The Kavanaugh Hearing begins at 10 am today. Most media sites will live stream it, including CSPAN and PBS, probably CNN and all the major networks, so we can all watch it from our desks as we work. I imagine there won’t be a lot of work happening today in America. American women are practically going on strike to watch Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, as she’s the only one of Brett Kavanaugh’s accusers who has been called to testify.
The Senate Judiciary Committee isn’t issuing a subpoena for Mark Judge, who is looking more and more like Brett Kavanaugh’s rape bro and co-conspirator. The committee has not issued any subpoenas for Debbie Ramirez (who wants to testify, but has been stonewalled), nor have they asked to speak to Julie Swetnick, whose lawyer Michael Avenatti just released her sworn statement attesting to Kavanaugh and Judge’s gang rape habits. There are other stories, other victims, other reports, of course. I would imagine that Kavanaugh and Judge left a trail of victims from their teenage years through adulthood. Senator Cory Booker has been asking Kavanaugh privately about an incident where Kavanaugh possibly sexually assaulted a woman in 1998, at a party, when he was drunk.
As I’m sitting here, looking through the headlines from the past 12 hours, I’m sickened by the right-wing campaign to discredit the victims by any means necessary just in the media… so imagine what’s going to happen to Dr. Ford when this prosecutor the Republicans hired goes after her. I still can’t believe that the Republicans have completely abdicated their LITERAL JOBS to hide behind a female prosecutor. Ugh. Today is going to be a complete sh-tshow.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.
It’s no wonder women don’t come forward. These women are unbelievably courageous.
I have a feeling Dr Ford is going to hold up quite well and Mr Kav is going to show who he really is, he comes off as privilege and untruthful from the hearings I’ve watched. IMO he always look pi$$ed off, angry about something. Anyway, I will be watching today.
I hope you’re right but let’s not forget Anita Hill. She was a composed and thoughtful woman with a distinguished career–much like Dr. Blasey Ford–and the Republicans still told that she was crazy, accused her of making up sex fantasies about Thomas, and gaslit her from every angle. It was nothing short of character assassination.
The lawyer they hired will likely pull from the same bag of tricks and try to cast aspersions on Christine’s story. She will question her past and attempt to slut-shame her. Dr. Blasey Ford is nothing short of a hero. This will undoubtedly be traumatic for her, regardless of her obvious fortitude and bravery.
I agree that she will be a stellar witness. I also think her courageous testimony will ultimately be for naught—these GOP asshats will confirm Kavanaugh anyway.
They won’t let the other women testify because they don’t want them on camera in front of the committee saying those things. Although today’s is about forced groping and restraint—which should be bad enough to disqualify him—I think that’s more palatable to them than having the words penis and gang rape on the record in this climate.
This whole thing is a mess. The hearing regarding the allegations has been set up as a mutated prosecution, with the burden of proof upon the victim, and Republicans will try to set a very high burden of proof. In this contorted nightmare process, any reasonable doubts about Kavanaugh’s guilt will lead to his metaphorical acquittal. All they need to do is get Dr. Ford to say that she doesn’t remember all circumstances of the attack with crystal clear accuracy. That will be enough to satisfy them and the deplorable base that douchebro Brett is not only innocent, but that he and every other predator is a victim of lying female schemers, aka a subverted “witch hunt.” The entire system has been turned upside down and inside out. I stand behind Dr. Ford. I don’t doubt her for a second. But I am afraid that the game is irretrievably rigged against her and all survivors.
Oops, double post!
I’ve already read the Republithugs scrapped up TWO MEN to come forward to discredit Dr. Ford.
WTF do the Russians have on more than half our Government????
Not only what they have on them, it’s what they have for them — remember the Russian money funneled to the NRA which found its way into the hands of senators like quisling Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
My heart goes out to her. I’m watching, live, and I can see how her chest is rising and falling quickly, meaning she’s frightened, as she has every right to be! My overwhelming feeling would be (after fright), consuming RAGE at all of those dinosaurs, who don’t have the courage to face me themselves. I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW IN THE HELL IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THOSE REPTILES/ RELICS TO NOT FORCE AN FBI (REOPOENING OF THE BACKROUND INVESTIGATION!)
#IBELIEVEHER. #ISTANDWITHDR.FORD. #ISTANDWITHTHEFOUR!
I could only watch part of it, just too triggering. But, I love this woman and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for being so courageous. Thank you to anyone bearing witness with love in their heart today. I wish those making decisions were listening to their instincts instead of power and money, but I still have hope about a better future.
Sending all my strength to Dr Ford today – and to all women who have been assaulted who will likely relive our traumas today while men belittle, undermine and refuse to believe Dr Ford in such a public setting. #BelieveSurvivors
The Virgin Sex Offender will get confirmed sadly – GOP will do whatever it takes to get him confirmed. They don’t care about American women – I hope the fkr gets impeached after the mid-terms.
My heart is with her and I 100% believe her, but I can’t watch. I’ll be teaching anyway, but I suspect even if I were at home, I couldn’t watch. I’m nearly 50, and I feel like I’ve seen this so many times before. She’ll be stomped on, disrespected, disbelieved, and the senators have ALREADY SAID they won’t take her testimony into consideration–that they’re voting for Rapey anyway.
I feel super discouraged. And that’s putting it mildly.
I am discouraged too and I won’t be watching either. I just can’t anymore with this. Shaming women for not keeping quiet and being victimized all over again.
I said a prayer for her and all the women this morning. They are risking so much to have their voices heard.
I read her testimony and it was so hard, because it hit so close to home. It reminded me so much of the high school parties I attended growing up. How many boys used excuses of being drunk, or “boys will be boys,” to push the lines. To take simple flirtations or interactions and push them 10 steps too far. To not understand that someone might not be interested in them. To think it was funny to expose themselves, or “accidentally” touch girls, to gain popularity by “collecting” girls as conquests, etc.. Boys that went on to completely forget about these things because it was so normalized for them. And girls that had to grow up scared of being alone with men, scared of drinking too much, scared to walk around without pepper spray, scared to tell anyone anything in case it ruined their own reputation.
She is completely, 100% believable.
This ‘boys will be boys’ attitude has been around for so long that it needs to be unlearned. We need to sit our sons down and have a conversation about this. We need to teach them that this is not okay, and that it’s not good enough to just not participate.
I, also, have been to those kind of parties, and that is why I completely believe Dr. Blasey.
I’m with you. I have read plenty of hot takes where journalists and pundits alike are saying that they cannot imagine any scenario where Kavanaugh gets confirmed.
I wish I could believe them.
Also, this entire hearing has become so politicized–the conversation is all about strategy, the role of each party, how Christine’s testimony will hold up, and on and on…
It’s like the humanity has been completely sucked out of the accusers’ stories. On a human level, this is something that is both enraging and heart-wrenching for victims of sexual abuse. Beyond that, it’s horrible for women in general to see how we are treated in the public sphere. Nothing has changed since Anita came forward. Women are still re-victimized by the conservative (and sometimes non-conservative) press. We are still not to be believed. We are treated as spoilers. We are told that our rape stories are being weaponized against upstanding men. We are gaslit over and over again. We are told to just move on and that “boys will be boys” and that it’s just “locker room talk”.
I just hate that Dr. Blasey Ford has to go through this. I’m so proud and inspired by her strength, but I still HATE what they will do to her.
Same here, I feel sick to my stomach, no way I could watch it.
I need a continuous infusion of Zofran. I have been nauseated all day. It’s like that bad dream where you need to run but you can’t.
I can’t watch either. I might follow Twitter. It’s a witch trial. Handmaid’s Tale era is officially active right now in America because the men in power at the highest level are asserting control over women’s bodies and truths.
It’s BLASEY. Pronounced Blaze-y, not Blah-sy. Infuriating how people can’t even get her name right.
Like some say Rosen-steen, and some say Rosen-stine. Never know how to pronounce some names until the person with the name themself says it
Jewish names ending in “stein” are interesting. Most (including Stein itself) are pronounced “stine” but some families use “steen.” Rosenstein is a “steen.” One way to track subtle anti-Semitism is to note when people mispronounce a known “stein” surname. It’s not usually an accident when it’s a public figure; as well, for private figures, anti-Semitism surfaces when people put the emphasis on “stein” as the last syllable and say “steen” because they know it’s more likely a “stein.”
If this sounds paranoid, it’s not, but you kind of have to have lived the Jewish experience to understand how it works. The ‘stein’ suffix is also commonly used for a lot of parody Jewish names.
For the record it’s RosenSTEEN and anyone in news today saying otherwise is doing it deliberately as a sign of disrespect and toying with his Jewish identity.
Grassley literally just butchered Julie Swetnick and Deborah Ramirez’s names. F*cking old man can’t even take the time to learn their names smdh.
Thanks Kitten for doing the class homework.
And update, so he butchered both Jewish and Latino names. Stupid ol’ bigot.
Also, if Kavanaugh’s sex crimes are condemned, the Republicans would have to condemn Trump’s sex crimes and they never have. Protecting Kavanaugh protects Trump in THAT regard as well, as well as upholds the whole system.
Of course he did. Why would their names be important, when they aren’t even people to him?
I hope they call him Assley.
That’s 100% intentional, too. Only an idiot wouldn’t know how to say Ramirez. It’s literally one of the most common Mexican surnames out there.
DR. CHRISTINE BLASEY
Well, all I can say is we shall see. My heart goes out to Prof. Ford. Kavanaugh looked awful and unconvincing during the parts of the Fox interview that I watched.
We shall see.
Kavanaugh seemed scared and panicked from what I saw of the Fox interview. If he was innocent you’d think he’d be more angry. I hope his lies will finally come back to bite him in his sorry ass but I’m not holding my breath.
He was trying the new “angry indignant” mode last n ight; let’s see how he holds up. I think he’s angry, but angry that he got caught.
What I don’t understand, is what’s so amazing about Kavanaugh that is making Republicans stand by him through all of this, and not just nominate someone else
They own him, plus Emperor Toadstool desperately needs and wants him on the SC – the Virgin Sex Offender is the only thing that stands between him and prison. Even if Mueller can’t get him on treason charges; there are still the charges relating to money laundering, campaign fraud, tax fraud, sexual assault etc….
Beth, I can think of a few possible reasons.
Kavanaugh is drump’s choice because he has said a sitting president can’t be prosecuted.
Someone paid a lot of money to make Kavanaugh’s debts disappear. He owes them the nomination.
Republicans are following drump’s scorched earth liar approach.
Kavanaugh is a soulless monster who knows he is a bad person but must defend his career.
Kavanaugh feels comfortable doing this because someone with huge financial resources is helping him with this nomination. Look at all the theatrics prepared for this nomination. Signatures, teenage girls taken out of school to appear, ethics agencies proposing alternative theories, PR firms, Republicans all mouthing scripted commentary on how he’s a good person and likes to coach girls’ basketball teams.
See, I don’t get how people DON’T get why the Rethuglicans would be so invested in Kavanaugh as their pick.
In addition to all the reasons Indiana Jones listed, the other names that people have floated around as an obvious choice is Lisa Jarrett. But there are many reasons why the GOP isn’t crazy about her:
1) Trump doesn’t like her because she doesn’t flatter him. She is very no-nonsense and curt and doesn’t seem to care much for Trump.
2) She doesn’t have the pedigree required by the Heritage Foundation. She’s some woman from Texas or something. She didn’t go to Georgetown Prep. She doesn’t have the “aristocracy” that the Heritage Foundation requires for their SCJ noms.
3) She is more stridently anti-Roe than Kavanaugh. That makes the GOP nervous that Collins could stop her nomination. Maybe she wouldn’t, but it brings an unpredictable element into the equation when all the GOP wants is a sure thing.
4) She’s a woman.
I’m not certain who else was on the Heritage Foundation’s list as potential SJC noms, but I DO know that Kavanaugh is a political operative; a hack who will always fall in line with conservatives. I also know that they have been grooming him for this position for many years. This is an investment, guys. You don’t liquidate your Roth IRA after 1 year and blow it all on an impulse purchase–you hold onto it for years and years and then save it for something important.
It is now time for the GOP to cash in on their investment.
Great post kitten, you really lay it all out here.
Kitten, that’s it in a nutshell. Sad, yet true.
@Kitten. I forgot the most logical reason. Kavanaugh hates women. He hates us. We are nothing to him. Something that he shares with drump and many Republicans.
Thanks Kitten for doing the class homework.
Also, if Kavanaugh’s sex crimes are condemned, the Republicans would have to condemn Trump’s sex crimes and they never have. Protecting Kavanaugh protects Trump in THAT regard as well, as well as upholds the whole system.
A combination of time crunch and still figuring out if they want to be eaten alive by Trump’s base or everyone else. They are really, really hoping either Trump or Kavanaugh withdraws the nomination and, shocker, no such luck.
That’s my question too! Out of the hundreds of millions of people in this country, THATS the best they can do???! Ugh.
I think I’m losing a good friend over this issue. She thinks Ford is ridiculous for coming out. I just can’t with this girl anymore.
I think alot of it is due to the time crunch. They’re scared shytless of the Blue Wave. They need to get someone on the Supreme Court before midterms just in case the Dems take over BOTH the House & Senate. There truly isn’t enough time to drop Kavanaugh at this point and get another person in.
My love and support to Dr. Ford and all the women going through this with her.
As a still-proud citizen of the USA, I am putting my money on bada$$ Senators Mazie Hirono and Kamala Harris to take care of Brad O’Kavanaugh, even if they only have five minutes each.
The others on the committee can give them their time.
They really should. In addition to that being the smartest strategic move, on a superficial level I could watch Kamala do her thing for hours. Would definitely make for a more interesting hearing.
They can give them their time on this? I wasn’t sure about that – it’s obvious that should happen, but I wonder if Grassley will invoke some fake rule and prevent it. Kamala has something on him that hasn’t been made public yet, and neither she nor Mazie take any s*it.
Also I read this morning that Mazie has had a practice of asking every nominee for for anything if they have ever been accused of sexual harassment or signed a nondisclosure agreement, just to get it on the record in case something comes up. She’s been doing that for years. She’s 70 and has had kidney cancer, but I hope she’s around for a long time.
Dr Blasey Ford is incredibly brave, and no matter what the outcome, she is a hero.
Agreed 100% Ninks
Another reason why they are so determined to push him through is that there is a case coming up before the SC named Graves v US and if the SC rules in favor of it, it means trump will be granted power to be able to pardon for state crimes.
I have smoke coming out of my ears. Are you for real?
Yes but I made a mistake on the case name. It’s Gamble v US
http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/gamble-v-united-states/
I’ll be seeing that last photo of him laughing — in my nightmares.
I usually mind my own business IRL but I’ve had enough. Two old biddies at the gym this morning were going on about how groping isn’t rape, if she wasn’t drunk it wouldn’t have happened, it happened so long ago etc. I just interrupted their conversation, told them why I didn’t report, that I believe survivors and that I was at the gym to relax not to relive past trauma so if they could just stop we could all exercise in peace.
Good that you spoke up. I am sorry for everyone on here who is having to relive what they’ve experienced.
I’ve read every post on yesterday’s links page, and they (along with many others) are very moving and thought-provoking.
I’m watching it. I have to.
So thankful to Dr Blasey Ford.
Already crying for Dr Ford
I had to shut down the boys will be boys conversation in my own house last night.
Without even going into why that line of thinking is destructive, I said any sympathy for guys who have sketchy backgrounds wanting to get on with their grown up lives, should not be reserved for potential Supreme Court justices.
My god it’s infuriating. Your average guy (again not agreeing his described behavior is average but that’s the argument) doesn’t get to be a Supreme Court Justice! These jobs are for above average human beings who should have above average empathy, decency and intelligence. At minimum.
But so should the POTUS.
Exactly. Thank you.
That “boys will be boys” crap pisses me off too. But in ADDITION, Kavanaugh isn’t even admitting to “youthful indiscretions.” He’s totally denied even being a party boy that got drunk. He’s flat out lying and pretending he was a choir boy as a teenager. I don’t think Kavanaugh should even be granted the “boys will be boys” excuse if he won’t even admit to the thing people are excusing. Moreover, the fact he’s LYING (again) shows his character is dubious at best. That’s what I keep emphasizing to the people who downplay his behavior as a teenager.
This. What he did was disgusting. Multiple people have suggested at the bare minimum he was present during these situations. That alone is enough to question his character. I fully believe Dr. Ford, which makes him completely unqualified for the Supreme Court.
Multiple people have confirmed that he drank heavily during parties in highschool and college. This alone isn’t terrible, but the way he has painted himself as an innocent choir boy is a problem. He has tried to rewrite his past. He has lied about his past. Liars should be completely banned from the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court is the place for the best of the best. Sorry that your teenage behavior is coming back to haunt you, but those are the breaks. You don’t get to pretend it didn’t happen. Sometimes we do things, we make mistakes that have a permanent affect on our life.
BEYOND REPROACH. There are people out there who truly are. Deserving people who have committed to a life of integrity and decency, who devote their energy to the betterment of the world around them. We all know people like this, we know there are plenty out there. If you know you’re a dickhead, don’t stick your neck out on the chopping block. Of course all the mistakes of your past will be brought to light.
I never reported my abuser at the time, but in the unlikely event he squirmed his way out of the bog of eternal stench in which he unfortunately persists, in the pursuit of something where he may have power to inflict untold suffering on millions of people, then I’d probably feel compelled to break my decades of attempting to “move on”, “suck it up”, and “get over it”.
I want to put Grassley’s face through the back of his skull.
We’re not even five minutes in and I already want to punch Chuck Grassley.
Ugh Grassley can’t even READ a WRITTEN STATEMENT.
LOL @ all the comments about Grassley. Same. DiFi is doing a decent job pointing out what a farce this is.
It’s come out that Dr Fords own father won’t publicly defend her because he’s afraid of being booted from his country club.
GODDAMN SHE IS MADE OF TOUGH.
My thoughts are with her. I don’t pray often, but I prayed for her and her family last night. She is brave and she is telling the TRUTH.
I’m trying to watch the hearing but im just crying in my office trying not to remember memories from my assault – she is a hero for doing this
Please get off this planet Chuck Grassley, you odious fistula.
The other day, my mom and dad, who I normally consider to be *ok* about things like sexual assaults started up about this case. “Well don’t you think it’s suspicious that she’s just coming out now with this?” “Why would you drag up something from high school?” For the record, we’re not even Americans or conservatives! I just didn’t answer them and our conversation was interrupted but I was livid. You know why people don’t report?!?!? Because no one will believe them and then you as the victim are on trial instead of the assailant. You want to know why, mom and dad, that I never reported my rape? Because I was embarrassed and stunned and scared. Never told them about that and now I’m glad I don’t have to face that kind of victim blaming from my own parents.