan rant combined with expressed concerns that Blakey-Ford's privacy had been violated by Feinstein.
3
As always Timothy Egan, brilliantly argued. Alas, the truth of which you speak matter little to the powers that be on Capitol Hill.
31
At this moment, I am watching the Senate Judiciary Committee. This is a complete travesty.
The only check on this is to remember in November and vote ALL these Republicans out of office.
We get the government we deserve, and we deserve better than this.
41
We are living in a post-hypocrisy world. There is no shame or capacity for self-reflection. It just doesn't matter to the men in charge of things now. All that matters is winning. In their view no investigation is needed because facts are inconvenient unless they support their narrative and the maintenance of the status quo.
Kavanaugh's sneering condescension during questioning and Lindsey Graham's self-righteous tirade illustrate perfectly just how these men feel that their right to power is God-given.
All of which goes to show how brave Christine Blasey Ford was in offering her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The fix was in from the very beginning of this sordid process.
64
The teary moments from Brett Kavanaugh are going to be a sad joke among millennials for decades. To even think of Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Justice is bitterly laughable. The man came across as a sobbing goat who lies and disrespects people for his own benefit. That's the real point here. If Republicans appoint a privileged white boy with a partisan record, a checkered past, and zero credibility, they will lose a generation and more. They might win the court but no one under 35 who isn't a racist misogynist is ever going to vote for them.
Win the present, lose the future. That's the bargain Republicans are making right now. They're hedging on stealing the future instead of winning it. Such actions don't play well among the younger crowd. If appointed, I fully expect Kavanaugh to get investigated and impeached. He might not get removed but he'll never be respected. We also have digital recording now. I expect the whimpering display yesterday is going to haunt Kavanaugh for a very long time. It's already an internet meme. That's along with his testimony of course. Perjury is a short word with big consequences.
101
@Andy Thank you Andy. I am 68 and depending on your generation to make this right! Please vote out these dinosaurs.
9
@Andy The Millenials are notorious for not voting. Unless the Democrats can inspire them somehow, they will sit back and let the dystopian future happen.
4
Don’t count out those over thirty five who are not racist misogynists.
1
Maybe Trump, being President and all genius(?), should begin negotiations for a more civilized political environment. Nah, that would never happen. He truly is incapable of negotiating without feeling like he must win and his opposition must lose.
And, the Republicans probably assume they will be able to resurrect their party after Trump. It is doubtful. They have taken the side of guns, greed, misogyny, and intolerance. No amount of penance or reform will fix this anytime soon.
20
The future can arrive at a measured pace as with one season moving to the next, or it can arrive abruptly as with a forest fire scourging the land. The country is on the edge of fulfilling a statement that was popular when I was young, “Burn, Baby,Burn!”, and clearing away the built up debris of our country.
3
It is time to reconsider two glaring issues with our Constitution: 1) term limits for judges and 2) increased term limits for the House of Representatives. These two Constitutional infirmities harm our Nation. The first makes every Congressman political because they are always facing re-election and thus pander to their political parties' whims. The second, forces all generations to endure a Supreme Court of ancients, who are not necessarily wise. Granted, appointments are the duty of the Senate but b/c the House is so politically charged, the Senate easily ignites alongside.
Regarding the "public conversation" about sexual assault and "he said/she said." Until we are willing to face the fact that our society is partriarchial, Kavanaugh's response will be accepted. Note how he felt fully entitled to yell at women Senators, he merely ignored the male Senators. That, in and of itself, was telling...it was automatic and the underpinning was, not only disrespectful but also teetered on the violent. Yelling easily escalates, more than when one ignores.
Your daughter may pray for the "lady" Judge Kavanaugh, but the rest of us prays for your daughter and this nation of daughters and sons that they will find governing institutions that are blind and equal in its administration of the laws. This moment in history makes it clear that it doesn't exist in the US Senate or Executive Branch and threatens the Judicial branch.
526
@Laticia
These are legitimate concerns, but term limits are intended to insulate judges from the political winds. There are pros and cons, but instituting term limits for judges would bring its own problems.
The bigger issue in my view is gerrymandering. Elections do not represent true democratic outcomes anymore. If everyone voted and every vote counted equally, it would be easier to accept that a particular law was really the country's will.
8
@Laticia. Thank you for your very well said response. I certainly could NOT have said it any better. Lastly, I am also a sexual assault victim and could not watch the entire hearing because it was just too painful for me. Kavanaugh’s yelling and outrage was uncalled for as were his accusatory statements. A divided nation can not endure and will eventually fall apart or slip into a dictatorship. It seems the US is on a slippery slope and what happened yesterday does not auger well for this democratic Republic nor the SCOTUS.
4
@Laticia rather than term limits for SCOTUS I would like to see a mandatory retirement age. In fact that might be best for all of Congress.
2
This would have been short and sweet if Kavanaugh admitted as a teenager he did drink to excess, but, unlike his pal Judge, pulled himself togther and went on to be a much better man. In that context, he could allow that he may have done what Ford said he did, and, if he did anything like that, he was sincerely sorry.
Instead, he, like the President, took the position he is never wrong so he by definition of his superiority could not have done this thing.
With both men it is privilege run amok.
By the way, Congress gave that second round of tax cuts (Bush made the first) to themselves, not just to the other rich who had paid good money to get them elected. Self-dealing is in and Trump leads the way.
33
Kavanaugh's emotional outbursts during his hearing, feigned or not, are an ominous portent, especially his charges that Democrats destroyed his name and that of his family and brought his young daughter to tears. They have made him a wounded animal. He has now openly given himself permission to decimate Democratic interests during his term in favor of the most reactionary Republican interests.
HIs nomination and appointment have been foregone conclusions. Trump must protect himself from Mueller, and Republicans have a slim chance of losing the Senate in November. The GOP will not risk Kavanaugh going down as there is insufficient time to make another nomination prior to the election.
Democrats lost the Supreme Court when they lost the election in 2016. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but it's the truth. They need to start winning elections; there is no other way. Then they need to be as ruthless as Republicans have been, to protect whatever the country still has left.
33
@Blue Moon Love the wounded animal metaphor. It's brilliant!
1
@Blue Moon Hopefully -- Roberts who is basically a decent man, will intervene. This is all out there now. He is getting a 5th vote by a man who is basically a baby.
1
I expect a Justice Kavanaugh to work to overturn Roe v Wade simply to get back at Dr Ford and all women who have been, as Trump would say, so unfair to him. He said as much himself that "the whole country will reap the whirlwind." Petulant Brett Kavanaugh and Snarling Lindsey Graham have revealed the true nature of the Republican party.
47
@M
REVEALED???
The rotten core of this craven, entitled posse has been on display for decades. Any means --ANY means-- to achieve the end: Power.
3
She was impressive, painfully honest and totally sympathetic. He was like a third rate actor in a minor community theatre. Oh, the fury and outrage were real, but NOT for his stated “ reasons “. He is experiencing something new and unexpected: Consequences. The life of entitlement and white, Male privilege has not prepared him for this. Welcome to the REAL world, Judge. Enjoy your stay.
51
I was shocked at Kavanaugh's behaviour. Does he actually believe the conspiracy theories he spouted? Did he really defensively ask one of the committee if she ever passed out drunk? He does not seem wise enough or measured enough to be a Supreme Court judge. I am sorry this happened to him. The information from Blasy Ford should have come forth while the White House was still selecting from the short list, as was her intent. However, what's done is done. We see his temperament now. It is not appropriate for the court.
35
I thought that the judge’s blatant partisanship alone yesterday was disqualifying. Not to mention Ford’s testimony.
21
The Supreme Court must not be a lifetime appointment. No one deserves a lifetime job guarantee, NO ONE.
19
@Irene The point of the lifetime appointment is to free members of the court from political obligation; the presumption is that each justice will have objectivity in mind, rather than political motivation. The failure of this presumption should now be obvious: the SCOTUS has now devolved into merely another arena for pushing political agendas, hiding behind the supposed sanctity of the position.
This fiasco cements the utter worthlessness of the court as a check/balance - American democracy has truly failed, of this there can now be no doubt. The only question which remains, is what follows. With this travesty, and the pending GOP kangaroo court handling of Rosenstein, amount to the equivalent of total warfare (as if Trump alone weren't enough evidence, this confirms every worst fear). We are not long now from what will likely either be an effective coup, and submission/suppression of the populace to GOP whims, or violence.
Which is worse?
8
Your column is about much more than the minor chord that resonated with me, but I think it is worth twanging just a bit more: You asked what happened to the party of family values. Of course, that was an ironic reference to GOP self promotion, but in fact that party was once much better. It began as the party of Abolition and continued as the party of Integration. So, was there a single source for its self destruction? I would suggest the fact that it soon became the party of Big Business. I'd like to say 'and the New England Establishment,' but that would not be a single source, would it?
7
@RFW both parties are slaves to big business but the shift in the Republicans happened when they aligned themselves with the Moral Majority and the evangelicals during the Reagan era. That the Evangelical religious would admonish the most religious president of our lifetime (Carter) in favor of a divorced entertainer shows many interesting parallels with how far we have gone down that route today.
20
What a perfect summary. Beautifully written. Thank you. Sharing and posting.
20
I offer this modest proposal to all those in the Trump Cult — change the name of the Republican Party to the Trump Party. The man likes his name on all that he owns and controls and would surely love to have his political party carry his name.
Plus, those who once thought the Republican Party stood for policies such as free trade, fiscal prudence and US global leadership could more easily recognize out what they gave away out of expediency to the Alt-Right, Koch Brothers, Wall Street and radical evangelicals.
30
Well written Mr. Egan. How can we appoint a judge to the Supreme Court is partisan and not open to considering all views? As commenter Socrates mentioned, Kavanaugh spent no time listening to Dr. Ford's testimony. He is only willing to hear what he wants to hear. How can that be good enough for the Supreme Court?
42
I’m an alum of Harvard, but I must say you are right on. I’ve been appalled for a long time that the presidents, both Republican and Democrat, seem incapable of looking beyond Harvard and Yale when choosing candidates for the High Court. I’d like to see more and fuller journal highlighting of this grave imbalance in the constitution of our courts.
43
I watched the Brett Kavanaugh testimony yesterday. I thought he was quite possibly a phony, with trumped-up tears, angry embarassment, and partisan swipes. Yes, he was crying or appeared to be close to tears. But was he crying about his own loss of his final act of privilege, an appointment to the SCOTUS? Was he crying because he was embarassed and ashamed of what he did, and who he was during those years? Was he crying to elicit sympathy from on-the-fence Republicans? WHY was he on the verge of tears? We will never know. But his level of sincerity obviously impressed or gave cover to the fence-sitters on the committee. Lindsey Graham's attack of faux-outrage toward the Democrats just reaffirmed the ugly, political nature of the fight. It was definitely a low moment for this viewer.
73
@Srose Thank you. I have no use for this man's theatrics. In my experience, men get all defensive when they are guilty, not when innocence is their shield.
24
Thank you, Timothy Egan!
Kavanaugh is currently a sitting judge for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. If he was innocent, he'd be asking for the FBI to investigate. He knows the lasting damage this will bring to the Supreme Court should he be seated with this cloud over his head, but his hubris has taken the lead. His ranting was full of dodges regarding his drinking history, and utter disrespect and sneering contempt for those who questioned him about it. Given yesterday's performance, he is unfit to serve on any court.
120
I viewed him as a person, not a man, who feels he is entitled and privileged. He views himself as above all others. As you wrote his crying was for himself as his self-deceptive thoughts were being exposed and massive ego deflated. Frankly, he reminded me of a 10 year crying to his daddy, " I didn't do it" when he knows he did in order to avoid some discipline. The nominee has no wisdom. If he is nominated I see a massive blue wave throwing the Republicans out in November.
67
Just announced: Senator Flake said he will vote to confirm Kavanaugh, all but ensuring his ascendance to, and destruction of, the Supreme Court.
With even the American Bar Association recommending an FBI investigation - the Republicans in Congress have proven themselves to be beneath dignity, humanity and the rule of law.
Vote out Trump's power in November and vote Trump out in 2020 - and then impeach Kavanaugh for his alternating sniveling and belligerent lies on record to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Make the United States sane, and morally decent, again.
85
As a retired criminal sex crimes investigator, I can tell you that there are enough elements in Judge K's July 1st 1982 diary entry that line up with Dr. Fords recollection, to start an FBI investigation.
By my count they both have three subjects ( Judge, PJ and Kavanaugh), one boyfriend ( Squi or Chris Garrett), " brewskis", and a relatively coinciding date ( given this happened 36 years ago. All of these elements line up from both sides.
That would be plenty for me to go on.
68
Best characterization yet.
And more importantly, Kavanaugh's agitated behavior yesterday was likely similar to his behavior when drinking. Privileged, defiant, insensitive, and of course still lying.
Flake, Collins, Corker, Murkowski. I hope they watched this performance . It validated that alcohol is not the only thing that affects his temperament . It validated he is not qualified to sit on the Supreme Court...and he was sober.
53
@Statusk
Respectfully, we don't know for sure that he was sober during his testimony. For all we know he needed some liquid courage in order to pull off a performance like he did. Even if he hadn't been drinking, he still acted like someone who is in denial about behavioral or substance abuse problems.
10
@Chad I am no supporter of a Kavanaugh justice-ship, but what you are saying about his being drunk yesterday is patently unfair and just plain mean as you have no evidence.
Dry drunk.
Thank you, Timothy. A reckoning is coming.
24
What a terrific and insightful article. Searing, well written and bang on the money. Bravo.
50
As a public service to those who may have missed Judge Kavanaugh's testimony yesterday about his alleged sexual assault of Prof. Ford and his drinking habits, here it is in a nutshell:
I didn't do it. Beer is not a four-letter word.
11
It it came out for a proven fact the Kavanaugh lied at his confirmation hearing, would impeachment be an option?
19
@Kevin McCaffrey Yes but in practical terms the bar is too high for him to be impeached.
2
It is very hard to imagine that Mr Graham does not see the absurd multi-layerd hypocrisy in his outburst during the hearing. To accuse the Democrats of trying to delay the confirmation would be laughable if it weren’t so infuriating given their refusal to consider Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court. Also to assume without conducting an investigation that the accusations against Mr Kavanaugh are false and accuse the Democrats of trying to ruin the man’s life after the Republicans investigated Hillary Clinton over and over again will certainly go down in history as the most egregious example of hypocrisy in American politics in our lifetime. I used to think Mr Graham was a rational being capable of weighing issues relatively fairly. That was a mistake.
47
@M. M. L. Very well said. Thank you for articulating my exact sentiments.
Timothy - there is still much hidden about Brett's early ( current? ) sexual conflicts - but he did use alcohol as a teen to de-inhibit himself with apparently horrible effects on girls caught in his path - this may seem far afield from the proceedings in a normal SCOTUS confirmation process, but normal has lost all meaning since 11/9
15
Wonderfully astute article! Now that the price has gone up, it begs the question of how many of the Republican senators are actually willing to slit their own political throats over this seriously flawed nominee by not having an FBI Investigation. I couldn't agree more with Timothy Egan - this fire is not going out any time soon; nor should it.
22
This does not end well for anyone. A reliably conservative vote on SCOTUS, as Judge K. would be, is transformed into a raging bitter right winger filled with thoughts of conspiracies against him. Clarence Thomas may turn out to be milquetoast compared to this guy, if confirmed.
For those of us who followed this with less than intense attention, I found his teary rant disconcerting. In particular the naked partisanship, the right wing talking points. If you feel that Washington and the process is out of control for nominees and that you have been a victim, there are ways to handle that. You could mention the impact on good people refusing to serve. You could mention that both parties have raised the temperature too much, and diminished our country in the process. You could talk about appealing to our better angels. You could with dignity rise above, without rancor, as his alleged faithful Catholicism would call upon him to do.
Accusing the Clintons of being behind it all is far right blogger territory. Territory occupied by all manner of conspiracy kooks, trolls, foreign actors, and the like. Territory occupied by Trump.
40
I experienced this Ivy League mentality first hand during my professional training. I'm from the midwest, went to a public institution and then progressed to a prestiges institution on the West Coast to complete my education and training. The majority of my fellow classmates and trainees as a young physician were from these Ivy League schools. I didn't get their mentality as by my heritage I was transparent, humble and not self promoting. I played no games as our profession is about our patients and not us. I was called a fool, laughed at for my attitude. But I wouldn't change and when it came time to elect a chief resident from our peers I was selected, I became their leader. They trusted me and saw my values as something to strive for. Entitled, elitist behavior has no place in professions that affect all citizens in the US.
27
Truth isn’t truth? The new republican battle cry! It plain to see the republicans are distorting the truth and justice for their own end game. They did indeed light the match that will burn Washington they own this debacle. Americans must vote them out in Nov or all’s lost.
14
The question today for everyone is about our own honesty and integrity. Should a jurist from either persuasion, conservative or Democrat, be put on the Supreme Court after a highly partisan and unsubstantiated rant such as the one Kavanaugh performed yesterday? Would this have been acceptable from Kagan or Sotomayor? Even as I pose this second question, I realize if it had been these women instead there would likely be no question about disqualification and the real reason this would be so.
17
The ideological divide in America today surpasses the grand canyon in scale. Super salesman Trump has convinced tens of millions of Americans to vote against their own interests. Better cheaper health care, promised in the campaign, has turned out to be zero health care.
Same thing with rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. The icing on the Trump cake is his is own pet judge being the deciding vote in our highest court. A judge, who just like Trump, calls women pleading justice, political tools of the left.
We are way into a very dangerous era for America. Kavanaugh obviously saw how Trump succeeded wildly in lying his way to the top.
We have heard thousands of eloquent voices and seen millions of words pointing out the truth of what is going on. Nothing has worked.
34
Thank you, Tim Eagan, for hitting the nail squarely on the head.
Mitch McConnell, the 'brains' behind this latest travesty, may understand power, but what he doesn't understand is that, if that's all you have, you have nothing. He debases himself, his party, the Senate, the Supreme Court, our country.
Once upon a time, I was a Republican. It was obvious to me with Nixon's unconscionable conduct of the war in Vietnam and with the Watergate scandal that the GOP would happily sell its soul to keep power--if it had a soul to sell. It's only gotten worse. Much worse. Worse in ways we could not have imagined possible.
Decades of tax cuts for the rich and belief in the idea that 'Government is the problem' have, predictably, brought unbelievably bad government and disastrous economic inequality. We really have to get rid of these guys. VOTE.
48
People keep saying it's a "privilege" to serve on the Supreme Court. True, but perhaps more relevant, it's an immense responsibility. Brett Kavanaugh has clearly demonstrated, this month, that he does not have, as an adult, what it takes to bear that responsibility. It's a job, like any other job. He's not up to it. We don't need an FBI investigation of his youth to know this.
We owe Prof. Blasey an immense debt of gratitude for what she taught us yesterday, on so many subjects, and on so many levels, by being there and saying so simply just the things that mattered. Yes, as others have said, she's an American hero.
Thanks, as always, Mr. Egan.
41
An arbitrary deadline of today was set by the Senate Committee to make a decision on Kavenaugh. A one day hearing to hear only one witness describe her experience was set. "A rush to judgement" gave lip service to an investigation of the charges against a candidate for the highest court in the land. The conclusion is probably foregone.
No investigation by the FBI or any other agency was put in action.
The president of the United States took sides and criticized the women without any impartiality or thought of justice.
THIS IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NOW.
31
Another small point not mentioned - Neil Gorsuch graduated from Georgetown Prep. Does this country of millions need two Justices from the same high school? For a president who claims to be anti "elites", his extremely narrow range of choices for the Supreme Court runs counter.
I am certain there are brilliant people from small towns, far flung cities, and modest backgrounds who have the intellect and character to rise to the highest court.
31
@Katherine: There is nobody on this Court who has personally experienced what passes for "justice" under their utterly lax supervision.
We saw the German elite make these same Faustian bargains in the early 1930s.
"Time is a great thickener of things" (supposedly said by Lincoln).
"The all mighty has his own intentions."
I'm disgusted by the GOP but I'm even more disgusted by where all of this might lead. It aint good.
24
“What is crooked cannot be made straight/
And what is lacking cannot be counted.”
The vanity of vanities go Brett Kavanaugh is what we saw revealed at yesterday’s hearings.
Why Christine Blasey Ford seemed calm and honest is because she has done the work of a lifetime in healing herself and others. Brett Kavanaugh, entitled and arrogant as he is, really needs to go to therapy himself to deal with his anger and alcohol issues. His remarks about his father’s calendar keeping revealed an only child who harbors resentment at the high demands that his professional parents had for him and his partying seemed to be his rebellion towards them.
In no way does he have the temperament, the humbleness, and the wisdom necessary to serve on the highest court of the land. What is missing is his willingness to serve others, not just himself. Pride goeth before the fall, GOP.
34
“What they have now is an immolation of principle.”
Here, minor adjustment.
“What WE have now is an immolation of principle.”
It’s reflected in our leadership, our policies, our civility, and virtually every realm of discourse. An instantaneous news cycle and social media are sources of gas to fuel the bonfire.
What I haven’t heard is how we fix, or recover from, this Dante-esque environment. Any thoughts?
14
@SMK NC
VOTE. Our future depends on it.
This column hits the nail on the head. The question is, what difference does it make? The "permanent class," as he calls those who have had control over this country basically from the beginning, certainly since after the Civil War, will keep that control no matter what. If Kavanaugh goes up in flames -- something I doubt -- another stooge for the male, lily-white moneyed interests controlling this country will be found and installed as the newest Supreme Court Justice. Nothing short of turning this system upside down will make any difference and that's not going to happen. Everyone is too busy trying to make the ends meet in their personal lives, everyone is too deeply in trance to a distraction culture, to rise up in revolt. To put it plainly, everyone is too afraid. And manipulating that fear is precisely what keeps this system going.
22
Deny. Deny. Deny. But no FBI. This is the Republicans' craven game plan, and sadly, it seems to be working.
28
Hey, those complaints by Kavanaugh about a well-funded opposition? Come down to Florida and watch TV political ads filling the airways and amazingly touting his SCOTUS nomination as if it were a new fabulous detergent. THAT is money. And it isn't being spent as Kavanaugh claims ...
An anger-filled, self-entitled, partisan-minded-conspiracy-theorist is not an appropriate nominee for any judgeship, much less a person who should fill a position as a member of SCOTUS. Kavanaugh sees too many types of active organizational litigants -- and the rights they seek to assert and protect -- as his personal enemy.
25
After today, does anyone actually believe that this fellow intends to serve as a politically impartial judge ?
Then again, no one even pretends to believe that this is the intention of the highest court in our land anymore. As some of the senators on the committee pointedly made sure the other side understood.
How quickly our government has become a chilling disgrace, and how happily it's fall seems cheered on by some.
36
Outstanding article - maybe the best I've read. It was either Cornyn or Cruz who said this hearing is the biggest embarrassment for the senate since the McCarthy hearings, and the implication was that it was the fault of Ms. Ford and the Democrats. I would like to ask them if it isn't their own behavior that's making this an embarrassment for all of us.
39
I found Judge Kavanaugh's performance before the Judiciary committee to be far too reminiscent of the responses I have seen from perpetrators of abuse who -
* play of public sympathies
* minimize their own behavior
* refuse to take responsibility for their actions
* assure us that examples of genuine exemplary behavior of their * part means that the accusations against them could not possibly be real
* divert from giving direct answers to questions by impugned the character and motives of those who ask the questions
* if they perceive that they are failing to convince by tears, will resort to direct of attack those who question them
* offer secret testimony against those who might corroborate charges against them
The Judiciary Committee could have quite simply settled this by issuing subpoenas for Mark Judge and James Roche to testify under oath.
Roche's claim of Kavanaugh's belligerence certainly gained credibility in Kavanaugh's testimony.
29
Recording every day of your life and claiming that Ms. Ford was guilty of mistaken identity were both peculiar and difficult to believe. Ms Ford’s references to her brain parts and neurotransmitters when discussing her memory was outright weird. Kavanaugh is unfit. Ford is peculiar. I see no reason to embrace a peculiar child of privilege when the fact that Kavanaugh is unfit has become eminently clear.
6
@michjas
Ford is a research psychologist by training. What she was describing were memory/trauma neuroscience 101 for a lay audience. It is somewhat of a specialized literature-- although many current self-help books for trauma survivors incorporate what is often helpful and validating education.
It is unusual for a Senate hearing to ask a witness to be both witness of fact and expert, however Dr. Ford seemed well qualified to do both
22
@michjas - Ford is a research neurologist with psych training. Her response on how memory works was perfectly in keeping with her education. So what if she's 'peculiar', at least she's not a perjuring, lying binge alcoholic with highly questionable financials. Kavanaugh outright perjured himself yesterday with that dreck explaining the yearbook comments, and then smirked like he'd gotten away with something. He's another Trump, but this time with a Yale degree. Astonishing that the hearing wasn't ended immediately as soon as he obviously lied under oath.
4
@michjas Not even remotely weird. But apparently you've never studied neuroscience.
That said, yes, Kavanaugh is unfit--desperately so.
1
For all of the showy religiosity on display by Brett Kavanaugh yesterday, it is clear today that Kavanaugh and those who continue to support him for the Supreme Court have made a Faustian bargain. The party on the other side of the deal is not God, but someone from the netherworld: Donald Trump.
In a well-scripted effort to create a false reality, Charles Grassley and the other Republican members of the Judiciary Committee tried unsuccessfully with all of their might to discredit the truth of Christine Blasey Ford and to intimidate her.
They tried to pretend that getting closer to the truth was impossible, and they lied that the F.B.I. already had investigated the allegations against Kavanaugh.
They claimed falsely that Kavanaugh’s partner in crime, Mark Judge, an important witness, had been examined, glossing over the fact that all they had was a letter from Judge’s lawyer.
They treated us to contrived outrage not only by the nominee, but from Lindsey Graham, auditioning to become the next Attorney General -- a noisy Roy Cohn reincarnation more to the liking of Donald Trump.
They proudly presented Judge Kavanaugh to defend himself, but the nominee immediately went on the attack – alternately snarling at Democrats, babbling about beer and sobbing in outrage at someone accusing a person of his elite background and academic credentials.
The American people are smarter than this. Aren’t we?
30
Excellent commentary.
@sdw
One would like to think the American people are smarter than the disgraces detailed.
Or at least more enobled.
One would like to think.
1
Yeah, but they have scored a long-lasting victory once Kavanaugh is confirmed, and I believe he will be.
To the "Bernie or bust" crowd. Guess what, even if Democrats eventually sweep, say a decade or more in the future, and they pass single-payer health care, well guess what? The supreme court will declare it unconstitutional.
If the left can't organize, nor comprimise, the right wins. Maybe there is mire realization about this now, but it's going to take 50 years of organizing to get in the position where progressive policies can have a chance for success. I don't think the left is capable of organizing in the way it needs to.
12
Kavanaugh’s yelling and crying was the cry and yell of a small child denied what he thought was due. It was a temper tantrum of the highest order. I am outraged at his sense of entitlement. He has given nothing to this country other than a prime example of what a permanent entitled class sows. How can we come so far yet learn so little? And trust me, this new entitled class will not be providing cake to the masses. They will take away your health insurance, retirement, social security and ability to choose. All under the guise of “well I worked hard and succeeded so why can’t you”. And the saddest thing of all is that the saviors of the white, male, entitled class are everyday people that the elites eschew.
80
@Misty Morning Agreed. He acted like a spoiled frat boy who momentarily feared he wasn't going to get the BMW he was promised for his 19th birthday.
2
@Misty Morning: The man is apparently still 17 years old.
2
Well noted, Timothy.
A shelf of memoirs by women and men recounting the process and pressure of those self-perpetuating power incubators would be a welcome addition to the public library, the best-seller list, the coffee table and nightstand. And, perhaps, a helpful recovery project.
5
Great article. When will we finally get a nominee who went to law school st Berkeley, or Michigan, or Virginia or any of the other top public schools? My son is hispanic and has been stopped 3 times in the last 6 months while driving, never with a violation. Did Kavanaugh grow up with anyone who experienced that, much less experience it himself? Men like Kavanaugh think they are successful because they are talented and smart, rather than they were privileged with unlimited opportunity beginning with skin color and wealthy parents.
66
The complete destruction and transformation of the Republican Party into the party of the liar Trump is now complete.
In a mere 2 years, Trump has degraded all our government institutions:
The Justice Department
The FBI
The Presidency
The Supreme Court
The Congress
Kavanaugh is a liar.
He is the perfect embodiment of all the most vile Trump ttributes.
Kavanaugh lies about little matters, such as the meaning of Devil's Triangle and boofed:
https://www.newsweek.com/devils-triangle-boofed-mean-brett-kavanaugh-114...
He lied about stolen emails in earlier testimony:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/09/20/brett-kavanaughs-unli...
And then yesterday Kavanaugh displayed a hysteria and temperament that is unbecoming of someone who is supposed to be a "judge."
Shame on you Congressional Republicans.
You are supposed to represent a check and balance on the presidency, you know like you did on Obama.
You are disgusting.
Republicans, “You sowed the wind,the country will reap the whirlwind."
46
The senate hearing and Judge Kavanaugh's testimony showed exactly what the process is supposed to show: whether or not Kavanaugh is fit and qualified to be a justice of the Supreme Court. He clearly is not.
Irrespective of the truth or lack thereof of the allegations of sexual abuse (they appear to be true) Kavanaugh is temperamentally and emotionally unqualified for this job. He's dishonest and vengeful; petty and partisan. And, in light of his testimony that he did not watch the testimony of Dr. Blasey Ford, he's not very smart.
113
@Davym Witnesses say he did watch her testimony, and then he lied about it under oath.
4
Fire, as we know so well in the West, incinerates the undergrowth to shine light in the darkest places. The 'fire' in response to Trumpism may be like one of those 1000-year fires that burns for years, then reignites every time it exposes another stash of hidden ugliness underneath the canopy. And yes, this conflagration just might destroy everything in its path, including our form of government. But I agree - that's where we are. Best response to yesterday's American tragedy I've read so far, on the morning after - saddest hangover we've had in a long time, but probably not the last.
46
Elected Senators tend to be very intelligent, worldly, and sophisticated people. They are the ones on the spot authorized and responsible to decide this in open vote. In closed conference they considered the matter of the nominees large gambling debt and it's settlement. Organized crime, foreign agents, or sinister billionaires imaginably might tempt a vulnerable person into such debt, have it settled by a cut-out, and thereby have call on a future vote, decision, or service. Such things remaining secret we are in the trust of our elected representatives until our turn to vote.
12
Putting aside the content of Kavanaugh's performance, I was
surprised at his inability to control his emotions. Men cry, but it
is, most likely, due to genuine emotional sadness. It was difficult for me to watch.
14
I think this is a straight out fantastic column. It is within that appreciation I am writing this.
In some serious way I feel stuck. How to resist people like Kavanaugh and Trump and still respect their core humanity. Respect for them is so woven into the notion of dominance that any challenge to that dominance is seen and experienced as lack of respect for their core being. You give an inch and you will be slammed to the ground. Still it is important to engage them humanly even as you try to strip them of their ability to do harm and more importantly to change the structure of the society and address deep underlying forces that create the bitterness and rage that drives them. Before all this surfaced I felt a deep pull to Kavanaugh's daughters. Particular to his younger daughter who seemed to be bursting with magical energy. I thought that maybe his love for them would provide a brake to the more pernicious goals he has. That he would not want them someday to turn on him with bitter disappointment. But now I can't imagine his daughters not hating us given the pain they see their father and mother are suffering. This in the end will do none of us any good.
Again just to be clear I agree with what Timothy is writing here.
17
@Robert Roth: I am the daughter of a man who had a serious problem with sex addiction. Though he never raped or assaulted anyone, he was a serial cheater and some of the things he did were heinous. He ruined his career, nearly ruined his marriage, and he shamed his entire family. Guess what? His daughters endured it. We lived through it, and we still love our father. We simply see him as the flawed human being he is. The difference, however, is that my dad ultimately admitted his faults and apologized. He spent years in therapy, became a member of SA, and practiced the twelve steps. His open admission of guilt and his humble contrition went a long way toward healing the wounds he inflicted upon the people who loved him. Kavanaugh could do the same for his family, but he is clearly living a life on a pedestal that his ego will not allow him to surrender. If he came down off of his high horse and admitted to being a real human being, he would humanize himself and help his daughters and his wife. But his insistence upon maintaining his high-status lifestyle is leading him into a Faustian bargain that will make him a despised man for the rest of his life. People are not going to forget his disgraceful behavior because they have seen no contrition, no atonement, and no sense of humbleness. He does more damage to his daughters by maintaining the facade he has built, and none of that is your fault, my fault, the American people's fault, or his daughters' fault, either.
7
Dear AM,
Knowing that couldn't even remotely happen, that was my imagined wish before he testified yesterday.
The simplest explanation of Ford's memories and Kavanaugh's memories is that she is telling the truth and he is telling what he remembers, which is a function both of excessive alcohol and the experience not being traumatic for him. It is virtually impossible to believe that Ford is lying about this. It seems unlikely that the other three women (one anonymously) who have come forward are lying either. It is certainly possible that not all the others are telling the truth, but virtually impossible to believe that all the others are lying. An FBI investigation is plainly needed to either remove the taint of Kavanaugh's nomination or, more likely, remove Kavanaugh from consideration.
75
Spot on opinion piece. Interesting that no one has looked closely at the “ incubators” for the law profession; these top law schools where alcohol runs 24/7 to release the pressure, alcoholism begins, and blackouts routinely occur. I’ve seen it up close and in person.
And then the multitude of reports that state lawyers have some of the highest rates of alcoholism relative to other careers. Until recently firms ignored the problem until they no longer could. Some “ retired early.” Some went and became “ general counsel.” Some left for smaller, less prestigious firms. A few, with family wealth, found “ other, less stressful careers.”
Now, attention is being paid as the costs of training young associates is high. The problem is being identified and assistance being given in some places.
The point being, that many who end up in the top tiers of the law have paid a pretty steep price to be there. Alcohol eased the pressure of achieving from an early age. Parental expectations can be high and unrelenting. Add to that the entitlement, the intelligence, the wealth, the prestige, and stir.
It can produce a very ugly mess underneath a very polished facade.
Perhaps there is a better way?
29
Well said. There will be a reckoning, and the GOP will have to bend (adapt) or break (reform as another party).
37
There will come a time when GOP will have to pay for all their misdeeds during this administration. And it will be a very expensive bill to pay.
3
Excellent job putting the Kavanaugh hearing in the context of the Trump Presidency and the Republican Congress!
88
the framers were governed by reason. to weigh the evidence of facts before reaching a conclusion. they crafted an elegant document (though flawed by the prevailing mores of the day) they thought would be executed by successive generations of people rigorously following reason.
they never imagined this could happen. to them, reason was the path forward, to progress and, well, 'enlightenment'. progress meant people had, if not equal results, they equal opportunities.
now this. 240 years later, the thumb is still on the scales of justice.
24
It's clear that Republicans want to rush the vote before any of the many claims Kavanaugh made - never having met Ms. Blasey Ford or traveled in her circles, not socializing/drinking during the week, never being aggressive while drunk, never having memory lapses, insisting that the non-confirmation of some of the others present at the party actually refuted her story - come back to haunt him.
All it will take is one person with a conscience who is outraged at the patent lies being told by Kavanaugh to unravel his claims. His testimony, with it's frequent references to perjury, was clearly intended to intimidate.
78
We sent our daughters to an elite private high school in Dallas, because that city has essentially abandoned its public schools. Every time there was a preparation for a prom or a dance with one of the private boys' schools, the teachers/chaperones warned, "Remember one thing - DON'T DRINK THE PUNCH."
We have always known that these places were incubators of social pathology - not the only ones, of course. The sense of entitlement that was on display in the hearing room yesterday, though, extends to the entitlement to take what they consider their birthright -someone else's and as many someone elses' bodies as they can get away with.
Sexual predators belong in jail, not on the Supreme Court.
356
So everyone involved simply accepted that the boys were going to try to hurt the girls. No academic or parental control. The girls are told it is their problem and their responsibility to avoid it.
Changing this age-old pattern of abuse and privilege takes concrete action, not boys-will-be-boys eye-rolling on the part of parents and teachers.
How much did you pay your daughters’ elite school to provide them this poisonous atmosphere?
2
Set aside for a moment that Angry Brett Kavanaugh's angry, indignant tone was directed solely at Trump (with intended effect). That same performance, inasumuch as it came from a true place, was a pure example of the frustration and disbelief that comes over entitled people when they are held to account for their words and actions.
19
"Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, complains about Democrats making a mockery of the court confirmation hearing. McConnell, of course, did them one better: he wouldn’t even give President Barack Obama’s nominee for the high court a hearing. That’s when the match was lit."
What goes around comes around.
15
Bingo! The biggest irony of it all is that perpetuation of the elite prep school ruling class was delivered to us by the working class middle of the country and Trump, who was rejected by the elites until he became their tool.
30
Considering how Gorsuch and Kavanaugh view workers’ rights they will have an opportunity to repent at leisure, having voted in haste for the con man who promised to make America white again. Oh sorry, Freudian slip. I meant make America great again.
This is the time for women Senators to demonstrate that electing women to public office does, in fact, make a difference. If gender does matter in positions of power, it must be shown now. The women in the Senate need to join together, across party lines, and vote against Kavanaugh. If they no not, the growing public chorus claiming that electing more women will make a difference in our civic life, claiming that more women in power will result in a changed nation, will be rendered meaningless. Either gender really does matter, in which case we will be spared the likes of Brett Kavanaugh because women with power will refuse to support him, or only the power matters, in which case the call to vote for women is a charade. This is time for women in power to act. What will they do?
38
Yes, it is now totally the Trumpublican Party. It has gone from representing a minority of the population to representing an extremist, fringe element of the population. Their only guiding principle is hanging on to power. They will form alliances with deplorables, white nationalists, conspiracy theorists, christianists, and corporate lobbyists to hang onto power.
The good news is the Trumpublican Party has come to represent such a small proportion of the electorate that Donald Trump will be the last president from his party to win a national election, even a rigged one. The bad news is Trumpublicanism will dominate the Supreme Court for at least another generation.
10
The further adventures of the great unraveling. The careful plans of men in the winner take all strategy to crush the other side out of existence and produce an America, the shining example represented by red states, of social dysfunction they claim will be made extinct by their domination.
May this be Pickett's Charge, repelled and the tide turned.
10
The bargain has worked out so well to even accuse the elites of a crime is becoming criminal.
46
Campaign cash turned the Republicans into greedy children, the special interests driving policy today will destroy the country, way sooner than anyone thinks.
Ms Ford and Judge Kavanaugh were caught in the middle of the mess, I hope no permanent damage occurred
Trump is responsible for the behaviour side, wow Graham and Hatch and even Grassley, too much anger for such postings in the Senate....like they were waiting for their cash out in the hallway.
Kavanaugh has opinions, if he follows the law we will all be ok, if not, it will be trouble, especially for women.
Please vote in November
5
Trump and his presidency has given permission to many people to do whatever the heck they want. Once again the American dream is exploit and conquer.
Obama was the embodiment of how we should behave as a nation and as a world - restrained, rational approach to problems and governance of emotions. That is the correct path but a difficult one to follow as most people are ruled by their passions. Few like to savor the pleasures in life.
So, welcome to the roaring 20's of the 21st century.
Once we destroy it all, the can do attitude to renew and rebuild will dominate again. The worry this time is will there be anything left to build.
26
There will soon come time for Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski to have their Margaret Chase Smith moments. Your country is waiting.
308
@WayneDoc Forget it. Collins and Murkowski will cave. For them to have come all this way without already stating that this man is an unacceptable candidate for the court does not bode well for any future principled stands.
2
@WayneDoc
A splendid piece by Egan. How either of these ladies could do other than vote "no" on confirming this obviously lying fellow would amaze me.
The old white men surrounding them don't know enough to be ashamed. (Graham was dreadful, but his sense of fairness and decency died last month with his friend)
1
@WayneDoc: Collins and Murkowski may be women, but, like the ocassionally "maverick" John McCain, they are Republicans first.
3
Will the senate do what is right?
There is a chance.
But.
No matter what they do they lose.
It's high time.
24
Perfectly said. All the yelling in the world by either Graham or Kavanaugh will silence the quiet, steely truth from Dr. Blasey Ford. I believe her.
84
Any jurist who is unable to control their emotion regardless of the situation and who attacks his opponents, in the face of a very sincere witness against him, of conducting a conspiracy to destroy him is clearly not suitable for the Supreme Court. The last thing this country needs is a lifetime Supreme Court justice who will bear a lifetime political grudge.
63
@PG
Excellent statement, but the last sentence should read "The last thing this country needs is a SECOND OR THIRD PARTISAN REPUBLICAN lifetime Supreme Court justice who will bear a lifetime political grudge."
8
@PG- We already have one lifetime Supreme Court justice who is bearing a lifetime political grudge - Clarence Thomas.
2
On CNN yesterday, the legal analyst and author Jeffrey Toobin said “I pity the Democrats when they have to appear in a case before the Supreme Court based on what Judge Kavanaugh said today about the Clintons”. While the highest court in the land has been politicized for some time — both by Republicans and Democrats — I suspect Lady Justice can now remove her blindfold and turn her scales of justice into sacks of PAC contributions. Judge Kavanaugh’s defense of his younger self made for gripping television, much like Dr Ford’s discussion of the events that brought her to the committee. The “Viewer in Chief” was concerned Thursday morning, but relieved Thursday night by what he had seen. For the “wavering Republicans” in the Senate, this is probably enough for them to vote “yes” next week and get back on the campaign trail or go home. As to an “impartial high court”, I think that’s a term that can now be fully and finally retired. To the victor goes the spoils.
29
@Mark H
the Supreme Court becomes the Supine Court
1
After seeing Kavanaugh's angry testimony yesterday, I can't help but wonder: if another Bush v Gore case comes before a Supreme Court with Kavanaugh as a Justice, will he recuse himself? After spending so much effort to hide his true feelings about Roe v Wade and other controversial cases, he certainly did not hide his true feelings about Democrats, Democratic Senators, and Democrats on the Judicial Committee. Which cases will his now-documented animus against Democrats affect, and which ones will he need to recuse himself from?
27
Well, the Republicans hitched their wagon to Trump and destroyed their party and any credibility they had left which wasn't much to begin with. They really don't care and will continue this assault on democracy since they just aren't embarrassed by their reckless behavior never really stopping to consider the damage to the nation.
If there was ever a case for voting them all out of office, this would be it, but we'll see. Most people that support Republican policies even against their own best interests may continue to buy into the political theater and prefer to embrace a "he said - she said" situation instead of a meaningful investigation and real due process. They believe the "deep state" shadow government nonsense presented by the right to distract from what's really taking place here.
I guess we'll see in November.
30
If it were a woman supreme court justice candidate, the weeping, outbursts of anger and pouting would be more than enough to have her nomination rescinded.
47
That works both ways, though. If a man came forward with a report of being assaulted and lacked some of the details of place and time, he would immediately be dismissed as histrionic and ineffectual. He would be seen as “a weak man”. That would be an entirely unfair conclusion, but it remains the case that, while men are afforded more expression of anger, women are afforded more expression of pain and emotional distress than are men.
1
@Tintin Right. Men who came forward to report sexual abuse by priests, decades after it happened, were dismissed as histrionic and ineffectual. Give me a break.
Excellent opinion piece. America is a country of laws, which provide a tapestry of order and it appears to fraying badly. We saw evidence of this yesterday. I am not an attorney, but legal proceedings appear to be based on a collection of facts and evidence, which then enable, hopefully, one to draw conclusions about the veracity of a claim made. The Republican controlled Senate Judiciary Committee in its zeal to approve Judge Kavanaugh, seemingly has done a disservice to the rule of law. They do not have all the facts. Relying on Senators Staff interviews is ridiculous, they are partisan. Republicans resorted to umbrage and resentment as the basis of their decision making. This is Trumpian, not American.
29
No matter the outcome of these events, yesterday was a good day. Ford ripped back the curtain on sexual assault and privilege simply by telling her story. The woman is a national treasure.
44
@Holly Well said. I hope she hears this from a lot more people. She did the right thing, whether or not Kavanaugh gets confirmed.
6
Don't forget everyone, there are THREE other women who have come forward and accused Kavanaugh of being a serial sexual predator. These women are taking great personal risk by coming forward and sharing their stories, and their stories are corroborated by the statements made by others who knew them as well as Kavanaugh.
Finally, Kavanaugh said his and his family's lives have been ruined. Meanwhile, all of these women who have come forward are staring down death threats.
No moral, fair, honorable or decent person (I'd settle for ONE of those qualities at this point) could give Kavanaugh a pass.
28
This is the most excellent analysis of the republican party's entitled view that I have read so far. Well said,sir.
17
I predict that the Republicans in power care less about the results of the midterm elections than they do about the seating of Kavenaugh on the Supreme Court. Trump will be exonerated of any crimes, they believe. Lindsey will be AG or Deputy AG by spring, if not sooner. He gave quite a performance for his boss in the Oval who was likely watching this spectacle instead of playing golf.
The Committee’s rule on five minute blocks for questions was doomed to fail, and the Republicans in charge knew it. As for Grassley’s rants and accusations of timing. Dr. Ford wrote her letter of concern before Kavenaugh was nominated!
There were a few patriots in the room. The calm bravery of Dr. Ford in the wolf lair will live in history. Who among us would have sacrificed what she did? Her demeanor was in sharp contrast to that of men who yelled and screamed and cried like angry children.
i googled images of these angry male faces at yesterday’s hearing. Comparing them to Trump’s facial expressions at his rallies and to certain WWII video clips is quite revealing . . . and frightening. Without a full FBI Investigation we may find ourselves sliding down that totalitarian slope. If we aren’t already.
27
Kavanaugh is a metaphor for the Republican Party. Mostly consisting of men, they (like he) show a disdain for the rules when it comes to them. They (like he) manage by fear and intimidation. Their "philosophy" is just a collection of talking points -mostly lies - conceived to divide and conquer. Kavanaugh is one sick puppy, but so is the Republican Party.
23
I’ll bet he will be confirmed. The only good thing will be to drive up Democratic turnout for the midterms. I pray every day that the blue wave happens but worry about complacency. His confirmation should take care of that.
17
Both Kavanaugh and Ford spoke from prepared texts. And so their words were carefully chosen. The worst decision was Kavanaugh ‘s going on and on. Trying way too hard. As for Ford, she made a mistake, too. I believed virtually everything she said except when she said she had come forward to be a good citizen. Come on. She accused Kavanaugh of aggravated sexual abuse
One of the reasons she came forward was to get back at him. She is human after all.
1
Any lifetime appointment goes against the very tenets of democracy.
20
Exactly right; we are witnessing a travesty of justice by a frank disregard of a credible accuser, a woman who felt violated by a drunkyard (who apparently does not have any recollection of the facts, and adamantly denying his assault, and ascribing his humiliation to a democratic cabal to deny his rightful place in the Supreme Court). The last minutes of the Senate's judicial committee circus did uncover the republican fear, and hate, of a process conducive to show the truth; and the raw partisan aim to elect Kavanaugh irrespective of his awful prospects to do what's right... once installed in the highest court of the land. Can't we see the hypocrisy here? And the harm to the credibility required? I know we are living in Trumpian times, where lies fly uninterrupted, and the abuse of power ever larger; but all this could not happen without the complicity of a cowed G.O.P., which seems to have abandoned even the appearance of decency and honor.
17
I watched the entire saga (first half) and soap opera (second half) on TV yesterday.
I’ve known a number of belligerent drunks over many decades. It’s really quite fascinating how some people “go mellow” when they’ve had a few too many, while others get really nasty and, in some cases, emotionally and even physically unhinged. I know: I was married to one—couldn’t remember a bit of it the next day.
What’s notable to this amateur psychologist is that alcohol doesn’t change who you are, it merely amplifies pre-existing thought patterns. And some of those traits came out yesterday in Kavanaugh’s testimony even without a few beers’ worth of voice oil.
I truly believe Kavanaugh has no recollection of the violent assault he and Mark Judge committed on Chrissy Ford so long ago. It’s unclear whether Mark Judge does, though. That’s why the FBI needs to be involved, for starters.
But no matter what, Kavanaugh has shown himself to be unfit for a lifetime appointment requiring judicial impartiality. There’s a good counter job at Arby’s waiting for him, though.
106
@Terry Malouf: IF Kavanough is not lying, and truly has forgotten the incident with Dr. Blasey Ford when she was a teenager, if could well be because he at the time thought it was no big deal, even though it was shattering to her. The fact that he was drunk at the time adds to the likelihood that a drunken memory blackout has obscured his recollection.
2
Exactly right that he cried for himself and showed no empathy. As I watched the two testimonies, I was reminded of the Democrats going high in the election and the Republicans going low. Whatever Kavanaugh did 35 years ago, he came across as low-minded and did not come across as fit for any judgeship of any sort. However, what the election showed was that going low wins, an instinct Trump understands. I expect Kavanugh to be confirmed, and I expect him, as he threatened, to take revenge on women and liberals.
19
In future, an FBI investigation of any person who is nominated for a Supreme Court seat should be carried out before there is a confirmation vote. This would eliminate or keep to a minimum the angst and drama currently on display in D.C.
40
The GOP wanted tax cuts, deregulation, AND both gerrymandering and voter suppression to maintain them - and they've sold the United States - our country, our people and our democracy - to get what they want. So they elected Trump, and they will usher in this sniveling mockery of a Supreme Court justice to control the Supreme Court for generations.
It seems like that would be enough of a Faustian bargain. But George W Bush is still lobbying on behalf of Kavanaugh because he fears what Kavanaugh would expose about his corrupt administration. And Lindsey Graham, who used to be seen as a semi-reasonable guy, threw his Trumpian tantrum in court yesterday because he wants Jeff Sessions' job. And make no bones about it, once Graham has the Attorney General spot, Mueller will be gone, along with any last vestiges of a free democracy.
The only miss in this column? Thousands of Yale students are protesting. Please understand that when two thirds of Yale, and Harvard for that matter, students are on financial aid - students passionate about doing what's good for our country far outweigh the shoddy examples of moneyed and entitled whining bullies wronging our country.
The American Bar Association has called for an FBI investigation - but the barometer for me is closer to home. My 81 yr-old Irish Catholic ex-Navy retired teacher dad is sickened by this lying, yelling and crying Trump puppet who plays to Fox and the alt-right. He wants to see us vote to right the ship.
VOTE.
262
Your premise of a bargain is correct; however, your details of the bargain are incorrect.
More than tax cuts and a right-wing Supreme Court, Republicans would get a Commander-in-Chief that would seek to protect white privilege and to promote anti-diversity agenda.
75
Excellent article. "Teary, pouty and Trumpian." What we learned is that Brett Kavanaugh is a born follower: he followed the lead of his friend Mark Judge in high-school and is now following the lead of his new bully-friend, Trump. A Supreme Court Justice should be a man of principles, not a weak follower of the latest bully.
31
Whitewash and buckets of tears and great Neptune's oceans won't make the agony of yesterday's seminal and miserable Senate Judiciary hearing go away from our national memory. The gulf between Dr. Blasey Ford's memory of her assault by Judge Brett Kavanaugh and his memory when they were teenagers in Maryland was wider than the abyss between Republicans and Democrats today. The pain of witnessing these two people at the Senate Judiciary hearing all day yesterday was immense and brought back the American traumas of attending the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991, and the HUAC/McCarthy hearings in 1953. A divided country redux. Democracy is sick unto death. We have no idea what comes next in Trump's diseased reign over America the Beautiful. Full speed ahead onto the rocks. Only more pain for all of us till our tragic national divide is healed.
68
Spot on, apart from the closing sentence. It will not burn for some time. We'll move on to the next made for TV political scandal or outrage. It is now us against them, winners and losers. That is all that matters. And Trump has won. Republicans have won. Humanity has lost.
68
Each day with each new hypocrisy I think it can't get any worse. This article sums up nicely all the issues that have taken route starting with a majority of republican senators under Barrack Obama. Their incredible abuse of privilege and power has been on full display. Each line they speak is a further proof of cognitive dissonance or blatant hypocrisy. I realize it is hard to admit when you are wrong, but I've come to the realization that many of these people don't think they are wrong. Nothing can convince them even though if the tables were turned they would be screaming bloody murder at Barrack Obama. I feel like we are living through insanity and each day brings new disbelief. Everything is a political calculation. Nothing matters except winning. I'm so sad for all of us.
18
What struck me most about the Kavanaugh testimony was the sense of selfish entitlement. Sorry about your memories of a sexual assault, but what about me and my opportunity to be a supreme court justice? Pay no attention to the perhaps irreversible politicization of the supreme court (can we really believe in the judicial temperament of someone who believes the Clintons are out to get him?). I assume at one point conservatism balanced individual rights with a sense of what is best for the community as a whole. This seems to have been lost. How can civil society survive when the bedrock principle of one of the parties seems to be selfishness?
56
@BJM
Agree but would take it further: the GOP has no principles other than selfishness. Rape and pillage this country for the benefit of mobsters, frat boys and the wealthy. Hideous.
A disgraceful performance by Kavanaugh. Until yesterday I found the charges of sexual assault hard to reconcile with the persona Kavanaugh presented to the judiciary committee several weeks ago. But yesterday made it easier to believe his accusers and the corroborating witnesses from his time at Yale. He was "aggressive and belligerent" and he wasn't even drunk. Even if he weren't lying under oath the temperament on display at yesterday's hearing should disqualify him from serving on any court.
47
If the Republicans manage to push Kavanaugh through, they will pay dearly at election time. The evidence against Kavanaugh and all his lies is compelling. If he makes it, he will be impeached for his crimes.
98
Let's not forget the six prior vettings Kavanaugh experienced prior to these accusations surfacing were the years 18 and after. So, with Kavanaug being 16 and 17 when he was reported to molest women, he's home free.
5
Egan has nailed the Court appointment problem that is more central than the sexual allegations:
"God forbid we would ever look outside the bubble of entitlement...to a person with life experiences closer to that of the average American."
Government of the 4%, by the 4%, for the 4%.
12
Regardless of whether he sits on the Supreme Court or not, Kavanaugh will ever be respected.
I didn't see real tears. I heard lots of noises but no real tears.
The thing that bothers me about this man is his temperament. I think the way he showed his anger made him look totally out of control. A man that ran on his emotions not his intellect. We do not need a Supreme Court Justice like this. His demeanor also makes me think he is a privileged white man lying through his teeth and expecting to get away with it.
Elections have consequences. As much as I might not like a conservative on the court it is going to happen. I just wish the Republican bench was deeper and we did not have to have this particular conservative. Surely they can do better.
I assume they want him because they believe he will overturn Roe V Wade and also he holds our president, a hometown boy from Queens, above the law. These are not good things.
One last word to Kavanaugh. You think this is a Democratic conspiracy? A conspiracy involving the Clintons? You are out of touch with reality. None of these things happened when John Roberts or Neil Gorsuch was put on the court. Maybe it's just you. Maybe there's a big problem with you. As for the Clintons, the only people that ever bring them up anymore in my part of the country are Republicans. Democrats are too busy looking to the future and the unemployment of multiple members of Congress.
75
By the end of the hearing, and that truly frightening display of male anger, vindictiveness and self pity, I really thought the Republicans were going to break into a chant of "lock her up." The GOP is in the process of turning our governance into one long, hate filled, vulgar rally.
70
If only the GOP cared any more today about their Faustian bargain than they did two years ago.
3
Kavanaugh's undisguised disgust for the Democratic members of the committee, and its GOP leaders, displayed an arrogance and condescension that has rarely, if ever, been displayed by a proposed appointee to the Supreme Court who needs the approval of the committee to move to the full Senate to give its approval of his or her appointment. His performance seemed to reflect Trump's strongly implied "suggestion" to him, that he be more angry and combative than he had been in his recent Fox interview. That is the Trump way of dealing with any criticism - never concede an inch, say whatever you can come up with to denigrate your opponents - best to insist it is "unfair" that they even dare to question your wisdom, morality, fitness, or competence. It's what the rapidly declining 'Trump Base' of true believers that the "others" are coming to get them want to hear.
As more and more of the electorate finds itself suddenly outside of the bubble of fake victimhood that Trump has depended upon and now part of the "others", sharpening their knives to take what little the "real Americans" still have to take from them, it will be interesting to see what tricks the GOP will use to stay in power with its dwindling public support.
56
What you are experiencing in the US neatly mirrors what we are going through here in the UK in respect of the more right-wing of the two main parties - Republicans in your case, Conservatives in ours: moral bankruptcy at the highest level.
Your leader and our reputed leader-in-waiting (Johnson) are utterly devoid of any scruples, and are interested only in power for its own sake (and some cash too, if there's some of that available. They will cheat, including colluding with overseas powers whose interests are not allied with our own, to get that power.
And other, long-established institutions are being infected by this - in your case, the Supreme Court, in ours Parliament and our relationship with our closest allies. This is leading to partisanship of the nastiest, most divisive, longest-lasting nature, and all for the sake of one man's ego.
It's sickening.
31
I am printing this column to hand deliver to the Republican Senators from the great state of Georgia. Mr Egan, your eloquence - and clarity - are worthy of anyone who can read in the English language. God save our republic.
58
Two words only after too many words on he said; she said. "Merrick Garland." Defeat Kavanaugh and then go do your jobs.
44
The American people will receive what they voted for and what they deserve. The nation will suffer the ravages of the Trump presidency for a few years. It will now endure the pain of a right wing Supreme
Court for decades. The voting public has created these disasters, and I see little hope for the future. Truth is irrelevant. Prejudice, ignorance and greed prevail. While Aldous Huxley noted that "facts don't cease to exist simply because they are ignored", the consequences of abandoning truth will be catastrophic.
17
@Disillusioned
Actually, the American people didn't vote for Trump. With Fox News as its handmaiden, Russia poisoned the process of truth, and the Electoral College gamed him in.
The majority of Americans were silenced in that election, rather in the manner of a 15-year-old being smothered by a sexual attacker... or, three decades later, the principles of judicial temperament and fitness being quashed by a sham Judiciary Committee hearing in which a self-pitying golden-boy nominee rages through crocodile tears at impartiality, restraint, collegial decorum, fact-finding and due process.
1
This is a great column, putting the sorry Kavanaugh mess into much bigger historical context. The GOP has sold their soul to Satan. And yes, Dr. Ford has shown herself to be a real American hero.
29
This is total silliness. Republicans have won and so shifted power in the US that they are untouchable
Even before Kennedy’s retirement the Robert’s Court had shifted the balance of power enormously by rewriting the Constitution to give Corporations unlimited power to swing elections. With a Republican court replacing the Robert’s court big money will build even grater protection pf their interests. It’s not just a republican court but also a Catholic court.
Which of the Founders would imagine that
With the Court in hand republicans will just proceed to solidify their oligopoly. Game over
Oaths of office and oaths to tell the truth are meaningless
16
New word: Kavanaugh. Verb. Def.: Pinching the privilege until they feel uncomfortable but they are not harmed. E.g., “A tax increase will kavanaugh the rich, but no more.”
11
Kavanaugh was deplorable yesterday. He basically threw a fit, a tantrum like a 2-year-old. If a woman had yelled and raged, cried, whined, and sassed a U.S. Senator like he did, she would have been described as "hysterical." He also showed what a bully he is. None of this suggests that he can proffer reasoned, wise legal argument on the Supreme Court. In fact, it makes me question how he gets by in his current situation, though we do know he has a history of finding against 17-year-old immigrant girls but always for corporations. He even managed to get in a jab at the Clintons. Not exactly impartial.
Two-year-olds throw fits because they want what they want, they are developing manipulation techniques, and they are little narcissists. Best for a parent to step over the flailing, screaming child and walk out of the room.
So, I've spent the last year putting up with a daily barrage by another man who fits this description. Day in, day out, more assaults on truth, more rage. Rage, rage, rage all the time. Now we see Kavanaugh and Graham offering us more rage.
I don't know about others, but I'm exhausted from it all. I'm waiting for the two-year-olds to put their thumbs in their mouths and fall asleep on the floor. And to grow up.
53
@JDyears
They need to be sent to their rooms for time outs, their toys taken away and kept from harming the rest of us. VOTE.
1
Not enough tears to put out the fire- Mr. Egan, do you mind if I steal that line?
Brilliant column today, thank you.
25
Excellent column. Pretty much sums it up. Thank you.
23
Mr Egan aptly describes the Faustian bargain between those who vote for republican politicians and their conscience.
There really is no place to hide if you claim to be a moral, ethical person while at the same time supporting republican politicians.
No matter the rationales, no matter the "whaddabout thems," no matter their purported Christian values which they twist in pretzel knots of logic, those who vote for republican politicians are exactly what they appear to be, the rankest of hypocrites.
12
Vindictiveness is not an admirable trait. Yet I couldn't help but feel vindictive watching an apparently merciless man who sits in judgment on others, sputter in front of the whole world. There was something of a Greek Tragedy about this show, something Shakespearean, in this arrogant man being sat upon in judgment. He makes me think of members of the clergy who hide behind their clerical robes in order to prey on children. What has Kavanaugh been hiding behind his judge's robes? This man who has argued that a sitting president is not subject to the law of the land. Apparently he believes that a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should put him beyond the reach of the law. A man who would aggressively take away women's control of their own bodies, as he seemingly violated those very bodies at various periods of his life. Yes, there was something most satisfying watching his 'fine name and reputation' being dragged through the mud. He is for once in his life feeling what it feels like to be mercilessly violated.
64
At the conclusion of yesterday’s hearing, Jeff Flake said regardless the vote, “There will always be doubt.”
The question for him and Collins and Murkowski and Manchin is this: And which way will you resolve that doubt? Will you resolve it in favor of the credibility of women and the honor and respect of the Supreme Court? Or will you resolve it in favor of male privilege and let a cloud of doubt hang over the Supreme Court for over a generation?
68
Touches ALL KEY ISSUES & should be required reading before anyone openly discussed the topic.
12
Repubs are not finished.
Voter suppression of Dems will be rampant in the November elections!
14
The GOP has followed Trump into an Underworld beyond politics, where there is no truth and no virtue. It is simply evil. There is nothing to rationalize or compromise with...only to oppose.
39
Yes, it makes one nauseous, but highly enlightened, to see the hypocrisy of these senators so clearly and think these are our representatives? I would have expected at least Sen. Flake to simply ask to have Mark Judge as a witness or he would block the nomination.
Dr.Ford asked for 2 entrance doors to her home, which made her fear, generated from the attack, palpable. This reminded me of the Franz Kafka story about a mole that after building his burrow, thinks: 'what if an enemy were to enter through the one entrance hole he had in is borrow" - so he builds another exit.
12
I don't want a drunk (current or former) on the Supreme Court. I don't even want one who is slightly tainted by a highly credible testimony from an intelligent woman (and that includes Clarence Thomas). Republicans like Grassley, Hatch, Sasse, Cruz and the snarling caddy for Trump, Lindsey Graham, have taken the rich man's club they belong to to an all time low - but they don't care. They love their own jobs but they should be ejected from office asap.
56
I’ve seen Kavanaugh’s 1982 Summer party calendar online. July 1 places him at a party at Timothy Gaudette’s home with all the folks Christine Blaise Ford mentions in her statements. Was that home near the Columbia Country Club, near East West Highway and Connecticut Avenue? I’m getting so frustrated that I’d like to get Timothy’s parents 1982 address and drive over there myself to check out the floor plan. Maybe Lindsey Graham can meet me over there. This isn’t rocket science folks. Let’s get all the facts, not just some!
272
The FBI would ferret this info out, no problem. Which is why the august GOP senators shudder at the idea of calling upon them to do so.
2
@Susan Schwartz If only they actually wanted all the facts--they only want to shove Kavanugh onto the SC and down our collective throats. They are the worst of the worst, and have lied to the American public for so long they don't even recognize truth or fact. Clearly they would choose to end democracy rather than to engage in fair play.
1
Thank you for acknowledging where this ‘elite’ attitude resides and the web of corruption that leads to the court.
11
I kept trying to imagine this entitled frat-boy actually arguing cases and finding out the presenting attorney was a Democrat.
Could this whining little bug ignore that? Not a chance - he is cut from the cloth of the horrid Trump and should be shown the door.
150
One has to wonder: After charging Democratic congresspeople with the crimes of slander and libel (malice aforethought), will Kavanaugh recuse himself from any future cases in which the several hundred Demo lawyers now in Congress might be involved?
I was stunned that none of those Senate dems on the committee didn't ask him for evidence of the crimes he accused them of. He didn't say the alleged crimes were his opinion; he said they had happened without providing any supporting evidence.
This from a judge?
His unhinged, FOX-like shrill conspiracy tirade makes one shudder at the idea this man would "look only at the law" when deciding future cases that reflect a partisan divide.
37
Judge Kavanaugh had quite a Jimmy Swaggart moment yesterday, sans an apology.
If his behavior becomes the new norm for judicial demeanor, then heaven help us.
I watched both testimonies and I believe Dr. Ford.
F.B.I. investigation, please.
Now!
168
@Terry
All he was missing was the floppy Bible. His weeping needs some work too.
2
I am tired of this dependence on the Harvard/Yale mentality which permeates our politics. I have worked with many of them and don’t find them any smarter than those from state universities. They are just privileged. Often arrogant. What is wrong with the University of Kansas, State University of New York, Louisiana State or any number of other schools? Even schools not that easy to get through-the MITs, Georgia Tech.
156
@Lee M The United States is awash in outstanding colleges and universities, both public and private, large and small, urban, small town and middle-of-nowhere.
While there are still a lot of barriers to a good education for a lot of otherwise qualified students -- mostly socio-economic -- a great education is pretty easy to find in the United States. So, Lee, you are spot on. Why a president of either party would so consistently choose a nominee from so narrow an educational background is beyond me. Perhaps a moratorium on Harvard or Yale law schools until there's at least a couple grads from somewhere else.
8
I can appreciate Brett Kavanaugh's crying over the impact on his family. Nevertheless his wild and angry words directed at Democratic senators with suggestions of a left wing conspiracy laced with the old Clinton revenge bit showed a very partisan man totally out of control and especially rude to the female senators. During his earlier confirmation hearings he walked the careful path of not showing where he would stand on issues but here in his outbursts he made clear he is indeed very partisan.
If he does get on the Supreme Court I don't expect we will see what is commonly called judicial restraint and impartiality.
86
Yes, Mr. Egan's comments get to the point. The Republicans love Donald Trump, they get to hide their nefarious acts behind his publicity grabbing antics. In fact, this week is the most unusual of the Trump regime so far, the Kavanaugh hearing is actually grabbing the headlines away from President Trump ! Only a courageous (if truthful) woman has been able to upset the Republicans so far successful scheme of letting President Trump take all the scorn of the thinking public.
15
No amount of crocodile tears, no noisy peevish temper tantrums will erase the dignified voice and demeanor reluctantly baring her most private fears and humiliation on being attacked as a teenager by two drunk priests vileged laughing hyenas. She escaped and bears the psychological battle scars. Others may not have been so lucky.
This was not senatorial. It was not judicial. It was blood games in an arena.
21
Kavanaugh cried. Wow. What does he think Blasey Ford after he assaulted her? I'm sure she didn't go home and dance and plan to derail his life in 36 years when he was nominated for the Supreme Court. If she was like most teenage girls who were sexually assaulted she went home, tried to clean up, go to sleep and hope it was a bad dream. She woke up the next day and realized it wasn't. She realized too that she could not report it because she would not be believed, she'd get in trouble for drinking, and her reputation would be shot no matter what else happened.
Fast forward to the present and she's a stronger person but too many Americans, many male, refuse to understand how their attitudes and actions contribute to the circus atmosphere most women experience when they want to report a sexually based crime.
Kavanaugh was dissembling before this came to light. His conduct since has convinced this reader that he is truly not suitable for the privilege of a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. Thomas's tenure has been tainted by how his nomination was handled and what he said in his defense. Kavanaugh has done him one better by behaving like a spoilt child.
The entire GOP should be ashamed of themselves for their 8 year temper tantrum during Obama's presidency, nominating and blindly supporting Trump, and sending the message, once again, that sexually abusing women is perfectly fine if you're a privileged white male.
34
Brilliant, thank you writing this. For me at least, you've summarized almost fully how I feel about this "circus". These hearings are a job interview and in this sense, allegations aside, Judge Kavanaugh's theatrics, his threats, and partisanship disqualify him. Yesterday was also the third time the GOP has declared war on me. The first time was when they used gay people as scapegoats to stoke fear and win elections, the second was their recalcitrance on the ACA, and yesterday was the third. In a larger, less personal sense, the GOP declared war on all of us who do not share their agenda and who question their scorched Earth tactics. Dr. Ford became my personal martyr yesterday. To fight for our Republic, she laid down her life on the political battlefield. God help us.
32
Those who continue to go on about the need for a more comprehensive investigation and additional hearings are proceeding from a series of false premises. To begin with, obviously, it is not a feature of the Senate's role here, of advice and consent, to investigate these claims, stale or otherwise. Nor is such the province of the FBI as part of its background screen. In this case, nevertheless, the claims made their way to the Committee and have been heard and considered. Could they have called other witnesses? Sure, but there is nothing untoward about taking their statements as opposed to having them chat on air with members of the Committee. The two principals were allowed to speak and be questioned and, predictably, no new facts emerged; and we are no closer to the truth. An additional false premise is that continued concentration on a problem will necessarily provide greater clarity. Sometimes, though, as I would argue here, it may just as easily lead you further from the truth or simply harden your already existing preconceptions. This particular event has, as is evident by the wildly divergent opinions, a type of Rashomon quality that will not be dissolved by further contemplation. So let's get it over with as quickly as possible and proceed to the votes. That will provide the only clarity we need.
2
@Frunobulax fyi, regardless of what BK said, the word is adviSe, not adviCe.
Right on, Mr. Egan! Thank you. And, the fact that most of the commentators on this thread that I have had time to read this a.m. support Mr. Egan's views gives me hope. It helps me get through this bad time to know that what I feel is shared by many other U.S. citizens.
13
It was never about "family values" for the Republicans. It's always been about power; a group of rich, straight (or pretending to be straight) white men (on display in yesterday's hearing) controlling and using other people by means of "knowledge," which changes depending on the circumstance, created to ensure power.
16
Has the cost of the bargain gone up? I think Republicans knew prior to Kavanaugh that losing the House in the short term and being swamped by demographic change was inevitable. At this point All that’s left is their personal interests in cashing in and fighting a rearguard action by putting an unvarnished partisan on the Supreme Court.
10
@Yeah: Is it inevitable? The Republicans seem curiously unperturbed about the election. Do you really think they don't care? Or do they know, whether through Russia-tainted NRA money or something else, that the fix is already in and they have nothing to worry about?
3
At this moment it's perhaps 60-40 that the Republicans will ram this confirmation through. It will be a "win" they will regret, because it will sink them in November.
9
@gradyjerome
Sorry, but they won't regret. Their goal is to poison the Supreme Court for years to come. As for their 2018 losses, with a recessions coming up any day now, they will count on us, the good people, to forget everything about their sleaze and elect them again in 2020 - to save us from these demonic Democrats, of course.
If, as a people, we are collectively dumb enough to fall for it and to forget the freak show Trump and his minions served us for the first two years of this clownesque administration, then we richly deserve what comes next, and it won't be pretty.
1
The Republicans are willing to lose the midterm elections and House majority to get Kavanaugh on the court. They are playing a long game, with Kavanaugh on the court they can freely gerrymander to disenfranchise non-Republican voters and overtly engage in voter suppression to ensure Republicans win elections with a minority of votes. They are doing nothing less than attempting to destroy American democracy.
22
BK shed some crocodile tears for Mrs. Renate Schroeder Dolphin. She was one of many women whose support was lined up to head off probative issues involving BK’s respect for woman. He penned those entries himself about Renate in his GT Prep yearbook. The committee did a poor job in pressing the issue.
Someone may have been pleasantly surprised and relieved (!) when Renate signed the letter in support of BK. She may have a story to tell.
8
In Kavanaugh, we saw a stark political hack, whining about the processes that his own handlers set into motion. Also, we saw a person with a heightened sense of entitlement, and was angry, hostile, and vengeful.
This all might be fine for a spear-carrier in the Starr inquisitions, but in a Supreme Court justice? The Republicans persistently seek out new lows, and find them.
38
Mr. Egan's fellow columnist, Ross Douthat, called the Senate a decaying chamber. The chamber cannot further decay after this show for Trump was completed yesterday.
Yes, it was all show, a loyalty test, a means to curry favor with Trump and insure the court never again rules as a non-partisan body, only as a body that is willing to rule in favor of the ruling class and the right religious conservatives.
The more teary Mr. Kavanaugh became his story became suspect. While true he and his family have been subjected to more scrutiny than they could imagine, well, that goes with the territory (too bad that same scrutiny was not conducted on the grabber in the White House).
Dr. Ford also was subjected to scrutiny and was mocked by many, including those who consider themselves as "christian" (lower case and parentheses intended) and our not so esteemed "president". Yet she remained composed. Perhaps if she had turned on the tears then either the mockery would become empathy, or more mockery.
This was quite the show. All of those angry old white conservatives who believe themselves open-minded and religious made sure they were seen on the screen for their supporters, and Trump, made sure they showed "indignation" when required and further slid our Senate into decay for the pleasure of Trump.
It was a sad spectacle that I hope is never repeated.
28
A well executed, go for broke plan by Kavanaugh to play to one member of the audience, the present occupant on Pennsylvania Ave. Assisted via an Oscar-worthy performance by Lindsey Graham to sew up Trump’s support. The craven GOP will not defy Trump lest they find themselves the subject of his ridicule via tweet and/or rally. Well played, incredibly cynical and hyper partisan. You may indeed get the job, Judge, but you don’t deserve the job.
27
The central truth, a tragedy, so beautifully written.
7
I fully expected to wake up this morning and read that Kavanaugh had withdrawn his name from consideration. His testimony and appearance were nothing if not well rehearsed. Republicans, staring down a big loss in 2018, and probably a loss of the White House in 2020 by a turbo-charged democratic electorate, are desperate to pack the court now while they still have a chance.
14
Thanks, Tim, for asking why a person who went to a public, possibly land-grant university and presumably to law school at another public university can't even get the time of day when the question of whom to nominate to the Supremes comes up. I'm sure I don't know, but I'd feel a lot better about a man or a woman who struggled and sacrificed to get one or more such law degrees. The common sense might be too overwhelming if such a person were put forward.
15
Mr. Egan hit the nail on the head...but in kinder words than any other rational American would use.
9
I blame Mitch McConnell for the destruction of our Supreme Court nomination process and for the deterioration of our governmental norms. Harry Reid was forced to change the process in the lower courts to 50 votes because the Republican majority refused to seat any of Obama’s judges. Obstruction then extended to Merrick Garland. The Republican Party thinks that they get to play by a different set of rules. Kavanaugh yells and screams. If a woman did that she would have been removed and declared, “hysterical”. I know that they will confirm him, as I have no faith left in the process. My Senator, Jeff Flake, talks a good game but never follows up with any action. My only hope is a blue wave in November, but the Supreme Court is lost for a generation.
30
Kavanaugh needs to be charged with assault in Maryland. Let the police do their investigation.
It is obscene that a candidate for the Supreme Court did not insist on due process being followed, so Maryland police show him what is supposed to happen.
30
If Americans voted at the same rates as citizens in other countries, we could end this blight of Republican control of all branches of government. The Republican Party is using its political power to make it increasingly difficult for citizens to vote. Recognizing this, we need a norm that all citizens must vote in every election, and that Republican impediments to voting must be resisted. The era of being able to protect rights by legal rulings of the Supreme Court is over. The Supreme Court is now an instrument of Republican anti-democratic power, whether Kavanaugh is appointed or some one else just like him.
63
@MVonKorff
Australia has a high rate of voter turnout but a very flawed way of achieving it. America could institute something much better.
Instead of creating "a norm that all citizens must vote",
make it that all registered citizens must return a ballot. Registration need not be compulsory. Have as an option on all ballots "None of the above".
If registered citizens must return a ballot it follows that the state is obliged to provide the means for them to conveniently do so. No more disenfranchisement by queues etc.
Registration, if non-compulsory, should be encouraged by non-partisan state advertisement as the expectation and the norm.
Would such a system infringe on freedom in a significant way? Is a requirement that people deliberate about representation really too nanny-state for America?
1
There have been many strong columns written about yesterday’s hearing and ourncurrent sad state
of national affairs.
This is among the most compelling and I thank you for daring to suggest that someone from outside the established “lab” of the Ivy League Petri dish could more ably serve the nation.
There will be a reckoning. We are hurtling toward it.
73
Very well said.
And the question is where do we go from here? Will there be any profiles in courage in the Senate?
I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
We are in a civil war. This will not end well.
132
Thank you, Mr. Egan. Couldn't have said it as well myself.
32
How is it that Trump's base, long sneered at by the elites who now boost Judge Kavanaugh's cause, and long derided by Donald Trump, who never cared about them, so calmly accepts things clearly not in their best interest?
There is an old saw about negative attention being better than no attention at all. Perhaps that is what motivates those who, alienated from the establishment not entirely without justification, have lashed themselves to the likes of Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh, in spite of all logic being to the contrary.
Legitimate outrage regarding the manner in which Dr. Blasey Ford was treated, as a teenager and now, is being painted by Republicans as petty partisan politics. But what is, in fact, petty and partisan was the lockstep Republican refusal to even consider the nomination of Merrick Garland, Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, while now refusing to give the FBI a few days to fully investigate credible allegations against a man who may well end up with lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land.
American government was designed to be "of the People, by the People, and for The People." What we now have is a government of the entitled, by the special interests, for the wealthy and corporations. With Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court, the takeover will be complete, and the "little guy" who unwittingly has gone along with Trump's march toward totalitarianism will end up wondering what happened, by which time it will be too late.
90
@Quoth The Raven
As Mussolini said, government by special interests and for the benefit of corporations is fascism. He was proudly in favor of it, and had the honesty to say so. To those who try to debate this point, I simply say: who knows more about fascism, you or Mussolini? The response is always crickets.
1
@Quoth The Raven
Your last paragraph's invocation of the "little guy" reminds me of Jello Biafra's lyrics to that Dead Kennedys' song, the title of which is unsuitable for publication in a family newspaper:
"You'll be the first to go, you'll be the first to go, you'll be the first to go / Unless - you - THINK."
How unfortunate that truth and independent individual thought appear to have become lost arts in Today's Echo Chamber America.
@Quoth The Raven: Rome didn't fall in a day and the final lesson is yet to be learned by the great United States of America.
This travesty performed by naked, shameless partisanship puts the last nail in the coffin of what remained of Senatorial comity. We are now entering dangerous territory, where politics has become war by any means short of violence rather than a search for the common good. The only hope is a complete defeat of the GOP and a new party emerging from the ashes. It is a very slim hope given the large number of supporters who only care to impose their views on the majority no matter if it is the devil himself that is given the power to do so. Kavanaugh embodies their spirit, lashing angrily at any one daring to insist that decency, dignity and truth are essential virtues for governing. His performance and that of his enablers in the Senate are a stain that will eclipse the McCarthy days of infamy.
193
If Kavanaugh is confirmed by a party line vote, after this sad excuse of an investigation, then it just confirms the reality that the Supreme Court has been consciously transformed by Republicans into a rank extension of the political process - and thus an institution fully eligible for extensive liberal modifications at the very next opportunity.
As Joni Mitchell sagely observed so long ago, "something's lost, but something's gained In living every day."
We can lament our loss of political innocence - the loss of any semblance of balance and objectivity on the coming Court, by virtue of Republicans' embrace of a President wholly unsuited to the office, and wholly undeserving of the right to set the long-term direction of the Court for a generation, and very, very likely to have only been elected due the coupling of GOP voter suppression efforts and Russian meddling - or face the truth and prepare to make all necessary adjustments.
The challenge ahead for Democrats, Progressives, Independents, and disenchanted former Republicans is to arrive at a set of coherent principles that will allow us to forge an enduring political majority - one capable of electorally supporting those changes to the Courts that will need to be implemented in the wake of Putin, Trump, and McConnell's coup d'etat against the spirit of American democracy.
This is the time to organize, to forge new, enduring alliances, and to put our petty concerns to bed. This is the time to think nationally.
120
@Matthew Carnicelli your comment is brilliant because it reminds us all to step back out of the fray and address this strategically. I would add one sentence to the very end of your post: This is the time to VOTE.
1
Are we not at our very beginning as a nation, or, perhaps even more reflexively, have we never left that beginning, when a few of us, landowners mostly, fashioned a document that presumed to give us all a say, but in reality stacked the deck in their favor.
Isn't that what the electoral college is all about; that we commoners, to use a British analogy, were not bright enough to choose a president. Look what it has brought us.
So, we have another chance to get a "course correction" in November and we will push the pendulum in an opposite direction for a time, but those at the top of the food chain will still be in control, garnering the millions they have been garnering since our inception as a nation, with a president who is the embodiment of that inception, as Mr. Egan has so rightly stated.
81
All we need reflect on after Mr. Egan's trenchant explication of our decline into moral turpitude is the significance of requiring a lie detector test for Ms Blasey Ford but not for Mr Kavanaugh, the refusal to subpoena Mr Judge, and the stark difference between Mr Kavanaugh's portrayal of his drinking habits and those of people close to him. Mr Egan is right that this is an "immolation of principle" but it's not just Republicans going up in flames. This is a fire that continues to scorch the earth and could well be the end of the republic unless we can find a handful of good people to turn back what has become an inferno of corruption.
164
Thank you Mr. Egan for this poetical summary of the current state of affairs. I hope the members of the Senate read it is a place and at a time of quiet and solitude. The article recalls a quote from John Kennedy who said, “. When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” Bravo.
40
I’d love to know where he said that. Great line and very Kennedyesque
John, nice comment!
1
Yes, it's charming, and from a man who worked diligently at adding notches to the bedpost, as if the count were a significant part of the measure of manhood.
Thanks for touching on a complaint I've had for a long time: Why are all Supreme Court justices graduates of either Harvard or Yale law school? I cannot believe they are the only law schools in the country that produce SCOTUS-worthy candidates. When the Democrats regain control of this train-wreck government, they should make a concerted and very public effort to add geographical diversity to the court.
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@Robert Miller
I agree completely. In fact, about the only thing I ever agreed with Antonin Scalia on was his assertion that diversity on the Court should also mean including people not from the coasts, the Ivy’s, the white shoe firms, and the Federal appeals bench, etc.
His one good idea, and it is the one no one listened to.
51
@Robert Milleri. I learned in the NYT that the president sneered at the credentials of McGann because he did not have ivy leagues degrees. Commonwealth something in mid america so off the radar you had to issue a correction the next day
1
@Robert Millerravo! Well said, very well said!
You nailed it, Mr. Egan! The only hope to get the political, social & cultural changes we need is to start with voting out the GOP. They need to see the consequences of their moral compromises. And to paraphrase Horace greeley "Go MIDwest, young man (and woman)" to find highly qualified and moral candidates for the Supreme Court!
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@Nancy they had a qualified (very) conservative female candidate from a midwestern law school, but she “didn’t click” with Trump. He likes those name brands you know, not to mention that we all know he doesn’t respect women; he would never name a woman as a SCOTUS nominee.
10
A federal judge, testifying in his own defense, proved that he was not worthy of the honor of being appointed to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh evaded questions, aggressively challenged Senators who questioned him, refused to admit that he had binge drinking issues as a young man despite substantial evidence of his binge drinking. The thrust of his testimony was that Democrats had unfairly dredged up an incident that occurred 36 years ago, an incident that embarrasses him and hurts his family. This is remarkable because he is an experience lawyer and a judge. His testimony is a compelling example of the reasons why criminal defense lawyers discourage defendants from taking the stand in their own defense.
Kavanaugh claimed that he favored due process and then took the position that the affidavit of Mark Judge was sufficient. That is an incredible position for a judge to take. Live testimony of a key witness is needed to test the credibility of that witness. Judges who hear cases know that the ability to cross-examine witnesses is essential in any hearing that seeks to uncover the truth.
Even Republicans ought to realize that yesterday's hearing proved that Brett Kavanaugh is not worthy of the honor of being appointed to the Supreme Court.
718
@OldBoatMan I would add that Kavanaugh mentioned several times that witnesses said "it did not happen". As a judge he should know better, what they said is they do not remember the event. These are two drastically different statements.
256
They do know it and that is THE problem.
3
@OldBoatMan There was no affidavit or other sworn statement of Mark Judge. Another Kavanaugh lie.
2
“The bargain was simple: Republicans would get tax cuts for the well-connected and a right-wing majority on the Supreme Court, and in turn would overlook every assault on decency, truth, our oldest allies and most venerable principles. “
And there we have a succinct and accurate summary of Trumpism. Keep the rich up, the minorities down, and the immigrants out.
543
I don't think you have to be a female, a Democrat and someone very familiar with alcoholism and I confess to all three to have watched the proceedings yesterday and come out wondering why on earth the process can't be paused immediately to question everyone possibly pertinent witness and in particular, Mark Judge. At this point, even the hallowed Bar Association, referred to by Judge Kavanaugh, has come out to recommend that happen.
While it was impossible to watch the hearing yesterday and not feel sympathy, even empathy, for the only two people being queried, if I was asked which had the temperament, honesty and apparent objectivity regardless of the past to be a good candidate for a lifetime appointment, I would choose Dr. Blasey Ford.
769
@pixilated Absolutely. Based solely on Kavanaugh's pugnacious, angry and emotional demeanor yesterday, he lacks 'judicial temperament' and should not serve as a judge anywhere, period. ( I have no opinion as to what happened or did not happen 35 years ago).
12
@pixilated
Why wonder "why the process can not be paused"? The answer is so obvious even Trump has admitted it: it's a con job. You don't pause a con job lest the rube figures out what is about to happen. The nomination was a con job to start with. The hearing was a con job to fake interest in finding the truth. The committee vote this morning is intended to declare victory and move on before the American public has a chance to wake up and smell the corpse flower being peddled as a rose. We still have a chance to escape this con job.
12
Now that I've had some time to process this deluge of heartwrenching information, the image that has emerged is becoming clearer.
This horrific episode demonstrates the human failing that people truly only believe what they want to believe, especially about themselves. Dr. Ford was attacked and experienced a life altering trauma. People don't make that stuff up and they never forget trauma of that intensity. She voluntarily exposed herself to severe retribution and risk. She is not a fraud.
Bret Kavanaugh, motivated by a career ending accusation, refuses to accept that he did the deed. His suppressed memory of the event is probably initiated because he was too drunk to remember and didn't care about what he did. Between his intoxication, apathy, and teenage macho callousness, the event was hidden or purged from his mind. The personal cost to him now is so great, he cannot even consider that he was involved in any way. He is convinced of his innocence.
Speaking of his claims that he does not remember ever being blackout drunk, it is not possible to remember forgetting to remember events you can't remember.
Through this hearing, Kavanaugh has demonstrated that he is not fit for the Court. He lacks the introspection, compassion, and courage to doubt his views. These qualities are required to have the temperament for the highest court. He is possessed of partisan conspiracy beliefs. He's a political hack. He is exactly what the rich white guys want.
1711
@Bruce Rozenblit Thank you for articulating what is most likely Kavanaugh's state of mind regarding the assault. In addition to the effects of too much alcohol, he and Mark Judge thought it was a big joke. They were having a fine time while Christine Blasey Ford was traumatized. Why would the incident stand out in his memory?
16
@Bruce Rozenblit: or it's possible that he remembers the event vividly and is simply lying.
4
@Bruce Rozenblit
If introspection, compassion and courage to doubt one's own views are part of the temperament of a Supreme, how on earth did men like Thomas, Alito, Scalia and Gorsuch ever rise to the highest court in the land?
3
The tone of Kavanaugh’s testimony may have seemed out of control, but it surely was premeditated. To communicate his certainty in his innocence, he needed to express anger about the allegations. Without emotion, the audience would question his sincerity. And without a detailed recitation of the facts, Dr. Blasey was more likely to be believed. Kavanaugh is an appellate judge. He doesn’t leave much to chance. Every word of what he said, his tone of voice and his drinks of water all were according to plan. Anyone who thinks that he was out control ignores the fact that any loss of control was intentional.
107
@michjas I agree with your comment he knew exactly what he was doing and how he appeared. The mistake he made in his statement that will come back to haunt him though is attacking the democrats and left wing and suggesting this is somehow a payback from the Clintons and people opposed to Trump. I can accept the anger but this is not the unbiased demeanor expected on an appellate or supreme court.
127
@michjas I would go further. Apparently, he lied about not having watched Dr. Ford's testimony, and his moves, which seemed stagey and scripted, actually mirrored hers--the teariness, the sipping water, etc. It was like watching Voldemort mock Harry Potter by mirroring his distress.
7
Especially in light of Conway that morning (as a White House spokesperson) saying she was hoping to see more "righteous indignation" in his testimony than in his Fox News "interview". Felt like a nod from the WH to go full angry, privileged guy on the room.
5
This should not be over. I wonder if multiple votes can be taken on SC judicial confirmation? That would put less pressure on GOP senators wanting a more complete investigation.
15
@stever
There are no GOP senators of honor left. McCain is dead. Flake is voting in favor of this abomination. Wish I were eligible to vote in a state that any of these hypocrites run in....
When one compares Dr. Ford's dignified testimony, in which she was clearly very afraid but determined to get through the process as best she could, with the abrasive, angry, tearful rantings of Judge Kavanaugh, there should be no question which one is the most believable and truthful. Kavanaugh may well win this round by surviving a vote and being confirmed to the Court, but make no mistake, his legacy will forever be tied to to these accusations which have neither been proved or disproved. There will always be a shadow following him for the rest of his life.
235
@RG True that he is forever tainted. However, unfortunately I doubt that he and the Trump Party care.
2
Well written. A privileged young man has turned into a privileged middle-aged man. He’s never had to explain himself before, and exploded in righteous indignation before the Judiciary Committee. He has lost all credibility, and I would hope that when the Senate becomes a Democratic majority, they will bring impeachment hearings against him. He is unfit for the job.
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@RJR
That "privileged" really jumped out at me when he bragged about organizing a trip to Fenway Park for 30 of his friends and paying for it. I know I couldn't have afforded anything near that as I was graduating from college.
But then I went to a lowly state school and worked my way through.
7
@RJR, Can he be impeached? Sounds like a great idea.
1
One thing about Kavanaugh: I haven't seen acting like that since the silent film era.
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@sjs
What about Lindsey Graham? He will certainly win the Oscar.
2
@sjs
Unless you watched Lindsey Graham's performance.
5
Ross Douthat fears that the Kavanaugh nomination fight will become "our era’s Dreyfus Affair." I am fearful that he is correct.
At this point the issue is not whether he is elevated to the Supreme Court. What is at issue was shown by his testimony and the GOP chorus backing him, which if made into a motion picture would be called "Twelve Angry White Men." It is whether we have one standard for privileged white men and others for women, people of color, and those who don't go to elite institutions. Add this to the current splits over religion, race, and immigration, and we will have a country divided into two camps that will not even speak to each other, as occurred in France over the Dreyfus affair.
149
@John Graubard:
You and Douthat are off by a decade. That occurred two years after America had the audacity to elect a pseudo-black man to office, when the Koch brothers bought themselves a political party. Just two years later, the McCain campaign elevates brash ignorance to presidential proportions and lays the stage for a type of political theater never before seen. The GOP makes vows to thwart the democratically elected president at every turn, and does exactly that, up to and including a complete abnegation of responsibility for conducting hearings for a supreme court nominee.
What we have now is the self-immolation of the Party of Koch. Whether it ignites a larger conflagration remains to be seen.
8
@John Graubard: Many of us who went to "elite institutions" are not on the same side as the Trumpites. Don't slam all the Ivies. In fact, the Trumpites dislike the Ivies because they tend to produce (with notable exceptions) fair-minded, competent people.
2
Republicans won, they will exercise their power.
Eventually the public who don't pay attention will be affected in ways that can't be blamed on others.
Eventually it will be Pyrrhic for them, hopefully not before it's too late for the country.
78
That suggests we live in a democracy. The popular will doesn’t count. See November 2016. It is clear we live in a plutocracy in which substantial sums are spent to create the illusion that we do not.
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Although technically you are correct, when 100 million people are so apathetic (or so disgusted by our politics) that they don’t bother to vote, the ‘popular’ vote is just a sham. We will always have a majority of the minority deciding who is going to govern us. And that is the really sad truth.
6
it's already too late, god save America and all of us.
i am devastated this morning. We are now a medieval society and most of us are just serfs serving the rich.
2
Well stated.
Kavanaugh’s cries for due process were, to me, utterly offensive. Due process applies to both parties to a dispute. Where was this jurist’s concern for Dr. Ford’s right to due process?
Kavanaugh opposed any impartial investigation and opposed the calling of any witnesses who might corroborate Dr. Ford or testify to her credibility. His reliance on written witness statements instead of oral testimony would not be countenanced by any court in America. If he cared about fair process or clearing his name he would have fiercely demanded the most thorough investigation possible. That he did not is a strong indication that he has no honest interest in a fair process and is deathly afraid of the truth.
Kavanaugh is clearly dishonest and completely unfit to sit on the Supreme Court, or any court.
993
@Rich Casagrande: His righteous indignation and well staged sanctimony were every bit as transparent as those of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions during his confirmation hearings. I wouldn't be surprised if Kavanaugh withdraws, to see Trump nominate someone like Roy Moore.
10
It will take a long time to dig out from this Russian-Republican hellhole, but Americans have to start and it starts by speaking up like Christine Blasey Ford did yesterday, by telling the truth publicly and by registering to vote and voting in record numbers.
The Grand Old Phonies will move forward this corrupt nomination of an openly partisan, evasive, mean, aggressive, entitled prep-boy-frat boy to the United States Supreme Court by a President who lost the popular vote by 2.9 million votes....and who would have also lost the Electoral College vote if not for Republican voter suppression laws.
The tight-lipped Brett Kavanaugh demonstrated yesterday that he is temperamentally unqualified on multiple levels for the Supreme Court; he has already participated in some of America's worst political nightmares -- the Starr investigation obsession with Bill Clinton's erections --- the 2000 Florida Presidential Election theft --- the defense of American torture --- and he will certainly add to that disgraceful right-wing list of unAmericanism.
For all those non-rich and non-patriarchal- white-male Americans who think the Republican Party has an ounce of human decency to it, look at the response of the entitled prep school boy to a simple question.
"Did you watch Dr. Ford's testimony?" Senator Kamala Harris asked Kavanaugh.
"I did not," said Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh doesn't give a damn about the little people, and the Republican Party couldn't be more thrilled.
November 6 2018
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@Socrates
And he most likely wasn't even truthful about that. The WSJ reports that a committee aide said Kavanaugh had watched Dr. Ford's testimony from a monitor in another room in the Dirksen Senate building.
23
@Socrates: All you say is correct. Also, don't forget that Kavanaugh is obviously a mean, nasty drunk, who was displaying what some people more knowledgeable than I about alcoholism have called a "dry drunk," a person who acts like a nasty drunk even when he has not actually drunk any alcohol. This results from permanent changes to the brain after hears of heavy alcohol consumption. This is an additional reason he should not be on the Supreme Court, or indeed any court. His multiple perjuries should also be disqualifying.
14
@Socrates
Actually, I read one account claiming Kavanaugh did watch at least some of Ford's testimony. That, of course, would make him a liar, but you already knew that.
VOTE OUT ALL REPUBLICANS
6
The simple fact remains; there are many questions regarding Judge Kavanaugh. He is the subject of debate-his actions and temperament are questionable. In a country of so many-is he really the only person who can fill this vacancy? I think not.
327
@PJD: Reminds me when Bush One said Clarence Thomas was the person (man?) most qualified in the nation to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.
2
@PJD: This vacancy comes with a religious test for public office. The candidate must believe in God and theocracy.
3
What Mr. Egan says is true. But people are still wondering if the Democrats can take the House of Representatives on November 6; or if possibly, the Democrats can take control of the Senate on the same day.
The so-called moderate republicans -- Collins, Murkowski, Flake -- are agonizing over whether to support Kavanaugh. That is typically what moderate republicans do. They string everyone along while they agonize over policy and then at the last moment decide to support the party.
But back to my point -- do the people of this country have any sense of decency and honor left? Is there anything that The Donald and republicans can do that the country will not go along with? Since Kavanaugh was nominated we have learned a lot about the world of the privileged in Washington. We are also learning a lot about the values of the American public.
Our politicians are a reflection of the voters.
472
@Aubrey
"Our politicians are a reflection of the voters."
I'd prefer not to believe that, as it means that democracy is a failed system.
I prefer to believe that our politicians are a reflection of a rigged system, since that may be fixable.
8
@Aubrey: The failure to hold a run-off election for president in 2016 demonstrated that the US is politically numb.
3
When Kavanaugh turned the question that Sen. Kombuchar asked against her then offered a feeble apology, he showed his true self. He can not take back, in my opinion, the outrage that someone would dare question him - a question from a female senator no less - so he tried the intimidation tool, one which we women understand and have endured. This article is spot on about the bubble. While we constantly hear the phrase "liberal elites" I propose that "conservative elites" are the power people in this administration. It would be refreshing to have fewer elites on both sides by recruiting from public university graduates with life experience, as Mr. Egan proposes. I might then feel truly represented.
1378
@Hypatia your observation about Kavanaugh turning the question against Sen. Kombuchar was the most painful moment of that circus yesterday--for me and perhaps many women of a certain age. The old male intimidation tactic. Thank you for reminding readers that women trying to compete in the professional arena have suffered and endured intimidation from men like Kavanaugh for decades.
407
@Hypatia: Judges are the least supervised of all officials the public must deal with. It goes to many of their heads.
6
@Hypatia. So true, and the conservative elites are and have been backed for decades by vast sumes of corporate and private wealth. We are no different than other nations moving towards authoritarian government.
2
"One good thing to come out of this debacle is the shining of a light on the policy shops promoting and protecting their own, the Ivy Leagues and fraternity of connected clerks. " Lovely sentence. I do hope this is true, but I'm afraid the whole Kavanaugh circus is another way station in the steady degradation of public life under Trump. Public discourse has collapsed, replaced by two snarling packs of feral creatures, each trying to secure advantage from the other. Even though history provides endless precedents, it is still astonishing how quickly a society can collapse. Violence and anarchy, contempt for the rule of law - we are headed there.
145
@Ratty And I would say that the situation is brave, patriotic Americans trying to save their country from the conservative power elite who is trying to make their power permanent. Don't pretend both sides are equal
75
@Ratty: It's unfair to equate the snarling pack of feral Republicans with the Democrats, most of whom are much more fair-minded and on the side of all citizens and residents, not just the corporate 0.1% and the Republican legislators they have bought.
8
Trumpism is cronyism.
1
I was a fraternity brother way back when. There were plenty of times I saw someone drink to the point of passing out. Not that they would fall over and collapse on the floor. Generally they crashed on the couch in the Tube Room in back, or they went to lie down because they were about to fall down, and quickly were gone. They didnt fall asleep, they passed out. There was still dancing going on, or beer games, or whatever, so they didnt pass out because they were tired and it was getting late. They passed out because they couldn't stay conscious.
If Kavanaugh had a reputation as a hard drinker in an environment where there were lots of drinkers, then I find it hard to believe he would never have passed out from drinking. Anything is possible but that would be really unlikely
315
@Fletcher
I totally agree. I went to Dartmouth in my senior year, on exchange from another college, where I was amazed to see that one could actually become puking and pass-out-drunk on beer alone. Mr K's faux-innocent hymn to beer, just beer! seemed intended to minimize his drinking, but it shouldn't.
2
@Fletcher
Kavanaugh said he would fall asleep as a result of his drinking. Isn’t that the same, or could it be the same, as blacking out?
2
This is breaking down pretty 50/50. Isn't it time to simply talk about two nations with each going its own way? I get that the Civil War was fought, but it is 150 years later. It seems time to let those who want the Trumpian reality in their world to be separated. I have no treason in my heart--just the honest recognition that this simply isn't the same Constitution from one side to the other--and Thomas Jefferson's adages apply.
Editor’s note: This comment has been anonymized in accordance with applicable law(s).
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@RLL I agree. California, New York and a few other blue states are not going to go along with making women baby vessels, rolling back LGBT and climate change protections, elevating Christian theocracy and denying healthcare and minimum wage to their citizens. Let the red states have their supply side economics, placing the church on top of the state and low wages/no benefits for workers. This is not tenable. I am not going to live in a dystopian, red America. I say lets divorce and get on with our lives.
51
@RLL
I disagree that it is 50/50. More like 30/70 or at best 35/65.
And no, it is not time to discuss separation. The only separation issue that needs to be grappled with is the separation from reality the 30 or 35% have from reality due to their blind spot to racism, bigotry, and misogyny. As a white over 65 male, I have no answers, but I can see "white privilege" for what it is. It is so disheartening to re-plow those same ugly fields we agonized over in the 60s and 70s yet again.
9
@RLL I couldn't agree more. If that were to happen, you can bet that the progressive part of America would prosper and the conservative part would be a third world dystopia.
7
That the GOP entered into a faustian bargain with Trump is now evident to ALL who would open their eyes to see and their ears to listen. It's the core of a free and democratic society that is at risk with the GOP in control of government.
Get out the vote in the 2018 mid-term elections to repudiate the GOP behaviors or we risk losing any influence on our nation's directions for a generation.
511
One thing was made perfectly clear in yesterday’s hearing: Kavanaugh is unfit to be a Supreme Court Justice.
His reference to deep state conspiracies and. Clinton-driven revenge against him is far too tRumpian a line.
Supreme Court Justices are supposed to be impartial and far less emotional or partisan. The hearing in the second half, the Kavanaugh inquiry,became a politically driven session of aspersions cast upon the minority with many pieces of misinformation peppering the Republican Senators statements. The hearing devolved from a credibility test of accuser and accused into a political conspiracy soap opera.
1832
@Edward Calabrese Thank you for your comment. I agree. There is far too much evidence that Kavanaugh would only be a conservative tool. He is not fit for the court.
10
@Edward Calabrese Mr. Kavanaugh also has a high debt load for his and his wife's salaries. The last thing we need is the possibility justice for sale, on the D.C. Circuit and especially on the Supreme Court.
20
@Edward Calabrese: absolutely. US needs to cease - it isn't united and never will be. Break-up is long overdue - likely will be violent. So be it.
6
The educational and regional homogeneity of the Supreme Court is appalling. Do we really need another graduate of Georgetown Prep and Yale on the court? How about someone who went to the University of Michigan, University of Virginia or University of California Berkeley law schools- some of the best in the country. This would, however, require someone in the White House to actually wander outside the beltway and talk to people they don’t already know.
855
Anita Hill for Supreme Court Justice!
5
The hearing we all witnessed yesterday was wrenching, watching Dr. Ford struggle with her demons and Judge Kavanaugh complain about his being called to task after playing by all the misshapen rules of the privileged.
It was a repeat of the first year chemistry demonstration when the teacher dropped a bit of elemental sodium into a bucket of water unleashing a violent and unstoppable reaction.
Now the Senators get to decide whether to contain the damage to the Republican party and the nation or to loose it on them for the next several decades.
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36
Senators Collins, Murkowski, Flake, Corker et al. -- answer that question first...
1105
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36
Corporations may be people, too, my friend, but they, too, have no soul.
They're both work for the same side.
7
@Douglas McNeill: No Biblical author had any scientific comprehension of what the "soul" is. It is software. We all lose it upon death.
1
@Douglas McNeill
Jeff Flake has has answered that question, he's going with Kavanaugh. Flake likes to act as if he's not like the "other republicans" but he is. And he's worse because he's a phony.
6
Win or lose on this nomination, it has expedited the demise of the Republican Party. For that, I am most grateful.
419
@Ed
Funny, but the demise of the Republican Party has been predicted for a few years now. Over Garland. When Trump was nominated. When Trump was elected. Over Gorsuch. Over tax cuts. And now, over Kavanaugh.
Keep predicted demise. Please. It seems to correlate well with Republican wins.
6
@Ed - You are also optimistic and I sincerely hope, for the soul of American democracy that you are also correct.
22
@ Ed
Right-o. There is a persistent strain of prejudice, hatred, and ignorance in this country, going back to the Puritans and the slavers, that has survived the Civil War, the civil rights movement, the election of Obama, and every other step forward. Indeed, these things stimulate it. But in each generation it gets shaved back a little more. Something called the GOP will no doubt survive in service of the entitled. However, it will be ever less appealing to decent people.
16
Kavanaugh will likely get approval by his fellow Republicans, but this moment represents part of the last gasp of the powerful white elite that get away with everything in America. The GOP got their precious tax break, but their protections are slowly withering away. I have hope that from the disaster that is the Trump years, Americans will respond with more opportunity for women and minorities.
304
Yes, the Republicans are this bad.
In response, the American people need something much more than to elect the other groups of elitist insiders wholly owned by the same big money interests.
The Democrats do have some such people seeking to run. The problem? The Democratic Party machine does not want to run them. It is still run by those elitist insiders, and those bought off by them.
Right now, with few (wonderful) exceptions, the good guys are still losing to the elite insiders of the out-party.
91
@Mark Thomason The better candidates just arent getting the money to compete. Campaigning is largely advertising, and the money needed for that is going to the elites, that's all there is to it.
47
@Mark Thomason
Sounds like Bernie Sanders Redux. Thank you [sic] to all the Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein supporters who helped us get into this mess.
Vote DEMOCRAT in November, no matter which ones! We can quibble about campaign financing and the party platform later, but now especially we need to stand united.
28
@EDK -- "Sounds like Bernie Sanders Redux."
It is.
Reform or bust.
No more excuses. No more cynical double speak pretend promises.
1
"One good thing to come out of this debacle is the shining of a light on the policy shops promoting and protecting their own ..." Nothing else on earth accounts for Thomas or Alito. Not one vital grain of provenance.
179
@Carter Nicholas Except they both went to Yale Law School, and Alito got his bachelors degree from Princeton.
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It would be unprecedented, but it is possible that the four liberal justices -- including three women -- will advise the Senate that it would be all too divisive to appoint Kavanaugh to the Court. After all, the Court depends on civility among all the justices.
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@michjas Or more importantly, John Roberts. He still has respect for the institution. I hope he can see what damage will be done by this appointment.
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@michjas Yes, but as Trump said "This is the kind of fighting I like to see, why I appointed Kavanaugh." (paraphrased)
Sen. Graham is the GOP illustration of the vote today. Blame the terrible Dems for their incivility (never mind that we never even gave Garland a hearing and promised that if elected, Clinton would not get hearings for any of her nominations).
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@Susan Re: Graham's tirade aimed at Dems: "This is the most unethical sham since I've been in politics." This from a so-called Trump maverick with changing colors, who never was a maverick in the crunch: As Michael D. Shear reported in his Sept. 27 article, "Mr. Graham has supported the president's plans to build up the military, end the Iran nuclear deal, eliminate regulations and reorient the nation's foreign policy." Each of these, in my mind, would qualify as the "most unethical sham" but since "most" can refer only to one, I'm at a loss to select one. I can only agree with historian Douglas Brinkley's characterization of Graham's outburst as "junkyard attack dog" behavior BTW, thanks to Timothy Egan for his insightful op-ed, as always.
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