As sympathetic as I am to the causes of fighting sexual assault, I don't think verbal abuse is right. Nor is it productive in the long run to accost lawmakers and to demand that they look people in the eye who are shouting at them.
16
Most men have missed what this is about. They think that all Blasey Ford had to do was go home and decide to report what Kavanaugh did to her. They are not female. They have not experienced the double standard most women have throughout their lives.
We're told we can be whatever we want to be. Then we're told that we have to be careful where we walk at night, how we dress, who we trust in a bar or at a restaurant. We're told that we should report any instance of sexual harassment or rape or assault. Then, when we do we're told, if it's harassment, that we're too sensitive or that he didn't mean it the way it sounded. If we report a rape or a sexual assault when it happens we're often blamed for it. After this whole charade it will be a miracle if women do continue to report these things.
The message from the males of America and a good number of females (some of whom have probably experienced harassment and rape) is protective of the men who do this. Yes, every person has done stupid things in his/her life. But most people do not rape or sexually assault another person. They do not drink to get drunk. They are not mean drunks. And most men are not rapists. But they do not understand how rape or its "cousins" affect women. Nor do they seem to want to understand.
Kavanaugh is not worthy of the position he seeks. This is not a GOP or a Democrat issue. It's a human issue. If he cannot admit to underage drinking what else is he hiding?
25
@hen3ry But how can you be so certain he did what she said he did? Shouldn’t he be treated innocent until proven guilty? I’m always skeptical when others are so absolutely certain and yet there is no specific date or location for the alleged assault.
8
@DLR I'm always skeptical when someone starts behaving the way Kavanaugh did. He's saying that he's 100% certain he didn't.
And as I said, at this point, after the way he's behaved he doesn't deserve to sit on the Supreme Court or, for that matter, any court. He could have behaved differently. He chose not to. He behaved like someone who is lying.
If you DLR had read about trauma and how the brain remembers it you'd realize that not remembering a specific date of location can be explained. If you are afraid for your life you don't focus on the day or the time or the location. You focus on staying alive and your view narrows down to what you need to do.
If you were ever assaulted or in fear for your life you'd understand. However, at this point it's no longer about Blasey Ford. It's about how Kavanaugh has behaved this entire time. He's lied and that is not what he should have done.
1
How do we explain the GOP women (and maybe a few others), many likely with similar experiences who blindly dismiss Dr. Ford?
Yes, not one shred of corroboration from a very limited FBI "probe." But the sexual assault allegations aside, Kavanaugh LIED to Congress. He LIED under oath. He said he did not habitually drink to excess in high school and college. His own calendars, a handwritten letter and classmates say otherwise. He said the Devil's Triangle was a drinking game. Lie. He said boof meant flatulence. Lie. He refused to ask for an FBI investigation to support his innocence. In my mind, that's a guilty man. Shameful, for him and for our country.
1
Thank you, Ms. Gallagher, for standing up for women everywhere as well as yourself. While I was never raped, thank goodness, I have been groped, touched inappropriately and sexually harassed at work and elsewhere.
It's time that the men and women in Congress understand the trauma that women everywhere experience.
I'm sick of Graham and others crying for Kavanaugh. While the poor investigation done on the charges brought by Dr. Blasey leads us to no clear conclusion, Kavanaugh's behavior suggests they are true.
""I felt only fury."
No one in a state of fury thinks rationally. This article is evidence you haven't gotten over it. Rest assured it is damaging you more than any of those senators.
"What those actions...demonstrate is that the person is ashamed."
No, they demonstrate a very rational way of dealing with a person who is angry, out of control and potentially dangerous. Looking an irrational person in the eye is liable to provoke a violent assault. Better to just look away.
"What his refusal to look at me told me was that even though his actions were going to affect women, he didn’t want to confront them."
No. Your pop psychology told you the wrong thing. He didn't want to confront you--not "them." "They" weren't even there. The only ones there were obviously obnoxious and evidently distraught women inflamed with irrational passion. It is impossible to engage in non-combative discourse with such people.
"You’ve deemed Dr. Blasey credible."
No, I personally do not. During her time at the hearing she didn't look anyone in the eye, but it would be to convict her of lying based on that. She was made incredible by the obnoxious, illegal behavior of demonstrators in the audience in the earlier hearings attempting to disrupt the confirmation process--at any cost. The fact that Democrat disruptors were willing to do that showed they would stop at nothing to prevent Kavanaugh's confirmation. It believe Dr. Ford was simply another overwraught, Democrat disrupter.
8
Republicans have become the party of abuse, sexual assault, and rape. From the president on down, they have let the public know that women don't matter and that abusive treatment of women is A-OK. In fact, abusers are put on a pedestal while alleged victims are victimized all over again. There is no way that a woman can be a Republican without supporting this anti-female platform. I am the mother of two sons and I see the Republican aggression as a despicable role model for men. Mothers don't let your babies grow to be Republicans. This is a sad day in America.
2
Is Ms. Gallagher a voter in Arizona? Somehow I doubt it. I think she would have mentioned it. If not, then Senator Flake does not owe her the time of day. William Faulkner was once a postmaster and wrote about being at the beck and call of anyone with the means to buy a 2 cent stamp. Being a constituent is the equivalent of a 2 cent stamp. If you do not meet that minimal standard, you better make an appointment. Otherwise he has better things to do with his constituents.
6
"If Mr. Flake had been confident in his decision to vote yes on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, he would have looked me in the face, point blank and explained why he was going to do what he believed in."
Your opinion that you somehow have the absolute right to demand that a US Senator commit to you whatever amount of time you demand and that he also was required to account for himself to you is ridiculous and astoundingly egotistical. I understand that your experience and views are important to you. But there are countless other people who have completely unrelated issues that are every bit as important to them. The notion that a Senator must must allot time to personally listen to every one of those individuals, whenever that individual demands, is absurd and would result in a complete shutdown of the legislative process. News flash: You are not the only person in the world who has important concerns!
6
All women need to be heard.
But, to believe all of them on basis of gender or race is wrong
Each case is different.
6
I believe every senator, Repub&Dem, believe Dr. Ford. But Bret Kavanaugh will be confirmed because most men of a certain age have had a Kavanaugh/Ford type encounter in their past. Inviting girls to someone's open house, making easy to get drunk, isolating them, and not taking a "no" for an answer, was all-too-common back when I was a teenager. I'm 68. Shyness. fear of rejection, virginity issues, obnoxiousness, lent itself to this dead wrong approach. And unfortunately a lot of men, although, hopefully evolved in their thinking today, don't want to destroy a man because of a high school indecency - that they probably had in their past. The only solace I can offer is that a terrible reckoning is coming - for men, Trump, and our society as a whole. Chickens always come home to roost.
3
Even if I was not a survivor of sexual assault, I would still be supportive and very proud of Ms. Gallagher's article and video. When someone is aggressive and wants to assault you, not everyone is strong enough to physically fight back or verbally confront their attacker. What many people do not understand or even care about is the fact that it takes a victim months, years even decades to finally become a fierce survivor.
2
Most of these "anti-Gallagher's right to have her opinion published in the NYT" posts seem to be reading from the same talking points. Faxed out by Russians, Faux-News, the RNC? Who knows?
See you guys in November. Keep your wife and daughter home under your eye where they will presumably be safe. (Thinking about Trumps comment about his own daughter,Ivanka)
Of course that hot head Kavanaugh will get in for the lifetime job. The only recourse we have is to get out and vote. If everybody who has been assaulted votes democrat that would be a start. And the minorities need to vote. And us stuffy old white people need to stick to our guns and try to keep America great by voting for the candidates that are willing to help all people not just the filthy rich. The last two years have been horrible and if we don't get congress, it will become much, much worse.
1
Maria, they are ALL ashamed because they know how many creeps and perverts walk among them and they fear that we’ll find out what’s really in their hearts and minds.
2
Unfortunately, Ms, Gallagher, in the end, Jeff Flake has decided to look away from you-from US.
2
Laughing at all of these comments about "respect" to Senator Flake. How dare Maria Gallagher delay his elevator ride?! How dare she yell?! So unattractive!
Where were your comments about Kavanaugh having a tantrum? About asking a senator if she ever "blacked out?"
That behavior is OK for someone up for SCOTUS?
Give me a break.
Definition of an Entitled Bully:
A person who gaslights people standing up for their basic humanity (calmly speaking their truth with dignity) by screaming "you're attacking me!!!!"
5
Jeff Flake. Never a more-appropriate name.
3
True to his name Senator Flake is a FLAKE! He deems the half hearted, highly micromanaged and very restricted FBI investigation as sufficient material for him to go ahead with a YES vote. Wonder if his conscience will prod him tonight into doing the right thing? But what can you expect from a GOP bro.....
2
This is making me sick to read. Arrest this person in the elevator. I hope this will drive voters in to the Republican camp.
6
53% of white women voters supported the conn. Have them look you in the eyes. They don’t care.
1
As someone who actually prosecutes people for a living, allegations are one thing; facts are another. To assume that an allegation is fact is foolish. To assume that each case is the same is stupid.
Sexual assault is a serious matter; too bad Senator Feinstein used a victim of sexual assault as a political pawn.
9
And had he looked Gallagher in the eyes--the answer is still the same for Ford--no evidence, no corroboration.
But more important, what gives Gallagher the right to abuse Flake with her savage verbal assault -- #MeToo irrational mob entitlement?
So where were the pitchforks and torches? Perhaps next time they're roaming the halls of Congress?
If they can't win at the ballot box, then, like the cultural Marxists they appear to be, set it on fire with elevator mob violence?
6
A Senator owes NOTHING to an abrasive, demanding, rude person like this. How incredibly arrogant to say that if a Senator does not act exactly as she wants - as though she is a puppet master - that must mean he does not respect true victims of sexual assault.
6
A Senator owes his consideration to his or her constituents, and his or her commitment to act on their behalf when making decisions. But to mirror your logic, no Senator should owe ANYTHING to an abrasive, rude, demanding person like Judge Kavanaugh. Least of all the highest judicial seat in the US.
1
The elevator woman has such good manners.
6
Jeff Flake has said he finds nothing damning in the FBI report, and so he will likely vote Yes. The Senate is likely to confirm Kavanaugh, which has been their intention all along; they only agreed to Dr. Blasey Ford's testimony and the (very limited) FBI inquiry for appearance's sake. There's simply no way they're going to let the opportunity to lock down an iron-clad conservative Supreme Court for a generation slip through their fingers. And so, Kavanaugh it is -- no matter how offensive Trump's attacks on Dr. Ford are, no matter how unfit Kavanaugh has shown himself to be (not just decades ago, but at this moment, through his lies and intemperate partisan behavior), no matter how this appointment (and indeed this presidency) will traumatize generations of sexual assault survivors.
The Trump administration and its enablers in Congress and the courts will simply do as much damage as they can, while they can, and it will take years and decades to undo much of it (longer, or never, in the case of climate change). And so we must vote, because it's the one thing we can do to take power out of their hands. We won't always win, but we always have to try. The fight is never lost unless we give up for good.
You forced yourself on him. And that is a form of assault.
8
@Steve
It is his job to listen. If you consider her reproach of his decision an assault, you have a very fragile ego. They say men who rape can't tolerate women chastising them. It's a narcissistic wound to most of them.
@Abby
I do not consider her reproach an assault. Putting her hand in the elevator door and thus physically restraining him from movement is a form of assault. It is his job to listen, but that doesn't mean she can, for example, storm into his bedroom at 3AM and harangue him. He has the right to decide when his office hours are. This was non-consensual, and if a police officer was present, she could have been, rightfully, arrested.
1
@Steve
The above comment was censored by the moderators for a full day. I would like to know by what criteria.
2
This clearly politicized despicable circus orchestrated by the Democrats has diminishes the pain and suffering of actual sex abuse survivors. Ford isn’t wasn’t abused and Kavanaugh isn’t a sex abuser. What on earth do the hazy recollections from 35 years ago have to do with a persons competency for being a judge.
Dignity now !
6
Let's not lose sight of the big picture here.
What we are witnessing are the last gasps of the White Male terrified to see his power increasingly challenged by women everywhere – the fear of castration.
It is the beginning of the end and, while being a white male myself, I am gloating.
1
Trigger warning, Gallagher. Maybe Senator Flake was looking for a safe space to escape your micro aggressions. Or, maybe he hikes a lot in Arizona. Hikers are taught to never make eye contact with predators. "I felt only fury". Or, maybe he was checking to see if the metal detectors missed a weapon. About your self-anointed shaming. He may have been embarrassed by your shameless public display of political theater. Obviously, you weren't. Maybe he thought you were another one of Soros' operatives.
6
I wonder if any rapists are voting Dem this November? I doubt it, but they are probably delighted by the GOP's policies.
It should surprise no one that rapists embrace the same values of the GOP regarding women's rights. They shouldn't have any.
I'm not making this up, it's scientifically supported.
https://www.csbsju.edu/Documents/Counseling%20and%20Health%20Promotions/...
Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Grassley
1
Congratulations on your newfound fame! I wonder, had a man accosted a female Senator in the elevator, holding her accountable for his sexual assault, he would have his own op-ed in the New York Times.
The answer, of course, is no. In fact, he would probably be sitting in a cell.
7
Why would anyone pay ANY attention to what "our president" says on this subject (or any other)? Since he is proven to be a serial sexual harrasser (and liar), his word is useless , on any aubject.
1
How touching this outpouring of support for Ms. Gallagher and accolades for her bravery and "speaking truth to power." Just like the support progressives gave to Juanita Broderick, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey and Monica Lewinsky, best summed up by James Carville who so memorably said “Drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you'll find.”
5
show me a republican senator with a conscience, who serves the people, and i will buy you a unicorn and a pony.
1
@true patriot
as angry as sen. flake has been with pres. trump, many have suggested that flake requested the elevator assault to give him cover for the betrayal he already had in mind.
Maria Gallagher's article here is jaundiced by her personal experience. Right or wrong, she shouldn't be seeking vengeance against Senator Flake or Judge Kavanaugh for that matter, it should be directed towards her assailant. Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution. If it is your desire for your voice to be heard with respect to sexual assault, be an advocate not a #MeToo. Advocacy means stepping up to the plate and encouraging young women to come forward immediately and doing what is necessary for the to hold their assailants responsible.
6
For mot liberals/leftists, we tend to think that people will empathize with the pain of others and also be able to think rationally. Maybe Flake did, I don't know. But most Republicans, perhaps most humans, couldn't care less if they were, say, appointing a would be rapist to the Supreme Court. We form tribal loyalties and do not hear or emotionally resonate with those outside the tribe. And rational thinking?Forgetaboutit.
We think of tribes as nations, races, or religions, but there are also cognitive tribes, those who think alike. Sitting next to a woman at lunch the other day, who heard the same hearings as I did, she did not hear that Kavanaugh tried to rape a 15 year old. Just something about a pushy teenager. When I mentioned that she had said he got on top of her, covered her mouth when she tried to scream, and tried to take her clothes off, she disputed that Dr. Ford said that.
I would also bet that even if she knew that an attempted rape had been in progress- and I think deep down most Republican backers of Trump/Kavanaugh/Roy Moore/etc. know that- they wouldn't care. Those outside the tribe are dispensable and disposable and not believable. They are "them."
The Germans of Hitler's day who found the Jews disposable demons who wanted to control the world were merely an extreme version of that tendency, which resides within us. And a psychopathic child named Donald is leading us down a similar path.
2
The more articles that make it clear the vicious unwarranted attacks against Judge BK are the result of irrational emotional “feelings”, the harder it is for women to be viewed as the intellectual and rational equivalent of men.
Every day, the screaming shouting “in you face” demands for “belief without question”, and the stereotyping dehumanizing degrading portrayal of all white men generates more an more converts to “Trumpism.”
What a shame to have the universal vision of women devolve into individuals incapable of unemotional objective discussion.
Shouting “misogynist” anytime anyone has an opinion that differs from liberal women merely demonstrates the intellectual shallowness of the fascists “MeToo” zombies.
2
Ms. Gallagher, you interaction with Senator Flake was truly courageous and your fopinion peice equally so. You have hit at the heart of the issue. That Senator Flake could not give you a reason, other than partisan politics, as to why he would support the nomination of Mr. Kavanaugh.
Unfortunately, you and other woman like you and Dr. Ford are getting rope-a-doped with the ridiculous sham of an investigation. If Senator Flake's conscience was truly moved by your encounter, then he shouldn't be satisfied that a thorough investigation was completed and should vote against Mr. Kavanaugh's nomination.
But he won't, because his is thinking of the politics of his vote and not the ethics of it.
Just another GOP male. In one word : Grotesque.
Seriously.
@Phyliss Dalmatian
Dear Phyliss,
She looked as unhinged as Brett Kavanaugh. Seriously.
3
Amazing the Times keeps giving column inches to survivors of sexual assault. Whether their stories are poignant or not is irrelevant to the issue at hand. There is no credible evidence that Kavanaugh assaulted Ford. NONE. This is simply an attempt by the dems to assassinate the character of a highly qualified jurist who has never had a credible accusation of sexual misbehavior directed at him until (pause) he was up for the SC. Now, those accusing him have not a shred of credibility or evidence. They all suddenly "remembered" or came forward after 30+ years. All committed dems, all working with dems to smear as hard as they can -- under the guise of being survivors of some form of sexual assault.
NOT ONE SHRED OF EVIDENCE. The only credible accuser -- Ford -- has had her story crumble, has been caught lying to the senate (fear of flying for example) -- and the holes in her story are wide enough to drive a truck through. Not even her girl friend will corroborate her story.
So, believe what you want dems. But stories of women who claim they have been assaulted -- who never came forward -- and who are looking for their 15 minutes of fame -- are irrelevant to the confirmation of Kavanaugh.
Here's the logic being used:
Some men have assaulted women.
Some women have been assaulted.
Therefore, Kavanaugh is guilty as charged.
Only a left wing nut would believe in that kind of garbage. And only when a Republican was charged.
5
We hear you. We're sorry.
Dear Ms. Gallagher:
Why do you get worked up when 2 professional activists were posing as survivors in the elevator?
Before you write the article, please check the background of these people confronting Flake.
Thanks
2
Wait..let me get this straight...Sen. Flake told "60 Minutes" that if he were running for re-election, he'd not have started this hubbub.
Principled? HAH!!!
The fake investigation just shows WOMEN DON'T MATTER to the the GOP. They can keep assaulting you young and old and you will be on a rollercoaster wondering weather to expose them or take the humiliation they and their religious supporters give you. I am glad for the #me to movement they will be there to help bring you peace in your lives and justice. I hope if the bad women abuser judge gets in all women will never vote for a Republican culture of corruption politician again. If you do its all on you .
I am activated. I shared my abduction and molestation with my fellow Seniors at the Chinese Cultural Center, today. I am going to continue to speak frequently until this subject is as normal as griping about our taxes.
Half of these seniors own second homes in Blue States so they are getting hit with many thousands of dollars in new taxes. But then we all had a laugh because our Chinese friends not only gave us the gift of Tai Chi and the delicious meals they serve us weekly, they are also penalizing the Red States for us via tariffs.
Is this anyway to run a country? The Chinese learned centuries ago leadership absent of benevolence and righteousness is bound to fail. I trust in that wisdom and await the day this disgusting tolerance for injustice is unwelcome.
“The slave knows the master better than the master knows the slave.”
This quote, from an old novel, has stayed with me, seared into my brain. The only way it changes is by using different words for “slave” and “master.”
• Underlings know bosses better than bosses know underlings.
“But,” you say. “A boss has many employees and can’t know each and every one of them.” True. But bosses can understand their employees’ situations.
• Workers need a decent living wage.
• Health insurance coverage is needed by all.
• Sick children happen and parents need to stay home sometimes to care for them.
A book titled “Somebodies and Nobodies,” by Robert W. Fuller, is about rank. It can be either real or perceived, and it exists whenever and wherever two or more people interact.
Yes. Queen Elizabeth is in a totally different “rank” than I am. No dispute. It’s real.
But… a colleague at work should not be – unless the colleague is a white male whose very world view is one of entitlement, and I worked my way through law school on scholarships and two part-time jobs. Oh, yeah, and female.
Yes, I created the scenario, but the two who are interacting can be any color, any educational level, any gender, any race, any age, any culture, any socioeconomic level….. well…. You get my drift.
And…IMHO… that is a BIG reason why so many men do not understand – at all – why so many women have waited so long to talk about past sexual abuse. It’s not about sex…It’s about power and submission.
I do not respond to yelling. I will listen to most everyone but when the yelling starts you lose me.
I do not enjoy verbal abuse of the kind that Senator Flake endured. Can you imagine the blowback if he had responded in kind?
Protesters are allowed to yell and it is respected free speech and that's fine. However they are dreaming if they think anyone will have any respect for their opinions.
Dr. Samuel Johnson said it best,
“Every man has the right to utter what he thinks truth, and every other man has the right to knock him down for it. Martyrdom is the test.”
Very few martyrs these days. Just a bunch of loud-mouthed schnooks.
Yelling just begets more yelling. Very unpleasant.
87
@gpickard - "I do not respond to yelling. I will listen to most everyone but when the yelling starts you lose me."
That is exactly what happened for millions and millions of Americans when Judge Kavanaugh started yelling, and kept on yelling. He lost us.
Just as you say we lost respect for him.
11
@gpickard
Seems to me the yelling was initiated by Kavanaugh, who disqualified himself with his fake outrage and tears.
1
@gpickard I assume you would also apply this standard to Judge Kavanaugh, who yelled, deflected, and evaded his way through his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee? And this was his response from a position of privilege, without having endured a lifetime of disregard and objectificaiton (at best). Surely, he lost you as well?
6
Can someone explain why Flake and Collins are so afraid of Mitch McConnell?
1
Maria, Please your not being ignored.
If there was evidence of a crime Kavanaugh would be out!
Just because a person is accused dose not make them guilty!
I think you know that.
How would you feel if you were accused of cheating on an exam? Could the professor automatically give you a zero?
Is it fair to all those black men sitting in jail that were wrongly pointed out by a white lady of rape?
Its the same situation.
The only "victim" in this entire mess is Kavanaugh.
3
Hey, I've got Asperger's and I absolutely *hate* being told I should look people in the eye, but this is a different situation! Flake's a senator. Gallagher's a citizen discussing trauma that society, and the government, have too often turned away from. Flake's got a responsibility not to turn away.
People getting upset about liberal activists screaming at them and telling them what to do: this is not an example of that. Flake's not Joe Blow trying to have a burger in a McDonald's; he's a US Senator in a government building! Representatives work for the people; they need to hear from them -- and see them.
1
"Lawmakers can't claim to respect sexual assault survivors and then ignore them."
Respect? Really? That is where you want to start. Ok...how about ambushing a US Senator on an elevator, hollering at him in a very disrespectful way--"LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU!!!"-- while making sure that it is all captured on video to make political points?
The hypocrisy is nearly beyond belief!
1
It appears that Flake is about to do the wrong thing again and all the republicans are going to ram the would-be rapist down our throats. We are powerless to stop them.
Or are we?
We need to get out and vote and elect a democratic house and senate and fix the mess the republicans have made. Finish the FBI investigation. Impeach Kavanaugh. Then impeach Thomas. And don't let any more monstrous men make it onto the supreme court. Wait till we have a good democrat as president and choose a good person for the job.
Unlikely? Yes. But let's dream big. And make it happen.
2
Imagine this: If nominee Kavanah were successful with Dr. Ford back in high school, with his world view she would likely have had his baby, no abortion. Do we really want a SCOTUS love child walking around among us? Maybe we already have a POTUS love child. We seem to have lost our way as a society.
1
The discussions about this get tangled in the different ways which men and women experience the world and sex. Maybe a non-sexual analogy will help.
Imagine you are a young kid at a party with the older, cooler kids. One of them pulls you into a room and pushes you down. He climbs on top of you, puts a cup of vomit to your lips and tells you to drink it. When you struggle, he holds your nose closed so you are forced to swallow. You manage to scramble away and leave with the taste in your mouth and the reality that he did this to you filling your mind.
Would you really go to your friends or the cops to tell them what had happened? You wouldn’t. Your fifteen year old self would know that you’d be ridiculed and reviled for having been forced to drink vomit and your tormentor would be that much cooler for making you do it. You’d hold that secret to yourself but it would always be there. You might tell someone about it and hear them say, “but he didn’t actually hurt you, did he?”.
You’d remember that feeling of the liquid sliding past your lips while he pinned you down even if you couldn’t remember exactly the date or what he was wearing.
One day, you learn that the person who did this to you might be put in a position to make a decision about, say, whether people who’ve been forced to drink vomit should be able to get medicine when it makes them sick. You have a choice. Would you be brave enough to speak up knowing what was in store for you?
I know, we thought Flake could be a good guy. Maybe we should eliminate UNITED from our country’s name. Collins will fold, and so will Murkowski. Name me one Republican whose word you could trust. Yeah, but he just died.
Sadly, you would have needed a check for thousands of dollars to get the invitation to Flake's office that you deserved. Please accept my condolence and my thanks for trying to get your voice heard.
1
Flake is satisfied with the FBI report. You know why? Becuase that's all that is needed. We don't need years and years to investigate this. Kavanaugh will be confirmed.
Democrats will lose BIG in November I can hardly wait! Why do you want to be in a party of obvious losers, full of negativity, bickering, victimizing, whining, yelling and screaming, jumping up and down, demanding, finger pointing, manipulation, propaganda pile of rubbish?
No vision, no leadership, no intellectual arguments, utterly lost and confused.
Democrats only want someone who votes in their interest no matter what and not based on the law of the land. Their methods of force, coercion do not work and continue to fail.
We have liberals with serious mental issues salivating for power. We will not let you have it.
You are a paid employee of the outrage machine.
I don’t believe a word you said to poor Jeff Flake, as wishy-washy a man as I’ve ever seen.
Thank goodness he is leaving the national scene and won’t be required to make any significant decisions moving forward in his life.
What’s for dinner should be his biggest challenge. I suspect even then he’ll seek a delay.
2
Unsubstantiated and uncorroborated allegations of sexual assault should always be taken as the gospel truth? If so then #MeToo = Modern McCarthyism
1
This YoYos obviously does not understand that in this country there is a presumption of innocencce - and unsupported accusations alone are not sufficient to ruin a career.
1
Senator's denial of credibility on Ms Ford part is willful and deceitful, as blind partisanship divorced from the truth seems a Machiavellic mandate. Shameful and 'a la Trump', pleasing to the sexual predator in-chief. No morals whatsoever. Ramming Kavanaugh's confirmation in spite of his unsuitability as judge to the Supreme Court is a disservice to reason. He would have to recuse himself constantly for all the conflicts arising from his hyper-partisanship....and likely denial of sexual assault(s) as a youthful drunk.
1
I noticed in the article that you only identify as a recent college graduate. Why did not also mention you are a paid activist to confront others?
4
As I skimmed though this article, a little voice inside me asked, what is this, the 1950s?
Women are not safe, and have little reason to trust the law. Less so now.
1
It looks like Kavanaugh is also a “survivor”of an unprovable and un corroborated sexual assault accusation.
1
By now it is very clear that any woman about to be raped has the responsibility of recruiting a witness, otherwise the "Justice" system of this country will not believe her, but will believe the criminal instead (Poor American boys!) But, then, on second thought, I realize that, in all likelihood, the witness will not be believed either by a single Republican and both the victim and the witness will be publicly shamed by the President of the United States. It is, indeed, a weird world, isn't it? And this is what "Evangelical Christians," and their "God," get for the hope of eliminating Roe vs. Wade, which won't do much to reduce the number of abortions, but will criminalize women.
The NYT, WAPO, other media and televised news should continue to broadcast Brett Kavanaugh's hearing statement and other evasive responses nightly through 2018 and beyond. Over and over and over.
Mysogyny 101: Young men who accuse priests of sexual assault 30 years ago are considered brave, but women who accuse privileged white men of sexual assault 30 years ago are considered liars.
Republicans will keep resisting and getting nastier. The people and women have to keep pushing them. There is no way out for these guys! Keep bugging them!
What if a couple men were to corner Nancy Pelosi in an elevator and, when they didn't feel she was giving them enough attention, one of them were to scream at her, "DON'T LOOK AWAY FROM ME!" Would you feel the same way as you do now?
2
Why didn’t you press charges against your assailant? Your silence enables him and puts other women at risk, don’t you care? If you want justice, you have to go through the criminal justice system. The Senate cannot help you. Flake will vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
2
@Lynn in DC and she is young enough there would be ant statute of limitations issue.
1
Trying to tie in legitimate sexual abuse cases with Fords vague, undocumented allegations in a very biased atmosphere is gross! It’s disrespectful to those who lived the horror and not right..
1
The three people who Ford named as witnesses said the incident never happened.
Nothing Ford said can be verified... she did not use the bathroom on the first floor amongst the witnesses...no groping possible... she went to the second floor bathroom... otherwise no story.
After the groping she escaped, bloody and abused, down the stairs to the party goers... which now included the two gropers.... No one noticed.
She walked home after the groping... anyone who drove her would remember... when she got home none of her family remember seeing a bloody mouth and torn clothes... ever
The story was polished by 3 very high priced lawyers so nothing could be verified... The 3 denying witnesses would be countered by her sincerity.
2
How very disheartening all of this is.
Not only are the concerns of the victims of sexual misconduct -- women, here, but men can also fall prey -- summarily dismissed, but the bad behavior of a privileged white male is effectively ignored and swept under the rug.
Kavanaugh's bad behavior, however, includes something no person being considered as a Supreme Court justice should ever be guilty of, namely lying under oath.
Shame on all of you senators who lack the backbone to do the right thing and vote no, once and for all. You know very well that Brett Kavanaugh should not sit on the nation's highest bench, yet you're probably going to vote to confirm him anyway. Shame on you for turning a blind eye, and for allowing your insatiable lust for power to overshadow the needs of the country.
It's not too late to do the right thing, of course. Shame on you if you don't.
1
Regardless of whether Kavanaugh gets on the Supreme Court, and regardless of what men who want to attack Dr. Ford think, even if Roe v Wade is taken down, women are not simply going to 'lie back and enjoy it.' That ship has sailed. It's too bad that we're going to have to engage in another fight to control our reproductive rights, and maybe even our voting rights - I've read more than one comment in various places for men who want to repeal our voting rights - but fight we will. The rest of you, sooner or later, we'll have to get your foot off of our necks.
I am a survivor of both molestation as a 4 yr old little girl and of gang rape at 21. I am now 50 yrs old and I remember everything. To this day I could take you to the house and show which bedroom it took place and show where the 2 twin beds were placed. I remember what he did to me and what he made me do to him. I remember someone opening the door and him telling him to get out. This was 46 yrs ago. I also remember everything that led up to the event of being raped by a gang of men, before, during and after, and I was very intoxicated.
I blamed myself for these assaults for many years. It wasn't until my 2 daughters neared the age that my molestation occured, and seeing how innocent and precious they were, that I realized it couldn't have been my fault. The rape was harder to work through the shame, anger and self-blame. I spent years in therapy and eventually checked into a 21 day inpatient program for trauma victims. Never at any time did I blame other men for what happened to me nor did I demand anyone listen to me or believe me. This was something I needed to deal with and my experience was uniquely personal to me. I finally had to let go and not let my abusers continue to have power over me. A quote that still rings true to me is, "Holding on to resentment is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. You're only hurting yourself."
Having said all this I did not find Ms Ford to be very credible
1
Women do not often have the opportunity and the courage to speak of their pain. Maria Gallagher's voice quivered with the anger that she, as a woman, has pressed into hiding for so long. Her deep sincerity was unmistakable.
It would be lovely if men, like Senator Flake, and women, like Maria Gallagher, could sit and have quiet and truthful conversations. The world is changing in that direction. Each public demonstration of men lacking the courage to listen with humility and respect, moves another portion of the human race towards a more passionate and steady striving for justice for men and women.
I cried the moment I heard Maria Gallagher and saw Senator Flake trying to resolve his choices between being politically stiff and empathetically just. I wrote about the changes for women in this blog post. http://www.boxoftales.com/2018/09/women-will-be-silenced-no-more.html
1
Actually the new cry should be, "Have this person removed from the building and let me get back to work." Evidently security in DC mostly stands around.
3
Your leap that this demonstrates shame is preposterous.
Your experience is your own. Flake was clearly empathetic and sympathetic, but your situation was not the situation he was deeply concerned with - and you bizarrely assume that Kavanagh is guilty, without any evidence.
Flake was tired, troubled, had huge issues on his mind. A person shouting relentlessly is offensive but demonstrates much more about the shouter. The shouter should be ashamed.
4
Got it - Whoever screams loudest and claims to have been the biggest victim wins.
That sure is easier than rational fact-based discussion. It’s this silly conduct and lack of sophistication that embarrasses normal women everywhere. Thanks for setting back the quest for equality 20 years.
5
Maria, you have displayed the attitude of a bully who jumps in a man's face and threatens him physically. I would have probably reacted in fear and removed the threat from my presence.
7
Being assertive and brave has nothing to do with it.Let me see I cant think of a problem I would have that I would go to the Washington Post first before I would go to the police and my lawyers Mellow dramtic table pounder that all it sums up to.Follow the money.There certainly better ways to get your point across then to bully up and be over drantic in front of the media .I would like see if if a man did what she did I'm sure it would be considered some form of sexual abuse
5
Had a man confronted a female Senator as these women did Flake security would have been called immediately, he would have been arrested for assaulting the Senator, and he would have been castigated in the media as a bully. A double standard exists when it's a woman doing the bullying. Gallagher was a bully and found an easy target in Flake.
7
To all the commenters here who think Mr. Kavanaugh is in the clear because Dr. Ford's allegations are "not corroborated":
I would like to remind you it is in Sharia law that the testimony of a woman is worth, literally and legally, less than half that of a man.
Tell me again why we're so exceptional?
1
@Maria
She lied about being afraid of flying. She lied about why she installed a 2nd front door and when she did that (2008, not 2012 in therapy).
What else did she lie about?
3
It's frustrating for a true progressive, like myself - who wants to see a fairer distribution of income and wealth (going forward) - to watch the profit- driven media industry create an irrational and hyper-polarized political environment where privileged and self-righteous "liberals" have become the voice of the left, at the expense of the working class and truly disenfranchised. Not only are they bogus leaders for political reform, but their political stunts seem poorly thought out and counter-productive. Attacking the most open-minded and left-leaning members of the opposition, in an elevator or elsewhere, seems short-sighted. Likewise, the political persecutiion (or anything that could be interpreted as such) of a likely, lifetime judicial appointee seems ill-advised. The commercial and establishment-protecting forces that are driving devisive public opinion are the real problems here.
4
If all the sexual assault survivors in the world were in a line, how many times would it reach around the globe?
How about a line just within the US?
Perhaps the NYT can gives us a graphic. An approximation of course but it would be a powerful and undeniable visual representation.
Thank you Maria. We are with you.
2
How many comments come down to "Know your place"?
How many reflect the Kavanaugh's attitude, "How dare you accuse?" How dare you speak up to a man?"
How many dismiss her word as unbelievable but his without question?
How many acknowledge the wisdom of the predator to insure their victims are isolated, alone, and conveniently, left without proof. Convenient that our laws written for property crimes support predators, isn't it?
How many comments can be summed as "We don't care"?
An ambush. That's what this looked like to me. Flake was cornered in an elevator. How times did Blake's assistants push the button to close the door? Flake should have exited the elevator, or at least been allowed to exit, and engaged in a civil conversation. This was a concocted, made for TV moment.
Where was security?
8
Is this what really bother you about all of this drama?! I wish you well anyway.
Sorry for that outburst, I was watching our president, and he got the worst of me to come out.
Enough already! Brave? For risking your arm in stopping the elevator door from closing?
3
Yesterday, one of these self-described "survivors" hopped into an elevator with Joe Manchin from West Virginia.
Joe handled it much better than Flake.
When asked why he was not "looking at me", he replied "I am looking at you." When then asked "why are you going to vote for Kavanaugh?" he replied, "How do you know I will?"
The "protestors" impress as a Leftist mob, not much different from the Facebook employees who are reportedly upset at a company official who showed up during the hearing to show his support for friend, Brett Kavanaugh. As if the employees have some "right" to an explanation of who we choose to have as friends on our own time.
I far more admire the women, and men, who are too busy working hard everyday to make a living for their family.
And if these "survivors" are sincere, then they would take a closer look at how Dr. Ford hurt their cause because her story is falling apart. Her ex-boyfriend's claims that he saw her helping her girlfriend, a now retired FBI agent, learn to defeat the polygraph. And this same "friend" sought to pressure Leland Keyser to "clarify" her non-corroboration statement, to better support Dr. Ford.
But I do wish to thank the "survivors" for energizing the GOP base and independent voters who are disgusted by "victim politics" and the tactics used against a good man to destroy him and his family just because he probably did not vote for Hillary.
Confirm him.
6
African Americans were grotesquely beaten over and over, and they marched from Selma to Montgomery, a five day trek just for the right to vote. And that was 45 years after an Amendment had been passed so they could vote! Look it up.
Republican leaders have done everything they can to suppress our voting rights - demanding voter ID’s, confusing us which ID’s can be used, ditching voter registration lists, closing voter registration places, redistricting to suit their wishes, and more.
Voting is our voice. Voting is our voice. Voting is our voice.
Don’t just think about showing up on November 6th, do it. Bring your friends. Bring your family members. Bring your neighbors. Help register people to vote. Go door to door and canvass. Get on the phones to help out.
But most of all - vote. Think about the bravery of women who have come forward, who have fought for so many rights that have been taken away, and threatened to be taken away. Don’t allow your mind to tell you your vote is not important - it is your voice.
Brett Kavanaugh is an angry, arrogant man. He will sit at the bench of the highest law of the land. But so will Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. You know who nominated these women? Democratic Presidents. And you know where those Democratic Presidents first served? In their home states as Democrats.
So vote, women, vote if you care about women. And I dare say, vote Democrat! Do it!
3
Perhaps the most awful aspect of this whole episode is the fact that now the lines in the sand between Republicans and Democrats have been dug even deeper.
It establishes that there is a political party in the US that endorses a liar and a potential sexual assaulter to sit on the Supreme Court for life....after a 4 day FBI investigation that did not include interviewing the accuser? This will not be forgiven easily.
It officially establishes that political bias for a Supreme Court justice is OK. It establishes that the Republican party has no interest in appropriate judicial temperment and impartiality when promoting a nomination for this uniquely special institution.
It establishes the mind blowing concept that the opinions of the American Bar Association and over 1000 law professors and legal scholars are to be casually dismissed.
If Brett Kavanaugh is placed on the Supreme Court, the reputation of the Court and the Senate will be forever tarnished - ruined for a generation or more.
We can only hope that Democrats will retake Congress and begin impeachment hearings to remove this deeply flawed person from the bench.
Based on his behavior it will be impossible for his verdicts and opinions to be taken seriously. It invites legal and social chaos.
And he will be endlessly booed out of restaurants...I hope he likes "take out or delivery".
1
Maria,
I am sorry about what happened to you, but you cannot crucify all men because of your assailant.
I have never assaulted anyone, and if I were accused I would want to defend my innocence. And so would you.
Sexual assault is a crime, but so is making false accusations.
I am not saying that Ms. Ford was lying but her memory was too foggy to withstand a serious inquire.
Additionally, the way the Democrats addressed the issue was morally corrupt. To say the least.
6
It may be too late to prevent Kavanaugh from changing the judicial landscape of this country but it's not too late to sweep the tin-eared Republicans out of office in the midterms. My neighbor said that women should be outraged. No. Everyone should be outraged.
4
Thank You for your courage, Ms. Gallagher!!!! You spoke for millions of us when you cornered Jeff Flake in that elevator. You are a hero!
1
I was raped in July of 1971 by a recently returned Vietnam vet. He was made an advisor for a church youth group as part of his readjustment to “the world”. I was 15. When I discovered he had already done this to two others, I decided it would end with me and outed him to the pastor in charge. I was told he had been through a war and probably suffered a lot. Nothing was done. In retrospect, this was much more damaging than the rape itself. I’ve been open about this for years, but have contempt for the military and cannot bring myself to thank anyone for their service. I would relish the opportunity to confront Hatch, Grassley, et al, and make them look me in the eye.
5
Ms. Gallagher is a true American hero. What a shame we don't actually have democracy in the United States, otherwise her wishes and the wishes of women (and others) like her would matter as much as those of corporations and evangelicals and, of course, as much as those of white men who nurse fantasies of aggrievement.
1
Guess what? He ignored you. Terrible. And he’s the sympathy one. How can you now,try to continue to get into the minds and not just force them to pay lip service? Thanks much for you bravery.
1
Yes. Spot on. I support you.
— a 70 year old voter.
I always vote.
2
Do you live in his district? Isn't he supposed to represent his constituents?
2
You courageously spoke for so many Americans, women as well as men. We need your rage, channeled in exactly the way you did, spontaneously.
And we need to vote!
2
Thank you for your bravery! May your actions loosen the GOP's hold on White women in this country, which would loosen the GOP's hold on all three branches of government.
1
I found Gallagher's accosting of Flake in the elevator to be offensive, and similar to the aggressive, obnoxious tactics of those Republican senators screaming during the hearings. I felt sorry for Flake, a sitting senator, forced into a corner of the elevator, forced to be yelled at, unable to simply walk away, because cameras were filming.
44
@DLPThen it is a good thing you are not in the Senate. If this is the only way one will listen, they deserve to be cornered. It is their job.
@DLP I've seen a few comments here accusing Ms. Gallagher of being a "bully, " and I find this opinion frankly infuriating, to say nothing of idiotic. I simply don't understand how someone can think that a woman demanding that a man acknowledge her humanity and her suffering is any way comporable to harassment. It's certainly not comprable to what she and Dr. Ford have suffered. Flake must be held accountable for his behavior, for his willingness to ignore what the people want. Is this "aggression?" Even if it is, I say it's right. People like Flake must be compelled to listen, since otherwise they won't. He absolutely should be ashamed of himself, because his behavior is shameful.
Speaking of shameful, it's frankly apalling that you think a woman making her voice heard is somehow worse than men raping women and other men ignoring our pain. You should be ashamed of yourself too.
Ms. Gallagher:
There are some basic aspects of law that need to be considered when charged with a crime in the United States.
1. Evidence
2. Corroboration
3. Jury evaluation of 1 and 2.
At the moment, we are missing 1 and 2, hence, 3 cannot occur.
Surely, you are not suggesting that we, all, become convinced of Kavanaugh's guilt without evidence, independent corroboration, and, jury evaluation??
You are not suggesting we move to a "show trial" state that the Soviet Union used to leverage are you?
Dr. Ford made here (unsubstantiated) case. She sounded credible, but, in the USA,
-> she needs independent evidence. Not just feelings and emotion.
Kavanaugh, although I don't like the fact that he is a spoiled, rich, party boy, deserves what everyone gets:
Fair evaluation. And, he has done.
No corroboration or evidence matters.
8
@Michael He wasn't being charged with a crime. He was being interviewed for a job. The committee was considering his suitability as a Supreme Court justice. They weren't considering evidence in a trial. This wasn't a trial. Repeat, this wasn't a trial. It was a job interview. The candidate is unsuitable for a number of reasons. His outright obvious partisanship is one of the glaring reasons.
2
@Michael
We are missing 3. Therefore we don't need 1 or 2.
Given the charges of a boorish, drunken, aggressive attack using strength there was corroboration enough in Kavanaugh's own testimony, calendar, and artifacts to support that he was a alcohol fueled entitled, aggressive, strength training, entitled, spoiled, rich, lying, party boy (and still is) that made the charges believable and plausible.
Proof? No. Convenient isn't it that the predators design the laws so that they can prey at will leaving the victims without recourse?
But why not move on to someone else who doesn't have a cloud over there head? Be honest. If you heard that a daycare provider was charged with sexually exploiting kids would you leave your kids there - until the charges were proved or look elsewhere? We should do no less for our country. That's why qualifying for the highest positions isn't a trial.
2
Thank you for being brave.
May G-d bless and protect our democracy.
2
Sen. Flake knows a dumpster fire when he sees one. He also has a conscience, which is required to be shamed into an action.
Politics is about compromise. Exactly what one compromises is an individual choice.
3
True integrity is keeping to what you know is right… even if it costs you everything.
2
Ms. Gallagher, please do not let these other posts shame you for what you did. They forget that these representatives work for us, the people that put them there. They are supposed to listen and act on behalf of their constituents’ interests. While they don’t deserve the threats that they have been receiving, they do deserve to be cornered if they refuse to even reply to the normal routes of contacting them.
2
I always thought the democrats advocated for children (anyone under 18) who committed crimes. They always want no sentence or forgiveness, stating studies that children can be rehabilitated to become a good member of society.
Not saying there was a crime here, but both were teenagers, yet the democrats are going full force.
Nobody have faith in you anymore. All you have done is raise the radicals, most middle of the aisle are flipping. I am.
7
I'm sympathetic to your pain and the assault you endured. However, Christine Ford was a political tool, used against her will and in a manner that harms women who have truly been assaulted. Senators who vote to confirm Kavanaugh are more respectful of women than most of the Democrats on the panel who employed Ford for their end and not for victims of sexual assault.
8
Ms. Gallagher, like so many others on the Left, seems to think that the upcoming Senate vote is a referendum on sexual abuse of women with judge Kavanaugh being the de facto poster child for same. It's not obviously, and this ludicrous conflation has seriously clouded the judgement of the angry minions we see shouting in the streets of Washington and elsewhere.
The claims of sexual abuse against Kavanaugh remain claims and nothing more, irrespective of whom you 'believe'. But in the end, it's what we know, and not what we believe, that counts. And since we don't know what actually happened to these accusers, the accused must be given the benefit of doubt. If you don't want a conservative elected to the SCOTUS, fine. But that should be the Only basis of your protest.
6
@Steven Robinson
Well said.
1
Maria, none of us matter to republicans except donors. Money talks and they listen. Otherwise, we are to step off.
1
maria you are a HERO. don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. i don’t think the senate, including flake, will do the right thing. but what you did was so powerful regardless of the outcome.
to everyone saying maria should have been more polite, i can not describe how far my eyes are rolling back in my head. you probably think kavanaugh was justified in yelling at senators during his job interview last week. but women, ask nicely!
2
McGahn got Sanders to say he didn't have anything to do with with OKing Porter's FBI check, either. We need to see his letter to FBI.
How many men of this low quality has McGahn allowed into office? I question his judgement.
1
No, I don't believe Dr. Ford. In your world Dr. Ford accuses and cries so she's a hero, while Judge Kavanaugh denies and cries so he's guilty of toxic masculinity.
Accusations about assault should be taken seriously; but bad things will happen if we proceed from a certainty that a woman's accusations must be accurate.
9
@Mark Agree with you.
2
I wish I agreed with you, Maria.
But, when a sitting US Senator is getting into a elevator; during trying hearings; with all thats weighing on him, and you want his attention where there is distraction of emotion, and yelling and confusion.
Well, his obligation is to remain calm, don't escalate and don't engage.
He did the right thing. Even if it didn't play well on television or in your mind.
By the way....Kavanaugh should not be confirmed. But Senator Flake did you no wrong.
7
We shouldn't have to rely on a male Republican, Flake, from a red state, to do the right thing here. Women held in their hands the chance to elect the first female president, and instead most White women chose Trump, a sexist and a predator with zero experience in government. The reality is that the Court's fate was decided by that monumental choice. Most White women decided that an extremist on the right wing was the person who should remake the judiciary. There just wasn't enough support to go another way. Women cannot blame Flake for his decision, whatever it may be, when they couldn't even get their own acts together to prevent this scenario to begin with by the simple act of choosing differently within the confidential quarters of the ballot box. The decision was stark and obvious. I appreciate the concern shown by some at this late date, but the deal was sealed when so many women -- who constitute a majority in this country with every opportunity to vote as they please -- bashed Hillary, bolstered Bernie, voted for Trump, and thus hanged themselves in 2016.
3
O.K., I get it. Women are speaking out as never before about their mistreatment. But it seems to me that those who speak out on their own behalf should speak out on behalf of those similarly situated. Yet women want affirmative action for themselves without similarly supporting blacks or Hispanics or any other minority. They were not particularly outspoken in the gay marriage movement or on behalf transgender rights.
Women track men in virtually all equal right matters other than their own equal rights. Those who are outspoken about their own mistreatment without supporting others who have been mistreated might as well be white males.
2
Thank you for finding your voice and speaking up. What Agent Orange did on Tuesday was dispicable. The ovary wave is coming.
2
Your confrontation with Jeff Flake tore a hole in my heart. I can not see and hear that video without choking up. You forced Jeff Flake, and every viewer of the video to face the real human costs, physical and emotional, of the dismissive and condescending attitudes we as a society have had to victims of sexual assault. We all need to be able to look you and every woman like you, in the eye, hear you, and learn. Only then can we, as individuals, and as a society, begin to heal.
26
“It is about telling us that what happens to us matters. That our traumas are not something to be ignored but are to be believed and investigated.”
That traumas should be believed first and investigated later is antithetical to the presumption of innocence, a cornerstone of our democracy. Without corroboration, victims’ allegations are only as credible as the accused’s denials.
7
I must say that the idea of one, two, three, or even one hundred people in an elevator having the ability to influence political policy that affects a nation of 325 million people just does not add up.
At least to me.
Broadcasters and their commentators pontificate from within the NY/DC corridor and West Coast communities; they seem to forget that the "great unwashed" of the flyover states have some say in the policies their representatives enact in Washington.
The argument that this country's wealth is influenced by a small number of billionaires whose combined wealth controls something like 98% of the money supply is a valid point.
Maria Gallagher and her activist compatriots are enjoying the timing of being able to walk with a big stick.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez' disastrous decision to appear on the cover of Interview magazine in a $3500 outfit is a stinging rebuke of her Socialist position: she just could not resist the look and feel of a designer outfit, even if it was for a photo shoot.
Castro's casual military uniform and cap would had some serious impact.
Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms are referred to in the first person.
"Facebook" blows up. "Instagram" cries.
The internet sites post 5 or 6 reader posts out of MILLIONS to back up their point.
I want to live in a society that has a refined approach to change.
I am not looking forward to the next French Revolution.
There won't be any cake.
9
This heartfelt article not withstanding there is absolutely not one shred of corroboration for Dr. Ford’s story and yes there are inconsistencies in her story as well. Facts should matter.
46
@FDB I have been sexually assaulted in multiple situations throughout my life and not one of them included a witness that could testify on my behalf. I could not tell you every detail of the individual days they occurred, but they did occur. In most of the cases I did not file charges, because the one instance that I did led nowhere other than the adult abuser working at the grocery store a mile away from where the assault on a 15 year old stranger occurred. Please understand that there are not always witnesses. We do not always call the police. We do not always tell friends/family. These are the product of a broken society that has failed to listen to sexual abuse victims. They are not facts to be used against the victims.
5
@LRuals -but in Ford's case she named 4 witnesses, at least to the party. none agree.
Your case was different, that is why we use our brains to analyze these things, and not just jump to conclusions.
1
@FDB
So Ford's insistency matter and Kavanaugh's not? When facts should matter, to borrow it from Trump, it should be on all sides.
To say the least, Ford's therapist's notes dated back several years matter more because they precede Ford's accusation and Kavanaugh's ascendency
2
I'm sorry you were assaulted. It's horrible and you do matter. Everybody matters and that's what you don't get. You want to be heard. Neither you nor anyone else has a right to bully anyone, even a lowly Senator (and many are very lowly - not Flake - I like him) as a result of what has troubled you. You have no right to demand that you get a hearing as opposed to a million other people, some who are in far worse circumstances than you. We all know that those who make noise get heard and sometimes the most troublesome get their way. I can't help it if I like it when they don't. What I've seen over the last few weeks has been a travesty, an attempt to reverse everything that seems true with a storyline with things that might possibly be or what people wish was the case. And real people, good people suffer. And it seems like those who are seeking a hearing don't give a damn about innocent victims. Forget Kavanaugh, though I do think he's been horribly victimized too - his wife, his kids, his parents, his friends? What do you care, right? You suffered so they have to also, right? That seems to be so many people's attitudes and I don't get it. You wouldn't like it if you were called a racist, would you, called a child molester, based on someone's 35 year-old memory that no one even wants to seem to vet out of fear they will be called a bully by you and others? They used to hang and burn witches on evidence like that. I guess he can be thankful for that.
16
I unequivocally support survivors and oppose this nominee. But for this editorial to be published without acknowledging the author's affiliation with a left-wing partisan group - the Center for Popular Democracy, which is the heir of ACORN - and was clearly targeting Flake up in a planned provocation undermines the credibility of the New York Times.
17
Marie Gallagher, thank you for your courage and for appealing to Senator Flake's better angels. I can't imagine what it was like for you to say out loud what happened to you when you weren't planning on it. I hope, even if Kavanaugh is confirmed (as I'm afraid he will be) you will find healing strength from what your brave actions and it will bring you some comfort. The arc of the universe bends toward justice and your action is an important part of its progress.
1
@jhillmurphy
She's an activist, and the action was evidently planned for maximal media exposure. So please spare us the "bravery" and other inapplicable qualifiers.
5
@Chris spare us your ignorance of what it is to be sexually assaulted and the difficulty of telling the public the most traumatic crime that can be done to people. Spare us also your need for women to be silent about it. Silence is what enables sexual assailants to commit their crimes. I'll spare you nothing.
This is powerful piece. No doubt it took great bravery for her to do what she did in that elevator. Likewise Dr. Ford.
However - and there is a however - there is still the matter of due process. It is possible to believe these women, as I do, and still recognize that it is fair to ask the question of whether an individual's career should be adversely affected, in some cases terminated, by uncorroborated accusations from believable women. Yes, had the FBI investigation been allowed to take more time, interview more witnesses, perhaps someone would have been able to corroborate Dr. Ford's account. Yet, at this moment, 11PM on Thursday night, it appears that that has not happened; and so, we are still left with a maybe. Which takes us back to the question: can you, is it right, to diminish a person's career because he might have assaulted a woman as a teenager over 30 years ago? I find this a very difficult question to answer, as, I'm sure, do any conscientious Republican senators tonight.
7
That sir is NOT the question. Rather the question is did Kavanaugh lie to hide an inconvenient truth while in the senate hearing.
2
I am in awe of your courage and inspiration to walk in there, confront a senator directly and make your voice heard. But you did more than just speak loudly and passionately, you also made an effort to connect with someone in power who could possibly make a difference. And then you followed up your efforts to connect with even more people in power with this beautifully worded essay. I hope that you continue to fight for the right of sexual assault victims to be taken seriously and have their claims fairly investigated. I also hope that those who would deride your actions as calculated political theater might recall that Rosa Parks' famous act of civil disobedience was calculated, too. But that didn't make it any less genuine, brave or valid in its purpose. I think she'd be proud.
2
I have talked to a large number of sexual assault survivors, both women and men, and I don't blame a single one of them for being angry about what happened to them. And I understand that many sexual assault victims have had their pain triggered by following the proceedings regarding Mr. Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford.
But I think we need to be careful here.
First, Mr. Flake did not owe Ms. Gallagher eye contact or a listening ear. She was a total stranger, approaching him aggressively, cornering him in an elevator. If a man had approached a female Senator in this way we would not have liked it, would we?
Second, these hearings were about the suitability of one man for a position on the Supreme Court. While I do not think he is suitable, if he is confirmed, it will not be about Ms. Gallagher or any other sexual assault survivor.
Lastly, if you are a sexual assault survivor, please protect yourself emotionally and not interpret all of this political posturing as though it means that no one cares about your suffering.
I care and so do many others. But the world of politics can be an ugly place - don't expect to find validation there.
14
Where are the New York Times' editors? They let this woman get away with portraying this as a random encounter in which she "had no idea" what she was about to say, rather than the choreographed piece of theater by strident political activists, which is what it was.
Here's who the women are: the executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy and an activist with the group. And who subsidizes the center? George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
Either the Times' editors didn't know this, or they are willfully attempting to fool readers. Either way, its a shoddy performance.
57
This is a young person's disease - a remarkable self-assurance that people want to hear their 'personal' story and that the act [and celebration] of confrontation is more important than the hard work to actually take on social issues and make the world a better place.
And yeah - Ms. Gallagher - that should be - and actually is part of your job as a young 'activist'.
49
@SteveRRSteve, it figures, ... from a man. How do you know what else she does?
If you wanted a conversation of real engagement with Flake, all you had to do was say so. You didn't. You wanted theater in a public elevator, just like the people who accosted Senator Cruz and his wife in the restaurant wanted theater, not a conversation. You each got it. And now we're going to get Kavanaugh, and blowback in November from freshly motivated Republicans who may have been sympathetic but who think people should be able to ride elevators and dine with their spouses in peace. Thank you so much for your backfiring contribution to the public discourse.
17
@Observer of the Zeitgeist
It's difficult to reach Cruz. Only his washington office phone number is available. It is answered by a machine. Not sure if he has any offices in Texas. His email contact form has one line. It's very difficult to type in. You have to type what you want to say in a word document and paste it in that one line. He rarely responds. As a Texan, I am grateful to the people who interrupted Ted's dinner. Perhaps if he did his job, people would respect him.
1
Leave aside for the moment your particular situation and if Kavanaugh is suited for a seat in the SCOTUS (he isn't), and consider whether an accusation, no matter how credible, should be enough to derail anyone's career or life? Look, I am no fan of the GOP and of Kavanaugh - the man is just plain objectionable, but I do worry very much about accusations becoming synonymous with guilt . . . I grant you are a survivor, but you are not impartial or neutral and, really, what gives you the right to condemn an accused to guilt - surely that is mob or vigilante justice. And is that we want . . .
17
You speak only of the treatment of the "survivor." You make absolutely no mention of the treatment of a man accused of such charges. Do you not really think that the treatment of both should be fair and even-balanced? I hope - if you're ever asked to sit on a jury handling such accusations - please, please let the judge know that you cannot be impartial and fair to both sides. Yes, I know Judge K isn't in a court of law addressing these charges, but your viewpoint is disqualifying by itself, in exactly the same way that judges excuse such biased jurors "for cause."
14
I weep for America.
Quietly sitting here- I think: Where has the humanity gone?
Can they not see past ambition and see what they are about to do?
Please Senators... please think!
6
Ma'am, you and your friend deserve medals. It may not change the outcome, but the risk you took gave some of us hope for a little while. We need more like you.
6
Gallagher was confronting Flake, bringing her anger and emotions into, of all places, a public elevator (aided by a convenient recording device). She wasn't looking to debate the senator but rather hold him up to public ridicule. No matter how he responded to her he was going to lose, she was going after him with the intent to humiliate and embarrass him. But, with such an emotionally charged issue, that has become the way we approach such issues.
10
I would like to add to my previous comment that I am thankful everyday for the women who keep fighting for our rights and the men who stand with us. I do not want to give the impression that this situation is all men against all women, which is certainly not true.
3
The central problem here is that the Republican senators have apparently forgotten that they work for, among others, the women in their own states and districts who have been sexually assaulted.
The hearing and their own comments tell us that they believe they work for men, for Mr. Kavanaugh's sponsors, for evangelicals, for the president, and for their Republican party.
As a practical matter, because Ms. Gallagher lives in DC, which has no senators, any of the senators, including Mr. Flake, can be thought of as representing her.
3
I am against the confirmation of Kavanaugh for familiar reasons among progressive Dems: his position on presidential power; his likely position on environmental regulation; his position on abortion. In spite of my own partisan views, I remain possessed by conscience. Victimhood and its attendant outrage do not justify assaultive behavior. Cornering a senator and blocking him in an elevator is using your own victimhood to justify behavior that itself borders on non-sexual assault. Such actions will come around to haunt us on the progressive left in ways the author of this column cannot anticipate. The public condemnation of sexual assault and harassment will help make a better society for all of us -- on and off the workplace. I hope against hope that the less scrupulous, demagouges among #Me Too -- all movements have them -- do not use victimhood and outrage to perpetrate and justify some of the very behavior which, if they were the target, would be condemned. I hope to read one column in the NYT, authored from among my progressive peers, which reflects the conscience and courage needed to speak against such conduct. Many of us have been victims. Some from among these numbers have taken our experience and used it as a guide to a compassionate restraint against abusing those whose views and actions we despise. "The victims of evil become the perpetrators of evil," wrote W.H. Auden. Let us hope that we do not witness the swing of such a pendulum today.
11
Maria
I was attacked, striped naked, with a hand gun held two inches from my face, then pressed hard against the base of my skull. Eventually, strangers came along and the assailant fled. I reported the attack immediately. It did not help.
The two LAPD police officers thought it was hilarious and mocked me while taking my statement. "Are you sure that it wasn't a toy gun?" (As a expert marksman and owner of several guns, I knew what I was talking about, but they really didn't care.)
The next day, I got a call from my credit card company telling me that my card was being used at a specific location. I immediately called and informed the detective assigned to my case. He asked, "Well, what do you want me to do?" Long story short, the police did nothing.
BTW, I am a white male and this assault happened in an affluent location. My most shameful thought was that I was unable to defend myself. Like almost blaming myself. So I have some understanding of how humiliating and frustrating reporting sexual assault can be.
3 points, if I may:
- First, sincere best wishes healing from the trauma.
- We need better police training on how to deal with sexual assault victims.
- Please consider that just because you were assaulted does not mean that all sexual assault accusations are true. It seems that your justified rage may be affecting your reason, which long term may not help the healing process. Well my take anyway.
9
@John Hamilton
Does she not have the right to ask that sexual assault allegations be taken seriously and investigated? Blasey-Ford's were not investigated thoroughly. She was not interviewed, the former FBI agent who gave her the lie detector test was not interviewed, Kavanaugh was not interviewed. Classmates who corroborate her story and Ramirez' stories were not interviewed. Swetnick has not been interviewed. No one is calling to lock Kavanaugh up. Is he really the best candidate they can find to serve on the Supreme Court? Read up and you'll see there is more at stake than sexual assault or Roe v. Wade. We're being played.
1
@Irene Heitsch
She does not have the right to demand that the Democrats' plan to delay the nomination be executed just because she confuses what she says happened to her with what Blasey unconvincingly alleges happened to her. Nor does she have the right to make false equivalencies between Flake ignoring her with him not caring about victims. I still wonder what his feelings towards victims have to do with the confirmation process; whatever.
In any case, Gallagher is an activist, and whatever cause she created this circus for suffered from her evident issue with rationality.
@Irene Heitsch
I agree, she does have the right to ask that accusations of sexual assault be taken seriously.
I think fair minded people can also wonder why Senator Feinstein didn't push harder to get the allegation investigated sooner. This could have saved Dr. Ford a massive amount of suffering and pain.
I found Dr. Ford to be a very credible witness. I believe her.
However, I must admit that there seems to be little or no corroborating witnesses or evidence. That is not her fault - it has been something like 36 years. It seems unreasonable to think that further investigation will yield little more than what we already know.
I feel for Dr. Ford that she will see no justice for her sincerely held recollections. However, for the sake of both men and women, we can not determine a person's guilt on accusation alone.
Have you been drinking?
Let’s turn this around. Say you are a white, prosperous man who has a little too much to drink at a party and takes a little doze on a couch. An hour later you wake up, and a man you barely know has turned you over, pulled down your trousers, and is attempting or has managed to insert his penis into your rectum. He is bigger than you, and after all you are half asleep, and when you protest he puts his hand over your mouth so you can’t breathe, he snarls At you as you writhe under him, trying to extricate yourself.
But, hey, it’s not assault, you were drinking, weren’t you?
7
"Show us we matter."
You don't matter.
But you should.
Senator Flake was torn by you, as he should be. But now he's looking for an excuse not to buck the White House and face further Trumpian fury.
To Mitch McConnell, you don't matter at all. He seeks power and control for his party, by any means necessary and you are, to him, merely an annoyance.
To Lindsey Graham, you don't matter. Part of him probably cares, but he wants Jeff Sessions' job so badly he's sold his soul and he'll sell yours to get it.
Even to Republican women, who should know better, you don't matter, at least not enough in their blue-eyed zombie drone world.
To the rest of the Republicans, you don't matter. They all get in like--you know, the GOT blue-eyed zombies who do what their evil master wants.
To Brett Kavanaugh you don't matter. He's the epitome of the elitism of the Omegas in "Animal House" combined with the nihilism of the Deltas. Clearly, for him, women fall into 2 distinct categories: Mother/Daughter/Sister/Wife....and plaything to be used and abused and discarded. You can see it in his face.
Our children, boys too, are taught when bullied on the schoolyard to go to the adults, who then betray them and say "go work it out yourself!" And when they fight back, they get suspended.
I don't have any daughters or sisters, but I had a mother and I have a wife. I have nieces, grand-nieces, sisters-in-law...and sons. Sooner or later this must end, hopefully by law, but by any means necessary.
3
You might be able to sue that "therapist" for malpractice. At a minimum you can report them to the appropriate licensing board and register a complaint.
The brave and courageous Ms. Gallagher might have been the difference in making Flake call for an FBI investigation. But we now know the investigation was a flim-flam sham. Even if it had been real, the no doubt edited and redacted summary is being handed to Senators by Trump himself, instead of the FBI. That's after we had to read what appeared to be an earnest plea from former Fed James Comey earlier in the week. Yes, the FBI has been politicized, and not on behalf of the commies or Trump's hallucination of a left-wing conspiracy.
Flake is along with so many other so-called moderate and sensible Republicans just like Lucy holding the football. They make reasonable statements in public ala Collins stating that she never wants to see Roe/Wade overturned. Then they go and vote with their party 95% of the time. Flake's not up for reelection, but if he decides to run for a higher office he knows whom not to insult. If he doesn't run and just wants a position in the private sector, he knows who's buttering the bread.
The question therefore becomes why are we perennially Charlie Brown when we've seen the Charles Schultz specials on TV before? It'd be interesting if Vegas ran odds on the way those we're holding out hope for actually vote . . .
I am a Me-Too woman, now old. I agree with the demand that survivors should be heard with respect, however uncomfortable it is for all concerned. But even more important is that unless potential attackers are taught to fear the consequences, these attacks and other sexual abuses are going to continue. Lip service is not good enough. Good manners are not enough. We have to change the climate by changing real consequences.
2
@B. F.
I'd agree if there were also real consequences for false accusers. Or rather, consequences more direct than the fact that the tradition of false allegations by women has now made most police agencies doubt alleged victims. That isn't on the Patriarchy: it's on the mass of manipulative women claiming victimhood either to get back at sexual partners, for an easy win in custody battles, for attention, or simply to conform to the Feminist narrative that regretted sex is rape.
Insisting that all women be believed goes against the common and deep-ingrained knowledge that all women can't be trusted to tell the truth.
4
I don't know who I adore more.
The woman taking back her dignity (with a little property damage) or the man who documented it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg58WYCvBv0
We are done putting up with these conditions. Kids today EXPECT better of us. No one damaged anyone in that elevator, and speaking out is our duty as citizens! Expect to hear more from us.
3
The GOP runs interference for sexual predators. Period. We will not forget such cretinous acts.
10
I commend your words and your courage. I believe that there will be a time of reckoning for those who think that power and privilege give license to illegal, unethical, and immoral behavior. I may not live to see the transformation that follows, but it is inevitable, and your generation will experience it.
9
If you are robbed, white, and middle class, the cops don't ask, "What were you wearing? Were you drunk? Were you high?" Less true if you're working class, minority, or undocumented.
But if you are gropped assualted, raped, even your white skin doesn't protect you. Look at the Republicans treated Dr. Ford, attacked Democrats, and kept saying that Judge Kavanaugh is the real victim.
Watch Trump's revolting rally in MI--with all his white bros. Watch the tape where he openly mocks Dr. Ford--just a few days after saying that her testimony was "very credible." Watch his buddies laugh and clap. How would they react if this happened to their mothers, their sisters, their daughters?
And little Jared, showing the apple doesn't fall from the tree, claims that now any man would be afraid to run for higher office. No, just any man who wasn't raised to drink responsibly, treat women with respect, and stop any man who dares to hurt a woman.
11
@Rocky Mtn girl
Of course they ask those questions. If you are drunk or high your perception of what happened may be unreliable, and they need to know that. They also need to know what you are wearingfor good reason. If you were a bright red skirt, perhaps a witness noticed what happened. Perhaps the skirt has evidence on it. These are valid and logical things to ask.
2
Thank you for finding the courage somehow to challenge Sen Flake. You are one of our new heroes! It’s a start and we have a long way to go still. But - we will prevail and we will win. We are just beginning to roar! Good luck!
9
@Judi Mayer
Now if we could just find the courage to confront Cruz and Cornyn face to face!
I’ve had egregious acts of wrongdoing committed against me throughout my life. With each, I’ve felt that I had to seek truth before justice. Seeking the truth has taken me away from having children, raising a family, friends and the daily activities most people enjoy. And even as I’ve lived and have had to function under this cloak of darkness, depression and uncertainty, I’ve never sought, the quick and dirty, justice before truth.
Unfortunately, some of us find ourselves wronged. But letting the fury from being wronged drive one to commit an immediate act of revenge or drive one to drive another to commit an act of revenge on their behalf, leaves truth lost forever, the wrongdoing chronically misunderstood and justice sweet but short-lived.
5
Thank you Maria Gallagher for your bravery in voicing a pain so difficult to speak.
Your acts inspired me and gave me hope that we will persist as we support, hear, and care for one another, no matter who else hears or does not hear us.
Thank you Dr. Ford.
Thank you Anita Hill.
Gratitude to all those who speak out and have taken those grave risks, and care and love to those of us who cannot yet find the words.
17
Thank you for your bravery, and your powerful words -- here in this column and to Senator Flake last week.
9
So brave Maria Gallagher is not allowed to speak her mind in the same manner as Brett Kavanaugh? Remember, she is not trying to be elevated to the Supreme Court and does not need to be known for Judicial temperament. As a voter and an activist, her passion is appropriate as the Republican party tries to ram their candidate through.
15
I wonder if lawmakers are consistently confronted by the personal tragedies of citizens if it will make them more empathetic or more hardened.
I understand the intention, but will it achieve the goal?
7
Yes, they never encounter the problems, and now the never even see the poor or visit them. They never would go visit sexual assault victims in their district and spend time with them. They have no intention to walk a mile in the shows of an assault person or even a working class blue collar man out of job.
Your take-aways from this experience are clearly classical examples of confirmation bias: the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories. PLEASE IDENTIFY HOW KAVANAUGH HAS BEEN PROVED GUILTY, THEN YOU CAN LECTURE US ABOUT IGNORING THE PLIGHT OF VICTIMS! There are so many holes in her narrative, especially the fact that the time frame changed only recently from the mid-80's because his presence at the party would have been highly unlikely when he was attending Yale, if not impossible altogether.
12
You weren’t listening to her testimony if you think there are holes in her story. She was very clear about what happened and who did it. What house and what day are not relevant to what happened and who did it. Those two things are enough to disqualify him from the office. Assaults aren’t usually done in front of other people who can be witnesses and corroborate. Her testimony was entirely credible. So much of his testimony was overtly and clearly a lie that he is not at all credible.
1
Sorry, but Flake probably just assured himself a few nice board positions for his retirement and the other two "moderates" are afraid their sponsors will abandon them or even float a primary challenger. The GOP is corrupted to the core.
14
If you can't convince them with logical arguments, create a public spectacle, try to publicly embarrass or shame them into compliance, act like they just don't care as much as you do.
11
@Dan
They don't care or they would have thoroughly vetted the nominee instead of rushing his nomination. They would have released all his writings. Are there no conservative candidates without his baggage? Or just none who consider the president above the law? We're being played.
The author asks that her story be treated with respect. And it should. Thus, if she takes her account to court, or testifies in Congress, or gives an interview to a paper, she deserves to be treated seriously and her message heard with sincerity.
However, what she did was to ambush Senator Flake, and in an extremely disrespectful manner. "Don't look away from me" is a command, and a hostile one. It's a threatening situation.
An angry person, violating his space, yelling at him demeaning words, is hardly someone with whom he should pause and chat. Had I been Senator Flake, I should have wondered if she were armed.
28
Maria,
I wanted you to know I was abducted and molested when I was eleven in the DC area. My parents called police the minute I walked through the door with my clothing torn from my body. Police pursued the case returning to my home to show me a photo of a teenager wearing the same school's sweatshirt my assailant had, but he was not my molester. Then my family never heard from police again.
Springfield PD has no record of my case or my parents' report to police. We may as well have been lying in the eyes of those who dictate who is credible by the GOP's standards. Luckily, my brother told his class all about it for show and tell, so EVERYBODY knew I had been abducted and molested by the next day. But at least parents knew there was unaddressed danger in the woods surrounding Accotink Creek.
I now see I was only fooling myself by attempting to secure the confidence of men who would do it all over again. My security does not lie in the hands of the Patriarchy. They are trying to silence both of us. My case should still be open, but was probably tossed to raise closed case rates.
So to all who feel certified by the state because you reported it, try checking to see if it was aborted before it ever got filed. Reporting is only as worthwhile as your police department. They've come a long way since 1969, and treated me tenderly since they were from the child abuse division understanding how crushing it is to learn they didn't bother to keep record my assault.
18
A very agitated stranger runs up to you and starts screaming about how you are ignoring something bad that they say happened to them. You were not there, you have nothing to do with whatever the person is talking about, have no knowledge of it, and can do nothing to actually help.
I think Jeff Flake's reaction is totally reasonable.
My opinion has absolutely nothing to do with whatever happened to Ms Gallagher.
27
We think that the actions of courageous women like Maria Gallagher and Dr. Blasey, to mention only two of them, will help to alert many parents about the dangers that girls will face during school and college. They should train their daughters to speak and react when a bad guy tries to harm them. Serial offenders should be stopped at once.
The other myth that should be addressed is that going to parties and drink alcohol is an indispensable part of life. When a woman goes to an interview for a job, she does not need to say, for example: "In addition to all my studies, diplomas and experiences I had been in 187 parties"
Boring? No: If a young girl is educated to enjoy books, music, movies, concerts, travel, painting, photography, write code, play piano, run marathons, go to museums, and learn taekwondo, she will not need to drink beer, with irresponsible guys. Peer pressure? No if her mind is trained to be free of that.
Remember: Parties are an open door to alcohol, drugs and harassment. Oh, and car accidents too. No?
4
The only language McConnell & CO respect is BRUTE FORCE.
Anything else is just inconvenient noise.
19
As exhibited by their nominee Kavanaugh. All bluster and vitriol last week. Horrific.
1
Maria, thank you for making the Female Future travel closer to the present!
3
Dear Maria, I'm sorry for what happened to you when you were assaulted. It wasn't your fault and you didn't deserve what happened. Thank you for confronting Senator Flake. I can assure you that your simple demand - Look at me! ripped through the guts of every single assault survivor. In that moment, you were incredibly powerful not just for yourself but for all of us. We all were you in that moment. You made us feel powerful in that moment. We were all so proud of you. We - the millions and millions of women who've been raped or sexually harassed or assaulted - hear you, we see you and we believe you. Don't ever forget that no matter what happens. You are incredibly powerful. Keep using your voice and your bravery to try to make people look at you and see you and hear you.
24
As far as I can tell, Ford is a sham. There is no evidence to support her and her stories are full of inconsistencies. I am 99% sure her story is made up - but you insist that I believe it.
That makes me less willing to believe any story from any assault survivor. I guess the Democrats main goal seems to be to smear Kavanaugh regardless of the facts.
18
@Amy
I'd like to know if you would hire a candidate for a job if several women came forward and the expense of their own reputations to warn you this is not the best choice.
1
@Amy
And your explanation is the very reason assault survivors don't come forward. Because they aren't believed. And they are shamed. Count your lucky stars you are not among them!
Women who were sexually assaulted should not assume that Kavanaugh is guilty. Every case has its own merits. Yes Ford cites a compelling story.
But there is no physical evidence, no contextual evidence, and no corroborating evidence to back her claim. In addition, the other two claims against Kavanaugh lack credibility.
We know that Kavanaugh drank a lot of beer in high school and college. Cocaine was very prevalent at the time (recall deaths of Lenny Bias and John Belushi), and not even drug accusations.
Given the information, it seems reasonable to believe Kavanaugh is innocent.
11
@Dan
If you told me you got beaten by a group of young men for trying to stop them from gang raping a incapacitated girl, I'm supposed to demand a police report before I give you a medal?
My brother thinks he met JFKJ at that house where Swetnick says she was raped, and he knew there were gutless bullies gang raping girls there ala Animal House, but he wasn't there for the beer. It was where all the hard drinkers college students gathered to decide which bar or party to go to that night.
He's had conversations over the last few weeks and some of his old friends remember Brett and his as some of the guys who gave you grief if you tried to kill their rape buzz. He is disgusted he didn't try to do something. One of Bro's friends said another got a severe beating for trying to intervene at one of the parties, and thus we see the patriarchy in its infancy.
The Patriarchy kills more men than it rapes women. But you keep on with demanding we need a conviction before we can reject a job applicant.
Flake acted like he had a conscience. But really his insisting on the pretend FBI investigation made it all but certain K will be installed. All this pretend 'feelings' and understanding from GOP, always was and is completely pretend, so the only solution is vote DEM in Novem.
9
Maria, I have great sympathy for all sex victims. Now, the Democrats elected Hillary Clinton to run against Donald Trump. I voted for neither. I couldn't vote for Trump. I also couldn't vote for Clinton. Why? Because a sex abuser would then have been the First Husband. In addition to Ms. Ford, I have sympathy for Juanita Broaddrick. She was raped by Bill Clinton. Do you share my sympathy?
18
@Brian
I do, and I still think Kavanaugh sexually assaulted Ford and Ramirez. I believe he and Judge were drugging girls for gang rapes. Why did Judge admit to his girlfriend he'd done just that with friends? My brother says it was known girls were gang raped there and his friends recall Brett and Judge being around.
I don't cover for any rapist. Bill still acts like an entitled pig. I loved his press junket, having to face us as the MeToo movement got rolling. But I also know which party is more behind my gender than the GOP is, so politics and my personal take on a part of it can collide. That's when I decide for the greater good.
Bill didn't do anything for me; Anita Hill gave me a job! For nine years I fulfilled a block grant to reduce sexual abuse and domestic violence care of the Congress after the fiasco that was Thomas. Now I have to watch the GOP reinforce all the beliefs and attitudes that allow rape and child and wife beating to be tolerated. Too late, I educated over 40,000 children.
I bet we get a boat load of grants from Congress over the next decade to repair the tear the GOP have wrought in the fabric of our society. All to keep their butts seated in office.
1
Calling this act 'speaking truth to power' seems a bit of a charactization - both in terms of any clear truth (involving Kavanaugh, that is) and the inherent power relations involved (i.e. mainstream media is more Goliath than David).
3
You are brave. And get a different therapist.
112
@Boggle
She's part of what's getting more and more true of our politics: she thinks that accosting people makes her "credible".
It doesn't.
It makes her someone getting her 15 minutes. That, and a NY Times article.
21
"accused" and if he is not guilty? shame
@Boggle
I imagine she'd done that by now, and I think that therapist needs reporting. No one should be treated as if they are making a police report when disclosing sexual abuse to a therapist, so that person is unfit to serve anyone.
I saw a disturbing YouTube video of a fraud saying Ford was displaying signs of brain damage because she was slowly opening and closing her mouth while listening to the Senators and the GOP's beard. That is evidence a traumatized person is deep in recollection because they stop breathing in an unconscious effort to suppress the painful experience by semi-asphyxiation. Any body language specialist or therapist would recognize this if they were professional, but this was just an amatuer hit job.
2
I see a pattern with the comments from men indicating that Ms. Gallagher was out of line with her tone and volume. Ms. Gallagher is our primal scream for the threat of assault, the act of assault and the humiliation that follows such acts. The anger we are seeing is from women who have experienced what Brett Kavanaugh did to Dr. Ford....with impunity. We are fed up. If you don't like her volume, tough. We are fed up with the two tier system that favors men over women.
28
@cece
Yelling at random men isn't going to put actual abusers and rapists behind bars, which is what every decent person wants.
"The system" requires you to actually report your crime, because we're not the USSR where people were locked away based upon the word of another person alone.
And if you wait 30+ years like Ms. Ford to raise the event in a therapy session triggered by a living room remodel, you'll want some evidence, or at least those you claim to have been witnesses to corroborate your story.
2
@cece
For two decades women have been learning just to BREATHE. I think it's about time we said something.
At Senior Day after Tai Chi I told my classmates about having been abducted and molested when I was in 5th grade and then learning my parents' report is non existent as well as the case notes. I am gonna bring this up until talking about sexual abuse is as normal as griping about out taxes.
2
@cece Only Kavanaugh and Graham are allowed to shout in anger, in indignation. Women are supposed to stay silent, after all, it's their fault.
2
I believe Ms. Gallagher's hot-headed efforts actually contributed to Kavanaugh's upcoming confirmation by reconfirming the notion that the "left" employs bullying tactics, and cementing support against opposition to Kavanaugh. Imagine if a Democratic senator had been cornered and yelled at by some Tea Partiers - would the temperature of their rant help convince the senator or Democrats in general? Now we're on track to have this lying, partisan beer-swilling hack on the court for 40 years.
16
Flake’s shame may well be because he knows that behind the scenes Kavanaugh’s confirmation is assured. Commentators are calling Kavanaugh’s outburst male rage and Trump’s mockery of Ford shameful, as if they were genuine emotional responses. Trump’s, Graham’s, Grassley’s, and Kavanaugh’s outbursts were coordinated and effective. Even Flake’s and Collins’ lukewarm criticisms conveniently present a facade of diversity and human decency. The Republican Party has fallen in line on Trump’s misogyny because it energizes his base and wins elections. Trump has been controlling the national discussion, playing the commercial media and Democratic Party for a year and a half. He now has a political machine to back up his rhetoric. The grassroots Resistance is the only independent political force in America.
14
Look at this website. It is the crowdfunding for opposition to senator Collins. The money is pouring in by the tens of thousands of dollars per hour. Democracy at its best. As soon as you look, refresh page and you will understand the sheer magnitude of the issue.
https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/387413/either-sen-collins-votes-no-on...
11
Ms. Gallagher is a brave woman and we should all applaud her courage. Mr. Flake, unfortunately, is neither courageous nor compassionate. We will get confirmation of my assertion after the vote. I pray that I am wrong about Flake's hypocrisy.
7
There needs to be increased security to insure these nut cases cannot corner senators while they are within government buildings. Also when in public those persons harassing senators and those who work for the administration, they need to be arrested and hit with stiff fines after being made to cool their jets behind bars for 24 hours. Harassing is NOT free speech. It has to be stopped and these people need to be prosecuted. I do not care if your an activist or a survivor. you have NO right to disrupt the private lives of public officials
22
Is one a sexual assault survivor based only on the claim of sexual assault or does one have to actually have been sexually assaulted in order to be a survivor?
10
You will never know whether someone is "really hearing" someone else. You cannot.
I do not blindly believe Dr Ford, nor do I blindly believe Judge Kavanaugh. This is because I believe in verifiable facts, logic, and reason. I do not personally know either Dr Ford or Judge Kavanaugh, and so therefore while I give them the minimum of belief, I do not give them blind belief.
The author of this piece does blindly believe Dr Ford, and cannot bring herself to believe Judge Kavanaugh. Why? The author does not personally know either, yet blindly believes one and not the other. Why? The only justification that makes any sense is: The author is relying on emotion and feelings, and not logic or reason.
Dr Ford offered testimony describing what she remembers. None of that testimony has been verified independently - partly because the people Dr Ford claims were there at the time do not recall the event taking place, and partly because Dr Ford is unable to recall details more specific than the bare bones accusation she has voiced.
The author chooses to believe Dr Ford because of her own traumatic experience, and not because of anything else. This is lynch mob mentality.
14
Maria Gallagher, I think you are duping yourself. You do not have the right, no one does, to accost someone with your *fury* or with your *shaming*, and were anyone to avoid you, they would be in complete integrity with themselves.
I think that you yourself need to do some personal critical analysis and, perhaps, entertain the possibility that, even though you feel so very strongly of the righteousness of your cause -- your righteous indignation to use the old term -- no one else in the entire universe has to share your sentiments. No one has to stop and *listen* to you nor *hear* you.
Political people always have to act carefully and must, at least usually, tolerate an over-zealous citizen, and you were tolerated in this way. But no one has to 'look you in the eye' nor in any way shape or form become the subject of your power-game.
And that is the essence of it, in your case: a game of power that you play. To this viewer it is more than merely childish. It extends into a kind of rude brattishness and is too common among the left and progressives.
You win no points with me and you lose a fair number.
18
Ms. Gallagher,
Jeff Flake could not look you in the eye because that would require something that he, and all of his colleagues in the Senate, lack. Courage and conviction. They are morally bankrupt.
You are the courageous one. Do not forget that.
24
@Stan Carlisle Oh please! How in the world is yelling at a Senator about something he has no prior knowledge of brave? No one wants to be ambushed while being filmed by cameras that just happened to be close by. This is absurd theatre for political purposes.
1
The Dems decry Republicans as women haters.
Yea right.
About the most despicable thing you can do to a sexual assault victim is to PUBLICLY OUT HER AGAINST HER CONSENT. And everyone except the most naive know that's exactly what the Dems did to Ford. They didn't tell her the Republicans were willing to fly to California. They didn't tell her that the FBI could do a comprehensive but discreet investigation. No, they withheld it, then leaked it at the last minute to create a public outcry. At her expense.
14
@Jay Lincoln
And they dragged Anita Hill out of obscurity against her will, also. I guess women will empowered whether they want to or not!
2
Wow, it's so bizarre to read comments by people who think Flake was the one who was disrespected!
There really is a cultural divide in this country. Everyone I know is outraged by Kavanaugh and Trump and Flake and all the Republicans who are aggressively creating a racist fascist theocracy. It's the worst of all authoritarian governments rolled into one.
Anyone who doesn't "vote 'em out" (as Willie Nelson's song says) in November is passively complicit in this human tragedy.
20
@sfdphd. Everyone you know probably lives on the West Coast. There are people who live in other places in this country who, believe it or not, have opinions different from everyone you know.
1
Well, here's the thing, Maria. The Kavanaugh confirmation is not about "the treatment of survivors" unless you presuppose that Ms. Ford is in fact a survivor. That has not been determined, so you should be careful here. This may turn out to be a cautionary tale about the treatment of the accused.
11
Thank you Maria. You and Anna Maria were standing on the shoulders of feminists and the fight for equality and civil rights that never ends.
Keep Frederick Douglass in your great heart:
"Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reform. The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing.
If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.
This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both... If we ever get free from the oppressions and wrongs heaped upon us, we must pay for their removal. We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and if needs be, by our lives and the lives of others." Onward!
15
Well, now it seems that Senator Flake is satisfied with the shockingly incomplete FBI investigation and plans to vote to confirm. This would be consistent with his previous record of speaking out against the worst excesses of the President and the party, and then meekly voting with the herd. He's a hollow man, all talk and no action.
19
Sorry but you were rude and obnoxious and just grandstanding. Just because you disagree with his choices doesn't mean you are correct. Show a little respect or at least some class
17
You are a good, brave, and decent woman. How does it feel to be lied to Washington style? Because you can bet that what Flake though wasn't "How can we do the right thing?" What he thought was, "This looks bad, so we have to find a way to hide it?"
11
The disconnect is that the author assumes her belief in her rape sexual assault which she personally experienced and knows to be true is equivalent to Senator Flake's ability to believe a third person's account of a 36 year old, uncorroborated groping offered under hyper-politicized conditions. The two are not comparable.
11
Bravo Maria!!! We do matter, and thank you for your perseverance. At some point, women's assaults will not be swept under the rug, but the only way this will happen is if we keep fighting. We have a president who mocks assault victims, but his days are numbered.
We must do something each and every day to promote victims rights.
Additionally, I ask that people lobby to overturn the statute of limitations regarding sexual assault, particularly with regard to the Catholic church. The church is lobbying against overturning the statute.
What happened to us matters.
THANK YOU for your diligence!
7
Republicans politicians want to be protected from the impact of their policies, appointments, and regulations. Oh, they're fine with protesters harassing young women outside Planned Parenthood clinics, but they want to be left alone in their nice offices, restaurants, and cushy D.C. neighborhoods. They don't want to hear from, let alone meet, the men and women who are grievously affected by their decisions. They'd rather talk to the corporate donor class that keeps them in power.
If you're a regular person without money and connections, just try to get an appointment to speak face-to-face with your representatives about matters important to you. I applaud Ms. Gallagher's bravery. If it got even one Republican Senator to think, it matters.
9
@jrinsc, unfortunately this is true of Democratic politicians and even so-called "progressive" politicians like Bernie Sanders. Ever hear of Lockheed-Martin's budget-busting F35 fighter jet? Speaking as someone living in Vermont and as a constituent of Bernie and Senator Patrick Leahy, we know well politicians who refuse to hear from, let alone meet with the men and women (and children) grievously affected by their decisions.
They worked behind the scenes to force the US Air Force, against its own wishes and basing criteria, to base Lockheed's F35 in Vermont's most densely populated area, smack dab in the middle of residential areas, at Burlington Airport. Thanks to Bernie and Leahy, thousands and thousands of people are now in the F35's new "not suitable for residential use" zone. They have chosen military Keynesianism over the health and home values of their own constituents. And for going on 6 years now, they have refused to meet with the thousands of people negatively impacted by their prioritization of the military-industrial complex over their own constituents. The working poor; immigrant refugees; veterans; the elderly, etc. Not just people's homes, but daycares, elementary schools, and places of worship.
Convenient that both are tied in with real estate developers coveting this area (to be rezoned). These 2 politicians (and far too many of their fellow Vermont Democrats) talk the talk but walk the military-industrial walk whenever it matters.
2
I would say that Ms. Gallagher didn't plead with Sen. Flake but rather demanded that he look at her while she was talking to him.
That demand elevated Ms. Gallagher to heroine in the eyes of many of us who would dearly love to make the same demand of our elected representatives who find it too easy to push their constituents aside.
However, Sen. Flake only went halfway and still voted yes for Kavanaugh and only slightly redeemed himself by calling for an FBI investigation.
How Flake, Collins, Murkowski and a few others vote will be telling. If they vote in favor of Kavanaugh then we know they are more beholden to Mitch McConnell, Trump et.al., then to the Constitution, emotional stability, or the 1700 law professionals who have deemed him not to be suitable as a supreme court justice. Many of us agree with that assessment.
145
@N. Eichler Actually, other human beings have a right to control their own gaze (and their own thoughts). You do not have a right to DEMAND that they think what you want them to think or look where you DEMAND they look. I don't think the left understands that.
27
@N. EichlerIf physical confrontation, and intimidation ever replace the legitimate operation of the law under the Constitution, it would be time for a 2nd American Revolution. Are you ready for that?
1
@N. Eichler
The Republican fix has been in for a long time. The rest is theatre. I applaud the elevator confrontation, as, after all, Congress is supposed to be us, the American people, ALL of us. That duty, like the fix to approve a man who should not have a Bar license for his blatant display of violating practically every ethical rule, much less be on any court bench, doesn't exist in any fiber of any Senator who votes to approve this nominee. I hope what JK said does come true: what goes around, comes around. Get everyone, yes, you young people, too, to VOTE! And, all those 1700+ law professors, get your law students involved to vote and get the foundation to file a bar complaint against this nominee. No bar license, no SCOTUS seat. It's that simple and doesn't rely upon the pathetic Congress.
I saw the video of you confronting Flake. Like so much of our made for the media moments it was both highly charged and clearly a moment of theatre. Your pain is deeply and intimately your own, as is mine and everyone else’s. Our pain is not theatre and to the degree that we market it as such, we deny our own experience, our own selves.
Except for deeply partisan Republicans I suspect most people believe Ford’s version of events and wish a new nominee would be trotted out to replace Kavanaugh. But as usual the left, the democrats, the moralists and activists with their crie de coeur have taken up all the air in the room. Instead of Ford’s dignity we have a sit com. I’m not into it.
82
@Chuffy
"...we have a sit com." Really?? I guess I missed the lighter moments of the past week. Please fill me in. I guess I also missed the "marketing" of personal pain. How much did the seller get? Since Prof. Ford's dignity just got her a verbal back of the hand from the current occupant of the Oval Office, I would imagine that the current market for female personal pain isn't too strong. Male on the other hand...
2
@Chuffy If "most people believe Ford's version of events" then these senators should not be voting for them. Kavanaugh's actions are not the fault of Democrats. They are his fault, his responsiblity, only his.
@Chuffy She did not deny her own experience - you denied her experience and that of millions of others. And if you consider women's pain "theater" that says a lot more about you than it does about Ms. Gallagher.
1
What courageous woman. And how sad is it that none of the members of the United States Senate, “the world’s greatest deliberative body,” share even a fraction of her bravery.
16
Sorry Maria. Flake momentarily melted in front of you but at his core he supports Republicans, right or wrong.
He is now free to vote yes under the cover of FBI report. Everyone including he knew the report would be inconclusive and therefore he had nothing to lose. He is not running again. Imagine if he were to run for his next term.
12
The expanded FBI background check was a sham at the White House's direction. Even so, it was not necessary. As Ben Wittes and the roughly 2000 law professors' letter of objection to Kavanaugh's confirmation point out, the nominee's abject performance in the latest public hearing should have been enough to disqualify him. If Senator Flake votes yes to confirm, his fine words simply ring hollow.
9
I feel like I'm losing my mind over this Kavanaugh situation. Are the Dr. Ford supporters all purposely ignoring the evidence here? Dr. Ford has named 4 other party attendees, and none, not one, can corroborate her story, including her close lifelong friend Leland Keyser. Leland has said she's never even met Brett Kavanaugh before. Dr. Ford can't remember who's house it was, what year it was, how she got there, or how she got home, but she remembers she only had 1 beer? Her attorneys have refused to hand over her therapist notes, refused to hand over the polygraph results, and even refused to tell Dr. Ford that Senate Judiciary members were willing to fly to CA to interview her in private due to her fear of flying (and she's actually not really afraid to fly). The additional witnesses that Dr. Ford's attorneys want the FBI to interview are not really witnesses, they're simply other people that Dr. Ford told her story to. By that definition, even I could serve as a "witness" since I've also heard her story. Really scratching my head here.
14
@Jeff
Additionally she lied about why she needed a 2nd door (they installed it so they could rent out their master bedroom) and when (installed in 2008, not 2012 when she said it came up in therapy).
1
While everyone seems to have made up their mind on the sexual assault allegations, we really don't know the veracity of the accusations. Screaming at somebody may not be the best strategy for winning supporters. That kind of behavior tends to make non-supporters.
10
Thank you Ms. Gallagher for your bravery.
9
All republican representatives, and especially Senators will show their ''solemn'' faces, listen, and even in some cases ''LOOK'' like they are trying to work for all of their constituents, but when it comes down to the votes, they are all in lockstep for themselves and their backers.
This is why every single one of them must be voted out.
10
@FunkyIrishman
"Every single one of them"? That's pretty "lockstep", as well....
To be a (self-proclaimed) survivor of sexual abuse and become an activist is brave and to confront Senator Flake in the elevator and vent unmitigated anger at him, was, as the video shows quite a treatment of a politician who did not want to engage at all. He did make a difference later by asking for the FBI probe, but seems to be a cover as he was set to vote for Judge K. as long as there was no incriminating corroboration. Which this abbreviated probe did not provide. And Flake is not questioning that, nor is Collins. They have a safe cover. And Flake will not spoil his relationship with colleagues that he needs when he exits fron the senate and becomes a well-paid lobbyist. This is also a form of survival. Only voting will bring about change. Not too late for Judge K. even when he is confirmed. He could be removed from the SCOTUS.
6
What is with these activists who are bullying public officials in the offices, airports, restaurants? This mobbing happens in third world countries, and then every politician gets 100 security guards to protect him or her.
Why China or Russia needs to meddle in the US elections when we have extreme elements ready to disrupt our own political system. It is extremist.
NYT should investigate who is funding these activists instead of digging Fred Trump's tax documents.
14
Ms. Gallagher, Thank you so much for writing this. We are with you, and we are outraged about what is happening.
Everyone could see how justifiably angry you were when confronting Jeff Flake, and how along with Ana Maria Archila, you dressed Flake down with white-hot fury. Flake would not look you in the eyes because he was stunned, shocked, and ashamed. However, Flake should have felt shame all along about how victims were being treated, and he should have acted. The problem is that it took someone like you, despite all of the pain you've endured, to figuratively shake Flake by the neck to make him realize how badly he was behaving. It's too kind to say Flake is no different than an oblivious or insensitive child caught doing something very wrong. Flake's a grown man with great power, so what he has been doing is callous and cruel. For a member of the US Senate who pretends to care about the victims of sexual assault, it's inexcusable.
All who saw Jeff Flake's reaction when you confronted him could see he not only believes victims of sexual assault, he believes that Brett Kavanaugh committed sexual assault, but he still intends to vote to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court anyway. If you, or someone like you, are not there to constantly remind the Jeff Flakes of the world what basic human decency looks like, they immediately return to the same lack of respect for sexual assault survivors they exhibited before. It means there can be no justice until they are all gone.
6
Kavanaugh is not entitled to the position of a justice on SCOTUS. He has shown over an over again, including last Thursday that he does NOT have the temperament - by his own definition - to be a Justice. Turning your back on a Sandy Hook father, lying, denying Native Americans and women their rights...and the list could go on! Thank you Ms Gallagher for speaking out.
15
By far most of the negative comments come from men. The gender gap on this issue is vast indeed.
15
@Nancy S Just curious, do you think it would have been necessary and appropriate for her to scream in the exact same way at one of the other undecided Senators, ones who happen to be female, Collins, Murkowski, Heitkamp? Do you sincerely believe that would have been a productive method to change THEIR minds?
Perhaps the double standards for gender extend farther than you consciously realize. I'm with #MeToo, but I'm also a BIG fan of calm, rational, productive public discourse. I'm "with" Blasey Ford, but I'm not with Maria Gallagher. And pardon my original sin for being born with a Y chromosome.
3
I want to remind Senator Flake that, eventually, EVERYTHING on Judge Kavanaugh will come out, even if it takes years. A lot of it isn’t going to be very pretty; and, in the present day, Kavanaugh has shown himself as petty, vindictive, and out of control.
If Flake votes for Kavanaugh, part of the opprobrium will stick to him.
18
Maria, I am sorry that you were assaulted. I am sorry that the therapist you told about it was a poor excuse for a mental health professional. And I applaud your courage in speaking out and your determination to be seen and heard by Senator Flake.
I wish that the people who are going to vote to confirm BK to the Supreme Court had even a fraction of your courage. But I fear that none of them have any principles, and that they will hide behind the "investigation" by the FBI, and cast an affirmative vote for a person who is at least a perjurer, if not a violent and abusive drunk.
But I thank you, and I hope that your example will encourage others to act as you did.
11
Does Ms. Gallagher believe that the accusation is enough to bury Kavanaugh in spite of zero corroboration, zero evidence, and very few details?
OR does she feel Kavanaugh must take the fall to empower all women even if he did not commit these acts?
If the answer is yes to either she needs to go back to school and learn about our justice system.
20
Stop talking about “justice system” etc- it’s not a trial, it’s a job interview for a lifetime position! One for which Kavanaugh is clearly unfit.
16
@Tuco There was no "investigation" rather there was an act of political theater from the Republicans and a hamstrung FBI. What a joke. This is why assault survivors don't speak up.
2
Maria thank you for speaking out and showing courage which is a real rarity these days. Flake is looking more and more like a partisan hack looking to build his brand. I will respect Flake, Collins and Murkowski if they vote no on Kavanaugh’s confirmation. It may be unintentional but the extra “investigation” was not fair in any way but it dose grant some political cover for the cowards who will vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
5
People are expecting Republicans to help out the most vulnerable? Good luck.
13
The writer of this op-ed is forever a part of American history, her and her friends actions allowing for hopefulness and proving one has the power to make oneself heard, even in the face of indifference.
9
Sorry to hear about your experience Maria, but I'm with a lot of the other commentors here. I think the manner in which people seem to think they can forcefully demand an audience with a US senator (shout at them in public and force them from family dinners etc.) is extremely galling and probably self-defeating. I get that you're a citizen, and these people work for us as their constituents, but there are limits to what you ought to expect about your right to be heard. You may have a right to free speech, but what of another person's right not to listen to you? If you want to influence policy, I suggest running for office and convincing other voters that you have the solutions they are looking for. Bullying a senator that already did that probably won't suffice. I would also point out that this article is very presumptuous; you assume he doesn't look at you because he knows what you're saying is right, but how could you possibly know that? Maybe he's conflicted. Maybe he thinks that it's important to support the survivors of sexual assault but it's also important to put judges on the court that interpret law for 330 million other americans who will actually apply the law instead of writing up new ones to suit the ever changing moods of this crazy nation; maybe he thinks bad behavior in high school doesn't say all that much about a person 36 years later. Not saying which view is right, but the notion that reasonable people can't disagree on this is dangerous and incorrect.
18
Maria - you should be very proud of yourself. Your actions the other day and these words are powerful and hopefully promote your own healing.
15
I only wish women stood up this way when Bill Clinton was president and Monica Lewinsky was shamed and parodied by the public and all media like it was her fault the president went after her. It was HER life, not Bill Clinton's, which was destroyed.
8
Point of information, it is not Mr. Flake's responsibility to "look you in the eyes or feel your pain" - He is a lawmaker not a therapist. No one will respond well to aggressive demands for attention in inappropriate venues. What kind of reaction do you think you will get when you corner and trap someone in an elevator and scream at them. Flake did nothing to deserve your wrath, I am puzzled by why so many people think what you did was so noble or brave. Like it or not there is a system for redressing sexual assault and for confirming judges, in the right time and place they are actually working well. Try it sometime.
30
Somehow I suspect that if you addressed a senator in public, on a matter of great public importance, you would want, no expect, him or her to look you in the eye. Your criticism of the writer reveals your own discomfort.
9
@JJM I am very comfortable expecting someone to look me in the eye if i treat them with respect in the first place
@ST. Kavanaugh:. Aggressive, inappropriate, screaming, demonstrating wrath. And, be wants to be confirmed to the Supreme Court for life.
1
Unfortunately I think that Flake's decency goes as far as the profitable job offers that he likely has already received from wealthy republicans, which he certainly will accept as soon as he ends his congressional career.
Flake will not jeopardase his profitable future by voting "no". Shame will follow him for the rest of his life, but I don't think that really matters to Flake.
7
The question of whether Kavanaugh should be confirmed can now be answered without having to decide whether he committed sexual assault or even belligerent drunk behavior. He showed the nation last Thursday his unfitness for the Supreme Court. He was angry, partisan, and contemptuous of those in authority, and he avoided telling the truth.
Whatever your beliefs or your party, it should be clear to all that he failed the interview for the job.
5
Flake (and Collins and Murkowski) have been talking the moderate talk while voting the radical vote for years. It's a bitter pill to swallow but the truth is Flake was never going to buck his Republican comrades.
The lesson here for all Americans, especially those who vote, is that a vote for a Republican, ANY Republican, is a vote for Trump and his radicalism.
5
Ms. Gallagher you have my respect for speaking truth to power and my sympathy for what you additionally suffered at the hands of your mental health professional. Twenty-five years ago I received a phone call from a friend asking if I could pick her up at the hospital -- she had been raped. As we were walking up the driveway of her home she was met by a local police officer. His first question was, "Are you sure you didn't ask for it?"
May you never again experience such pain in your life. May no one.
8
We are all deeply sorry to hear what happened to you. The proper and responsible way for you to handle this is through your local police, not the U.S. Senate.
7
This vote is not a referendum on sexual assault. The circus of a hearing ended up including that as one of its elements, but the vote on Kavanaugh circles around the the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, not on whether or not Senators believe survivors of assault. The Republicans could believe Ford and others wholeheartedly; they just don't care.
2
Kavanaugh clearly feels entitled to lie when it suits his goals and interests.
And this is the person who will be making the ultimate decisions about what is justice in the US for decades to come?
I’m really beyond words.
10
The author's personal story, bad or good, should not be influencing our country's choice for a supreme court justice. Assuming she's not one of senator Flake's constituents, her politically targeted contribution to this process is excessive and at the expense of the people of Arizona who elected him to represent them in Washington and to lead them regarding the issues there. The greater threat to democracy here is the mainstream media who are now aligned with a single political party and who have helped create an oppressive, near puritanical, court of public opinion (driven by technological advances, like the internet and social media). From my understanding of classical Greece, democracy needs to shield itself from such viscitudes of public drama (like those involving allegations about BK.)
6
Thank you, Ms. Gallagher, for your words of courage. I would add that Congress no longer needs to show us more than what we've already seen; we need to show them that their dismissal of us will matter. VOTE THEM OUT.
11
With respect to your experience, grievance, and passion, for which I’m sorrry and believe you should have a voice; he was looking away in the same manner that I look away from deranged homeless people in a public park.
There was no chance for civil discourse. Sadly this event damaged the process and was even threatening to the senator. If anything it granted a moment of sanity before hearts hardened against the emotional display.
4
If someone is screaming in my face -- I don't who it is and for what reason -- I reserve the right to look wherever I choose. If communication is the goal, restraint is a necessity.
17
@Gerald I respectfully disagree. These people are elected officials that work for us! They are about to put someone on the U.S. Supreme Court who will make decisions that change the way we are able to live our lives. Their jobs have many perks and much personal glory, but that comes with the responsibility to listen to us, and look at us when we are talking to them (or screaming at them) since their vote is supposed to represent what we want- all of us not just the members of their own party.
Kavanaugh aggressively disrespect a female senator on TV rather than answer a question that he didn't like while she was interviewing him for a job! But, it's not credible that he would ever aggressively attack a woman? Innocent until proven guilty? The requirement to be on the U.S. Supreme Court is now so low that it requires us to prove that this man attacked Ford not just a reasonable possibility?
How about if it is proven that he is too volatile, disrespectful, vengeful, and entitled to be on the U.S. Supreme Court? ....because he proved that at the hearing!
6
@Maria
That’s your take. If the goal is to scream in someone’s face, then scream in someone’s face. Will it feel good at the time? Maybe. Will the affect win sympathy from others? Possibly. Will to have any positive effect on the human being on the receiving end. More than likely not. To justify it by referring to his own angry response to being pilloried in public about an accusation about which we may never know the truth, is naive. I’m a liberal democrat and, in his shoes, I would have been angry too. He was angry but he was civil. From what I know he did not scream in anyone’s face. My point is: what is the most effective way for women to advance their worthwhile causes? Forget the anger and fury, get smart.
What you did matters. What you write here matters.
You are an American hero.
Thank you for your courage.
15
I wondered in the day how Clarence Thomas was actually elevated to the court. (And, in retrospect, hasn't he proven to be a fount of jurisprudence?) When one watched Anita Hill and truly listened to her, one witnessed anguish and courage combined, and now we have just watched it again. It has happened once more. Perhaps Sen. Hatch has found both witnesses "pleasing". While Supreme Court Judge Kavanaugh will likely be less quiet that Thomas, I only hope against hopes he will be more thoughtful. And if more evidence surfaces, a new Congress may be able to move to correct this lamentable upcoming decision.
5
@Steven Lord:Mr Lord keep ignoring the facts or are you saying mere accusations are good enough to destroy a person life?.Because she sounded creditable that's makes it true? isn't she a college professor highly educated so this is not a naive person. The only thing she remembers is she was in a second floor room with Kavanaugh and Judge with her best friend down stairs with somebody called PJ right?. They deny any such occasion doesn't that bother you? and the dear friend never even met Kavanaugh. This highly educated lady had a boyfriend from '92 to '98 and she never mentioned any such event plus that friend stated she trained another person to take a government polygraph test. Democrats got the week off to investigate as they requested and they found nothing.
Politicians do what their party wants them to do.
Party support is more important than individual integrity.
Otherwise people would be running as Independents and winning.
Does anyone really believe Flake, Collins or Murkowski had any real plans to vote against their party?
The sham investigation resulting from Flake's effort to project an image of concern was merely a "fig leaf". In political parlance that term means a contrivance created to give cover to a politician so they can vote for or against something in order to stay aligned with the party.
Only in movies and sappy novels do politicians do the right thing.
13
This dude (kavanaugh) has demonstrably LIED UNDER OATH often, and I mean often..He has NO respect for our judicial system, and when it is gone, because of jackasses like him, you will all regret it..
he took three years to get on his present post, because people hated and distrusted him..Now the GOP is going to put him on the supreme court in two weeks of review? and that two weeks was ALL BAD..
9
I share tremendous sympathy for your suffering. However, this judicial nomination is not about the suffering of any specific survivor of sexual assault or all such survivors. The facial question is whether Judge Kavanaugh committed the act as alleged by Dr. Ford - and I happen to think that he did but was blacked-out and/or has no recollection of it - and, if so, does it disqualify him from serving? Of course the real underlying concern - and the main reason for the vociferous opposition to the nomination - is the permanent change in the philosophy of the majority of justices and the negative direction that this would take the country.
14
@Schneiderman try willingness to lie under oath.I think that is our major issue..Willingness to LIE UNDER OATH!
29
@Schneiderman
This man lied under oath. Yes, it disqualifies him. Absolutely.
7
@TV
If he lied about the incident or a material part of the incident, then I agree with you. But how can you prove by some preponderance of the evidence that he lied? It's a real he said/ she said event.
Sorry, but it was counterproductive, it distracted from the *far* more effective testimony of the day before.
Christine Blasey Ford engendered sympathy and raised awareness across the entire nation and (most of) the political spectrum with her calm but steadfast insistence that she be heard.
IMO the author, by using more confrontational tactics, had the opposite impact on most of the same people. Though many of those already sympathetic to #MeToo may have thought this was brave, I suspect most of those not already onboard -- including those who might otherwise be receptive to her message, as they were to Ms. Blasey Ford's -- were turned off by the tactics. Not good. Not to be celebrated.
27
@MadManMark
What tactics? The timing nonsense is just that. The accusation was brought forward and we would have arrived at the same place, three weeks earlier. Big deal. The bad tactics belong to the GOP who lie, ignore, cheat to get what they want.
2
I don't have the "luxury" of even remembering my assault. It happened when I was 4 or 5. I am actually grateful that I have no "brain" memory of the event, but I have a physical memory, a physical imprint that has left me with life-long screaming-outloud nightmares that wake me (and everyone around me). That these senators dismiss my pain, dismiss my injury, dismiss the sequelae of these events because I don't have a police report or a witness is beyond demoralizing. It negates my personhood.
Mr. Flake and every single other man and woman in the Senate should have to sit down with a sexual assault survivor and have a conversation with that person - woman or man - before so blithely judging our honesty and our pain. Get me in a room with Mr. McConnell, or Lindsey Graham, or these other old goats who claim so much knowledge and understanding. Have them all look me in the eye. But they won't. They couldn't do it with Dr. Fordbecause they know. They know. They know. They know the truth and will not look it in the eye.
187
@SUW Yes to all that you said. So many of us survivors are experiencing "muscle memory" - even for assaults that happened many years ago. What's become abundantly clear is that SO MANY of these Republicans have never been in a life or death situation -- and there is absolutely no way they can understand, in their limited life experience. Even with a conversation. In the meantime, the emotional work is up to us. We need to reach for our resilience and strength and take assertive actions to fight for protections - I'm trying to reconcile with the fact that I may not see these protections secured in my lifetime, but that they will be for my daughter, and my granddaughters (if and when I have them). I'll do everything I can now. My determination is stronger than my fear.
1
@SUW "It negates my personhood." That is a great quote that perfectly defines how I feel when listening to the GOP deal with this situation. I'd like to steal that phrase, if you don't mind.
2
@SUWWow. That's hard to imagine. I hope you are getting the help you need. Maybe this is an inflection point. One can hope.
Maybe if you had made an appointment to speak to him you would not have had to yell( for the cameras). We need civil, respectful interactions. I am sorry for what happened to you and recognize your right to speak and be heard. I don’t recognize any right for harassment or the kind of physical altercations also being reported.
46
@Me - In response if she had made an appointment to speak with him would he have been able to see her before the vote was taken last Friday and would Brett Kavanaugh by now have been confirmed?
I understand your concern about civil interactions but 'the hour' was already late last week and had Maria Gallagher not confronted Jeff Flake the way she did we might not have gotten the delay we have gotten and the FBI investigation, which unfortunately was closely circumscribed by either the White House and or Senate operatives to be as limited as possible, with the predictable results we are seeing now.
In other words at least Maria Gallagher was able to make Jeff Flake stop for a moment and think before voting yes on Brett Kavanaugh.
15
@Gabriel Tunco
Since when are U.S. Senators supposed to be grief counselors and psychiatrists? Ms. Gallagher demonstrated a disturbing sense of entitlement and self-obsession, bordering on neurosis. Putting on that calculated performance for the cameras was disgusting and cynical.
@Me
"We need civil, respectful interactions."
When those in power are so blind to civility themselves, civil disobedience is sometimes the only measure to be taken.
By your reasoning, maybe Rosa Parks should have asked the bus driver to let her know the next time she'd be able to sit in the white section of the bus.
7
Thank you Ms. Gallagher for your bravery. I was thrilled to watch you demand that Mr. Flake look you in the eye - as you deserved to be treated. How powerful and inspiring for all women to hear you demand to be treated as the equal you are to him. We knew the character of Mr. Kavanaugh the minute he refused to shake the hand of the father of a Parkland shooting victim in his initial hearing. What sort of monster refuses to look a victim of the worst kind of tragedy in the eye and for a moment honor his pain. That is all you need to know about Mr. Kavanaugh and how he views victims. He is most assuredly a victimizer - and as such empathizes with the Trumps of the world and not you, me and the rest of us who've been abused by men like him.
129
@Dana
/\ THIS. /\
Exactly.
"We knew the character of Mr. Kavanaugh the minute he refused to shake the hand of the father of a Parkland shooting victim in his initial hearing."
2
@Dana "I was thrilled to watch you demand that Mr. Flake look you in the eye"? And what right did she have to DEMAND such a thing from him?
“The question of whether to support a Supreme Court nominee who has been accused of sexual assault should not be partisan.”
Sadly, it is though. Remember Senator McConnell and his “I believe the women” remark about Roy Moore’s accusers when the women were teenagers. There is little discernible difference between those women and Dr. Ford in their stories, and time frame (many years ago). Of course McConnell didn’t want Moore as a Senator, but does want Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice. Simple as that.
The unfortunate truth is, these last weeks of the nomination process have been highly and entirely partisan, including the nominee.
There is no justice on the Senate floor!
160
Yes, that was the most significant part, and the media has edited that from the news tape - why,I don't know - when you said "LOOK ME IN THE EYES" with that we knew how deep flakes disconnect was, and how you called him on it..LOOK ME IN THE EYES should be the new rallying call..
40
Bravo, Ms. Gallagher! Dark those these times may be, I’m heartened, as a woman two generations before you, to know that our future is in the hands of the brave, the articulate and the strong. Your courage is energizing.
39
I would hope that everyone in our government would protect the rights of anyone and everyone accused of wrongdoing, and not just summarily believe an accuser.
What may or may not have happened to Maria Gallagher has no bearing on this confirmation hearing at all. I hope she gets the hope and therapy she needs.
29
@Moishe Pipik
One in three women are sexually assaulted. Nine out of 10 accusations are true. The fact that half the senate and the whitehouse are refusing to do a thorough investigation is, in effect "boofing" us all. The fact that they are ignoring his temperament is "boofing" us all. The bottom line has nothing to do with sexual assault or abortion, they want a corrupt corporate toady on the bench, but some are too dim to see that.
I and most people I know do not agree with you- while I empathize with your pain, bullying, screaming, and getting in someone’s face like that is not right. How would you expect him to react? How would you react? Your intolerance and lack of understanding is what stands out, not your story. From someone who has been through terrible trauma and lives with it every day, your display was insulting.
76
@Pen- I'll assume, because the author did not act like a lady when interacting with an important man like a U.S. Senator, that you don't approve of civil disobedience in general. And that's why it exists.
4
@Pen
But Sen. Flake is not just "someone." He is an elected public official who is making decisions about her life, that will impact the rest of her life.
He has power over her life that she lacks over his. He is in fact responsible to her. If he doesn't want that responsibility, or can't handle the pressure of it, he should resign.
All of the Republicans on the judiciary committee should resign for delegating their Senatorial responsibilities to an outside prosecutor, essentially admitting that they are not men enough to know how to speak to a woman.
2
@archie37
No, i think what she meant was . How would you like it if someone got in your face and started screaming and shouting at you while you were in a elevator and Demanded someone do something....Polite society is fast fading away where you can reason with someone without screaming and shouting at them nor demanding they OBEY you . No one has the right to demand ANYONE obey them, that is what laws are for, they can try to learn to ask them to please respond to their question in a fairly reasonable manner at the time or wait for a more opportune time where the other party has the time or place that allows both parties to talk uninterrupted.
Civil disobedience does not help but hinders society from truly progressing forward to a more civil society. Hence the word CIVIL and disobedience being the keys words.There is nothing CIVIL in being disobedient. If you think there is , you might want to look up the words in a dictionary.
I think their "investigation" has made it perfectly clear how much they care about women.
I think any person who actually watched Ford and Kavanaugh testify knows pretty clearly who is telling the truth and who isn't.
I think Kav's text to Ramirez' friends about her before the New Yorker article, and subsequent perjury about that matter, tells anyone who is paying attention that Kavanaugh remembers.
I think Ed Whelan's sleuthing stunt (allegedly by himself) of blaming Chris Garrett, aka "Squi" who just happened to be at a gathering recorded in Kav's calendar with 4 other boys whom Dr. Ford remembered by herself, isn't an accident either.
I imagine there a reason the Judicial Committee has worked to hide previous FBI investigations about Kav (see Dems press release from yesterday about "nothing at all in the previous investigations").
The Republicans have know about these "problems" with Kavanaugh's nomination for months, and they have active worked to cover them up or suppress them.
I really can't think of a more lowly creature than Jeff Flake. Roaches? Nah, they're cleaner and don't stab their "friends" in the back. Coons sure must be sore today!
So, no, they don't care about what you experienced, what you think, or what you have to say. What they do care about is getting a win, so they can keep sending old white men to Congress and the Courts and the Presidency to decide what you can do with lives, bodies, and minds.
I hope every woman remembers in November.
41
A bit presumptuous aren't you, Ms. Gallagher? No one is under any obligation to hear your life story, especially when you have stalked and pigeonholed them. And your "fury" might very well have the opposite effect of what you desire.
74
@Ed L.Wow. You do understand that as elected representatives, members of Congress do, in fact, have a certain obligation to hear the stories of their constituents. They are, in theory at least, supposed to put the concerns of citizens ahead of their own thirst for power and status. The "Ms's" of the world are under no obligation to remain quiet and demure and lacking in fury in order to assuage the delicate sensibilities of a veteran Senator. For what it's worth, I'm rather surprised you held yourself back from calling her 'missy'.
5
@Ed L. Is that where we are now that it’s “presumptuous” that we think our elected representatives listen to us? I suppose we do presume that our representatives will listen to us when we elect them to do just that. We call and get no calls back. We email and get no replies. We go to town halls to have them cancelled. So now going to their offices that we pay for is considered stalking?
@jw
I personally do not have a problem with a constituent confronting his or her representative but i do not agree that screaming and shouting and badgering them in a elevator is the proper way to do that. If you feel that is the proper way to get your point across then you make my point of classless and clueless. By that i mean you show no class when you scream and shout at someone and demand they "Look you in the eyes" in a elevator and clueless if you think that is a civil and reasonable manner of discourse. Try that at work sometime and let me know how it works out =-)
The Fix Is In and the GOP should be ashamed of themselves. "Have they no sense of decency?"
13
@Mike Geraey
No, they don't. We need to stop asking such obvious questions. VOTE, and in large numbers.
1
@Mike Gera
What "fix" are you talking about? I have yet to see any real evidence.
3
@Brian
The Duke Lacrosse team members were also blamed for an assult they didn't commit. Since when do we assume guilt without evidence?
I fear we are about to learn that these old, white men don't care enough to not confirm a nominee with many red flags beyond the charges of sexual assault.
16
Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley, and Lindsay Graham don't care.
My guess is that they would look in the eye and tell you they were busy.
And then we think there are a few Republicans like Susan Collins, Jeff Flake, and Lisa Murkowski who might have a little conscious left to put morals over party loyalty.
But they don't seem to have what it takes to rise above.
It's unfortunate that the least bad are the ones who get all the pressure.
On the other hand, history will not look kindly on McConnell. He blocked Merrick Garland. Then he changed the threshold from 60 to 51.
Without this, neither Gorsuch nor Kavanaugh would sit on the Supreme Court.
22
@Independent
On the other hand, history will not look kindly on McConnell. He blocked Merrick Garland. Then he changed the threshold from 60 to 51.
Thanks for playing but "Buzzer sound" Sorry you are wrong the Democrats did that not the Republicans. They may have blocked Merrick Garland BUT they did NOT change the vote threshold from 60 to 51. Get your facts right.
Dear Ms. Gallagher, This may come as a surprise and you can thank the media: the brouhaha surrounding the Kavanaugh nomination was not about you and/or every other woman in America who has ever felt sexually abused. It is not about the mass female hysteria that the Democrats have orchestrated to destroy the nomination.
That this kind of craziness went on is strictly due to political manipulation on the left.
37
They don't respect sexual assault survivors and they never will.
Expecting them to respond to a harangue, no matter how liberating for the haranguer, is selfie politics. It's optics. You get video of yourself speaking truth to power, the Capitol police lay on 50 new guys and access reporters have been using for years is closed off. And, the people to whom you spoke the power get 10,000 Brownie points and vote for Kavanaugh.
And you get to go home thinking you have accomplished political activism.
What you did is nothing like it. And, btw, a NYT op-ed piece is optics too.
6
You don't matter to Republicans, you never have and you never will. This entire process has been a theatrical production that was designed to give the appearance of an objective process when it was never anything of the sort. Trump selected Kavanaugh and the gutless, shameless Republican Congress would put David Duke on the Supreme Court if that's what he wanted. The joke FBI "investigation" never would have happened if you hadn't caught him in the elevator and CNN had a camera rolling.
But it gives the cover to Flake, Collins and Murkowski that they so desperately sought. All three will vote for him and he'll be seated on Monday. And a third of American women will approve of that decision. Your "sisters".
If Democratic women truly want to get and hold political power in this country they need to get down in the mud with the Republicans because they will do anything at all to get and hold power without so much as batting an eye. They go low, we go high? That's a recipe for losing and has been since Reagan was the governor of California.
Get mad, get mean and vote. Stop being so nice.
33
@Lou Good:
Mr. Good, hands down the best comment here (as of this writing, I've read 150 of them). You hit every nail squarely on the head. Your comment should be an NYT Pick. In any case, thank you, thank you, thank you..
5
Maria, most people in a confined space with a woman who is ranting try to avoid making eye contact, rather than attempting to reason with the person. what you interpret as shame was more likely fear.
You also posit that anyone who does not accept Mrs. Ford's testimony as reflective of reality is oblivious to the pain suffered by women who are assaulted.
You were dissatisfied with your therapist because he asked you if you had been drinking and if you wanted to press charges. Neither of those questions imply that he did not believe you or that he was dismissing your allegations.
There is a very high probability that Mrs. Ford was never molested by anyone, much less Kavanaugh. That does not mean you were or were not, and not believing her does not reflect upon anyone else's injuries. As someone who was assaulted, I find her testimony unconvincing, particularly in light of the fact that she cannot remember events that occurred during the last month. That her lawyers advanced the narrative that she was claustrophobic and unable to fly as a result of the alleged assault makes it seem likely that she has been manipulated.
37
Judge Jeanine said it best, paraphrasing her here-
Kavanaugh did not assault you. Do not transfer you pain and rightful rage at him or Flake as proxies for your perpetrator. Direct your rightful rage squarely at your perpetrator, and use the legal system and criminal justice system to receive justice.
Kavanaugh has had 3 accusers, but none, none were corroborated. It looks to a lot of people that Kavanaugh did not assault anyone, but that the charges were made to derail his nomination process. The credibility of all 3 accusers has been challenged, including Dr Ford, who was previously not afraid to fly, who allegedly was not claustrophobic, and allegedly coached at least one person to pass a polygraph test.
What happened to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, about the burden of proof being on the accuser / prosecutor?
BTW, I say this as someone who believe Anita Hill, but not Dr Ford.
False claims do a tremendous disservice to real survivors such as yourself.
All the best to your recovery as a survivor.
30
@Philly They were not corroborated since the FBI was not allowed to look. Political theater instead of honesty.
4
You say none of the assaults was corroborated. Why then did Kavanaugh text his friends to persuade them to discredit her? It seems to me that’s corroboration enough. Why are we not hearing more about this? It’s the most damning thing he’s done; no wonder he wouldn’t insist on an FBI inquiry.
For an allegedly brilliant man, that’s a pretty stupid move. All he had to do was admit it all and beg forgiveness. Squirt a few tears and he’d be on the court already.
56
@Philly why have the other witnesses even been interviewed or even Kavanaugh and Ms. Ford? it is obvious to any reasonable person that the FBI has been constrained by the Trump White House and the Trump Party, there is no more Republican Party.
The old GOP died in 2000 when Reagan got elected. Its not been generally acknowledged till it blew open in this toxic Trump fueled environment.
If you only want to look at "whitewashed" testimony, as Trump, McConnell and the Judiciary Committee wants then it gives a fig leaf (tattered) to Collins, Murkowski and Flake to hide behind. They have no shame. If no one saw this coming, please wake up. Our future as responsible citizens is going to be extremely rocky.
3
Well said by Shakespeare: “Get thee glass eyes,” says Lear, “and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see the things thou dost not.” Flake must be thinking about his next job!
6
Someone here said that Flake is a coward.
I agree-and he's not the only one.
Flake is what passes, in this day and age, for a liberal republican, like Collins and Murkowski - but IMO, they can't be trusted.
It is ENTIRELY likely that the allegation about Flake going to the senate leadership saying he needed cover is exactly what happened.
And this about the FBI-this investigation is likely a joke, a whitewash, a put-up job. It is TELLING that only SENATORS are allowed to look at its results.
The FBI is a DEEPLY compromised organization, who already has done six background checks on Kavanaugh-and do you mean to tell me, that in not ONE of these checks, these allegations about blackout drinking, molesting women, and other nefarious acts, didn't come out?
NOT ONE TIME??????
This is the organization who, as Governor Kean of the 9/11 Commission said "The FBI failed; and failed; and failed; and failed; and failed; and failed."
And much more could be said about the FBI.
And WE - the AMERICAN PEOPLE - are seriously placing our trust in these guys?
What a joke.
WHAT
a
JOKE.
12
@Jake...But, you did believe the F.B.I. when it said unequivocally that Putin and Russia interfered in the 2016 election and that Trump colluded with them, didn't you? They were trustworthy then, weren't they? Comey, too. And, Brennen. And, the Admiral.
1
@Albert Edmud, well - maybe - and maybe not.
As I said, the FBI is a deeply compromised organization.
But I'll tell you what I DO believe though: I DO BELIEVE that when the intelligence services of 7 countries - including Great Britain, Australia, France, Germany, Estonia, and the Netherlands - whose intelligence was very much SOURCE AUTHORITY for the FBI and the CIA - some to the table stating that there were very strange contacts between Trump campaign people and Russia -then I DO believe that.
Your points are well taken on people like Brennan and Comey. The thing to remember about these people is, that just because they appear to act for the good of the People in one instances does not mean they get a "pass" on everything they've ever done.
@Jake
Porter's wives both told FBI he was violent. I hope the FBI bothered to ask rather than be forced to listen. Obviously that's not a problem for their client, Donald Trump. We are all hurt when we choose to ignore reports of abuse or don't even bother to read them.
I'd like to report a crime. I was robbed.
Let's see now, we have some questions.
Were you drinking before the robbery?
What were you wearing at the time of the robbery?
What did you say to the robber to encourage the robbery?
Did you say "NO!" loud and strong enough?
Did anyone see you being robbed?
Why did you own the item the robber wanted to steal?
Did you ask him to steal it but only now regret it asking him?
20
Exactly.
If I were robbed, I would never be asked these questions. I am a victim.
When a woman is robbed of her personal safety and our bodies are taken without our consent, the public goes straight to these questions since we are not seen as victims; we are the instigators.
8
@Debra
Rape and robbery and fundamentally different in many ways. The act of sexual intercourse is not illegal - it is lack of consent that makes it illegal. In the case of robbery the physical evidence is often quite clear - say the robber has my cell phone and has no reason to have it, so he obviously robbed me.
But in rape, even the physical evidence (such as the alleged perpetrator's DNA recovered from the victim) does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that rape occurred without the victim's story to corroborate the evidence. People do have sex consensually, you know. And there have been numerous cases of false accusations made, particularly against Black males who have been later exonerated.
I am not saying we shouldn't believe women who allege they have been raped or sexually assaulted, but to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred we need to know the whole story. I think it's just good police work to ask these questions - and if you really want justice for your crime through the judicial system then you should recognize that.
1
@Sam - "The act of sexual intercourse is not illegal - it is lack of consent that makes it illegal."
The act of your having my possessions is not illegal - it is lack of consent that makes it illegal.
That actually is addressed in my last question. "Are you sure you didn't give it to him?"
If I say you have my lawnmower without my consent that is much more readily believed than if say you took my body without my consent. Even without DNA evidence.
Since extreme left-wing ideology doesn't make any sense it must be furthered by intimidation, violence, censorship, deception, and things like screaming at Republicans in restaurants. Being only 20% of America's population, the leftists like those in the news industry find themselves again alienated from real-life America.
46
@P McGrath Real-life America includes women who have been assaulted by men who don't care. Republicans in restaurants are elected officials. Just as Democratic politicians, they shouldn't have run for the job if they were not prepared for their constituents to confront them. Furthermore, it is incredibly infuriating to be a woman in this country and feel voiceless and uncared for by those in power. It makes me want to scream to be heard. But the GOP and, apparently, you do not care.
4
I bet you cheered on the Freedom Works-funded tea partiers as they shouted down and spat upon Democratic Congresspersons who had the nerve to pass a law making health insurance more affordable. But women who demand basic respect? Now come the calls for civility (except for Kavanaugh who came across as a lunatic).
@Katharine Horowitz
Where you feel you are voiceless and uncared for i would like to know how you came to that conclusion.
I personally do not have a problem with a constituent confronting his or her representative but i do not agree that screaming and shouting and badgering them in a elevator is the proper way to do that. If you feel that is the proper way to get your point across then you make my point of classless and clueless. By that i mean you show no class when you scream and shout at someone and demand they "Look you in the eyes" in a elevator and clueless if you think that is a civil and reasonable manner of discourse. Try that at work sometime and let me know how it works out =-)
Ms. Gallagher, you clearly resourceful and from what I can tell, you are brave. That is all the world ever needs for change. So, please put on your most comfortable shoes and get outside the beltway and register people to vote. Especially your age cohort. Take people to the polls. Make it happen. Use the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's as your mobilization template. It is your world now. You have the moxie. Please prove to yourself that you have the will. Godspeed,
10
When I saw the video, my first reaction was "Why aren't the Capitol Hill police protecting Senator Flake"? That may not be the politically correct reaction, but our democracy requires that both Democratic and Republican Senators have appropriate security.
65
Speaking out in a public setting has to be one of the hardest of human acts to do, without the threat of feeling, looking or sounding silly or not smart. That feeling may be described as “working without a net.” What you able to do was primal and brave and I believe will be looked at in the future as a tipping point.
A recent acquaintance I had met at a concert had turn out to followed some of the local jazz music i had too. I later ran into her when she told her story in front of a local story telling event. She described in vivid and emotional detail of being the victim of gun violence. I was stunned and astonished what she described and revealed about herself and that life changing event. I marveled at her bravery to be able to write about that, but also to stand before perfect strangers to read it at a podium. In my own enormous fear of public speaking, I could never be so brave as she was. In fact, when she got off stage, the only thing I could say to her was “can I buy you a drink” because I wanted to express to her privately how I admired her bravery and her astounding story and story telling ablility. My words failed me and I think she was hurt by them. For that, I am absolutely sorry, and wish I could make it right somehow.
Maria Gallagher you are brave we need more people like her to stand and testify...!
7
@Jetson vs. Flintstone I think that most men of my circle have similarly wounded someone through well intentioned words that missed the mark. When I fault Kavanaugh it is less for having been a teenager who may have awkwardly groped a smaller weaker and frightened girl, because (in part) I feel the guilt of my own poorly directed efforts with girls at the same age, but rather I fault him for his cowardous in failing to tell the truth even when it went against his personal narratives.
I share your pain, and continue to strive to be better in each interaction.
The question before Flake, Collins and Murkowski at this moment in time is clear and simple.
Is Kavanaugh the best person for the Court right now, or would someone else be better?
7
Excuse me, but the exact quote was
"LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"
3
No, Ms. Gallagher. You were attempting to shame Senator Flake as somehow being indifferent to your sexual assault. You were bullying him, and demanding he take responsibility for your sexual trauma and your feelings. It was a hit job.
The decision up for a vote in the Senate is whether Kavanaugh is fit for the Court. Period. Their vote is not a declaration of how they feel about sexual assault or women, but in part will have to do with whether they believe these allegations hold enough water to derail the nomination.
Ms. Gallagher and so many others write and speak as if we have video evidence of the alleged assault. We do not. We have zero corroboration. None.
I am against Kavanaugh's nomination for a host of reasons, including how he has responded to the allegations, but fairness demands we remain agnostic on the charges of sexual assault, the only "evidence" we have being the memory of a woman who seems nice. God help us all, including women, if that's all we need from now on to ruin another human being.
61
Maria, you made me very proud to be from Ardsley.
7
This kind of publicity stunt does not serve as a substitute for persuasive argument and dispassionate discussion.
If we throw a male victim of a false claim of sexual assault into the same elevator, does it illuminate anything with respect to the allegations made against Kavanaugh?
31
@Mmm
Men rape and harass and stalk and beat and kill and assault women daily and we can't get mad, nope, better stick to "persuasive argument and dispassionate discussion."
But Brett can yell and shriek and bawl and whine and slobber all over himself during his confirmation hearing and that's cool.
Got it.
When did they ever say they respected victims?
5
So false, so lying. You were against him before the Beethoven Forgotten Symphony! It was stated in multiple news media.
Please, at least be honest. You were listened to. You had an investigation. You didn't get what you wanted.
I'm not sure what country you were born in, but I am sure it did not allow for liberty, freedom, and democracy. You have every right to voice your views. There is no reason to continually knock what this country is.
Whomever is the new justice, let us pray he/she upholds the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
I would also pray you agree with that statement.
24
@KJF - There's a forgotten Beethovan symphony's?
Corrected:
I'm wondering if you were the one in the elevator being confronted, and shall I say maybe blocked from exiting, and had someone say what Ms. Gallagher said, wouldn't you call that bullying? What Ms. Gallagher demanded was an exclusive audience to intimidate, harass, and coerce Senator Flake to do what they want and not what he wanted too or his constituents.
Furthermore, how are these accusations against Judge Kavanaugh part of her specific claims of sexual abuse? Is this what MeToo is now? A bullying organization that wants to foist each person's specific stories of sexual abuse on every one so accused? Has MeToo simply gone from bringing sexual misconduct out of the shadows to a malignant metastasizing cancer on the body politic?
28
@Smoke'em If U Got'em
If this had been done to a woman there would have been an arrest and someone would be complaining about the intimidation and bullying. It’s an awful and counterproductive way to make a point that by the way has nothing to do with Brett Kavanaugh. If you were assaulted it does not follow that Christine Ford was assaulted by BK. I personally believe something terrible happened to her but that Brett Kavanaugh wasn’t the one who did it.
Mr. Flake’s last name couldn’t be more appropriate. He has absolutely nothing to lose because he is not running for reelection. This allows him to present himself as a morally responsible lawmaker, in a transparent attempt to build a ‘legacy’. In so doing he is showing us just how GOP he is, through and through. We know better.
6
@citizennotconsumer...Feinstein and Hirono are running for re-election in California and Hawaii, respectively. Booker and Harris are running for President in 2020. They all have lots to gain by scoring big points with their Democratic bases. "Men should just shut up". Quite a political slogan for Waikiki.
You are absolutely justified in your outrage, and Cavanaugh should not be confirmed to the Supreme Court. But there is a fairness problem with a decades old complaint. The accused man or woman must be able to present exculpatory evidence. With the passage of time not only do memories fade and evidence gets lost, but the surrounding facts get muddled. I believe Dr. Blasey and disbelieve Judge Cavanaugh, but the only way to have a nation of laws is to give an accused, even if despicable, the ability to refute the accusation with testimony or evidence, which both degrade over time.
The burden is always on the accuser, even if she is the most sympathetic. In a criminal trial that burden is “beyond a reasonable doubt;” if the jury has any doubt that is reasonable they must acquit.
Which brings us back to the current matter. This is not a criminal trial. Cavanaugh has applied for the highest ranking position in the American legal system. When it comes to a job interview, the applicant has the burden of proof that they are qualified. The higher the job, the less tolerance for doubt. In that context Dr. Blasey’s testimony which is clear and convincing should result in rejection of the applicant.
There should be a confidential secure repository for evidence where a woman (or a man) victim can make a contemporaneous statement whose confidentiality remains in the victim’s control. It can be an oral or written report, and it can be privileged if the project is run by lawyers.
2
@Mel
1st: Cavanaugh has applied for the highest ranking position in the American legal system.
Cavanaugh did NOT APPLY for this post he was NOMINATED.
2nd: Dr. Blasey’s testimony which is clear and convincing
Was NOT clear and convincing, it was in FACT unclear and mostly fuzzy and filled with holes of which every part of her testimony was either denied and or all uncorroborated.
Lastly, you state,
"I believe Dr. Blasey and disbelieve Judge Cavanaugh, but the only way to have a nation of laws is to give an accused, even if despicable, the ability to refute the accusation with testimony or evidence, which both degrade over time."
To me this shows your true character, which means you don't believe in the truth or facts by stating that someone is despicable when the when actual facts refute the other story. What facts do i refer too? How about the fact that all the witnesses even Ms. Ford best friend at the time, ALL of them, not some , not one, BUT ALL refute her story and or deny being there. SO ..they all Conspired against Ms. Ford? some 36 years ago?
1
I'm sure all of the screaming and yelling at members of Congress in public is really going to help Democrats in this year's midterm. Stalking and shouting at elected officials doesn't look unhinged at all. The independent-minded, centrist voters who swing elections will certainly want those types in power. Nice way to contrast yourselves with the Republicans currently in power. And please, go pat yourself on the back again. Really helpful.
33
You are absolutely right Maria, but few of those Republican Senators will look at you or anyone straight in the eye, because they refuse to, can't or won't risk being forced to see and perhaps even acknowledge what they are determined not to do, especially if it complicates or gets in the way of the critical nomination of a person who can do things for their agendas and interests that they think are more important than anything or anyone else.
They couldn't be more wrong, mistaken or foolish to think such a thing as what they refuse to admit, address or even look you or anyone in the eye in regards to, is more fundamentally important than anything else that they think they will achieve by getting their nominee into the Supreme Court.
The fact that they don't see it as such is a tragedy and lost opportunity to start to heal a hurt that has gone on for so long, the repercussions and continued damage that will remain and build will have far more implications and impact than even the damage a lifetime appointed conservative Supreme Court Judge will ever be able to do.
Most will turn their backs on you, so they can't look into your eyes or have you look into theirs as they continue to walk away from such a critically important issue and avoid any opportunity to have or make contact as Senator Mitch McConnell has just so stubbornly shown how easily he can and will continue to walk away from the issue and not provide the vision or the eyes to look into them or any victim's.
7
Where I live, there is a local election happening. It is probably only consequential for how often the garbage is collected and property taxes, not the fate of the most important legal issues of the day and the future.
My community is not huge, but in the four years in between elections, I have seen a single one of the politicians come to my door to ask what I think.They don't know me and I don't know them. So why should I vote for any of them?
Obviously Senators and Congressfolk cannot meet every constituent in their districts. But the point I am making is that politicians are people who spend time mainly talking to and against each other, and running away from or talking to the gaggle of media. Unlike Abraham Lincoln, for example, they don't talk much with the rest of us.
So when Ms. Gallagher said, "Look at me when I'm talking to you" she made an astute comment. She forced the man to do something alien to himself.
These politicians seem to be loyal only to the party circus that surrounds them. Since they don't do much in the way of independent thinking. who can have confidence in their ability to govern wisely? Not me.
8
@Svirchev In my local jurisdiction I don't wait for someone to come to my door to find out what I think about local matters. I call, email and attend city council meetings.
Maybe you could tell us where we should expect to have our opinions solicited on an individual basis? Yes, it would be nice, but this is not Utopia.
We have to connect with our representatives in ways that work and make them serve us. An elevator assault is not a part of that.
1
Mitch McConnell's vow not to be intimidated by the protesters just demonstrates his arrogance and dereliction of his responsibilities. Those demonstrators are Americans and voters, fully entitled to their civil right to protest the majority party's intention to ram through a bad candidate for the Supreme Court.
As one of our most senior elected representatives, McConnell should be respectful of their concerns, and conciliatory toward them, not disparaging and resentful of their efforts to express their opposition.
8
There is a recurring theme from many commenters - mostly male - upbraiding Ms. Gallagher for how she spoke to Mr. Flake. How rich - men telling women how to speak and comport themselves (i.e. quietly and with deference) while celebrating Mr. Kavanaughs outrageous displays of arrogance, disrespect and behavior wildly inappropriate for anyone speaking before the judiciary committee. I hope the irony is not los ton those commenters that not only is it disgusting that they feel entitled to tell Ms. Gallagher how to behave - but their double standard as to acceptable behavior is exactly why so many women are furious and fleeing the GOP.
35
@Dana I don't see too many people celebrating Kavanaugh's "outrageous displays." He has been upbraided for that in a wide variety of places, including multiple times in this newspaper. I agree that women have historically been quieted by men in power, but it is lazy at this point to claim that Kavanaugh is getting off scot free for his petulant, boorish behavior.
1
@Dana
I kinda want to go through each comment and count how many are basically telling her to sit down and shut up; stating it's cool to dismiss and ignore her because she didn't state her message sweetly enough.
7
@Dana
Really? I see many and know many women who disagree with you. Civility and understanding has no gender. Violence has no cause.
You should have better manners. Importuning someone on camera in that fashion, while doubtless cathartic, neither advanced your cause in this case or generally. I would suggest a little more skepticism as well. While no one should dispute the importance of your cause in the broader sense, the conflation of this particular matter with every other sexual assault does not advance understanding of the needs of assault victims.
25
Republican committee senators did not seem surprised at Jeff Flake's private visit with Senator Coons and his subsequent request for a week-long delay for n F.B.I. investigation. One might assume that the Flake action was Flake Fakery, that he knew all along the investigation was another part of the entire rigged hearing process.
Had he tipped off his Republican colleagues in advance? Did he flim-flam his Democratic pal Senator Coons? The deliberately truncated and rigged investigation, Flakes switch after expressing "doubt" before the investigation to his present assurance he must vote for Kavanaugh suggest he may not have enjoyed looking Maria Gallagher in the eye because he knew the future. He may now hanker to be President of the United States.
Diogenes is still searching for that Honest Man.
Doug Giebel, Big Sandy, Montana
3
It is heart-breaking that sexual assault survivors plead with the likes of Trump-supporting Republicans to feel validated. They might as well have pleaded with a lump of clay. These are people who have sold their soul to the one percent donor class in return for the trappings and benefits of power. But it is a false sense of power. It is the power to do what they are told. To disobey is to lose those trappings of power in the next election. The best of them have just enough self respect left to feel twinges of guilt for selling their birthright for a mess of pottage. The worst have lost all sense agency in their lust for status and the money that comes with the title.
They don't deserve pity. The only true emotion possible is contempt.
9
@MJM
You have no dog in this race since you live in Canada unless you are a dual citizen. But i digress, so i will just say If it's not your country don't comment...i don't comment on the state of Canada or any other country nor should i since i don't live there so i ask the same of you.
Its funny, when every democrat will vote against any bill a Republican presents a bill and when a democrat presents a bill several so called sorry Republicans vote in favor of that bill.
You can't say it's the Republicans when the Democrats always vote together but the Republicans always try to compromise...
Jeff Flake unlike any Republican Senators is a decent man .
I wish he would vote " NO ", what he has to lose ?
5
#MeToo mob hysterics in an elevator might make venting more cathartic but it doesn't make Ford's vaporware testimony from a reshaped past anymore reliable or credible sans corroboration or evidence.
Fortunately, despite the Stalinist show trial the DNC Politburo Judiciary members put on, our legal system has moved beyond Medieval public square condemnations and executions by accusation alone.
So it is with Kavanaugh. Thank Madison and fellows for that.
16
I hope Dr. Ford will find the time to occasionally visit the Supreme Court and stare Justice Kavanaugh in the face.
10
Justice Kavanaugh by Saturday, Monday at the latest.
9
Party over conscience? Over next term? Are they in a school popularity contest?
2
"Lawmakers can’t claim to respect sexual assault survivors and then ignore them."
Yes they can, and they do.
4
Kavanaugh doesn't have the temperament for SCOTUS. Period.
258
@Deb K He's been a Federal judge for 12 years. Can you cite specific examples of his judicial intemperance from his time on the bench? Just wondering.
7
@Deb K - Igope he remembers these attacks when he's voting to overturn Roe v Wade. I have a box of coat hangers I can contribute.
@Deb K
In answer to your post below
"Kavanaugh doesn't have the temperament for SCOTUS. Period."
What might i ask is the reason for your opinion he does not have the temperament for the position he is nominated for?
I ask because say for example "YOU" were accused of pedophilia of a minor child in your past life and you know it is a false accusation. Would you NOT be indignant and angry when someone slanders your character?
Do not think that i misconstrue your comments OR that i take allegations of misconduct of any type lightly. I just look at facts and TRY as best i can to leave emotion out of my search for answers.
I want to disagree with you on only one point - your belief that when Sen. Flake decided to not engage in a dialog with you inside the elevator, that he did so out of shame. I think, rather, that this the natural reaction of any person (and more so of a politician with cameras running, whose words count so much more) when confronting an obviously animated person, in a public setting, in a highly charged moment in time. His response to the Senate Committee (and elevator situation) that day clearly could make a lot of differences. He chose to be reticent rather than issue the sort of bold response you wanted, I figure, because he did not wish to have his time and place chosen for him where he would speak his mind. On important matters, one normally thinks it out first and then states a response. If you believe your experience personifies the issue, consider that maybe he still needed time to be sure he believed this too.
All that being said, I am through with giving him the benefit of the doubt. It now looks like he will (presumably after thinking it through) capitulate to the majority, cave in once again (using the cover of the non-public and grossly inadequate FBI "report") and make a make a decidable horrible decision which will haunt all of us for a long long time.
I truly thank you for you efforts and courage.
13
A central claim of this piece is "This is about the treatment of survivors."
To do that, one has to first determine who is a survivor of what.
And the standard isn't "credible." I've seen many credible performances in my life. I've ready works of fiction that were credible.
24
Thank-you, Maria, Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. Keep speaking out. Keeping getting in elevators. Keep writing. Keep agitating. There are many men like me who are both with your struggle and for your struggle. In solidarity.
22
It is ironic that the FBI is being used by Trump to deliver a biased investigation that is instrumental in Kavanaugh's confirmation after Trump decried the FBI and Justice Department since his arrival in Office. With Kavanaugh at the Supreme Court clearly with a Reps agenda and a disdain for facts, it would appear that the Law will be on the side of the Reps and Trump by now. That is truly starting to resemble Russia and I am quite worry that this trend will continue as long as Trump is in power.
10
@Marc-Antoine
The Democrats are not protesting the confidentiality of the latest FBI investigation because they do not want made public what the investigation of Ford has revealed.
She has friends who sorely want to support her, but are unwilling to lie under oath. Democrats do not want that to be known, and the confidentiality of the report allows them to pretend that there is some undiscovered evidence to corroborate their narrative. If there were a way of conclusively proving that she is making false statements, Democrat Senators would not vote to confirm.
9
The principle "you are innocent untill proven guilty" applies only in a court of law. Kavanaugh's hearing in Senate is not a court of law hearing, so please stop using that principle to defend Kavanaugh.
There is a big cloud hanging over Kavanaugh. Why are the Republicans in a rush to get him seated in the Supreme Court when there are so many other highly qualified candidates available?
If the reason for rushing the nomination is that the Republicans may lose the House in the Midterm elections, making it harder for them to appoint another nominee, then that becomes a political consideration instead of a reasonable consideration.
Sexual assaults against women is not a political football. They affect every body.
23
@Thomas The same exact thing could be said of Democrats. Why the delay? Same reason. Too bad Feinstein didn't handle it properly because the investigation could have been done properly 2 months ago. But then again a full investigation 2 months ago would have provided all the holes in her story, so they tried to do it at the last second and then delay delay delay.
7
@Thomas
The House has no involvement in the confirmation of a SCOTUS appointee.
Although it is true that innocent until proven guilty is a criminal legal standard, this is not a he-said/she-said difference. This is a she-said and everyone she mentions as witnesses says it never happened.
There is not a single fact that supports her allegation, and there are many facts that support his denial.
11
@ebmem In fact, that is not what they say. What they say is that they don't recall it happening. This is likely because they were not there in the case of two of them, who were downstairs. Another was completely inebriated. That these people don't recall the incident does not mean that it did not happen.
1
1200 law faculty have gone on record saying both their profession, the calling to which they have dedicated their lives, and the judiciary - the United States legal system - will suffer irreperable loss of credibility if Mr. Kavanaugh is confirmed. This means the Republic so many gave their lives for will slide further from the rule of law and towards tyranny. This is no exaggeration, no mere venting of frustration. When such a wide swath of the general population and the faculty responsible for maintaining the system's integrity no longer trust the legality or legitimacy of our court system, the door is open to a society based on violence. It is unnecessary to invoke ample historical precedent in this connection, but suffice it to say the effects are both brutal and unpredictable-- precisely because the rule of law is abdicated.
We won't see these effects immediately, perhaps they will only fester quietly in our lifetime. But the long term effects will be this decision's legacy.
These faculty united in this cause because an institution led by someone who blatantly violates its norms, values and principles will soon take on the character (or lack thereof) of the one leading it. We beg Republicans of good conscience to preserve the conscience and integrity of our highest Court.
21
Republicans of “good conscience”? There are none.
3
@Andrew I agree completely. Our system is based upon laws that are applied equally to all and that are agreed upon by the majority. We do not have that now - and of course, we never did have it completely. But the gaming of the system by Republicans over the past two or three decades to achieve minority rule in the House, Senate, White House and now the courts, undermines government credibility completely. As you correctly note, if the laws are not for all equally, you have tyranny, and that is generally only rectified through violent means. That is the road upon which we seem to be embarking. I hope (though don't expect) that thinking people on both sides will realize this and change course.
@Andrew,
Have you ever spent much time in a Courtroom ?
Lawyers have very little integrity as they have sold
themselves to their client to not argue for the
un-adulterated truth, but to win.
Laws are not passed for the sake of Justice and
Fair treatment but because some one will benefit by
them - mainly the rich and the powerful.
I spent a day at a Law School visiting courses and
came away with the impression, valid as far as I can tell,
that Law School is not about Truth and the American way,
it is how to play the Legal Game.
How many criminal trials have these Law Professors tried
and have they ever defended a client they thought was
innocent but proved to be quite guilty or vice versa ?
5
How can ANY senator vote to confirm this man, it is so obvious he has lied repeatedly. But sadly seeing women senators vote to confirm him is appalling! Too many men have never respected women, but when our women representatives ignore the obvious for political reasons, I’ve lost all confidence in our system. Thank you Maria for courageously speaking for so many of us.
14
@MQ
Like you, I have also lost faith in the PEOPLE who represent us. I have not lost faith in the system yet. I would like to respond to your comment above though.
You say that Mr. Kavanaugh obviously lied, But give no particulars of what he lied about. Ms. Ford on the other hand offered evidence but nothing to corroborate her story and the evidence OR statements she gave were ALL either debunked or outright denied by ALL the persons she named in her testimony. That is NOT credible testimony it's the opposite and even borders on slander and lying under oath which both parties swore before giving their testimony. Emotions are always involved in everyday aspects of our life, but i always do my best to look at the facts and check my emotion when considering anything.I was raised to respect everyone i still say Yes sir and No ma'am to everyone to this day at age 52, even to those who are my bosses that are younger than me because its a sign of respect, or at least it used to be.I agree with you though that women should report these reprehensible acts to the authorities WHEN they occur so that the person responsible IS arrested and thrown in jail where they belong. Sadly that does not happen as much as i would prefer it too. But i will not accuse anyone for any reason unless it is the absolute truth and nothing BUT the TRUTH.
2
@MQ
Women who have sons, husbands, brothers and fathers support Kavanaugh. They fear a world in which an allegation with nothing to substantiate it can be used to disqualify an honorable man.
5
@ebmem
They unconsciously fear being tossed out of the Patriarchy if they cross it. If they don't want their sons to be accused of sexual assault then teach them to avoid guys like Kavanaugh in school. That guy drank like a sailor, all of it underage.
Alcohol is the number one factor in boys getting in trouble trying to prove themselves to each other. It is the target of colleges trying to reduce sexual assault. If you teach your sons they can be undone by what they imbibe and who they associate with, they have a leg up on the competition.
15% of young boys and men attempt sexual assault and 5% succeed. Most regret it for the rest of their lives, but 2% pursue it for the rest of their lives with the Cosby style rapist being the most prolific.
Don't listen to that ignorant Lindsay Graham. Most who give The Cosby a try regret it to their dying day, and only a few continue so this means this behavior in older men is ABNORMAL even for sex offenders.
Listening to the audio recording of Maria’s voice as she demanded senator Flake look at her brought tears to my eyes. After hearing recordings of Dr Blasey Fords testimony last week, I was struck by something that just didn’t sit right with me: when asked about the most memorable aspect of this trauma, Dr Blasey Ford responded that it was the laughter between the two friends. The senator who had asked her this question reflected “they were laughing at you”. I found this a fundamentally gendered misunderstanding of her trauma. For a man, the trauma would be a humiliation, but for a woman, it was being dehumanized - an object of entertainment and pleasure for these boys. When Maria insisted that senator Flake look at her, she demanded that he acknowledged her humanity.
63
@Robin P
For rational individuals, her assertion that she feared for her life, that she thought she might be suffocated by accident, would have had a more enduring effect than laughter. Since she did not hear any conversation, she was force to imagine they were laughing at her in comparison to her supposed reality of fearing for her life.
4
@Robin P
I am only responding tho the part concerning Maria's actions toward Senator Flake.
When you DEMAND something you take away the choices the person you are demanding something from. If you push them into a corner or in this case a small cubicle and you are screaming and shouting at them you have entered a state of aggression that naturally kicks in every human on this planets fight or flight mechanism. I am not agreeing with how Mr. Flake acted or non acted i am simple stating that think about how you would react if you were trapped in a small area and someone was screaming and shouting at you.
5
Our senators are not Gods. They should be put up to scrutiny from the public, like the young lady did in the elevator. I applaud her! She had a right to ask those questions and get answers. Instead her presence was barely tolerated Senators work for John Q. Public as our representatives. I'd like to see more Marias in the world.
23
@PNM He also has a right to civilized discourse and should have office staff who could help arrange meetings.
1
This made a lot of sense as a poignant moment of a citizen speaking truth to power. Fifty years ago, this would have become an iconic photo in Life magazine with the caption "Look me in the eye." We haven't figured out how to deal with elegant and poignant moments in the age of too-much-media. So we'll talk this moment to death, here in the comments bar of the New York Times, until we can cynically view it as just another episode of political polarization.
Sigh.
5
I'm wondering if you were the one in the elevator being confronted, and shall I say maybe blocked from exiting, and had someone say what Ms. Gallagher said, wouldn't you call that bullying? What Ms. Gallagher demanded an exclusive audience to intimidate, harass, a coerce Senator Flake to do what they want and not what he wanted too or his constituents.
Furthermore, how are these accusations against Judge Kavanaugh part of her specific claims of sexual abuse? Is this what MeToo is now? A bullying organization that wants to foist each person's specific stories of sexual abuse on every one so accused? Has MeToo simply gone from bringing sexual misconduct out of the shadows to a malignant metastasizing cancer on the body politic?
59
@Smoke'em If U Got'em Amen. We've reached the point where we're supposed to vote down Kavanaugh, not because there is any evidence he is guilty, but just out of political correctness.
7
@Smoke'em If U Got'em - I'm presuming you are a man. Very, very few women would think this way - and that is a huge problem. Massive gap between how men and women look at this. Remember: at a minimum, 40% of the women you know have experienced traumatic sexual assault. We don't report because of shame, trauma, and well, the kind of reaction that Dr. Ford has received (ridiculed by the president, family in hiding because of death threats). What does it take to get men to pay attention (and a few women in denial too)? Cornering them in an elevator? How often are these senators faced with the real people whose lives they affect, rather than campaign donors and others of influence? It's men who are commenting in the negative about the women in this story.
3
I'm a woman, and I think that way.
1
Flake is a coward who, immediately after this encounter, told his leadership that he needed cover if he was going to vote for Kavanaugh. The rushed, hamstrung investigation whose results are being kept secret was the result, and now everyone can spin it as they wish to justify their vote.
At least it wasn't McConnell, who would not have been affected in the slightest by this confrontation.
17
By giving this man the nod will send a clear message to all women who have struggled and will continue to struggle with the after effects of sexual abuse/harassment that your pleas and cries will duly be ignored. What hurts the most will be if Murkowski and Collins and perhaps Heitkamp (who was on the fence) give their stamp of approval. I have lost all faith in the process and my disgust with the GOP grows on a daily basis for it was they who let the misogynist in chief get away with his vulgar behavior for 600+ days. A pox on both your houses.
29
He's a flip-flopping coward, who wants to triangulate--make people think he's a reasonable man, but in the end voting like a party hack. He's angling to run for president, that's why he insisted on an investigation. But he didn't insist on a true investigation but allowed a whitewash.
A pox on his house.
32
Everything in Flake’s eyes and forlorn face on the elevator signal he knows voting for Kavanaugh is an insult to women and just plain wrong. He also looks like the kind of guy who’d like to leave politics with a clear conscience. Alas, he’s a Republican. Don’t hold your breath.
13
Stories of survivors? I have not seen mentioned anywhere the fact that Christine Ford's life has not been wrecked, therefore I will make a point of it. She appears to be a successful woman, in the way success is measured - qualified as a psychologist at university, married and had two children. I once met a woman in a group therapy, who had also been an in patient in a psych ward. The woman was so overcome with guilt and remorse over a sexual encounter she had initiated with a relative while they were adolescents that she was on disability and no longer working. I pointed out to her (in group) that she had not wrecked this persons life - he had a job and had got married. I was told after by the therapists that I had really helped this woman and shortly after she returned to her job. What I am saying I think what may have occurred to Ms. Ford should be put into perspective 36 years later.
12
Her life has not been wrecked? Whether a survivor's life has been wrecked is for the survivor to decide. Not you.
I am a victim of sexual abuse. I am suffering from PTSD due to the abuse, have anxiety attacks, find it hard to trust people (espesially males) and my sexual life is problematic. I also have a PhD in Physics, a good job and a spouse I love.
From the outside you would say I was fine and a living a nice life. That my life is not, as you puit, wrecked. Yet if you asked me what I thought, I would tell you that my abuser destroyed my life, stole my innocence as a child and condemnned me to live a life scarred by PTSD symptoms.
Some days are harder than others, but not a day passes when I think that if he is ever caught, life in prison would be too lenient a sentense because he destroyed my life.
2
This whole thing was nuts. There is absolutely not a shred of evidence that the judge assaulted anyone. The president was right to say "this is a dangerous time for young men". It's a sad day when we are willing to convict without evidence. Now, let's get the new justice sworn in and start making America great again.
39
@Robert Howard
Except this was, and still is not a court, and Cavanaugh was in a job interview and not under threat of conviction.
The President should chose his language more carefully.
11
@Robert Howard And there's the bind of the victim of sexual abuse: you may be the only witness besides the perpetrator(s), but your testimony is considered invalid on the face of it, redefined as "not a shred of evidence." But even if we discount Dr. Blasey's story, Kavanugh's supposedly exculpatory calendar includes a weeknight drinking party with several of the people Dr. Blasey named--isn't that a "shred of evidence"? How about the testimony of people who knew Kavanaugh in high school and college that he was a sloppy, belligerent drunk?
3
@Robert Howard Sworn witness testimony *is* evidence. It's definitionally and categorically evidence. Read a book, talk to a lawyer, get a clue
Well Maria, Flake is going to be a senator for less than a hundred days. He will sell out. He was never that sincere. You will have to start that important conversation with someone other than him.
6
@John
BUT, most importantly, Flake a mormon, and he probably wants a job after this, and does not want to negate his chances or be ostracized and forced to join another, more tolerant mormon gathering.
Insincerity emanates from mormons with a beaming smile. That's why Romney lost.
When my beloved niece told me she had been date-raped, I asked her if she had been drinking. Trust me when I tell you that I had zero blame intentions--I was just trying to seize the situation but that is no excuse for the mistake I made, merely an explanation. I have apologized a hundred times.
We are having a long overdue conversation about the equality of all people. The #metoo movement is a part of that. The BLM is a part of that. The LGBTQ movement is a part of that. The backlash against the harshness of immigration laws is a part of that.
But just because we are having the conversation doesn't mean all the chips have fallen in their permanent place. These issues *feel* like shape shifters because all at once, in a collective manner, all kinds of people are having to relook at their programming and rewrite their inner scripts.
I am as liberal as they come, but it took me a long time to get the BLM movement and it took me a long time to understand why my niece's drinking was not an issue...but I got there. Many of us will get there.
But only if people like you keep the dialogue going.
You asked him to see your humanity; but YOU saw HIS, too. You didn't dismiss him as the enemy, you gave him a chance to hear the facts. We need more of that and less talking at each other.
So proud of you.
Signed,
Old but Learning
23
It would be a mistake to expect anything of Flake. He called for the "investigation" as a way of signaling that he "cared" and was "thoughtful." But anyone who thought that, for the very first time!, he would actually stand up to Trump, and even more his boss McConnell, was riding for a fall all along. Never gonna happen.
17
As of now, the Kavanaugh nomination has nothing to do with sexual assault.
18
For all your commenters appalled at her temerity to ask a US Senator to treat her with respect and look at her while she is speaking, if he HAD looked at her she would not have had to say it. He was not a boy being chastised, this a a huge issue that will effect us for generations.
Get it?
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@Currents
Gallagher isn't a constituent of Sen. Flake. She had no right to accost him in any case.
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@DaveD,
By this logic, Senator Flake shouldn't be able to make decisions that will have an effect on Ms Gallagher's life, since she's not his constituent. But he can, because that's the way the system works. She is a constituent of the senator's, in the sense that she is part of his legislative decision making purview. That gives her legitimacy as a citizen.
@Currents
I find it odd that no one recognizes the privilege this white (she certainly isn’t black, and brown is not a race) woman has in blocking the access of an US senator, shouting at him, and demanding he look in her eyes. Black women: do not try this as you will be tackled by security, tased, and possibly shot.
1
But I read that someone said that Flake couldn't sleep at night because he was so distressed about the Kavenaugh issue. Could this be untrue or maybe exaggerated? I think so. I was having trouble about reconciling the story of the dead dogs in his son's care with the idea of this perfect, idealistic family. Now it all fits together. Please, please vote for Democrats in the midterms.
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I was abducted and raped by three young men many years ago. From the time they put me in a car with a gun pointing at me until they left me in an abandoned house I thought they would kill me. I immediately reported it to the police. The first thing they did was give me a lie detector test. When they were brought to trial, I kept asking the prosecutor why the defense was asking me questions that made it sound like I wanted them to kidnap me and rape me. I kept saying I'm not on trial, they are. For many years afterwards, I would cross the street if someone who looked like any of them walked too closely to me. From that time on I've felt that's when I truly stopped having any deep feelings. Like I've set up a barrier around myself.
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@Sophie Engel I believe you and I see you. I'm so sorry you endured this.
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I'm very sorry, Sophie.
I wish I could do something more for you.
Your words and your speaking out have great meaning to the NYT readership and to the human cause.
Thank you.
I hope you find it in yourself to have a few minutes of feeling and freedom back in your life. You have suffered enough.
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@Sophie Engel
I'm so very sorry for what you went through. And surely the police interrogation only added to the trauma you endured.
But they were doing their jobs. They *have* to ask tough questions of people when they come forward with charges of such serious, heinous crimes. Justice demands it. Don't blame them for having to investigate the veracity of sexual assault victims. Blame those who raped you.
Aggressively confronting senators is disrespectful in itself.
Why should they extend respect to you when you noisily intrude on them ?
Is that the new standard ? Interrupt and harass people because you think your cause is noble ?
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@FredO-
Ms Gallagher confronting a Senator is wrong but Kavanaugh confronting multiple Senators is okay?
These guys think they’re some kind of superior beings, not actually accountable to those they represent. THAT’S what’s so galling about their attitude. They. Don’t. Care.
They and you need to step down from a high horse.
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@FredO
1787 pal. Interrupting, and noble.
When Senators ignore you, one has a civic duty to remind them they work for the people of their state and nation, not themselves.
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@FredO -- When they don't want to be accountable and listen to us mortals and what we want then maybe confrontation and yelling is the only way to get their attention.
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Thank you so much for speaking out.I'm a survivor too, and know all about the shame.That a President of the United States would ridicule and mimic Dr Ford,literally made me sick to my stomach.We all need to continue to speak out,and VOTE.Thank you again for your courage.
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Maria,
I thought you did a stupendous job saying exactly what was on my mind, are you saying we don't matter, what happened to us doesn't matter?
I hope he does not pass but I am discouraged.
Thank you for your important words, they are exactly what I was thinking and you definitely helped me.
14
Sadly, time and political pressure of the moment will probably win. Collins won't feel the pain: she's being escorted everywhere she goes on orders from McConnell. Others will likewise cocoon themselves away from us the people. They will allow themselves a comfortable safe zone.
Senator Flake,
If you're out there. Listen with your heart and your brain. Your heart tells you something is wrong with this guy. Your brain should tell you that there are practical reasons why you should ask for an additional FBI investigation: when the blue wave strikes, and it will, Democrats will want to reach across the aisle to people with solid character. They will want Republicans with a soul. You can be that guy. This is one for the history books. This is your time to be a leader.
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Shouting and intimidation don't do it for me. I immediately loose any sympathy I might have. You nailed it with "I felt only fury". You do a good job of inspiring that in others as well, only it is directed at you. Maybe someday "Liberal" activist will realize that shouting, waving fists, and vilifying those with differing options does not win hearts and minds.
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@Daphne I guess what you're saying is that, rather than cause an embarrassing disruption, it's better to lie back and silently let those in power do what they want, whether it's right or wrong. That's certainly the message of the "ramming through" of Kavanugh's nomination.
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Unmmmm, I think that’s how Donald Trump was elected President of the United States.
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Westateloudly: Ms. Gallagher, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY!!
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And how did you coordinate the CNN cameras to be there at the same time?
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@Jackson - coordinate the CNN cameras
That's right. There was nothing going on that day in the narrow halls of the senate chambers. No news crews would following members of the committee around, especially one who is considered a swing vote. No sireee. Those news people don't have an eye or ear for a story. Nope. It had to have been arranged.
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If the Trumpublicans continue to "look away" from women like Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez, Juile Swetnick, or Ms. Gallagher, they are, like Donald Trump, engaging in the despicable defense as Mr. Trump has done for himself, Judge Roy Moore, and now Judge Brett Kavanaugh by saying that they're the innocent victims and voting to support the mocking of Dr. Ford and the mockery of of all women who've been sexually abused. The white male patriarchy led by Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is only concerned with one thing--protecting their power even if it undermines the Constitution and the very court most responsible for upholding it. This is one of the darkest days for women in America and for the very democracy they hoped would not "look away" from them.
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You are a heroine to me, Maria. Thank you.
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Count me as one who believes -- unfortunately -- that this episode may have done did more to hurt women's empowerment than help. Like it or not, the "screaming-empowered-woman" and the "screaming-hysterical-woman" are not all that distinct in some people's minds. And it doesn't help the cause to ignore the increasingly apparent fact that the whole gestalt of these past two weeks appears now to be energizing the wrong side of the aisle.
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@Tim C : Screaming? hysterical? tsk tsk. Speaking loudly, either emotionally or in an empowered way, is not the same as screaming, or being hysterical. It seems unlikely that you would describe a man as either "screaming" or "hysterical." I found those women rather bold, too -- but did not at all think of them "screaming" (think, Jamie Lee Curtis in a good old-fashioned slice-and-dice) either in an empowered way or a hysterical way. These are typical 19th-century notions, and descriptions of, women. It's amazing that we haven't gotten past 1876 or thereabouts.
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@Tim C
To me, they came off as hysterical, and I think that it's not a good public face for women; I hope that it doesn't hurt young women who want to be taken seriously.
I have never been raped, so I can't say how I might react if I had been.
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It seems odd that the author is attacking the one Senator who listened to her politely and evidently, did indeed take her comments into account when expressing his reluctance to vote yes without further investigation.
In the era of Trump, calling out thoughtful representatives in such a confrontational way will only hurt further efforts to get them to change their minds. All this column will do is to harden Republican representatives and encourage them to avoid spontaneous interactions.
Ms. Gallagher should have lauded Senator Flake for taking the time to listen to her and for standing up to the pressures of his party in demanding another FBI inquiry.
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Ms. Gallagher, if I could have traveled through time and space, I’d have been in that elevator with you. Your eloquence while clearly furious gave your words added import and weight. Especially for those of us who get tongue-tied when upset. It was a marvel.
You have moved the discussion beyond a nomination to the Supreme Court. You gave voice to far too many silenced women and opened a larger discussion in how to understand such pain.
Thank you.
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Your comments indicate that you believe Dr. Blasey Ford and therefore find Judge Kavanaugh's defense lacking in credibility.
If someone watched all of the testimony and looked at the other evidence and honestly concluded that Dr. Blasey Ford's testimony should not be believed, then they would be justified in not honoring her for coming forward. They could still prefer a no vote based on Kavanaugh's temperament or for some other reason.
For myself, after watching Dr. Blasey Ford I was about 90 % confident that she was telling the truth, but kept an open mind because I wanted to hear Judge Kavanaugh.
After watching Judge Kavanaugh I was virtually certain that Dr. Blasey Ford was telling the truth. The only question for me is whether Kavanaugh was deliberately lying or forgot about the incident.
I challenge any Senator who plans to vote yes to explain why they did not believe Dr. Blasey Ford. If they cannot tell who is being truthful but think that there is substantial evidence of his guilt, then they must explain why they are voting yes to this guy's appointment to the Supreme Court.
The male chauvinism was evident during Clarence Thomas' hearing. Here, they want to keep it more subtle.
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I would look you in the eye and tell you there is due process in this country. There has been zero corroboration to her story. Zero. What Trump did and said is despicable and is a separate issue. I'm sorry for you pain, but an innocent man will not go down because of you.
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The US is more of a pro-rape culture than anti-rape culture. Unless sexual violence touches one' family directly, in which case, they want quick and maximum justice, otherwise, not their problem. Untested rape kits, Christians chanting when Trump taunts Dr. Ford, conflate Kellyanne Conway parsing words to protect men.
Rapists look for opportunities with no witnesses, followed by trauma and shame keeping the victim quiet. That is the nature of rape. Look to the recent grown survivors of the Catholic Church - at a deaf school where no one could hear their cries.
Same here. Same now.
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@kat perkins
“The US is more of a pro-rape culture than anti-rape culture.” An astounding assertion so please, enlighten us. Who are our pro-rape leaders or pro-rape organizations? Is there a pro-rape lobbying group that petitions state and federal lawmakers to pass pro-rape legislation? What politicians are currently running on a pro-rape platform? Or has the events of the past week emboldened progressives to throw down any claim no matter how laugh-out-loud ridiculous?
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I am so sad, Senator Flake...In other words you do not believe survivors! I hope you read this!
10
It's over.
Flake will vote to confirm Kavanaugh. So will Collins and Murkowski.
I know they pretend to be concerned, but in the end their only real concern is keeping their salaries, perks, and reimbursed airfare.
These people seriously do not care at all what America wants. They care only about their money. Flake is no hero, and Collins is no independent thinker willing to rock the boat.
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@Vexations
Don't forget the post-office employment as a lobbyist, consultant, Board member, etc.
4
not true. They listened.
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@Vexations
I believe Collins and Murkowski won't, but Manchin and Heitkamp will. These four seem to have made some unimaginable Devil's bargain.
So now we reward strident voices on the fringe with an opinion piece in the NYT? Democrats need to be careful. If it is now acceptable ( even celebratory) for a citizen to stop a Senator's elevator and unleash an emotional tirade at him on camera, then we are all in a reality TV show (not just Trump). Be warned : this conduct could become commonplace - there are as many self righteous Republicans as there are Democrats.
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A thousand times this! The truth is that we don’t know if Ford was raped. I may believe her, but Kavanaugh has not been convicted in a court of law. His demeanor and partisan leanings are two things we KNOW and are enough to disqualify him, BUT imagine you’re a pro-life Republican and this angry frat boy is the only thing standing between you and your most sought after judicial ruling upsetting Roe v Wade? What if Kavanaugh were Bill Clinton and you could protect Roe v Wade for the next 20 years? If you voted for him would that mean you hated all women and disbelieved all survivors? Of course not. And we need to stop saying that it does. We are alienating people instead of connecting with them. This has to stop if we want control of the Senate and House.
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@W Greene Many Republicans seem to think that it was acceptable to unleash an emotional tirade on camera at a senator... at the hearing. I guess it is all in your perspective, what is righteous indignation and what is just obnoxious.
1
@W Greene - my guess is you are a man, one who has never experienced sexual assault. This was not an "emotional tirade" - a belittling comment if I ever read one. This was a citizen forcing a reluctant senator to face her as a human being, not an abstract concept. Think about this: at a minimum 40% of the women you know have experienced traumatic sexual assault. And most of the men and boys who did these things don't even realize what they did. They were just "having their way with her", "taking advantage of" someone, "not taking no for an answer." I witnessed gang rape at a party when in high school, and it was only recently that I realized it, because no one, not even me, considered the girl involved, passed out drunk with a line of boys outside the bedroom. NO ONE THOUGHT OF THE IMPACT ON HER. That is the problem that the columnist was addressing when she confronted Sen. Flake, because its still a serious problem.
Beyond the HeSaid/SheSaid drama of the Ford testimony there lies the issue of what this small-minded partisan will be deciding about the reproductive rights of women. If you are an Evangelical Preacher who flies on private jets then Mr. Justice Kavanaugh will make your every dream come true. If you are a woman of child-bearing age then you really need to be afraid.
I am an old man who is not leading the kind of life where my rights are up for debate. If you are a woman and you are tired of being civil - I get it.
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@Ralph Actually, if the court reverses Roe vs Wade, the legislature will be deciding ... as they should have been all along.
3
Sorry Maria for your trauma but when you shouted at Senator Flake you weren't pleading but (look at me when I speak to you) ordering him like a woman of the house speaking to a maid , or a mother upbraiding a child , it was rude . What happened to you or any other woman or man (they can be raped too) should not be discounted lightly . Watching Senator Flake during the testimony of Ms. Blasey-Ford , one could clearly see he was very conflicted and disturbed . I cannot judge neither you nor him , but your emotion and ire was addressed to the wrong person because the men that ignore what you have to say don't care . I understand , there are many of us who have been discounted by these same men , you were brave .
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@sm And, supporting a rapist is not rude? You cannot affect change with a mousey voice, you have to push back in order to be heard. Did we say, "Excuse me, King George, we would sort of like our independence?"
15
@nytrosewood No one is advocating supporting a rapist (read my comment in the context it was made) mousey voice ??? This is why there is a divide in this country , rudeness and hysteria gets you nowhere . Sadly in the end and much to my chagrin , they will confirm him , trying to shout the mountain down is a nobrainer , better tactics like voting will .
@nytrosewood
A rapist? Is that what Judge Kavanaugh is? Ms Gallagher was rude and self-centered. And by the way, why wasn't she accosting Sen Collins or Murkowski?
I'm quite sure that what Ms. Gallagher did on the elevator was illegal and strongly feel she should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law because it was totally premeditated. If not, then I guess it is open season on US Senators. We can now rush them and corner them and yell at them and it they push us out of the way, we can sue them for assault. I can' t wait to see Schumer and Nadler cornered in some hallway.
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@Mike
Yes, citizens should be arrested and prosecuted for daring to confront their elected representatives in a manner with which they are uncomfortable.
9
@Mike, well, when people consistently see their elected representatives ignoring them, they can and will step up their methods. They consistently DON'T listen to anyone except the almighty dollar in their decision making. She yelled at the senator on the elevator. Quite honestly, there are probably many people who would do worse. As long as we keep marginalizing and refusing to hear people in America, we will see the voices get louder. Be happy that it's just women stopping senators in elevators and black athletes kneeling on the field and not people rioting with torches. Oh, wait. That's OK. Because those are white men, patriots the whole lot!
9
@Mike - I would hope you then also support arresting Mr. Kavanaugh for his verbal assault on senators during last week's hearing? Or are you allowed to yell at people when they agree with you?
19
To be fair to Senator Flake, he wasn't necessarily doing something he was ashamed of. He could have genuinely been both compassionate about the assault you and so many others have suffered, but still felt there was not enough evidence to conclude Brett Kavanaugh specifically committed a sexual assault.
The point is there is not just one way to explain and interpret his behavior, as you presume.
29
When someone is yelling at me -- I typically don't look at them. It's not a case of disrespect .. it's a case of survival.
I don't like people yelling at me .. nor should I be told how to express my emotions in the moment .. especially when someone is yelling at me.
I feel for Ms. Gallagher -- but I cannot go along with her approach (unfortunately openly supported by some in congress). I'm not sure she furthered her cause.
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@GT - Thank you so much for caring enough to provide instruction for protesting future outrages. But if I may, and please don't take this as a personal criticism, but I have been told it is always effective if we women remember to smile.
3
The only issue before us is this - is the allegation by Ford backed by evidence. It is not. Innocent until proven guilty is an important cornerstone of western law. I also don't appreciate the mob tactics used by people like Maria Gallagher. Make your voice heard in a civil manner, not by cornering a US Senator in an elevator and screaming at him.
36
@Dave perhaps you should experience the same and then examine how you feel. What if it was your daughter? When the investigation doesn't even talk to the victim it is no investigation. There are many other reasons not to confirm him. Particularly his partisan tirade. His avoidance of answering pertinent questions. If he blacked out how would he really know if he did it or not. Bart O'Kavanaugh.
9
@Dave Sworn Witness testimony is evidence, has always been evidence, and will always be evidence. Women and men are (to my mind, regrettably) convicted at trial every day on thinner and less credible witness testimony than Dr. Ford's, and at a higher standard of proof (beyond a reasonable doubt) than should apply in a SCOTUS nomination hearing (a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard at most). Please, please learn what "evidence" means and then rewatch the hearing.
2
@Dave - be quiet go away, its easier to ignore you. Behave be demur.
If you don't like mob tactics and raised voices one can only image what you think of Kavanaugh and Graham.
I an very sorry for your sad experiences. They should be acknowledged and you should get justice.
Your personal issues should not drive this vote.
That's not the way our country should work.
We should not scapegoat one person or treat him/her as a proxy for all badly behaved men/women.
19
Any #Movement that is not based on anything rational but is purely emotional, inevitably will grow tedious to those who have to live and work in reality every day whether they like to or not.
12
Even taking the assault out of the equation it is still important to deny Kavanaugh this advancement to the Supreme Court. Between his disturbing, disingenuous and disqualifying job interview style, there is also the repulsive stand up by Trump at his rally where he openly mocked the victim. They both will be rewarded with his placement on the bench, which will validate these tactics from this point on, degrading, once again, our Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. When you reward bad behavior, bad behavior will follow and then bad behavior becomes normal. For this reason alone, I fear for the future of our courts, our politics and America itself.
25
Thank you for speaking out. You just ran right into the horrible reality of our politics, particularly right wing politics. You expected our elected representatives to act like human beings with feelings.
I'm quite a bit older than you. These people have no feelings. They cannot be shamed. They are empty shells. Everything they say and do is done to get reelected. Their jobs are essentially getting reelected as soon as they get elected. They spend about six hours a day on the phone fundraising.
If responding to your plight would directly translate into a winning majority of votes, then they have time for you. If your plight directly translated into massive election contributions, then they have time for you.
Right and wrong, good and bad, is not on the table. I don't care how many books they write and speeches they give, all that matters to them is getting reelected. You don't count.
They have plenty of support. All of those pigs that cheered Trump on when he mocked Dr. Ford will back them up. Trump has turned bad reality TV into bad reality.
This all boils down to power. Something like 43% of adults read at or below a 6th grade level. About 21% of adults read below a 5th grade level. We can't reach them through the written word. They swallow the Fox news garbage because that's all that can get into their heads. We have to go through them.
That means all the young people have to vote. Far too many do not. Vote for your life.
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@Bruce Rozenblit
We need term limits for all elected officials; one term only. No election. Then let them go back to the private sector as they have served our country.
One four year term for a Congress person. (Elections every two years is ridiculous.)
One six year term for Senators.
And one six year term for the President (because year four is consumed with re-election and not much else gets done and year eight is lame duck.)
And like every other civilized democracy in the world today, term limits on Judges appointed to the highest court in the nation. I read a suggestion of an 18 year term limit rotated about the 9 SCOTUS' so that at least each President will be able to nominate a new Supreme Court Judge during his or her Presidential term.
3
@Bruce Rozenblit "Everything they say and do is done to get reelected. Their jobs are essentially getting reelected as soon as they get elected."
Getting reelected is like crack cocaine. The need is stronger than family ties, their health, and the truth. They will literally say or do anything to get reelected. There's not an ounce of conscience or shame in the bunch of them.
And I don't know what to do other than vote them out of office.
1
@Fred
I made a typo here:
We need term limits for all elected officials; one term only. No re-election, ever.
Wonderful and powerful story.
Your experience should tell everyone that a few people who feel passionately can make a difference.
It should also convince "protesters'"to keep trying to make a difference. Protester is not the right word, we need another to describe people who have great conviction and great personal involvement.
14
Those who have endured sexual assault should in my opinion pursue any and all available means of bringing their perpetrator to justice, no matter how long it takes or how difficult. I acknowledge all the barriers there are to doing this. The Senate needs to proceed without distraction on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
7
@alan Agree. And I admire the passion of that young lady to let Jeff know. What I think was unfair was to associate her pain and the crime against her onto Brett Kavanaugh or anyone else. I would encourage her to go to the authorities where her attack took place and file a police report.
9
Thank you for speaking up.
The Senators have no control over the investigation, which seems to have been incomplete at best. Those who thought Dr. Ford was credible enough to insist on an investigation are essentially in the same place they were on Friday September 28, except they now know there is no further investigation coming.
It follows that Senators who called for an investigation are obligated to vote "no", because there has not been and will likely not be a thorough investigation despite their stated requirement. Doing otherwise would make their call for an investigation seem completely insincere and set a horrible precedent for future confirmations. Let's hope the Senators themselves agree.
14
You were strong and brave in the elevator. You are strong and brave. Continue to be so. Take solace and pride in knowing that many thousands of women were inspired by your bravery and made stronger because of your strength.
As I post this the writing seems to be on the wall for how the vote will go. Don't let that sap your strength or bravery. Although the current political may make us doubtful, what is right always prevails. I believe that.
199
Congrats to you!
This is what we must do now, in 2018 with our representatives. Find out if they are authentic and moral, honest persons. Never easy. But present the blunt facts of an issue to them an ask them not only where they stand on it but ask them about the fairness of the economics and morality of the issue. When they imply they are normal, decent people, not corrupted by money and power, and will go with the issue, we must follow them and broadcast their votes and vote them out as quick as possible. A revolution is coming; let all thinking people join in.
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