Today, the Senate heard testimony from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford who claimed that Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her some 36 years ago when she was 15 years old at a drinking party held near her neighborhood. In watching her recount the things that she could remember from that evening — the placement of the bed in the room — the loud music in the room — the hand of Kavanaugh attempting to stifle her screams — painful, vivid memories that live inside of her and that have seared an enduring mark on her soul. It was heart-wrenching to watch. To have endured death threats, reporters approaching her graduate students at her work place, having to relocate her entire family numerous times and to now needing a security detail to ensure her daily safety, is so clearly beyond the pale. And in spite of all of this, she found the courage to confront the terror of her largest demon and was willing to relive the heinous story with Senate members and, by default, the world — all in an effort to shed light on a Supreme Court nominee — one who would hold that powerful position for a lifetime. I admire her for her strength, clarity and fortitude. And I was proud of the Senate’s respectful treatment of her and their willingness to hear her truth.
The mood of the Senate Chambers shifted to one of tension this afternoon as nominee Kavanaugh entered the Chamber, made his way to the table provided for him and then obsessively and compulsively rearranged his name sign, a glass and water bottle before sitting down and opening his portfolio. In stark contrast to the morning testimony of Dr. Ford, Mr. Kavanaugh opening statement exploded into an accusatory paranoiac rant charging Senate members with a coordinated effort to “blow me up and take me down” which, he assured them, would fail. He said all of this was “revenge from the Clintons” and that he would never quit, in spite of the “political hit.” Soon the rant changed to a highly-charged emotional display as he referred to his parents and family which involved a lot of tongue pressing on the inside of his cheek, followed by large and repeated gulps of water and ended with a great deal of sniffing. And then the belligerence bubbled up again, this time to give rise to the accusation that because of the actions “unleashed by the Senate Committee” he may never be able to teach or coach again. Clearly, he was angry with the Senate and angry with the process. And yet, the questions continued. One Senator read a statement from one of his college roommates who stated that when Kavanaugh drank, he often became belligerent; was that true? He deflected the statement by saying that the roommate had a beef with his other roommate, skillfully skirting the question. Senator Klobuchar pressed on. Did he ever drink until he blacked out or couldn’t remember anything? Kavanaugh shot back at her, “Have you?” Hmm, seemed to me that he didn’t need alcohol to get to “belligerent.”
Senator Lindsey Graham went into a tirade apologizing to Kavanaugh for the way he had been treated and that he deserved more respect than he was being given — that he supported Kavanaugh, would vote for him, and everyone else should, too. I distinctly saw Donald Trump’s lips moving through all of that. It just so happened that it came out of Graham’s mouth, not so astonishingly.
Some Senators thoughtfully and respectfully questioned Kavanaugh and some Senators seemed to embrace him. I guess we could tell which were which without any prompting there.
I was struck by the wide range and very public display of emotions from a man who by the very definition of his job is supposed to be impartial, practical, analytical and objective. This, of course, opens the door to whether he, as a Supreme Court Justice, in a lifetime appointment, could ever really execute effectively in his job and by that I mean, deliberate based strictly upon the law and its precedent. I think not.
And so, as proud as I was earlier today of our legislative body, I was snapped back to reality by Senator Cornyn’s off-the-record comments following the close of the session and outside of the Chamber when he said that the Senate would, in all likelihood, move forward to a vote sometime tomorrow.
Here’s where we get to the What Went Wrong.
As much as the Senate appeared to be allowing due process to evolve, at the end of the day which will be sometime tomorrow, we see that it was all for show — a grandstanding gesture constructed entirely to reaffirm votes for the upcoming mid-term elections. My prediction? Judge Kavanaugh will, for better or for worse, be Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh by this time tomorrow — sex crimes, or not.
Following the close of the session, our Resident Reality Show Judge and Exalted Leader of the Washington Old Boys’ Club tweeted:
“Justice Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him. His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Democrats’ search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process as been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote!”
I doubt that Dr. Ford will find little comfort or solace in the fact that as much as she loved her country and the steep personal price she and her family has recently paid by her willingness to speak out, it’s clear that it just wasn’t enough.
And that’s what Just Went Wrong With America today.
Amen!!!
Thanks Linda for leaving your comment. I’m sad to say it looks like my own Senator is going with a yes on Kavanaugh to be the flip vote. Tough times ahead for women in America.
Looks as though America has totally forgotten what truly made it great. Hopefully, sooner than later these throwbacks to the Ice-Age that proclaim to run this country will fade into obscurity, where they most certainly belong. Great blog, I am so very proud of you my love.
I couldn’t agree with your comments about America more … and thank you for the personal mention .. I am humbled …
I definitely respect and understand your position along with your view of the hearing. This entire process is flawed. First and probably the most important, and many Senators fail to grasp, is one of our most fundamental and given rights, is Judge Kavanaugh is innocent. He is innocent until proven guilty. Every jury instruction in a criminal court setting has this instructing a jury of your peers. But, the confirmation hearings are not a criminal court. They have no standard of proof. No preponderance of evidence, no beyond a reasonable doubt. No probable cause. I do applaud Senator Flake for working with others and taking a bi-partisan approach. An investigation should be conducted. These are serious allegations and should be brought to the proper authorities and jurisdiction. If there is evidence to permit criminal charges, then they should be brought forward and allow Judge Kavanaugh to face his accuser and cross-examine. But again, unless there is corroborating evidence to the allegations, the accused is considered innocent. This should not be held in the courtroom of public opinion to see who believes who or who is more credible than who….
Hugh – Thank you … this is a reflection of your careful, thoughtful and analytical thinking (which I am very fond of!). I also applaud Senator Flake for taking a cautionary approach and recommending an investigation. I have a great deal of respect for the FBI and I know you do, too. I’m confident that they will leave no stone unturned in the course of their investigation. If Kavanaugh is innocent as he says he is, then he has nothing to worry about and we, as a nation, can move forward. Otherwise, he will be and should be accountable for his actions, regardless of when they occurred. We live in times that demand that we take responsibility for our democracy and I am heartened to see a wakefulness finally beginning to occur in our country. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog and for providing such a thoughtful response!