Does anyone have any knowledge as to why the accuser has not responded, for about a day and a half, to Sen. Grassley's attempts to schedule her for hearing?
She may be even more of wild card. Reuters saying she likely won't testify Monday.Anarchistbear said:wifeisafurd said:I agree with Feinstein. You limit a trial to just the defendant and accuser? Hell noAnarchistbear said:
There is no objective truth here. Kavanaugh and Blasey are all we jurors need to issue a verdict..
This is more performance art and inquisition than truth finding. No verdict is going to be issued; what matters are the persuasiveness of the arguments and their political implications.
Kavanaugh has already played his role- Judge, family man, girl's basketball coach. He's going to continue to play that role- only now sexual assailant is added to that portfolio. His answers-indeed all his prurient questions about Clinton-now are cast in a different light.
The woman is the wild card. What really matters is her testimony. If she is credible, Kavanaugh is toast. The Senate Judiciary Committe has nothing to do with " the truth." It is a group of partisan politicians. We'll figure out the truth for ourselves.
This is surprising to me.B.A. Bearacus said:
"Brett Kavanaugh should withdraw his nomination for the good of the Supreme Court and the country
I'm a Republican and support Trump's judicial strategy but the perceived legitimacy of the court is more important than one man."
"The sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford are different: After reading them, I can no longer support Kavanaugh's nomination and have concluded that for the good of the country, he must withdraw."
Based on the following, the delay in her response may largely be at the direction of Democratic senators (I would presume Feinstein, most importantly).mikecohen said:
Does anyone have any knowledge as to why the accuser has not responded, for about a day and a half, to Sen. Grassley's attempts to schedule her for hearing?
IF you group sexual assaults into three groups, women who are raped and don't report it, even to their parents, women who are raped and report it to the authorities, and women who claim to have been raped but were not; I wonder what the distribution would be among the three choices. I know in my limited experience with women who were willing to confide in me, that the first choice covered all instances. For whatever reason, my generation did not report rape or make false claims; women were taught that it was their fault they were attacked. Some of that thinking still persists. This case is different in that these were not Baby Boomers, but their children. Values are generational.wifeisafurd said:
None of this proves that Prof Ford is or is not telling the truth, but it does suggest we should be skeptical of the notion that it is common for women to say they've been sexually abused when they haven't been. Almost always they are telling the truth. But as this author points out, we don't know what happened for sure in this situation.
sp4149 said:IF you group sexual assaults into three groups, women who are raped and don't report it, even to their parents, women who are raped and report it to the authorities, and women who claim to have been raped but were not; I wonder what the distribution would be among the three choices. I know in my limited experience with women who were willing to confide in me, that the first choice covered all instances. For whatever reason, my generation did not report rape or make false claims; women were taught that it was their fault they were attacked. Some of that thinking still persists. This case is different in that these were not Baby Boomers, but their children. Values are generational.wifeisafurd said:
None of this proves that Prof Ford is or is not telling the truth, but it does suggest we should be skeptical of the notion that it is common for women to say they've been sexually abused when they haven't been. Almost always they are telling the truth. But as this author points out, we don't know what happened for sure in this situation.
The party school culture of Georgetown Prep is not helped by Judge K telling graduates "What happens at Georgetown Prep, stays at Georgetown Prep." Or his senior year yearbook. Or his best friend and character witness and author of "Wasted: Tales of a Gen X Drunk".
Which lead to a question that no one has asked Judge K's supporters. Have you ever been around Judge K when he is drunk? Haven't we all known friends, acquaintances, co-workers who were "mean" drunks. A total personality, persona change when drunk. Sober behavior is not a predictor of drunk behavior. Knowing I was in the company of a mean drunk, kept my personal consumption to a controlled level so I would know when the hell to get out of Dodge. I know third hand that one of Trump's White House staff attended AA meetings in the San Bernardino area, A good friend, 38 years sober, met her at meetings there. This AA member was particularly critical of Steve Bannon; his gut reaction was that Bannon was a drunk. Trump's sole redeeming trait is his dislike of drinking/drunks. Maybe that is keeping him from defending Judge K more aggressively.
See that's the rub, he has issued a blanket denial, so any honesty now would make him a liar. That's been some of the op-ed main points - it's not about sexual assault, it' about if Kavanaugh is telling the truth. Something a SC justice should be able to do.concordtom said:This is surprising to me.B.A. Bearacus said:
"Brett Kavanaugh should withdraw his nomination for the good of the Supreme Court and the country
I'm a Republican and support Trump's judicial strategy but the perceived legitimacy of the court is more important than one man."
"The sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford are different: After reading them, I can no longer support Kavanaugh's nomination and have concluded that for the good of the country, he must withdraw."
I think I might be inclined to give him a pass on that incident rather than persecute him 35 years later. He should just own it and say he was a stupid teen.
Good McConnell is a tough, almost no-win situation and he isn't holding the cards. Sting turtle boy along, let him twist in the wind. The word out is if McConnell fails here, the GOP will be psssed off and in chaos. Couldn't happen to a bigger bunch of shttheads.B.A. Bearacus said:Based on the following, the delay in her response may largely be at the direction of Democratic senators (I would presume Feinstein, most importantly).mikecohen said:
Does anyone have any knowledge as to why the accuser has not responded, for about a day and a half, to Sen. Grassley's attempts to schedule her for hearing?
@Susan_Hennessey: "McConnell is really trying to push this as something nefarious, but the normal assumption would be that Ford is communicating primarily/exclusively with the minority members with whom she has a preexisting relationship."
Quote:
The White House is launching a public relations campaign in the hopes of salvaging Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination and ushering in a new era of American conservatism on the high court.
CNN reports that the Trump White House is playing defense after a marathon strategy meeting with Kavanaugh that took place on Monday: Like Senate Republicans who had a letter prepared to defend Kavanaugh, they plan to counter Christine Blasey Ford's allegation of attempted rape with testimonials from women who knew Kavanaugh back in the day and think he's just swell.
The plan, anonymous officials told CNN, will rely heavily on women who will attest to Kavanaugh's good characterincluding from his teenage years, during which he is alleged to have sexually assaulted Ford. People inside the White House, like so many others, appear to be under the impression that one woman's allegations against a manin a grotesque kind of calculusare null and void if another woman did not have the same experience.
This, of course, is ludicrous, but it won't stop them from trying: Already, the White House has contacted many of the 65 women who knew Kavanaugh as teens and believed he "treated women with respect." Now, women who worked with Kavanaugh during the Bush administration are tweeting their support of their former colleague with the hashtag #IStandWithBrett.
From CNN:Quote:
"I've known Judge Brett Kavanaugh for nearly 20 years," wrote Sara ***en, the former Bush White House political director. "I don't believe he would ever harm any person, let alone assault a woman. These eleventh hour allegations as he was about to be confirmed to the Supreme Court reflect the sad state of American politics today. He's a good man, a brilliant jurist, and he does not deserve to have his good name ruined because the base of the Democratic party doesn't want a conservative on the Supreme Court."
Gee, what a great theory. Nor legally permissible, but why let facts get in the way. The Senate can do it's own investigation. I think that is what the Dems really want to hold things-up until past mid-terms, but they want the GOP to first say a FBI investigation can't be ordered by the Senate, and then respond. The President can order a FBI investigation - like that is going to happen.ducky23 said:
That really puts GOP senators in between a rock and a hard place. When the senate does refuse to do an fbi investigation (and they will) that's not going to help them once the midterms rolls around. bad that isn't the law. The Senate can undertake its own investigation, but it can't ask the FBI.
wifeisafurd said:
Gee, what a great theory. Nor legally permissible, but why let facts get in the way. The Senate can do it's own investigation. I think that is what the Dems really want to hold things-up until past mid-terms, but they want the GOP to first say a FBI investigation can't be ordered by the Senate, and then respond. The President can order a FBI investigation - like that is going to happen.
WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh (all times local):
8:15 p.m.
The Justice Department says the sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh "does not involve any potential federal crime" for the FBI to investigate.
The department said in a statement Monday night that the FBI's role during background investigations is to evaluate whether the nominee could pose a national security risk and then provide that information "for the use of the decision makers."
The department says it's not the job of the FBI to judge the significance or the credibility of an accusation.
wifeisafurd said:Gee, what a great theory. Nor legally permissible, but why let facts get in the way. The Senate can do it's own investigation. I think that is what the Dems really want to hold things-up until past mid-terms, but they want the GOP to first say a FBI investigation can't be ordered by the Senate, and then respond. The President can order a FBI investigation - like that is going to happen.ducky23 said:
That really puts GOP senators in between a rock and a hard place. When the senate does refuse to do an fbi investigation (and they will) that's not going to help them once the midterms rolls around. bad that isn't the law. The Senate can undertake its own investigation, but it can't ask the FBI.
WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh (all times local):
8:15 p.m.
The Justice Department says the sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh "does not involve any potential federal crime" for the FBI to investigate.
The department said in a statement Monday night that the FBI's role during background investigations is to evaluate whether the nominee could pose a national security risk and then provide that information "for the use of the decision makers."
The department says it's not the job of the FBI to judge the significance or the credibility of an accusation.
I have no idea what happens on Monday. 4 WAGs:ducky23 said:wifeisafurd said:Gee, what a great theory. Nor legally permissible, but why let facts get in the way. The Senate can do it's own investigation. I think that is what the Dems really want to hold things-up until past mid-terms, but they want the GOP to first say a FBI investigation can't be ordered by the Senate, and then respond. The President can order a FBI investigation - like that is going to happen.ducky23 said:
That really puts GOP senators in between a rock and a hard place. When the senate does refuse to do an fbi investigation (and they will) that's not going to help them once the midterms rolls around. bad that isn't the law. The Senate can undertake its own investigation, but it can't ask the FBI.
WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh (all times local):
8:15 p.m.
The Justice Department says the sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh "does not involve any potential federal crime" for the FBI to investigate.
The department said in a statement Monday night that the FBI's role during background investigations is to evaluate whether the nominee could pose a national security risk and then provide that information "for the use of the decision makers."
The department says it's not the job of the FBI to judge the significance or the credibility of an accusation.
Sorry I should have been more clear. If the senate really wanted to they could get the president to get an fbi investigation. All they would have to say is, look we ain't confirming this guy until you order an investigation.
Obviously that won't happen. Which allows the dems to paint the Republicans as not wanting to fully investigate a woman's credible claims.
wifeisafurd said:I have no idea what happens on Monday. 4 WAGs:ducky23 said:wifeisafurd said:Gee, what a great theory. Nor legally permissible, but why let facts get in the way. The Senate can do it's own investigation. I think that is what the Dems really want to hold things-up until past mid-terms, but they want the GOP to first say a FBI investigation can't be ordered by the Senate, and then respond. The President can order a FBI investigation - like that is going to happen.ducky23 said:
That really puts GOP senators in between a rock and a hard place. When the senate does refuse to do an fbi investigation (and they will) that's not going to help them once the midterms rolls around. bad that isn't the law. The Senate can undertake its own investigation, but it can't ask the FBI.
WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh (all times local):
8:15 p.m.
The Justice Department says the sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh "does not involve any potential federal crime" for the FBI to investigate.
The department said in a statement Monday night that the FBI's role during background investigations is to evaluate whether the nominee could pose a national security risk and then provide that information "for the use of the decision makers."
The department says it's not the job of the FBI to judge the significance or the credibility of an accusation.
Sorry I should have been more clear. If the senate really wanted to they could get the president to get an fbi investigation. All they would have to say is, look we ain't confirming this guy until you order an investigation.
Obviously that won't happen. Which allows the dems to paint the Republicans as not wanting to fully investigate a woman's credible claims.
1) Kav is voted in, after no hearing
2) Grassly and Feinstein meet to hammer out a compromise for a hearing (the concept of only 2 witnesses is a denial of even the appearance of due process), but there is not a chance in hell that Justice is going to allow itself to get dragged into this.
3) There is hearing at which the Senators shout at each other, and Kav is then voted in.
4) Kav takes his ball and goes home, and the next nominee is Trump's sister.
Unless the GOP has lost its nerve for playing dirty (which I never expect to happen): The correct GOP move would be just to Clarence Thomas it, and force Kavanaugh through. Having a lock on the Supreme Court for the next 30 years beats an election cycle loss -- Their big-money troops should be able to blunt the effect of that, easy.Another Bear said:See that's the rub, he has issued a blanket denial, so any honesty now would make him a liar. That's been some of the op-ed main points - it's not about sexual assault, it' about if Kavanaugh is telling the truth. Something a SC justice should be able to do.concordtom said:This is surprising to me.B.A. Bearacus said:
"Brett Kavanaugh should withdraw his nomination for the good of the Supreme Court and the country
I'm a Republican and support Trump's judicial strategy but the perceived legitimacy of the court is more important than one man."
"The sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford are different: After reading them, I can no longer support Kavanaugh's nomination and have concluded that for the good of the country, he must withdraw."
I think I might be inclined to give him a pass on that incident rather than persecute him 35 years later. He should just own it and say he was a stupid teen.
I don't think the GOP can't wiggle out of this one.
mikecohen said:Unless the GOP has lost its nerve for playing dirty (which I never expect to happen): The correct GOP move would be just to Clarence Thomas it, and force Kavanaugh through. Having a lock on the Supreme Court for the next 30 years beats an election cycle loss -- Their big-money troops should be able to blunt the effect of that, easy.Another Bear said:See that's the rub, he has issued a blanket denial, so any honesty now would make him a liar. That's been some of the op-ed main points - it's not about sexual assault, it' about if Kavanaugh is telling the truth. Something a SC justice should be able to do.concordtom said:This is surprising to me.B.A. Bearacus said:
"Brett Kavanaugh should withdraw his nomination for the good of the Supreme Court and the country
I'm a Republican and support Trump's judicial strategy but the perceived legitimacy of the court is more important than one man."
"The sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford are different: After reading them, I can no longer support Kavanaugh's nomination and have concluded that for the good of the country, he must withdraw."
I think I might be inclined to give him a pass on that incident rather than persecute him 35 years later. He should just own it and say he was a stupid teen.
I don't think the GOP can't wiggle out of this one.
concordtom said:Okay, that would be more evidentiary and I get your point here. It would add up and paint a poor image of him.Another Bear said:
Seems to me the reason why the GOP want to limit it to Kavanaugh and Ford is so Brett's wingman, Mark Judge, won't speak. His published accounts of prep school drunkenness includes the character "Bart O'Kavanaugh". If Judge testifies, it will become a full 3 ring circus with the finale being the public flogging of Brett Kavanaugh.
Ironic thing is, acting like a jackass is less of a crime than what the palo alto doctor accuses.
That would be funny.
Sounds like the GOP is going to hustle is thru, and flake et al will likely vote accordingly.
Even if Kavanaugh gets the boot, I don't see how Dems can stall a new appointee for 2'years.
McConnell is a real honest to goodness assss.