Lindsey:
Requiring an investigation before the hearing … blah blah blah
Until the GOP investigates it proves to 97% of sentient Americans that the GOP knows it can not allow this or the nominee falls.
Everyone seems to suggest that this would take about 2 weeks. The midterms aren’t until November and the new congress isn’t seated until January.
Republicans previously held open a seat for over a year. Not exactly sure why Graham feels it is imperative to rush this. The GOP was perfectly fine to leave a seat open on the court and it continued to function (maybe better than even expected as political decisions were deadlocked)
Here is Lindsey Graham back in 2016, saying it was important to keep the Supreme Court understrength, w 8 Justices, for *ten months* rather than consider Garland https://t.co/WOUofZ2oxx
— James Fallows (@JamesFallows) September 19, 2018
Today Graham says it’s “imperative” to vote on Kavanaugh “ASAP" pic.twitter.com/U0DJQp7Tlq
Unlike Ms. Lindsey trying to push confirmation ahead of the midterms?
Gotcha…
It took the FBI only three days to investigate Anita Hill’s allegations in 1992. Get it done, have a hearing in two weeks.
So Ford is leveraging a sexual assault, pleading a faux trauma, solely for the calculated purpose of achieving a political goal benefitting Democrats.
Graham is as reprehensible as Trump.
So the emerging consensus from ex Georgetown Prep students seems to be “There was a culture of wild drinking to the point of memory blackouts, and none of us has ever been to a party”.
I like it. Short, sweet, ridiculous.
The fact that the drinking to the point of not remembering anything you did is actually chronicled in an entire autobiographical book makes it even better.
I truly hope Ms. Ford will decide to testify if that is her only “opportunity.” Flake and Corker have now reversed themselves, saying that if she doesn’t take up the “invitation,” well, they offered. Of course, an FBI investigation should take place, but with this “president” and Senate, it probably will not.
I understand how this has turned her life upside down and terrified her - it’s horrible and horribly unfair and frightening as hell. And, yes, it’s easy for me to say. However, if this man gets confirmed next week without the country hearing from her, it will be an even worse tragedy for all of us and for Ms. Ford.
That’s the sound of the GOP wetting the bed.
As of today I’ll put the chances of Kavanaugh not being confirmed at 50% (down 1% from yesterday). Yesterday was the day for far right activists to rally the troops. They got the judiciary committee GOPers to try a kangaroo court sham hearing with a take it or leave it edge. Blasey Ford didn’t take the bait and is demanding new terms. Dems are also playing with political house money and are saying, ‘have at it GOP’.
The GOP can have this vote today if it wants. They’re not having that vote because they don’t have 50 committed votes to support Kavanaugh.
Mitch and Trump both know that there are more risks with confirming him than not. They both believe that staying in power in Congress > than a 5-4 court and not being in power.
The pressure and threats from the base may be too much for them so they may go ahead with it. However, the politics of this no longer work for Collins and Murkowski. It may not work for aptly named Jeff Flake either. We’ll see, but until the GOP has 50 committed votes, then all of this is just political posturing and gamesmanship.
Shorter Graham: We don’t dare wait for the voice of the people on this one!
I think Lindsey’s swallowed the magic mushroom. And he has shrunken into a homunculus of a person.
Flake and Corker don’t have to survive any alleged betrayal of the party, insofar as their re-elections being at stake. Why the hell they don’t feel free to vote their conscience is a bit of a mystery. I have to feel they fear being froze out of the lobbying/speaking tour/board of directors gravy train that awaits them, therefore they don’t want to alienate the Wingnutsphere sector of that cesspool that would be stroking them checks. But haven’t they already offended more than a few of those future employers anyway?
Ford should just bypass the whole shit-show and file a criminal complaint against Kavanaugh and Judge. I wonder if a sitting USSC judge has ever be convicted of a crime?
Let these bastards own it.
There they go again, Senator Graham as always thinks they are victims of some grand conspiracy by a super-Machiavellian villain. Apparently, he reads too many comic books. Fact, GOP lack of due diligence threatens pushing the confirmation to a later date.
I really hope her lawyers are gaming this out. It’s only Wednesday., A complaint should be waved sub rosa to Grassley on Friday noonish, and, if needed, made public left to just before she’d interviewed on TV on Sunday night.
ETA: Timing should be done to best ruin Don’s golf game.
I think Maddow and O’Donnell’s segment last night probably captured it better than I did. What they point out is that Blasey Ford has a lot of corroborating witnesses and independent reporting (SJ Mercury News) that pre-date Kavanaugh’s nomination. By demanding a FBI investigation, she is making it clear that her claim is credible because most people do not willingly submit themselves to FBI scrutiny if they are ‘faking it’. There’s no ‘faking it’ with the FBI. That’s also why you saw Kavanaugh’s buddy Mike Judge s**t his pants last night and essentially point the finger at Kavanaugh through his non-denial, denial. It was probably the biggest step to acknowledging the validity of the claim if you think about it. Someone on the other side of this incident is unable to categorically deny that the incident happened.
I do agree with Maddow and O’Donnell that Blasey Ford is in the driver’s seat. You could also see from Trump’s comments that he has put the burden on Kavanaugh to make sure he’s telling the truth. There is wiggle room there. He has also found a convenient scapegoat in Feinstein for the ‘last minute’ nature of this. What Trump is doing here is creating a possible explanation for his far right supporters to say, ‘hey, the guy turned out to be a little dirty. The Democrats rigged it. I had no choice. Blame them. And Mitch is a bum any way’. They’ll buy it.
.@Maddow tells @Lawrence why she thinks Kavanaugh’s nomination is “hurtling toward the sun.” #lastword #msnbc pic.twitter.com/JYOBDI4FiU
— The Last Word (@TheLastWord) September 19, 2018
Graham is a hypocrite of the lowest order. Lest we forget he championed the impeachment of Clinton for a lie about consensual sex, as did kavanaugh, oh and starr-who — Baylor law school, assault allegations???
.
For once I agree with Graham. A committee vote should be taken as soon as possible where “as soon as possible” means after the FBI has completed its investigation.
So what if it is? If the Senate Whip cobbles together 50 votes Kavanaugh is confirmed and Ford can go pound sand. No prosecutor is going to pursue a 35 year old sexual assault allegation between two high schoolers. No government body is going to impeach Kavanaugh for lying during his confirmation, becasue proof he’s lying will not be forthcoming, at least proof that has been borne out in a court of law.
50 votes and he’s in. That’s all Trump and McConnell need to focus on. Herd the cats long enough to achieve that.