Response to Kavanaugh

[FlameBlade]

Agreed with you on debt. Blackout alcohol seems to be related in terms of long run of poor decisions, and lacking the skills to manage one's character. Vulnerable to external pressures.

[Stan]

[Phoebe]

Mike is right that his weird financial dealings are already disqualifying, especially considering he has not been forthright and honest about it. What do we expect from the nominee of a President who doesn't think he needs to disclose his tax returns, or any of the myriad ways he is profiting from his current office? I don't trust any of them one bit, including the Republican Senators on the committee.

Anyway, it has been fun watching the Republican congressional leadership collectively hang their dicks out in defense of Kavanaugh, as the allegations multiply, and women are forced into the light not because they wanted to go public, but because so many people know exactly who Kavanaugh was and are talking and emailing about it, now with reporters! I think they'll confirm him anyway because their voter base literally doesn't give a shit if white boys rape people and get away with it. It breaks my heart to see young women trying to wrap their minds around that, but might as well get used to the idea that white men consider all of this a terrifying threat to their power, and half the white women would rather hate on immigrants than confront their lived reality as the next potential victim. The guys here are definitely the exception, and thank you for that.

[WillyGilligan]

[Mike]

Except that Thursday will likely reveal nothing. They will hear her speak and they will hear him speak. That's it. The friend of Kavanaugh's who was reportedly in the room at the time initially said nothing happened. When told he might need to testify to that he changed his story to say he had no recollection of anything (black-out drunk thing). He will not be asked to speak. They have identified other people who were supposedly at the party who could speak to who was or wasn't there and what they remember. They will not be called. Contempoeries of Ford that she told about this in the past. Her therapist whom she told 6 years ago. Her husband. All people who can testify to the fact that she didn't make this up just in the last few months for political reasons. None of them will speak.

It will literally be he-said-she-said. No other evidence will be allowed that might actually make one side more credible than the other.

[Phoebe]

So before, I thought Kavanaugh was a political hack with suspect financial judgment and dealings, and on the strength of claims by senators and the refusal to release so many of the documents from his White House past, I figured he had probably lied to Congress already. The sexual misconduct allegations seemed credible to me, but of course, you like to see what happens after further investigation and testimony is provided, since having to testify under oath or to an FBI investigator sometimes has effects on what people will say.

Now, after the Fox interview, I think this man is an absolute, total snake, the type of Slytherin who would slime his way up next to Voldemort with pleasure, and if (when) he is confirmed, his presence will forever taint the integrity of the court. He disgusts me totally. The latest "defense", that he was a Virgin, makes me personally detest him. [NOTE: I am editing this post because I want to make clear why that is, given that the irl/online-line has been exceedingly thin lately; it's upsetting; the point is, it REALLY bothers me to see a whole internet full of idiots repeating this Virgin defense as if they are incapable of imagining violent assault that leaves one's "virginity" intact. It's infuriating. I would like to sit down with each person who has this fucked up misperception of reality and explain some things to them, but then, who has the time or inclination? Maybe people need to take responsibility for not being jerks, how about that? For self education? Anyway, carry on with the regularly scheduled commentary:] What a joke. As if his "virgin" status means he could never have done anything cruel or sexually criminal to a woman. He is the worst. A disgrace to his profession. I fully expect he will be confirmed, and every one of those men who do it, Grassley, Graham, all the hypocrites slathering about the mouth like Death Eaters about "due process" after they ignored Merrick Garland, should be on his knees begging God for forgiveness and trying to cleanse his filthy soul.

[poorpete]

When I agree with her, which is most of the time, Phoebe's righteous anger is the best.

My only issue is Susan Collins. I can only understand her seeming commitment to him is either because he is the only chance to save Roe (because the others on the shortlist will strike it down) or that she doesn't really care about Roe.

If it's the former, it reminds me a bit of those who don't Trump to resign/get impeached because Pence would be worse in some ways. Uhh, I'm not cool with letting sexual assaulters stay in office. Can we just not do that, and figure out the other stuff later?

[Phoebe]

They have a whole list of people who would reverse abortion rights, same-sex marriage, Grutter v. Bollinger, and sit tight on Citizens united, Heller v DC, the destruction of voting rights, you name it. The whole Republican wishlist, secured with confidence. So either all the people on that list have squishy pasts that make them nervous (doubtful), or they want Kavanaugh precisely because he has been a loyal Republican operative his whole life, and will protect Trump in whatever way he needs to get the job done. Some of the other Federalist Society approved judges on that list might be boy or girlscout enough to dislike Trump and follow their own moral principles, when those principles diverge from the Republican playbook and Trump's personal interests. They are completely committed to this guy because only he delivers what they really want; the others merely have the right ideology.

[DMDarcs]

If I had waved my penis in front of someone in the past, I would most likely not be able to keep my job. As a life appointed Supreme Court Justice, he should be held to a higher standard than I.

[mimekiller]

[FlameBlade]

Don't know about you, but I haven't seen penis flailing around in dorms. How about others? I am inclined to think that there is a good number of people haven't flailed their penis in a nonconsensual way at others. Much more than those who does.

[mimekiller]

I would rather have an attorney who got drunk and whipped it out once at a college party than someone who experienced such a thing and is still traumatized by it thirty years later.

[mimekiller]

This is a whole new level of dumb. How can this possibly be investigated by the FBI lisa murkowski — are they going to ask people what happened on a random night three decades ago? And what can they do with that? Is everyone in Alaska a moron?



https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/us/p ... naugh.html

[DMDarcs]

[Phoebe]

Just going by what was reported, whether or not it's true:
The woman who survived the rape attempt at 15 is still traumatized by it. That makes sense. Neither she nor the other woman are candidates for a supreme court seat, but if they were, I would imagine their experiences could give them a certain degree of insight into what it's like to be treated poorly, and that doesn't seem like a negative.

A guy stupid enough to be flapping his dick around people who didn't want to see it might be the same kind of guy who gets financially way over his head, drinks and gambles to excess? Who knows. The type of dumbass you wouldn't want making any important decisions. The type of dumbass who thinks that claiming to be a virgin magically means he could never have assaulted anyone. Seriously, FUCK THIS ASSHOLE. He's a useless tool. I have known many of his species; it is not a proud group. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until the Fox interview, and now I know he's a horrid little jerk.

[WillyGilligan]

[Mike]

[Phoebe]

I find it astonishing that people wonder whether these women can remember what happened a few decades ago, when they themselves can remember with great accuracy all sorts of things that were only mildly interesting or happy, much less traumatic or shameful. I remember vivid details of s*** that happened to me 40+ years ago. It is not remotely difficult. It doesn't play back like a full movie, but it doesn't have to for accuracy. I can tell you names, locations, faces, what I was wearing, what the weather was like, what kind of concrete was in the sidewalk. Mitch McConnell won't burn in hell because it's a natural environment where he can be expected to thrive, but I think Lindsey Graham and Orrin Hatch probably should start praying a lot

[bralbovsky]

1 He's a terrible judge, consistently prejudicial. I got into three of his decisions that are available, and he's a total hack. Needn't have even attended to make the decisions he made. Possibly worse than Thomas.

2 He has a hugely inflated view of his intellect and control. If you're brilliant, you either don't lose 200k or you have the sense not to bet.

3 He's the toadiest of toadying ignoramuses, who for years has been the lackey of whatever quasi-fascist arm of the party is buying the booze. That's his appeal, BTW, he will be loyal rather than legal.

4 He's a dependable liar. His testimony is consistently dissembling if not outright dishonest. This is every time he has to be confirmed. If I were on the committee, my first question would have been, "How do you react when you find someone lying in your courtroom?"

5 He's likely a serial accessory to rape. Thank god he doesn't hold his liquor any better than he bets or she might not have escaped. Perhaps it wasn't his idea, but he absolutely went along. That's his thing: he goes along, he's a pleaser and sycophant. No way, despite his protests, that he was the ethical exception in every culture of debauchery he inhabited throughout his training and career. Peer pressure is a killer for cowards. And all of the artifacts, anecdotes, yearbooks, point to his inhabiting toxic uberpenis cultures.

Don't any of these people have daughters?

[Phoebe]

LOL these sick, horrid liars:

"The president wants this process to come to a vote because that’s what’s supposed to happen in every single one of these instances where someone is nominated, they go before, they have a hearing, and then the senators vote on it,” Sanders said.