On Thursday morning, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford gave testimony stating that Judge Brett Kavanaugh attempted to rape her 36 years ago. Her testimony was emotionally compelling. It also lacked any shred of corroborative evidence, and had been contradicted by testimony from witnesses Ford named. It appeared, as I wrote earlier, that Kavanaugh’s nomination was on the ropes — he was being asked to prove a negative, based not on lack of evidence, but on the basis of emotional resonance.
But Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony this afternoon in the Senate Judiciary Committee changed the game — and so did the Left’s pathetic response to that testimony.
Kavanaugh’s performance in his Senate Judiciary Committee hearings was cool and collected. His performance on Martha MacCallum’s Fox News show, in which he denied all Ford’s allegations, came off as detached.
Not so on Thursday. On Thursday, Kavanaugh unleashed on Senate Democrats and their media enablers, defending his innocence and his character. He cited evidence, background, and character in his defense — and he laid bare the political gamesmanship of the Democrats.
Kavanaugh began with justified and righteous anger. Nothing less would have been appropriate. This is a distinguished man who has now been labeled an attempted rapist by the media based on Ford’s allegations, and who has been smeared with several other uncorroborated and evidence-free allegations, including one from the lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels. He is fighting not only for a Supreme Court seat but for his honor.
But anger, in the view of Democrats, was inappropriate and indeed, disqualifying. This is the highest form of gaslighting: calling a man a sex criminal and then yelling at him when he angrily defends himself.
Dems thought they had painted Judge Kavenaugh into an lose-lose situation.
But they don’t understand what Donald Trump has been teaching us:
They (Dems) are coming for us, it is just that he (Trump) is in between us and them.
Pres Trump made it clear to the judge that he was standing up for Kavenaugh, too.
It emboldened him to speak more boldly even than Justice Clarence Thomas was able to do.
The votes are Friday for the committee then later for the entire Senate.
I have seen once “Never Trumpers,” like Rich Lowery come around!
Hopefully the Never Trumpers inside the Senate will do the same.
The left is simply mad this sewer plot failed and it failed because Kavanaugh kicked its ass. Then, Lindsey Graham stomped it to death.
NYTimes editorial board:
I know people here will disagree, but I think there is some merit here.
Kavanaugh doesn’t need to convince conservatives. But I’m not sure he won over anyone not conservative with his testimony.
I can empathize with his anger and how emotionally distraught this whole thing has been for him and his family; but I don’t think his temperament in certain regards served him well during the entire hearing. I just don’t think the combativeness, the sniffing, fidgeting with his name plate 3 times, the overall emotionalism made him look like Supreme Court judicial material. I’m sorry, I wish it were otherwise, but he just seemed at times a bit even….juvenile. Just not effective, in my opinion.
Lindsay Graham’s ire, however, I think was effective.
Kid gloves on Ford questioning
@wordsmith:
My belief that there are some people in very high positions that simply do not deserve respect was strongly reinforced yesterday. People like the Democrats on that panel, who are smart enough, at least, to realize how weak Ford’s proof that the person who laid atop her was actually Kavanaugh yet publicly accuse him of being that slime, have renounced their claim to respect. Participating in a charade that pretends to represent some level of justice, such a thinly disguised delaying tactic with a side effect of totally destroying an innocent man and his family, excludes one from deserving respect.
Being before a panel trying to clear one’s name of an accusation that, had it been handled honestly and honorably, could have been resolved a month before, is a situation Kavanaugh is not likely to find himself in on the Supreme Court. Don’t worry; he’ll be OK.
Lindsey Graham expressed what I was feeling in the mood and manner in which I would have liked to express. I wrote him an email last night, even though I’m in Texas, thanking him. His website had crashed.
This morning Lindsey Graham added something that stood out to me at the time Mrs Ford said it: she claimed to have never been aware that the Senate Committee was willing to fly out to her, where ever she was, in order to not force her to fly since she said she had problems with flying.
Turns out the Committee’s letters to that invitation had gone to the Ford ATTORNEYs, not to Ford personally.
Her attorneys had NOT PASSED that info to her!
Sen Graham expressed dismay and outrage that Sen Feinstein had helped Ford pick those particular attorneys and they were playing fast & loose with their client!
They really are partisan hacks using Ford as the Dems useful idiot.
Makes you feel even more sorry for Ford than ever before.
Something happened to her back in the day.
And she’s one messed up lady.
~~~~~
However, she was misleading the Committee when she told them she entered couple’s counseling in 2012 because she needed TWO front doors or she’d feel trapped.
Truth was the remodel took place a few years before the couple’s counseling.
And the two doors in front were placed so the tenants they were building on to rent to could have their own dedicated entry door.
Why lie to a councilor?
To set up a trail of crumbs against Brett Kavenaugh back when he was on Romney’s short list, that’s why.
@Nan G:
That wouldn’t have furthered the goal of more delay. Notably, they just let her sit there and look like an idiot or liar (it WAS revealed publicly as well) saying she didn’t know about the offer the Republicans had made.
If you are claustrophobic, would another door or some windows be more helpful? I think they needed MORE time to fabricate their back story; the one they ran with really stinks.
@Nan G:
I suspect many are thinking but not saying this about Ford’s testimony: