I actively ignored what happened last night at the White House. I turned off the TV before 9 pm and I went to bed to decompress and relax. I didn’t watch this mess on purpose. Some people can stay agitated and stay resisting. But all of this awfulness is really getting to me. Last night, Donald Trump announced his pick to replace Justice Kennedy on the Supreme Court. After “flirting” with the idea of putting a woman or an Indian-American judge on the court, Trump just went with what he knows best, his key demographic: dumb, entitled white dude. The dude’s name is Brett Kavanaugh. The worst dudes are always named Brett, just my opinion. I’ve never met a Brett and thought “I bet this guy is amazing.” They’re always douchebag rich boys and/or misogynists. And this Brett looks like a cross between the late Jerry Falwell and Steve Doocy. He acts like it too:
Kavanaugh has not explicitly vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade, nor has he made public statements indicating his intent to…but that isn’t to say that Kavanaugh has never denied women their reproductive rights during his tenure. Just last year, he infamously ruled against an undocumented teenager in a detention facility who had petitioned for the right to access an abortion. At one point during the hearing, Kavanaugh suggested that allowing the young woman go through with the procedure would make the government “complicit” in something that is morally objectionable. In addition, in 2015, he argued in a dissent that Barack Obama’s contraception mandate infringed on the rights of religious organizations.
Following Trump’s announcement, multiple reproductive-rights organizations spoke out against Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Dawn Laguens, the executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement: “We oppose the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and call on the Senate to do the same. There’s no way to sugarcoat it: with this nomination, the constitutional right to access safe, legal abortion in this country is on the line. We already know how Brett Kavanaugh would rule on Roe v. Wade, because the president told us so.”
Melissa Fowler, a senior director at the National Abortion Federation, called Kavanaugh “an extreme judge” in a statement. “Kavanaugh tried to block an undocumented minor in government custody from exercising her constitutionally protected right to an abortion,” she said. “We need a Supreme Court justice who will honor established precedent, including the constitutional right to privacy and Roe v. Wade, and that is not Judge Brett Kavanaugh.”
The anti-choice community is making some noise about how Brett Kavanaugh might not hate women and their bodily autonomy ENOUGH, but don’t fall into that trap – the anti-choice people play that game all the time, and then they get all of the knuckle-dragging judges they want. Obviously, the hypocrisy from Mitch McConnell is astounding – McConnell wants to rush Brett’s nomination through right away, because I guess not enough people remember Merrick Garland.
Anyway, just thought you should know. Roe v. Wade will be overturned in the next year. Brett will come for Griswold v. Connecticut too, so go ahead and stock up on birth control. You know what? We should just Lysistrata this whole situation.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Don’t worry. Trump’s nuclear shootout will happen first. So it’s all good.
Do you ever sit and watch those sappy “Hallmark” Christmas movies, and in your head think, “Why can’t life be normal again?” How is it we’re hurdling towards doom so quickly? At least the country was united during WWII when they’d watch sappy movies to forget their troubles for 2 hours. We are all miserable.
That man looks like he has a bit of a freak flag, and by a bit I mean I wonder how many literal bones are in his basement.
He looks Dexter goes to Washington. Maybe he just wants to be there to have a bouffant off against 45. That is some serious hair shenanigans he has on his head.
He looks like a serial killer pedophile. My legit first thought.
A little *TOO* rosy-complected. I don’t trust it…
I always wondered what would happen if you crossed Dan Aykroyd with a potato…
Anyway, from what I read last night, this was not Mitch McConnell’s choice. He was afraid it would take too long to confirm him due to his extensive legal background with the Bush administration.
But, Kavanaugh did state that sitting presidents shouldn’t be indicted. And Trump’s personal lawyer was at the White House last night. So…read between the lines.
I think that’s the sole reason trump went with him. In his weird way, Trump kind of hates the Ivy educated, smart (Kavanaugh is a douche but hes not dumb) etc people. It’s like he knows they’re members of a club to which he wasn’t invited.
Anyway – so I think Trump prob would have looked for someone else, except for the sitting president thing. Trump is protecting his own interests above all others.
I think the sole reason Trump picked him is because Kavanaugh said this:
“The Constitution establishes a clear mechanism to deter executive malfeasance [impeachment]; we should not burden a sitting President with civil suits, criminal investigations, or criminal prosecutions.”
So he’ll protect Trump from any civil suits, indictments, grand jury subpoenas, or further investigations.
You all hit the nail on the head. Trump learned of his views about investigating/indicting a sitting President and immediately said “that’s my guy.” His stance on abortion is just an added bonus. As usual, Trump’s decision is self-serving.
@TinyMartian – right, that’s what Jenns and I were referring to.
45 hates the Ivy crowd because he is not accepted. He is not accepted by the people in New York he wanted to be accepted by because he is a shady sexually inappropriate mobbed up psychopath not fit for decent company.
Of course he did. Jim Acosta broke this yesterday, saying that there are only two things considered (and the first being the MOST important):
1. Being on record as saying you can’t indict a sitting pres.
2. Against Roe v. Wade.
That’s all folks 😢
Please don’t associate Dan’s good Canadian heart and talent with this mouth breather. Lol!
Yet this clown said Clinton could be impeached and should have been impeached, he was part of the Clinton drama through Ken Starr.
get your IUDs now ladies 🙁
PS: from Canada, I send my sympathies to all American women, I was crying when I heard the nomination. This one is a punch in the gut to women everywhere…
I will be sending my sympathy to those who voted for HRC. Especially the 94% of black women who might have had some fears about bringing back a Clinton to the White House but they did what they could ato avoid a disaster of epic proportion. To the 53% and the “pure” (looooooooool) third party voters, … EFF YOU.
Re: IUDs. It sounds like almost a joke to say, but really, that is something that women should seriously consider if it is a good option for them. The copper IUD is good for 10 years. (Not sure about the hormonal type).
I am 47, so my likelihood of an unwanted pregnancy is not very high, but I am still very glad to have my IUD (which is good for another 3 years)
Cannot imagine being younger and seeing what is going on with this administration. Terrifying!
How about adding those who didn’t vote. They are just as much to blame as those who voted for Trump. Don’t believe third party would have had as much effect if more had come out to vote for HRC. As it was, their vote did make an impact.
@Pamela I have 13 and 15 year old daughters. I can’t f@cking believe I have to worry about their future because of a lack of birth control.
To all of the women out there who voted for trump. Thanks for sending us back to the 50’s. You are awful, awful people. 🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼
I blame the people who voted for 45. The ones who didn’t vote probably couldn’t believe any rational person would really vote for this cretin.
Seriously, the ones who schlepped their sorry asses to the voting booth are why he is there. He shouldn’t have even gotten the nomination in the first place. Sure the 3rd party voters and the nonvoters share some blame but the 10s of millions who voted for him own this mess. He is theirs forever. All the ill things he does is all on them. THEY knew he was a racist monster and carried their ignorant useless selves to stand in line and vote for him. They had months to think this through and yet they did it anyway.
When the tariffs and lack of abortions settle in and they find they can’t find work and are stuck with unwanted white babies without healthcare THEN maybe they will stop drinking the hooch.
Don’t forget those who were ‘too woke’ to vote for Hillary.
@Magnoliarose, sorry to disagree with you (because you often say sensible things), but I blame those who didn’t vote plenty.
They were warned and yet they liked to act holier than though by voting for neither. While everyone with a little sense would know the great difference between both candidates.
@Pamela, my hubby and i were planning a short term move to the US (1 year teaching position) right before the election and once Trump was elected I got an IUD because I was scared of what could happen to my reproductive rights, We eventually decided we just couldn’t move to the US and stayed in Canada, but getting the IUD for me was a small way I could control my reproductive rights while in the US, though I know it’s obviously not a solution 🙁
Stock up on condoms too.
I’ve ordered some Plan B from Amazon. Shelf life of 4 years. I have a teen daughter. Birth control fails, especially for new users, and rape happens. I worry she will have limited options in the future.
I got my IUD as soon as I got my medical set up through work. Getting birth control was hard and I recommend Project Ruby to anyone. They were great. I got my 3 month supply until I was able to get into PP for an IUD.
If you go with copper, they do last 10 years but your period will be heavier. I went with Kyleena because PP no longer stocks Mirena (at least in my area), which I researched to death and decided on.
PP also has programs for low income people wanting an IUD. They encouraged me to apply for the grant but I was fully covered through work. Just know, you won’t get the IUD your first visit. They need a urine sample to rule out STI’s and depending on your location it could be a day or a week. Mine was approximately 2 weeks because I was running a race the weekend after they got my sample back. I’ve had it for 2 months now and besides some cramping and crazy periods, I at least know I will never have children.
But ugh, having to decide all of this because the state is heavily invested in women having no choice over their bodies.
I seriously want to get the copper IUD but I’m worried about side effects and the pain when you first have it implanted. I also use a menstrual cup and heard the IUD can interfere. I’m 32 and if it truly does last 10 years, I’d be good until I’m 42. Can anyone share their stories with the copper IUD?
@Malibu Stacy – My IUD is copper! it’s from the company Mona Lisa. The insertion was painful, but much much much less painful than the alternatives (ie: abortion or childbirth). I had bad cramps the first day, and had minor cramping for a few weeks after, but it’s been great ever since. It has made my periods a bit heavier though, and slightly longer (by a day). Overall it was one of the best decisions I ever made and I don’t regret it.
Because Ive never had kids, the IUD I was given is for 4 years because it is smaller, because of my smaller uterus.
Oh, and they recommended I stop using my DevaCup, which kind of sucks tho, but for me its worth it
I used the copper IUD for 15 years with no problems. My periods were a bit more crampy and heavy but the decision was totally worth it. I couldn’t take birth control pills as they gave me migraines
Thank you for your insight! Definitely scary times.
They won’t just take out Roe v Wade. They’re going straight for Griswald so that it will be more difficult to revive Roe. Taking out Griswald will go far beyond choice. Birth control, marriage equality, so many other things are in peril with their attack on Griswald.
I just read up on Griswald V Connecticut (Im not American)… holy crap, they can’t seriously want to overturn that?!
@OriginalLala, they would try to overturn Brown vs Voard of Education if they could get away with it.
They have made it well known for the past 18 years that they want to take down Griswold. That, and her stupidity and lack of experience, is what wrecked Bush’s nomination of Harriet Miers.
Yep. A lot of “pro-life” women are about to get a very ugly wake up call about how they’ve been duped.
If they overturn Griswold, I will never talk to any Trump supporter ever again. Seriously. And I I would have to move and give up my book club in order to make this happen.
It’s as if they want an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancies
Young girls at home taking care of babies instead of getting an education is exactly what the GOP wants.
Bingo. You nailed it.
Everyone is focusing specifically on Roe v Wade but missing the fact that Griswald is in real danger as well. Kavanaugh is anti-birth control and the religious right cares more about Griswald since Griswald is the foundation for abortion, etc.
You take out Roe and the more liberal states will still have abortion. Take out Griswald and you are knocking the entire foundation down.
Even Republican women use birth control. Those middle-class soccer moms who voted for Trump over Hillary are on birth control as are their daughters. Maybe this will finally wake them up.
Taking out Griswold also hits marriage equality
Unfortunately, I don’t think this will wake them up. A lot of people voted for Trump because, whatever else happens economically or health-wise, Trump is going to make sure that white people stay on top of the racial ladder.
I just read up on this case as well…wow the effect overturning this case would have. It’s not just about birth control and planning, but same sex marriage, and even more alarming, the right to privacy, even in your own home. Im Canadian, but am I’m horrified for Americans, or any country really, because overturning this could add fuel to any groups pushing for the same. It does seem rather Gilead-like.
Another thought, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but these decisions and law-makers keep referencing that (whatever being debated) is not specifically written in the Constitution, so doesn’t that then imply that society should remain the same as it was in 1787? It just seems to me that that argument doesn’t allow a society to evolve and change over time, which we know happens, and pushes for “the good old days” when women, children, and minorities were not people and (rich) white men ruled everything.
Is there any way that this guy won’t happen? Some way to stop this? Or is it inevitable?
It’s inevitable.
Nope. Democrats don’t have the numbers or the voters to turn him out. People can complain all they want about Clinton, but she was absolutely right about the dangers of a conservative judge for progressive politics.
It is happening.
Slight, very slight, hope…. maybe someone like Angus King.
Oh look, he chose another white man. Not that Amy Coney Barrett would have been better from a political standpoint, but I’m still rolling my eyes.
White women have proven to be worse. Conservative white women are the loudest and meanest when it comes right down to it. A white male arsehole is easy to see coming. We know him well and can spot him miles away. It is also easier to protest against a man about reproductive rights than it is a woman.
That was a stupid move on their part. They should reward their little Eva Brauns with more power to smash and wreck lives. Surely there was someone available to just go to town on the country in between touching up her roots.
Barrett was that Handmaid tale nut. Being Catholic wasn’t enough she had to be in an extra group to submit to the head guy. It’s actually contrary to catholic doctrine to be in a group where a random man can guide you. Technically it’s only priests who are permitted to provide spiritual guidance. So she’s super crazy. And she had 7 kids so she’s one of those bitches who would think all women should have that many kids. Not that this guy is great, but zero credit should be provided to that religious nut simply because of her gender. She’s Serena Joy and aunt Lydia all in one.
That’s what 53% of white women wanted so I hope they are all super proud of themselves. F**cking dumb**, the lot of them.
I have family members who voted for Trump. Not family like “see them all the time” family. more like, cousins you see mostly on FB type family. One of them is a highly educated white woman that I WAS close with growing up and through high school. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that she supports Trump. It shocks me to my core. She has not really posted much about her Trump support, I had to read between the lines to realize, so at least she is not posting all sorts of awful crap…like many other Trumpees. Anyway, through a lot of the Horror of the Orange One I tried to remember that there were people i knew and loved that voted for him, and tried to be open minded. But at this point, and for a really long time now, all i can think is EFF THOSE IDIOTS because I don’t care if you used to seem sane and decent, if you voted for him you voted for THIS. And I just can’t forgive that.
My in-laws voted for him. They are immigrants from Germany and came here after they were adults and had children so they have a liberal view on sex, abortion, homosexuality, they aren’t religious. They are pro socialized medicine but claim to hate Obama Care. Why did they vote for him? They want lower taxes, never mind they aren’t wealthy enough to gain much from the tax breaks and derive a good portion of their income from government rent subsidies to low income people. The very subsidies paid for by taxes and the now in danger of being cut. Oh, and because they are racists. I’ve for decades heard about how the “Jews” control hollywood and the media, the holocaust death numbers are super inflated, Hitler just wanted to send them to Palestine, not kill them all, etc. Now “Mexicans”,i.e. every immigrant from south of the border, are the new Jews in their mind. Responsible for every ill in our society from crime to high SNAP enrollment. They listen to AM radio and there is no reasoning with them. They insist Trump
likes the LGBTQ community and can’t understand that the president is not a dictator and that his judicial appointments will harm their trans grandson for the rest of his life. They are a perfect case for making the citizenship test harder, they really have no idea how our government functions. It’s to the point that we haven’t shared a meal in about a year. None of us can stand to be around them for too long.
My cousin who I really thought was different lived in New Orleans. She was all in with reviving the 9th Ward after Katrina and supporting the community. She left Louisiana to live in Seattle because she was into the music and was a free spirited liberal health nut when she was young. Like a 90s new hippie type. She’s older than me and one of the few who used to visit us all the time. Even my sister who likes no one on that side of the family liked her a lot. My husband liked her. I thought we would always be close. She was an outspoken outlier and just a cool person. We were at her children’s confirmations and she wasn’t even religious but did it for tradition and her husband’s family.
She voted for 45.
I feel like flying down and kissing her on the lips like Michael Corleone did to Fredo and tell her she broke my heart. Humor aside I miss her and it hurts that I lost some family.
She was part of the good group. Some of them aren’t ardent supporters anymore but still cling to their excuse that someone needed to shake things up. Oookaaayyy but not THIS someone FFS.
@magnolia, do you know why she voted for him other than he was “a change”? Is it the “I hate Hillary” but then she could have voted for Stein as a “purest” and not looked quite so bad…or has she just changed as a person? My greatest fear in life is to get older and have a brain fart and become a super conservative religious nut. I am a 35 yr old feminist, atheist, socialist liberal who hates religion and republicanism. if it was up to me I would never speak to a Trumpster again. I only do so for my mom to keep in touch with family members.
ETA: I also know that don’t like babies/kids and never want to be a mother. I have had an IUD for the past 10 years. Not only does overturning Roe sicken me but lack of access to basic BC for those of us who just don’t know how to be a mother. I would probably be suicidal if I was forced into motherhood but heaven forbid we are honest about it to crazy religious white women.
At this point, Roe v Wade is just low hanging fruit for 45. A means to an end. He doesn’t care about appointing someone who will overturn it so much – that’s just noise for the evangelical women haters in his base that happens to work in his favor.
All he is really concerned about is stacking the deck in his favor to get his agenda passed and more importantly, laying another brick to help him avoid any kind of future prosecution. He’s probably envisioning being anointed President for Life too. And he can do it.
But hey, this is where that big ol’ revolution starts, right? This is where all those brave purity test, third party protest and non-voters come in and lead us all to utopia, right?
Don’t worry, grabbyhands, I’m sure Susan Sarandon, Walker Bragman & co have a plan to start the Revolution. Well, not now, cause it might mess up their Hamptons vacacions but soon enough, I’m sure.
I’m just waiting @Etana Edelman, because I was promised a Revolution, that energized voters would walk on DC to prevent any catastrophe but so far all I’ve seen is smug white male journos telling us dumb females that we should not worry and that Roe will never be overturned.
Calm down Susan, or Susan’s daughter/agent… Aka @Etana
At this point for many, Susan Sarandon is just symbolic of a clueless privileged 1%er twit who, as usual, was narcissistic and dangerous enough to think general elections in a democracy are her own 1-woman Broadway show – a chance where she gets to ACT radical and revolutionary at the expense of the marginalized. By the way, if you haven’t noticed, most everyone other than white male Republicans is marginalized now.
People like Susan help usher in armies of partisan republican fascist hacks who use her predictable knee jerk hostility and disdain for traditional or. mainstream democrats as a wedge to kill liberalism and democracy. She did it with Bush v Gore 2000, schlepping for Ralph Nader too.
Now our democracy is on life support, we are living the handmaids tale (,hysterically under an orange tyrant rumored to have ordered mistresses get abortions like you order chili fries) and Putin is essentially our President.
I will forever slam Sarandon and use her as symbol for all the clueless narcissistic fake radical Bernie gals and misogynists everywhere, who kicked my black ass in the teeth and sailed off to Cannes all so she could avoid seeing another woman, her peer of the same age, ascend to power.
Sarandon remains terrible.
Well said, Cleo2.
Cleo2 gets my vote for President
Well said Cleo, thank you.
She will never live that down and she shouldn’t.
This wasn’t the election to fix the very real problems we have. Real people with no power are suffering and losing their lives. 2020 and possibly challenging HRC with a more progressive Senate and House was the way to go. NOT THIS!!!
Taking over state governments and going local and grooming up and comers was a better plan.
This isn’t some esoteric social experiment or idea. Real people are involved here and they aren’t pawns for her social narcissism.
This is why white liberals get on my shredded effing nerves sometimes.
I am a progressive and will never be a centrist or a moderate or a Democrat but I know who I agree with more and I know who has more humane plans for the country. I know I vote Dem straight ticket and Independent only if they are viable.
This is also the man who will help finish gutting the Voting Rights Act, strengthen Citizens United, make gay marriage illegal and turn this country into a theocratic corporation (a first!).
Hey Susan Sarandon, and other women like her where you at ? Always screaming about women’s rights, but voted for or saw no difference with this orange baboon and Hillary.
I wasn’t Hillary’s biggest fan, but I saw the other option, and knew she was the only sane choice..
100%. Girl had so many opinions on Hillary, I would love to hear Susan Sarandon’s thoughts on this MF. Is this guy better than Hillary’s private email server, Susan?
Some of you people in the Midwest are some of the most entitled people I have ever seen in my life and that’s saying something. There are a lot of land and people in this country and many people did not see HRC but they voted anyway. Balck folks, especially BW like me, get routinely ignored (including by Progressive hero Saint Bernard Of the land of Vermont) and nobody gives a shit but you DEMAND to see the candidate every other day. What else do you want? A massage, a beej? SMDH.
And I see y’all are still going with the Clinton propping up Trump. Racist white people propped up Trump because they agree with him. Period.
Try living in a solid blue state. We never see anyone. And still manage to vote.
I will never in 10,000,000,000 years understand the argument that “I didn’t vote for so-and-so because they didn’t visit my state” … It’s not a pageant or a sporting event, it’s the future of the goddamn country, not third grade where Becky isn’t your best friend anymore because she invited Stacy to a sleepover.
Equally dumb is this ” lesser of two evils” nonsense. Was Hilary Clinton my dream political candidate? No. But she also wasn’t “evil,” unlike the treasonous, sexist, racist, misogynistic, greedy, conman she ran against.
Hilary Clinton is a smart, capable and well-qualified politician who spent her every day of her adulthood being dissected by her critics, in full view of the public, hated by at least half the country, yet every scandal they ever tried to attach to her, was, at worst, revealed to be nothing more than the equivalent of a clerical error.
The flipping emails? She left the White House without a personal email address, because when she entered it, those didn’t exist. Her husband, an ex-president, had established a charity, and that charity had its own server. Having her use it, too, was simple, logical expedience, nothing more. And she continued to use it out of habit and convenience. This wasn’t some grand scheme or scandal; just a slightly un-tech-savvy 60-something not wanting to learn new ways and DOING EXACTLY WHAT HER STATE DEPT PREDECESSORS HAD DONE.
Benghazi? She had as much control over that tragedy as any other Secretary of State, has over any other act of terrorism that happened on their watch, a.k.a. very little. (In fact, less than many others whose own policies negatively effected outcome, unlike Clinton who was never on record against beefing up the Benghazi installation.) In hindsight, could things have been done differently? Hell, yes! Were many of those differences things that Clinton could have personally changed even if she wanted to? Nope.
The Clinton Foundation? It’s a well-regulated, well-regarded charity that provides AIDS medication. It’s not a family slush fund (unlike the Trump Foundation), and Hilary Clinton received ZERO personal profit from.
Uranium One? Total made-up from whole cloth nonsense that she literally had zero to do with, and wasn’t even slightly shady.
Whitewater? A real estate deal the Clintons LOST money on, that was investigated for YEARS, both in Arkansas and D.C., that came up with nothing more than her husband getting some blow jobs…and not from her.
So, yeah, miss me with that “lesser of two evils” nonsense. Say you hated her pant suits, or got a bad vibe, or whatever other excuse you want to make, but the grandma who was a star student and capable lawyer isn’t “evil,” not by any definition of the word.
The midwest wouldn’t have voted for her even if she’d gone there. That’s just an excuse they give to justify their complicit racism. What they want is the illusion of America, not the reality. They want to believe that manufacturing isn’t going away, that their way of life is sustainable, that the white patriarch will never have his power questioned, that they, too, can be secret millionaires if they just worked a little harder and got rid of all these damn brown people putting their hands in the pot. They’ve bought hook, line, and sinker to the bullshit our culture has been shoveling for the past century. I’m over it. I realized it was garbage by the time I was twenty, and I didn’t come from immense wealth. Ignorance is a disease as deadly as anything else. I’m tired of being called “elitist” because I open a goddamn book once in awhile.
👏👏👏 @VeronicaS
LMAO, the audacity. US black women were well aware that things were shitty when Obama was president, both here and abroad. We were also aware that it would get much worse really fast if Bankrupcy Batista ever sat his fat ass in the White House and … we were right, as usual. But well, some people did not see the Dem candidate so they could not vote. And some remain “pure” so good for them I guess.
Well said, S! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
My only thought though is how many people actually listened to Susan and voted like she said? I can’t stand her extremely privileged comments but I don’t think she had anything to do with the outcome. Not really.
All of it needs to be dropped at the feet of the idiots who supported and voted for him. This is a group of people who never take responsibility for their actions or thoughts. They have been hiding behind the bible and flag for far too long. If not for them, strict gun laws would have been passed a long time ago. Civil Rights would be much further along and our justice system would have been overhauled. The list goes on and on. They have stood in the way of progress forever and saturated their brains with rightwing propaganda and xenophobia to the point that there is no room for anything else.
They are the real snowflakes and their fragility has led us down this path. They have been catered to and courted by both parties and their “American Values” and heartland of America bull has been used as a tool to appeal to their darkest selves. It has given them a cover to behave like toddlers who can’t stand to hear No you aren’t the center of the universe.
They need to be called out every single day and challenged or ignored.
In the end, if they are still allowed to be shielded from their bigotry and ignorance they will destroy this country.
I love those people with the phones recording racists trying to bully people of color and posting it. Keep it up. All day every day.
THIS. I don’t like Sarandon but I doubt anyone changed their mind bc of her nonsense. There are just too many ignorant misogynist racists in the country who disguise it under a bible and “economic anxiety”. Where were these folks during the last Republican recession. They are all FOS.
It’s not just women’s rights but he appothinks the a President shouldn’t be sued while in office and that the pres should have more powers to control gov. He’s been put in place to protect EZ when Mueller has finished getting evidence that he colluded with Putin to cheat the election. The demise of democracy in the US is on, he’s a puppet to keep GOP and Trump in power.
He also votes pro business in every case. The anti-choice crazies who consider nothing else when they vote continue to screw us all.
Aww, still in the running for America’s next top dictator with tiniest hands. Lovely.
Trump picked him to save his ass. Overturning Roe is just the cherry on top for these f*ckers. We need EVERY single democrat (I’m looking at you Doug Jones) to fight tooth and nail to stop the vote before the midterms or it’s game over.
And Kavanaugh’s reptilian praise that no president researched as thoroughly for the best choice for SCOTUS is truly revolting. Shades of strongmen and dictators everywhere. It was written by babyfists, edited for numerous typos and had to be re-checked by Kavanaugh’s law clerks
And I don’t like critiquing someone’s looks but the guy is creepy beyond belief. I had to laugh at Kaiser’s comments about his name. But in all, terrible news.
He screams pedophile. I’m not sorry.
Everyone should definitely be worried about Roe, because Kavanaugh would, most assuredly, overturn it if given a chance. And, even if he isn’t, expect it to be gutted to the point that it’s essentially the same outcome. That’s a given if any of Trump nominee is confirmed. 100%.
But, we should be equally freaking about Kavanaugh’s stance on Presidential powers, voting rights protection (he’s against the VRA), worker’s rights (he’s on the side of big corporations, always; including saying Sea World employees should have been expected to be killed by Orcas, and the company is blameless), healthcare (he’s been very anti-ACA), gerrymandering, campaign finance, and his general mindset that only the white, rich and incorporated deserve justice.
He’s incredibly, overtly partisan, so much so that his confirmation to the appeals bench was held up three YEARS. He worked on Bush v Gore and was a major author of the Starr report, and is the one who specifically wanted to query Lewinsky and Clinton on exactly where the President had ejaculated, in extreme detail, AND continued to attempt to smear the Clintons with Vince Foster’s suicide, long after that avenue of inquiry had been fully exhausted and disproved. Yet, now the same guy is against Presidents even being questioned in civil OR criminal court. Weird how that works.
Kavanaugh is an incredibly dangerous man, and a blatant liar. One small example … Last night, he started his speech with, “No president has ever consulted more widely or talked to more people from more backgrounds to seek input for a Supreme Court nomination.”
Which is, at best, a butt-kissing falsehood, given the fact that Trump picked from a 26-name list provided to him by the right-wing Federalist Society, and interviewed a grand total of four of those people, all in under two hours, according to reports.
At worst, it’s a blatant cover-up, as news reports surface this morning that Kennedy retired only when assured his former clerk would get the seat. (source: https://twitter.com/GeoffRBennett/status/1016642192616706050)
We live in dangerous, dangerous times. Losing Roe is serious and awful, and all but assured, but the damage goes way, WAY beyond that.
I look at Roe as the straw on the camel’s back, honestly. Once you overturn a ruling that defines women as autonomous beings with control over their own bodies, you can do anything else to them because you’ve effectively dehumanized them. And then everything else follows.
Roe is the least of our worries with this. This is a plan for SCOTUS to rubber stamp Trump & the GOP’s every wet dream until/unless we can get a congress to legislate otherwise (and, with SCOTUS, being the deciding factor on whether gerrymandering is OK – we’re screwed). Ladies, enjoy your rights while they last – it’s just a matter of time until hormonal birth control (for women) is made illegal by being called abortifiacient (if they make contraception controlled by men, that will be OK b/c in GOP speak bros should be the ones who decide whether a woman gets pregnant). The return to coverture is just around the corner. The continued abuse of racial/religious minorities and LGBTQ will just continue to escalate.
I think it’s also worth pointing out that this pick could’ve happened under any Republican president. If Cruz or Romney were president, they’re picking the same kind of conservative. This is who the Republican party is. That’s why it’s so important to vote against them in every election. They are the part of Trump. Always have been. And they will not change.
Their only goal is to keep American political and financial power in the hands of white men.
Yes, this is true. HRC would have had a tougher time running against a different Republican candidate, too, and I bet the popular vote would have gone to the R candidate in that situation. None of the policies would have been different under a Republican president. Trump is just so unbelievably offensive that it amplifies the terribleness that is inherent within them.
This nominee is a double shot.
1) kill Roe v Wade
2) protect Emperor Zero from Mueller
Welcome to the UpsideDown
I read the article someone posted yesterday about Putin/Trump from NY mag ( thanks whomever posted , but be warned it can result in insomnia ) I have no doubt this pick SC pick is all about his position on sitting Presidents can’t be indicted.
I think the Dems fight should center less on Roe v Wade and more on our country deserves to know the result of the criminal investigation of our President prior to a SC pick…
How is this douchebag even allowed to appoint anyone? He’s under criminal investigation!
Would an attorney who really knows about this please explain to me how Roe v Wade could be overturned? With stare decisus, what kind of fact pattern would have to be presented to show that it is not a privacy concern?
They’ve been chipping away at Roe v. Wade for years. It’s less a privacy concern than an autonomy one. All it takes is one court case that allows them to define a fetus as having personhood to overrule a woman’s right to choose.
They are trying to take out Griswold, the case upon which Roe was built, and go far beyond abortion to the privacy right itself. They are going after reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives, treatment of STDs, and marriage equality. People focusing on Roe and abortion are ignoring the big, far bleaker, picture.
I’m honestly baffled by people who can’t see the bigger picture of what direction they want to drive women’s lives. You’ve got Paul Ryan standing up there saying we need to increase the American birth rate while his party simultaneously attacks the way women control reproduction (abortion, birth control, health care) and alternative population drivers (IMMIGRATION). You really think those two aren’t blatantly related to what their ultimate goal is? They want a white America with women at home pumping out uneducated babies, just poor enough to be angry all the time, just ignorant enough not to know how productively channel it. Put religion in the classrooms so we can brainwash women into linking reproductive capacity to identity and worth.
Margaret Atwood had that shit called forty years ago. Men have been using the same playbook for thousands of years.
I keep saying these things but I don’t think enough people believe it. There is a much bigger picture here. An endgame that has been in the works for 40 years. At least since Nixon. It is not by coincidence the people surrounding 45 have ties going back about that long.
I think this will bring this country to an actual revolt.
I don’t think they will win in the end but it will be painful before we get there.
Had to look it up but YES to the Lysistrataing of it all!
I had to look it up, too!! Which is why I love CB.
Yes yes yes to it
The black president’s nominee who has never been indicted for anything did not get a single meeting but White people’s president who is under investigation for colluding with Russia of all country will have put TWO Justices in the SCOTUS. God, there are days when I really LOATHE this country with every fiber of my being.
Please, let me come back as a racist, mediocre white man on my next life.
Honestly, Obama should’ve fought harder. If he were a Republican president, he would’ve confirmed his nominee.
And that’s one of the big problems here–Republicans can get sh*t done. And the reason is because they fight dirty. It’s time for Dems to step it up and fight right back. This is not the time for civil discussions.
Fighting harder? For what? One of the main difference with the Rethugs is that if Obama had fought harder, he would have been called out by the media, and hard.
The problem with Obama is that he was sure HRC would become president after him and have Garland confirmed, or someone else in that vain. For some reason, he did not anticipate that white people and the EC would give the White House to Orangino Hiltler. That is Obama’s big problem, he VASTLY underestimates just how racist this country is, especially during and after his presidency, and I really don’t know how. It’s not as if racism wasn’t in America’s DNA or if white folks did not try to break this country into two ’cause they wanted to enslave us so badly. Gosh, I really feel enraged today.
Agree 100%. Obama could have made a recess appointment, but I guess that is not “going high”.
Yes, a recess appointment would have been the only thing he could have done, because no matter how many speeches he’d made or screws he’d turned privately, the Republicans had control of the Senate and if they didn’t want to give Garland a hearing, no one could make them.
I tend to think he should have been more Machiavellian, but hindsight is 20/goddamn-20 on that score, and Obama, like the rest of America, didn’t think Donald Trump would ever be President, so getting in an epic pissing contest with the Republicans would only hurt Clinton, whom he assumed would be his predecessor.
Then, after Trump was elected, making a recess appointment, if even possible at that point, would have caused a constitutional crisis.
Given the info we have now, do I wish he’d acted differently? Of course! Given the information he had the time, it’s easy to see why Obama acted as he did.
But now we DO know what is on the line—the entire future of our country, and any tricks, or threats, or plays the Dems have, they better make em, because this is the real deal here. Generations will suffer under this minority rule.
A recess appointment would have probably been unconstitutional, which Obama, as a constitutional law scholar, was aware of. Blaming Obama for having his Supreme Court seat stolen is a bridge too far for me.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/12/29/the-real-reason-president-obama-wont-recess-appoint-merrick-garland-to-the-supreme-court/?utm_term=.c4647aa05bbe
Oh no, please tell me we are not actually doing this: blaming Obama for not violating the Constitution. White people chose to vote for the racist rapist or go third party because Saint Bernard of the Land of Vermont did not get the nomination and somehow, y’all are gonna blame the black president for the mess we are currently in???!!!
@ kate
Exactly. White women need to be blamed. Yeah, I said it.
Please, no. This is all racist, ignorant America’s fault. This is not Obama’s fault. He followed the law. And, as a person of color, any time we fight harder, we’re accused of being angry, or thugs, or criminals. Save the fight harder for the white people who voted Trump and now regret it. We’re already fighting.
I absolutely agree Dems need to get tougher, because the new Republican party plays dirty and has no morals. Fight fire with fire. But stop blaming the black President.
@Toot- not every white woman voted for Trump.
Enough white women. The majority of white women voters. We don’t get to abdicate responsibility for that, even if we weren’t the white women who cast the votes.
Leave Obama alone. It should be ok to be fair and practice restraint. He was a decent man and did his best. I might not have agreed with everything but he had to put with a lot of abuse just to do some of the things he did. His party didn’t have his back enough. Hey there Chuck and Nancy. FFS these two. Please get rid of them.
But this is on white people being afraid that if they are the minority they might be treated as shabbily as they have treated others. Why so afraid to be a minority if we live in a fair country?
The dems could have fought a lot harder if more people voted for them.
And I’m not just talked about 2016, but every election there is, no matter how local.
Unfortunately, lots of people who dislike Trump and his policies, are either ‘too woke’ (because candidate not 100% perfect) or lazy to actually go vote.
This excludes most people at this site, by the way, where almost everyone actually seems to go out of their way to vote. Unfortunately, there are way too many people who are like that.
@Flan, I’ll agree apathy is a problem, but I think lazy is unfair. A lot of red-state Republicans have been actively working to make voting both difficult and time-consuming. It’s a proven fact that high voter turn-out benefits Democrats so Republicans at the state level do everything they can to limit turn-out. Closing polling stations to limit the number in impoverished areas, making registration or proof of identification so difficult many people give up, gerrymandering districts, not upgrading voting equipment, etc. etc. etc. Many of these tactics are borderline illegal or unconstitutional, but they try them anyway, hoping to get away with it. Recent cases challenging these efforts have gone to the Supreme Court to be decided. Kavanaugh is on record in favor of state efforts that limit who can vote.
If you get paid by the hour, and the lines at your polling station are 2-3 hours long, you are putting your employment at risk or won’t get paid if you take time off to vote. If you don’t own a car, but your polling station is miles from a public transit route, you can’t physically get to the place you need to go. Not voting under those circumstances isn’t lazy, it is choosing to keep your kids fed, or a roof over your head.
Is it just me or did anyone else think “secretly gay” when they saw his face?
I thought, “it rubs the lotion on its skin..” shudder.
I thought “secretly gay” when I saw his wife’s face. I thought “pedophile” when I saw him.
Yeah, he looks like he should be someone’s offender’s list for doing stuff he shouldn’t. He kind of has that Rove vibe. In 20 years there may be a mini-series on ID Discovery about him.
Methinks Mueller should indict JR and Jared and see how that plays out.
If Dems can’t play nasty then Mueller will.
Robert Mueller is not your savior. He’s a dedicated public servant and, I tend to believe, incredibly honest and scrupulous, but he’s also a lifelong Republican and has said that he doesn’t think a sitting president can be indicted for a crime. He will take only the most circumspect action and most conservative interpretation of events. Trump and his GOP cohorts have already laid the groundwork to ignore whatever Mueller finds. Low level people will go/stay in jail, or Trump will pardon them, and the GOP will do nothing.
You can indict those two if there is nothing to indict them on. Obviously, they’re shady as hell. But we don’t know if any laws have been broken.
I really wish people would stop thinking that Mueller is here to save us. We have no idea how this is going to play out. And even if he does move to indict, the Republicans will fight harder than they have ever fought before. Things will only get more ugly. It’s not going to get better.
The only thing to save us is to vote the f**kers out and demand that the Dems get a spine.
President Harris or Booker or Brown or Warren is just going to have to pack the court. Garland and Obama would be my suggestions, but it’s really up to whoever gets elected in 2020. It’s time to stop playing.
I don’t think that will happen, and as much as I’d personally be happy to see it, logically I’m not sure it should. Because starting a war where the court grows every time a new president is installed could be a non-winning scenario for American democracy.
I do like the idea I’ve see bandied that if the Dems regain the levers of power (president and senate, at least) that the President demands Gorsuch resign his stolen seat within 7 days of inauguration, or they’ll immediately pass a law adding two more justices to the court. That seems like something that could actually work, if public pressure mounts behind it, and puts forth actual consequences for Mitch McConnell’s sleazy, undemocratic actions.
I like the way you think. Hmmm. *nods* We need to think of solutions.
We’ve got you! We’ll set up a Jane Network into Canada. You all have my deepest sympathies, in the meantime.
@kate Thank you. This. All. Day.
If you don’t want to be enraged even more, don’t look at Don Jr’s Twitter. He tweeted something last night that pissed me off so much that my insomnia instantly ratcheted up about 10 notches. Junior cares nothing about policy or governance, he only cares about “owning the libs.” It’s his sole purpose.
This punk, the offspring of a sitting POTUS, has zero regard for the office. He and his family have degraded it beyond measure. I didn’t think I could loathe him any more than I do but like Trump’s behavior, there’s seemingly no bottom.
Hi, Esmom. I never look at anything Don Jr says or does, he’s so repulsive physically, mentally and every other way.
All the drumps including kids are Russian puppets/operatives, especially Ivanka and Don Jr. It may take years but I do think they will serve jail time. Kavanaugh may be able to protect a sitting president but not his children.
The children are protected just like Trump because otherwise they would be in jail already.
@moonpie – what? No. Mueller isn’t done investigating yet. They wouldn’t have gone anywhere yet.
And his fake Fox girlfriend needs to sit down. Just go away.
Can’t wait for someone to dig up the dirt on this pig. It’s there, it’s always there on these ted haggard, Dave reynolds, jimmy swaggart types. I still am optimistic that the other justices will despise and resent this idiot and will go against his every idea just to spite him. In The meantime, can’t wait to see him go against the rising of the pussy hats. He’s no match. Abortion will always take place. It will be like marijuana here in Cali. There was no need to legalize it. You could find it everywhere. In the meantime, the copper IUD made my daughter ill and she removed it and got better. She has issues with the pill too. Condoms are the ticket or better yet… A PILL FOR MEN. I too will stock up on Plan B for anyone of the women in my life who exercise that as their choice. In order to qualify for cheeto you have to look like a boiled ham.
Merrick Garland was nominated during a presidential election year. R-McConnell followed the D-Joe Biden “rule” about how the American people should decide who gets to make the historical decision and blocked the confirmation. Obama appointed Elena Kagan was confirmed in a mid-term election year, as Kavanaugh is selected now.
It was D-Harry Reid who went to the nuclear option regarding executive judges and judicial nominees (which Obama & Biden applauded), to which R-McConnell said the D’s would regret, sooner rather than later. The D’s knew it would be a risk, took it and the R’s got their payback. Politics.
Biden never acted on the “Biden Rule” so you can drop that as your defense for the evil that is McConnell.
+1
I am so sick of seeing this lie repeated.
1. Everyone contact your senators, then contact the senators who could hypothetically help (flake, Corker, Collins, etc), THEN contact red state dems (Doug Jones, Heidi heitkamp, etc). Rinse and repeat. You can use 5calls.org for scripts and phone numbers, and text 50409 to have Resistbot help you contact your own reps. No matter where you live, no matter what, contact EVEYONE. I don’t care how many hot takes are going around insisting that it won’t work, just for the love of god TRY. If we go down we go down FIGHTING.
2. Everyone VOTE. Triple check registration, find out every single election near you, talk to friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and everyone else and get them to register. Vote a straight mother f*cking blue ticket. Now is NOT the time for “oh I live in a blue area, it’s only a [blank] election, the candidate isn’t pure enough for me”, JUST DO IT. All we can do is win as many elections as possible. That’s it. The end. If Mueller brings forth any type of charges, it’ll mean jack sh*t without VOTING. It bears reminding that of we’d taken this attitude two years ago none of us would have our rights under assault. The shameless grifting, the loss of our relationships with our allies, the racism, he sexism, the anti-LGBTQ, the way migrants and refugees are being treated…those who thought that their vote didn’t matter or should go to a third party candidate should look at what’s happening and know that they are COMPLICIT. Full stop.
Well said, LP.
I wish this comment had been nearer the top for more to see it. Don’t take it lying down.
I live in a blue state, Illinois. I have two great Senators out there for defending our rights., Senator Durbin and Senator Duckworth and wonderful Congressman, Jan Schakowsky. For those of you who live in Red States or Red districts please contact your Senators or Congressman. Also, we can cry or complain all we want on this thread, but everybody needs to get out and vote. The power of people voting is the only way to make change.
Even if you have Senators who will vote against Kavanaugh, contact them any way and go on record so they can defend their votes as the voice of their constituents
@Lila and @Lightpurple So proud of our IL senators! and thank you Lightpurple for that suggestion!
If they get rid of abortions and access to birth control then every “oops” these dirty old Republicans make with their mistresses they will be held financially responsible for. DNA tests can force men to be responsible now.
Someone should tell the Orange one that this could make a lot more Tiffanies. How many more Tiffanies would he have to pay for if women can’t get birth control or abortions?
Oh, no. This doesn’t apply to them. They will still have qualified doctors who will perform as many clean ups as they want. It’s us that will have to suffer back alley abortions and uprising costs of birth control, as well as cuts on programs that assist parents in poverty.
I would hope the mistresses would come forward and expose them creeps for who they are, but unfortunately, I believe most of these women to be more like these a$$ hats than not, and they will follow through to keep the power and the money coming their way.
no rich people have always found a way to get abortions. its the middle class and working classes who will suffer.
rich people and middle class do travel into other countries if they need an abortion and the procedure isn’t legal in their own country. Simply go on holiday for a week or two and have the abortion and add a few days to recover and come home relaxed and with a tan.
paupers and impoverished middle class as well as girls and women in very religious communities will suffer.
Roe vs wade has never been overturned. If this is your biggest concern about this guy, your probably okay 👌
My aunt was telling me just last night that women of means had “procedures” for their health that were really abortions. The people in power who want this aren’t thinking about the women in their lives because they are well aware it won’t touch them.
What makes me angry is that it shouldn’t be that way.
A part of me wants to just leave this country but then I would be leaving women behind who need people who have a better chance of being heard to stay. It is getting hard though. The daily onslaught is exhausting.
@ Dr Mrs The Monarch
I believe Trump wouldn’t have to pay for that many because he can’t any more and I am not convinced his children were conceived without medical help.
His sons are quite daft. And when medical help to conceive is required then the child is often (not always but a bit more often) not that bright because the “raw material” wasn’t good (–> T’s sperm<–, eggs).
The Dems can still tie this up, all it takes it is the will
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2018/07/gaius-publius-block-trump-nomination-shut-senate.html
I know a lot of Christian conservatives in the South. Most are pro-abortion if the baby is mixed race or the result of incest. I’ve found that to be true among Black, Asian, Latinx, and White conservatives. Maybe Roe v. Wade gets overturned for the short term, but I can’t see it being gone for long. It’s not 1970; you can’t hide your illegitimate child in a nunnery anymore or give birth at your aunt’s in another state and have no one be the wiser. People still want the religious freedom to be “similarly yoked” as the Bible states.
I want to hurl vomit all over.
couldn’t somebody impregnate the guy with an unplanned baby so that he may have a first hand experience of such a situation?
We can operate men into women and vice versa. Surely we can make him pregnant for a little while?
# Schwarzenegger, DeVito in: Junior.
Moonpie: Not sure if you will see this, but look up the book called The Fourth Procedure by Stanley Pottinger. This is the plot of the book! It’s a great read.
I know everyone is freaking out about him but from what I’ve read he goes by precedent and by what the constitution says not what he personally feels or believes. I do not think Roe v Wade will be overturned.
This is an agenda that the Christian Right and big business has paid for-he’s going to do as he’s told not what’s right. Every last American citizen should be freaking out and calling every elected representative they can find because if they don’t it’s going to happen.
How about a popular vote on Roe vs Wade? Let the US people cast their vote directly on the matter. it wouldn’t be binding but a very clear statement.
There are plenty of ways to defang Roe v. Wade without overturning it specifically. Plenty of state legislatures have taken advantage of that in the meanwhile.
Sickening
There are two common factors that all these supreme court contenders had in common, they
are all young and have a crazy look in their eyes. There is also a rumor that Trump was supported by Scientologists and this puts a whole new spin on this election disaster and it’s ramifications for years to come.
I’m finding everything so disheartening. I know we have to keep fighting, but I don’t see how we can fight this. We don’t have the numbers. I hate when people say, don’t worry they’re not gonna overturn roe v wade. it’s same people who told me not to worry about drumpf being elected – white male (and white females to an extent). Ugh. Honestly, I don’t know who I hate more – turtle man, the dotard, Kennedy, or the dumb dumbs who voted for 45.
The numbers are there. They just need to vote.
Trump is a complete moron, but he is still manipulative and a career con-man. He just hired the man who will free him of the “witch hunt” when Trump eventually is subpoenaed to be questioned by Mueller, refuses, and so the issue goes to the courts. This man has literally stated before that a President should not be investigated or even questioned. This choice was intentional and purposeful.
I know everyone is worried about reproductive rights and rightly so, but can the supreme court overturn term limits? Is there anyway Trump could finagle his way into being “President for life?”
This guy is going to be the next supreme court justice, so I am hoping that he might not be as bad as some think. Honestly, even though he is a white dude he is better than the woman Trump was looking at who outright said she would get rid of Roe V. Wade. At least both him and Gorsuch said Roe V. Wade is precedent. This guy was Kennedy’s clerk the justice he would be replacing. Granted Kennedy isn’t quite the swing vote everyone wanted all the time, but I have a feeling this guy may be a lot like him. Hopefully status quo. Primarily what the court has done with Roe v Wade is picking at parts of the ruling along with health care, which they have been doing for years.
Now I hope the Democrats fight, and I think their best avenue is Trump picked a guy who he thinks will relieve him from the Russia probe instead of one of the more vocal anti Roe v. Wade people. Kavanaugh wrote in one piece Congress should enact a law which prohibits the President from being indicted while in office. I mean the Democrats will most likely lose, but if they can make a case that this should wait till the investigation is over it is their best shot. It would be ironic as the wait and see approach was McConnell’s approach when Obama was President. One positive is this guy is such a law and order kind of guy, and I’m not sure Trump truly understood Kavanaugh’s article. He said Congress should pass a law, which Congress didn’t, and he is going to follow congress’ laws. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t vote exactly like that. I’ve noticed most lawyer can skirt around a question, and I’m sure Kavanaugh did with Trump too. So I doubt he told him outright what he was going to do.