Angry and bit combative and certainly political….
Kavanaugh is back infant of the people reviewing him for a Supreme Court vote from the whole US Senate…
The judge does have a LOT on the line…
A seat on the Supreme Court….
His reputation…
His employment as a Federal judge….
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh denied the sexual allegations multiple women have raised against him in heated, forceful testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
“I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process,” he said at high volume, his brow furrowed.
“You’ve tried hard, you’ve given it your all, no one can question your effort. Your coordinated and well-funded effort to destroy my good name and destroy my family will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out,” he said in comments directed at Democrats on the panel.
Though he did not name her specifically, he accused Senator Dianne Feinstein of strategically holding onto the first allegation of sexual assault against him to derail his confirmation.
He said the accusations against him have destroyed his family and his good name, a good name he said he built through decades of hard work and service in the American government.
“The last few weeks have been an orchestrated political hit fueled by pent up anger against President Trump and the 2016 election, fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons and millions of dollars in money from outside, left-wing opposition groups,” he said.
As Kavanaugh grew increasingly emotional, it appeared to start having an effect on Republican senators who looked at him intently with furrowed brows and frowns.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) blinked and bit his lips as Kavanaugh started to choke up as he talked about his female friends in high school who remain close with him to this day.
Cornyn’s eyes appeared to mist up and he took several sips from a glass of water in front of him. When Kavanaugh finished, he turned to Graham, who was sitting next to him and exhaled deeply and raised his eyebrows with empathy.
Democrats appeared much less moved by the testimony….
Kavanaugh hearing live feed..…
image….The Hill/Pool
After a lunch break, the Senate Judiciary Committee resumed its hearing with Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Playbook: “There are a lot of Republicans who are already hoping that the White House will pull Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination — ‘today,’ as one put it to us…. Factions in and around the White House — Trump allies — are getting concerned. As we said this morning: It’s hard to see what Kavanaugh can do to change the strikingly difficult political dynamics. He has already said, without a doubt, that he did not do anything — that has left him no wiggle room. We’ve not spoken to a single Republican so far who thinks this is going well for them. Most think it’s an abject disaster.”
Politicalwire…
The angry Brett photo is gonna make the media rounds including here….
I’ve already seen the meme of Hillary Clinton–cool as a cucumber after 11 hours of testifying– compared to Kavanaugh’s histrionics in the first 20 minutes of questions.
Noah Shachtman
@NoahShachtman
Prediction: Kav is gonna get confirmed. And the GOP is gonna pay for it in November.
Nate Silver
@NateSilver538
Nate Silver Retweeted Noah Shachtman
Very hard to make predictions about this stuff I also think the likelihood of this outcome has increased. 👇
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) “erupted in anger during his turn to question Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday, marking a pivotal turn away from the GOP’s previously measured attempt to rely on outside counsel for questioning the high court nominee,” Politico reports.
“It was a stunning moment, but one that had been coming for days for anyone watching the 63-year-old senator closely.”
“A furious Graham accused Senate Democrats of ‘the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics’ — an effort to ruin Kavanaugh’s reputation and sink his nomination for the Supreme Court.”
Said Graham: “What you want to do is destroy this guy’s life, hold this seat open, and hope you win in 2020.”
Politicalwire…
Hearing is over…..
the GOPer’s have been told by Trump to press on and vote…..
this may just come down to politics….
the republicans leaving the hearing seem to be disregarding Ford”s appearance this morning….
The Republicans are gonna try to do this straight out of the Trump playbook…
Get what you want ….
Don’t give a fuck….
Decision time….
HIGH DRAMA: Flake, Collins, Murkowski and Manchin – the senators who will determine whether Brett Kavanaugh gets a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court – are privately huddling NOW. @tedbarrettcnn
Many Raju
Twitter
I think just like that quote from @Noah, what was on display was that the Republicans may win this fight, but the Demographics war of the country they have lost and will continue to lose. I can’t see a majority of women voting Republican, and lets face it, they are the ones going to college and becoming professionals, and are the ones going to be voting more, so who do you want to represent you, the old white men of the Republican or the mixed group of Democratic senators, who look very different, they were white, black, men, women, shoot there was even an asian on the Dem’s side. The Republicans had all those white old guys and the only ethnic guy at all was cruz. 2020 looks good for Dems…weather the storm for two more years of trump and hopefully get one branch of the congress and things will be heading back to some sort of normalcy in the country.
As a side note, this shit was sickening on all levels the last two days.
The women and others MUST comeOUT and vote….
It’s THAT simple….
If anyone thinks this guys isn’t gonna be Scalia 2.0 they are fooling themselves…
Judge Kavanaugh will be confirmed, as he should, and Democrats will have a hard time living down the shame from all of this from the day he was nominated until now.
Hopefully, this sort of political disgrace will be an impetus to the American people to reject the utter and complete shameful displays of both the left and Trump when they are applicable and insist upon truth and justice above all else.
Here are my takeaways from today-
Something horrible likely happened to Dr. Ford when she was a teenager that has affected her life since. People should pray for her, as the young Kavanaugh daughters do, because they are being raised by good parents.
Judge Kavanaugh did not assault her or anyone else.
Dianne Feinstein should be the subject of a Senate Ethics Committee Investigation to determine if she or anyone on her staff leaked the letter and thus victimized Dr. Ford. We already know that she sat on this information for months, all the time investigations could have been occurring. For months, she did not consider this allegation credible or intended to use it as a last-minute political Hail Mary. So, let an Ethnics Committee investigation proceed. She should welcome the opportunity to clear her name. (In the meanwhile, I think whatever Republicans may be left in California are now going to vote with Keith for deLeon just to get rid of her, even though he is the more liberal candidate. It’s hard to argue with them on that at this point.)
In the short term? I don’t know what “Republicans will pay the price in the midterms” means as it relates to this. Republicans were already looking at a rough midterm absent any of this. So, the term will have to be defined.
I have little doubt though that the Republican base has become motivated to vote because of it. Even us Never Trump people who have not liked what has happened to our party either. Decent Democrats should take heed and do what they can to reclaim their party before it’s too late.
Now, I don’t live in a place where my vote is going to have any federal impact this year, and while I certainly remain completely opposed to Trump, and would still not be able to vote for various specific Republicans, this whole charade would have someone like me fired up to vote against any Democrat for federal office.
Whatever. You are going to vote Republican because you are a Republican. And after today more than ever being a Republican means being a Trunp Republican.
Lindsey Graham’s meltdown and audition for Trump AG is just further evidence of that.
Lindsey Graham was great today. Focusing on “Trump” means that there is basically nothing else to be said to offer as a counter-argument in any of this. I’ve noted that for a few days.
I’m still anti-Trump and will never vote for him. The point I am making is that if I lived in MO, I probably would have been iffy on voting for Hawley, probably would have written someone in, but now I would do so, if McCaskill votes no.
Maybe others buy your bullshit that because Democrats allowed a credible accuser to dare have a voice your GOP vote in a Senate race would be cemented. But I sure as hell don’t.
I agree that the Trump Republican base is energized by this. And you are part of that base. So of course you are energized.
But the Democratic base and women voters are energized now too. You probably don’t know enough women you are not blpod related to to have a finger on that pulse though.
The Republicans allowed her to testify. She had her say. There is, as you seem to readily acknowledge, simply no evidence or corroboration of any sort that she had even met Kavanaugh. The Republicans are the ones that wanted to afford her the chance. She didn’t want to. Democrats leaked her name and turned her life into this tumult.
The women I have talked to on this matter (and I don’t feel like a lot of people are talking about it who are not political junkies) have been skeptical of the claims for so long ago.
This needs to be a lesson to everyone in the current day about immature behavior at a young age and how it may harm you via social medial etc (even you Scott when you were not so young based on things you have said online here and P1) and especially how important it is for all to realize that sexual assault is never acceptable or ok and always must be reported, with due process of course extended.
I think the fully-credentialed NeverTrump David French says it better than me:
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/after-kavanaughs-stand-republicans-abandon-him-at-their-peril/
Women are reduced to ‘have their say’?
One of the abuse hotlines got over 100,000 calls in the last 24 hours….
Gonna be some guys and gals in getting knocks on their doors from the law….
Only the white guys rolling with Trump can do their thing and get over with stare downs to women…
I’m gonna remind ya CG?
Karma is a bitch and what comes around?
Goes around….
Democratic House and by some means Senate is gonna be reckoning time for those in your party….
It IS the way things go…
No one that approves of what happened today as the Republicans rush to approve a sexual pervert for the Supreme Court can no longer claim they are “never Trump.” They are simply, along with Brett, sucking Trump’s dick.
All the sexual double talk notwithstanding, it’s amazing that an admitted drunk and sexual assaulter would be approved by the Republican Majority.
To still say that Kavanaugh should be approved after Dr. Ford’s testimony is an insult to women.
His crying jag is beside the fact, he doesn’t have the temperament or honesty to be on the Nation’s highest court.
The rush to approve this nominee ignores his behavior with women. Amazing that people still defend him.
A real “Never Trumper Republican” would want Trump’s get out of jail card carrying appointment to fail.
Then an equally conservative judge who has not made statements about the President being above the law coukd be appointed.
CG is a Trump Republican. Plain and simple. At no point has he actually wanted Trump’s Reoublican policies or appointments to fail.
Where the rubber meets the road (to quote Ross Perot) he cheers for the same outcomes that every MAGA hatted fan of the Pussy Grabber in Chief does.
Oh so he doesn’t personally care for Trump or like that this sexual deviant is undisputed head of the GOP. I don’t give a shit. That and 2 bucks gets him a cup of coffee.
The “shame’ will NOT be the Democrats….
As was proficised on CNN….
There is NOT reason why a Democratic House/Senate couldn’t go after Kavanaugh, though I doubt it for the sake of the court?
But?
It IS possible…
As BDog points out?
A rushed vote COULD be a battle win and a War loss….
We’ll see how things play out…
Your President tweets:
Donald J. Trump
Verified account
@realDonaldTrump
1 hour ago
Judge 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 has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote!
37,415 replies 39,886 retweets 125,263 likes
Reply 37K Retweet 40K Like 125K