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Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

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You are here: Home / Politics / America / The GOP Senate Leadership Is Not Going to Avoid Trapping Themselves In Regard To Dr. Christine Blasey Ford

The GOP Senate Leadership Is Not Going to Avoid Trapping Themselves In Regard To Dr. Christine Blasey Ford

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In the comments to BettyC’s thread about Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation I made the following statement  (emphasis mine):

And before anyone asks, yes, I too believe her. She had nothing to gain and everything to lose, including her life given the political moment we’re living in, to come forward about this.

The New York Times has reported (emphasis mine):

In the letter to the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday evening, Dr. Blasey’s lawyers said that she has been the target of “vicious harassment and even death threats” since her name was made public on Sunday in an interview published in The Washington Post. Her email has been hacked, she has been impersonated online and she and her family have been forced to relocate out of their home, according to the lawyers, Ms. Banks and her partner, Debra S. Katz.

Josh Marshall highlighted a converging of Republican senatorial talking points, including by Senator Collins.

But I want to note what appears to be clearly a unified strategy among Republican Senators to put the onus on Professor Ford personally and blame her if the hearing doesn’t happen. They’ve unilaterally announced a process and are now arguing that Ford is at fault if she doesn’t agree. Look at the specific wording.

Read these quotes, which clearly come from a pre-arranged agreement.

Mitch McConnell said Ford will have “the opportunity to be heard.”

Sen. Grassley’s spokesperson: “Our staff reached out to Dr. Ford’s lawyer with multiple emails yesterday to schedule a similar call and inform her of the upcoming hearing, where she will have the opportunity to share her story with the Committee. Her lawyer has not yet responded.”

Sens Collins and Cornyn are referring to Ford’s non-response so far.

Sen. Collins: “That’s very puzzling to me…I really hope that she doesn’t pass up that opportunity.”

Sen. Cornyn: “That’s pretty telling, she hasn’t responded to the committee’s normal processes and we don’t know if she’s coming or not but this is her chance. This is her one chance. We hope she does.”

Senators Grassley and Hatch were both on the Senate Judiciary Committee when Professor Anita Hill came forward with her allegations against now Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. And while the ultimate failure of that committee to do the right thing at that time falls on its then chair, Vice President Biden, both Grassley and Hatch were a pair of disgusting pieces of work. In fact Senator Hatch’s remarks yesterday about Dr. Ford were almost identical to his remarks about Anita Hill all those years ago.

And that’s the danger for the Republicans in the Senate. The entire majority GOP membership on that committee is male. It includes Senators Grassley and Hatch, the former of whom has lost a step, but is still the best county commissioner serving in the US Senate and the latter, who shows clears signs of accelerating neurological decline. It also includes such warm, pleasant, charming, and sympathetic fellows like Senator Ted Cruz, Senator John “I was an Air Force brat in Japan, but I’m gonna tweet out that sushi is bait” Cornyn, Senator Lee who looks in the mirror and sees the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States looking back at him, and Senator Graham, who is just a whiny suck up on a good day. If Dr. Blasey does appear, they’re going to dig several new holes for Judge Kavanaugh. If she doesn’t appear, they’re going to state that she clearly doesn’t have the courage of her convictions and her accusations can’t be taken seriously if she won’t show up and testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Honestly, I think it would actually be worse for the GOP majority on the committee if she does show up because I really don’t think they know how to proceed. They know they shouldn’t proceed as they did with Anita Hill, but they have no idea how to do anything differently and, at least, Senators Grassley and Hatch can’t seem to help reprising their greatest hits from 1991.

Deity forbid anything actually happens to Dr. Blasey or her family between now and Monday. In the political moment we’re currently in there are people that will try to track her down in hiding and if not do harm to her and her family, set the conditions for others to do so. I guarantee that right now the Rage Furby, the Mandrill Mentality, and the Piss Boy are all frantically trying to track her down so they can dox her and put her and her family’s lives in danger. And those are just the professional sleaze bags. If the Republicans were smart they’d pull Judge Kavanaugh because there is no outcome now that is actually advantageous to them politically. There are over twenty other names they can put forward from Leonard Leo’s list of people groomed to make Leonard Leo feel safe in 21st Century America who will rule just like Judge Kavanaugh would on the Supreme Court. But they’re caught between their own myopia and the President, who understands everything that happens only in relation to himself, and, above everything, must be treated fairly or else…

Keep your heads on a swivel!

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

142Comments

  1. 1.

    debbie

    So, basically the GOP will add to the trauma Ford’s suffered over the past three decades? Got it. There is something more destructive than mere death threats.

  2. 2.

    guachi

    I hope Dr. Ford shows up on Monday. But I’m not Dr. Ford and will lay no blame if she doesn’t.

    Since I believe her I feel she can’t go wrong in front of the panel. She’s a professor who’s used to speaking to people so she should come off well.

    The Republicans and Kavanaugh can only look terrible.

  4. 4.

    TenguPhule

    If the Republicans were smart they’d pull Judge Kavanaugh because there is no outcome now that is actually advantageous to them politically.

    if Republicans were smart they’d be Democrats by now. Like Cole.

  5. 5.

    sukabi

    Trump won’t pull him because they’ve got his secrets in their pocket which is a guarantee that he’ll rule trump wants. He’s Trump’s get out of jail judge.

  6. 6.

    dmsilev

    The letter from her attorneys to Grassley lays things out pretty clearly. Key chunk:

    In the 36 hours since her name became public, Dr. Ford has received a stunning amount of support from her community and from fellow citizens across our country. At the same time, however, her worst fears have materialized. She has been the target of vicious harassment and even death threats. As a result of these kind of threats, her family was forced to relocate out of their home. Her email has been hacked, and she has been impersonated online. While Dr. Ford’s life was being turned upside down, you and your staff scheduled a public hearing for her to testify at the same table as Judge Kavanaugh in front of two dozen U.S. Senators on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident. The hearing was scheduled
    for six short days from today and would include interrogation by Senators who appear to have made up their minds that she is “mistaken” and “mixed up.” While no sexual assault survivor should be subjected to such an ordeal, Dr. Ford wants to cooperate with the Committee and with law enforcement officials.

    As the Judiciary Committee has recognized and done before, an FBI investigation of the incident should be the first step in addressing her allegations. A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing ormaking any decisions.

  7. 7.

    PhoenixRising

    On every issue but one–whether a sitting POTUS can be indicted–Kavanaugh is replacement-level. Any other white dude (or dudette) will do the same damage to Roe and voting rights. I get why Dollhands won’t pull the nomination. I don’t get why Senate Republicans won’t tell the nominee that his best bet is to go back to a job he’s about to be old enough to retire from anyhow.

    The inmates are running the asylum, is Occam’s reply.

    Still haven’t hit a crisis we didn’t generate, y’all. Sleep tight!

  8. 8.

    debbie

    @guachi:

    Nothing would intimidate the GOP more than for Dr. Ford to attend the hearing. They wouldn’t know what to do with themselves.

  9. 9.

    Bobby Thomson

    Everything to lose.

    And sweet Jesus I hate Susan Collins. She is the most reprehensible Republican in Congress and that’s saying a lot.

  10. 10.

    different-church-lady

    Me, I’m looking forward to references to “The sexual harassment block of the Supreme Court.”

  11. 11.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    MJ Lee @ mj_lee
    Jim Gensheimer, who has been friends w/ Christine Blasey Ford for 8 years, just gave me this statement — he says she has previously told him about “her need to have more than one exit door in her bedroom to prevent her from being trapped.”

    Gensheimer previously told the Mercury News’ juliasulek that Blasey Ford had confided in him over the summer, and discussed whether and how she might share her story.

  12. 12.

    Bobby Thomson

    @PhoenixRising:

    On every issue but one–whether a sitting POTUS can be indicted–Kavanaugh is replacement-level.

    That’s a red herring. Kavanaugh can’t act alone and if Roberts would go along with it any replacement presumably would as well.

  14. 14.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Okay, let’s do this. Is it Blasey? Ford? Blasey Ford? Blasey-Ford? If she is doing this, we should be able to figure out how to do her name correctly.

  18. 18.

    burnspbesq

    The Republicans’ objective here is to treat her so horribly that no similarly situated woman will even consider coming forward in the future.

  20. 20.

    different-church-lady

    @burnspbesq:

    The Republicans’ objective here is to treat her so horribly that no similarly situated woman will even consider coming forward in the future because that’s what they do to women.

  21. 21.

    NotMax

    “How long have you been or were you receiving treatment for mental health problems?

    /first question by Rs on Monday. Bank on it.

  22. 22.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: She uses Blasey as her professional name. So when I’m just calling her by her professional appellation and her last name, I used Blasey. The GOP senators Marshall quoted went with Ford.

  23. 23.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    Apparently she isn’t going to testify until after an FBI investigation, which is probably enough to give GOP the very threadbare excuse they need to ignore her. Which is fine; they can answer for it at the ballot box.

  24. 24.

    catbirdman

    The beauty of the Dems’ strategy is that, even allowing only a week before the scheduled hearing, you get a week of this:

    facebook.com/CBSThisMorning/videos/263233521192577/

    Sure, a week of 97-year-old-looking-and-sounding cadaverous dinosaurs like Orrin Hatch assuring the world that Dr. Ford is “mistaken” — when the Senate won’t even allow the third person in the room to testify — is exactly how the GOP wants to kick off the home stretch for November. This is one of the most kick-ass political moves I’ve ever seen from the Dems. I’m actually proud of us.

  28. 28.

    oldgold

    “The Bourbons have learned nothing and forgotten nothing,” Talleyrand is famously quoted as having said after the first fall of Napoleon in 1814 and restoration of the French monarchy under Louis XVIII.

    The GOP Senators reigning over the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley and Hatch, disgraced veterans of the Anita Hill debacle, are latter-day Bourbons.

  30. 30.

    Adam L Silverman

    @B.B.A.: The request is for the FBI to reopen the background investigation they completed for his nomination because of this new accusation. Special agents acting as investigatory officers would interview her, her therapist, people she may have told contemporaneously, people she told well after the fact, review her therapist’s notes, interview Kavanaugh, interview Judge, then write an addendum to the background investigation report for the Senate Judiciary Committee to review. Then after that is done, then new hearings are held.

  32. 32.

    eemom

    Seems to me her attorneys have taken an eminently reasonable position.

    Maybe I’m being unfair, but I kinda doubt the vermin are going to do likewise and agree to an FBI investigation. So the question becomes, what will they do if she doesn’t show up on Monday? Will they dare to say, oh well, she had her chance, and go ahead with a vote?

  33. 33.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @PhoenixRising:

    On every issue but one–whether a sitting POTUS can be indicted–Kavanaugh is replacement-level.

    Hell, no. Everything I’ve heard about his testimony and past rulings is that while Kennedy was hard Right, Kavanaugh is bugfuck insane Right, with a rustling in his jimmies to make birth control illegal and repeal every federal regulation on businesses and wealth. He just doesn’t drool when he says it like Gorsuch.

  36. 36.

    Adam L Silverman

    @eemom: This is the new GOP strategy:

  42. 42.

    TriassicSands

    I believe Ford’s accusations, but I don’t entirely agree with this:

    She had nothing to gain and everything to loose [sic].

    People are very different and in a situation where one person might not gain a thing and might risk a lot, another person might view the risks and rewards very differently. One question is Did she stand to gain enough to make it worth the downside? It’s hard to see that coming up as a positive transaction.

    I don’t want to go into a detailed hypothetical description of what some people might hope to get out of preventing a radical right-wing SCOTUS nominee from being confirmed. That’s because I believe her accusations and I think — but only think — that in her likely calculus the downside of going public with this would almost certainly outweigh the upside. I also think that the way she did this further encourages that same conclusion. But I could be wrong.

    What I find most disturbing is that we live in a time and have one major political party that is so corrupt that only an accusation like this could slow down the confirmation of a person who will do tremendous harm on the Supreme Court. The fact that he’s a right-wing, religious zealot is OK.

  45. 45.

    catclub

    @Adam L Silverman:

    officers would interview her, her therapist, people she may have told contemporaneously, people she told well after the fact, review her therapist’s notes,

    Aren’t there confidentiality conditions for therapist’s notes?

  46. 46.

    Adam L Silverman

  50. 50.

    Adam L Silverman

    @eemom: Doubtful that the Federal courts would interfere in the Senate’s scheduling decisions.

    If you really wanted this slowed down, her attorney would go to the Montgomery County, Maryland DA and press charges. This crime has no statute of limitations in Maryland.

  54. 54.

    Adam L Silverman

    @sukabi: He did. The background checks they do for these things are basically the same ones they do for eligibility for high level clearances. They rely on both the subject of the investigation and everyone else they talk to to be truthful in their answers. It also includes a criminal background check. If there is no actual criminal record, something like this won’t show up. And given that Ford and Kavanaugh were, at best, passing acquaintances, there was no reason the FBI investigators would have had to talk to her.

  55. 55.

    Adam L Silverman

    OT: You know who else hasn’t seen these documents? Devin Nunes. He has Trey Gowdy review all this stuff because Nunes can’t be bothered!

  56. 56.

    Chetan Murthy

    I know some jackals here think that she should testify. I must demur. I think that unless there’s a thorough investigation, including interviews with all the witnesses (per WaPo, there were two others at that party other than the victim and the two perps), this is a he-said/she-said situation.

    Let’s be honest with ourselves: the GrOPer Sens already know their decision — they just need a fig leaf to cover it. They’re hoping that KavENOUGH will be a better speaker than Dr. Ford. But the truth of a person’s accusations, is not correlated with their ability as a public speaker. That’s why we have evidence, investigations, etc. So that “whether Guinevere was chaste” doesn’t come down to which of Lancelot or Gawain is a better public speaker [yes yes, it’s still kind of that way b/c lawyers speak to convince the jury, but still].

    If I were she, I would not speak without an investigation. She is a biostatistician. Who knows how she’ll fare under asshole testimony?

  57. 57.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Adam L Silverman: A long time ago, I played rugby. This thing makes me want to hit people to feel better. This is not good. Also, the person I could vent to is being all Jewish and shit.*

    *I wish you an easy fast.

  58. 58.

    Adam L Silverman

    And the FBI gets aggressively passive:

  60. 60.

    Amir Khalid

    @Adam L Silverman:
    (John McEnroe voice) McConnell cannot be serious! I think it unlikely that an investigation into Kavanaugh would turn up anything but more allegations against him, and possibly more damaging ones.

  64. 64.

    Viva BrisVegas

    @NotMax:

    How long have you been or were you receiving treatment for mental health problems?

    Answer: Do you mean the problems occasioned by the sexual assault on me by Mr Kavanaugh?

  68. 68.

    Adam L Silverman

  69. 69.

    eemom

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Doubtful that the Federal courts would interfere in the Senate’s scheduling decisions.

    Why not, when something of this magnitude is at stake? I don’t know of any legal reason that they couldn’t. In the beginning, of course, it all depends on a single federal judge, and then on the appeals court, and THEN…….

  71. 71.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @sukabi: Yglesias did a thread on rightwing, Ivy League lawyers today

    Matthew Yglesias @ mattyglesias
    Something we don’t discuss enough in American politics is the incredibly intense affirmative action for Republican lawyers.

    he doesn’t mention the pretty much limitless cash from the Coors and the Kochs and Waltons and the Mercers and the Mars and….

  72. 72.

    Adam L Silverman

    @sukabi: As long as you have a legitimate, reasonable explanation for the investigator and it can be verified by the investigator, then you’re fine. Remember, these investigations are to determine if the subject of them may present a threat to national security.

  74. 74.

    Chetan Murthy

    @rikyrah: The lack of a gentile equivalent of “shonda fur de goymin” is …. more and more pronounced. Or more precisely, “shonda fur de boyeeez”.

  75. 75.

    eemom

    Look, they are WORRIED about this shit. No better evidence of that than the fact that even trump has more or less shut the fuck up about it.

    Whatever happens, the important thing is for it to stay front and center in the public mind, such at it is.

    I don’t know Dr. Ford, of course, but I’m thinking that if it’s a choice between showing up on Monday and allowing this shitsack to get confirmed, she’ll show up. That’s consistent with her actions so far.

    And if she does show up — horrible as it would be for her — no WAY does it end well for him.

  77. 77.

    sharl

    Someone started a GoFundMe to provide security for Dr. Blasey. After ~three hours, with a funding goal of $50,000, it’s already at $32,833. I haven’t checked it out in any detail for “legitimacy” (and not sure how I would), but the person who started it appears to be on the up-and-up:

    I have started a GoFundMe to raise money to cover Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s security costs. t.co/1AW1SQxYOiI would like to have one or more “teammates” with Facebook accounts to help spread the word. Pls DM me if you are willing to play this role.— Heidi Li Feldman (@HeidiLiFeldman) September 18, 2018

  81. 81.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Cheryl Rofer: the writer comments on the misogyny and idea that “women should know their place” in that crowd. Here’s Mark Judge on the Obamas and the Bushes

    Judge showed another side of his marriage of manly-man attitudes and religious conservatism. In a Daily Caller piece (“Barack Obama: the First Female President”) deploring the fact that, in his opinion, Michelle Obama wore the pants in the First Family, Judge offered this nostalgic sentiment:
    Oh for the days when president George W. Bush gave his wife Laura a loving but firm pat on the backside in public. The man knew who was boss.

  85. 85.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Litlebritdifrnt: I fixed it. My fault, I just copied and pasted from my comment and without the edit comment function, these mistakes stand. I didn’t proof it after I copied and pasted. I’ve fixed it.

  89. 89.

    Chetan Murthy

    @sharl: THANK YOU.

    Donated. Done, done, and done. She’s taking one for ALL OF US. The LEAST we can do is ensure she’s well-protected.

  90. 90.

    TriassicSands

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Adam, mistakes are not acceptable. Especially, since we can’t edit our own mistakes. Is that a ploy on the part of the front pagers to maintain superiority?

    Seriously, that’s why everyone needs a second set of eyes to check what we’ve written…sometimes it’s possible to stare right through a typo and never see it.

  92. 92.

    Mai Naem mobile

    I get that Suzie Q Collins is a worthless supposedly moderate POS but what of the other GOP female senators and not just Murkowski….. Joni ‘Breadbag’ Ernst, Deb Fischer, Shelly Moore Capito and Cindy Hyde Smith. I think Ernst is running for reelection this year. They need to be asked if its appropriate for Dr. Blasey to be treated in this manner.
    Everytime I don’t think the GOP can’t go lower they manage to. This is such a despicable way of treating Dr Blasey. I just wonder if the same thing had happened to these male senators that they would be okay with this kind of treatment.

  93. 93.

    VincentN

    @eemom: Separation of powers? Political question doctrine? Standing? Lots of ways for courts to dodge this issue if they wanted to.

  94. 94.

    Adam L Silverman

    @TriassicSands: Believe me, I want the edit function back as much as you do. I’m the one that goes in and fixes when there’s a formatting problem in the comments and to do it now I have to go to the dashboard, go to comments, type in the name of the commenter and then wait for that to return and then go looking. And that’s provided the dashboard site is functioning properly.

  96. 96.

    Mnemosyne

    I’m still trying to figure out why someone who admits to being a blackout drunk in high school is supposed to be given the benefit of the doubt when he says he doesn’t remember doing something while drinking that another person vividly remembers happening.

  97. 97.

    Chetan Murthy

    I saw the end of _Magnum Force_ tonight in a bar. And thought of a new political slogan:

    “A man has got to know his limitations — elect women!”

  98. 98.

    TriassicSands

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I believe you. I can’t count the number of times I’ve hit “enter” for a comment (especially at the NY Times, which has a terrible commenting system) and then when the comment is fixed, one glance reveals something wrong. The key is to slow down, but even that can’t help the kind of mental blindness that causes us to see what we wanted to type and not what we actually typed.

    Here’s to the quick return of “Edit” (wherever it may be).

  102. 102.

    Ruckus

    @Mnemosyne:
    You know why he’s given a pass….
    But the reality might be that he was a blackout drunk because of the things he was doing. IOW, take his conscience out of the equation and he’s fine doing all sorts of things, first – because he’s fine with it and second – he has an excuse, he’s a blackout drunk. Thing is, even with a blackout drunk, there is a period before the blackout that he’s still knowing what he’s doing. And who’s saying he’s a blackout drunk and doesn’t know – him? A great excuse for someone not old enough to drink. (Not that that has stopped any number of people from underage drinking or doing stuff they wouldn’t normally do, like driving with one eye closed so you don’t see two lines in the road. Yes a guy I was in the navy with told me he did that all the time. I stayed on the ship, seemed safer.)

  105. 105.

    eemom

    @Adam L Silverman:
    @VincentN:

    Yeah, I get all that, and I mentioned that standing would be an obstacle. Of course there are all kinds of ways courts could “dodge the issue if they wanted to”. My point is that all you need right now is a single federal judge who does NOT want to dodge it, and an appeals court that might be likewise inclined. Dr. Ford lives in California and the Ninth Circuit.

    The first rule of lawyering is that there is NOTHING that can’t be tried, when there’s a will and a way.

  106. 106.

    TriassicSands

    @Mnemosyne:

    …that another person vividly remembers happening.

    And for which she sought counseling. Not a lot of people, i’m guessing, seek counseling for something that never happened. Memories are notoriously imperfect, but inventing something in order to go to counseling seems like a stretch.

  107. 107.

    eemom

    Anyway, I certainly hope that younger and more energetic legal minds than mine are furiously researching the issue as we type…..

  108. 108.

    burnspbesq

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’m still trying to figure out why someone who admits to being a blackout drunk in high school is supposed to be given the benefit of the doubt when he says he doesn’t remember doing something while drinking that another person vividly remembers happening.

    Three reasons (not being normative here, just descriptive).

    Affluent.

    White.

    Guy.

  109. 109.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @TriassicSands: and she decided on her crazy scheme five years ago, to take down Bret Kavanagh if he ever got nominated to the USSC

    Seems more than plausible that Kavanagh and Judge egged each other on, through a case of beer and then in the attack

  110. 110.

    TriassicSands

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I feel sorry for Alain. He has a thankless job, for which I thank him. When everything works, it’s yawns all around. When there are problems, it’s “When will that be fixed?”

  111. 111.

    TriassicSands

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    …and she decided on her crazy scheme five years ago…

    Oh, Jim, you just don’t understand how deep the Deep State is. It’s bottomless. And topless. And sideless. And totally senseless.

  112. 112.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Amanda Terkel @ aterkel
    -We reached out to hundreds of people who spoke out for Kavanaugh – Yale faculty, former clerks, former students, carpool mom, Lisa Blatt, women from high school. Asked them if they still support Kavanaugh.
    -35 people got back to us, all but 1 saying they still support Kavanaugh. Interesting though, a bunch of them said they do — but they wanted to remain anonymous. Even though they had already publicly signed letters (before the allegations) backing him.
    -Sadly, no response from carpool mom or Lisa Blatt, the liberal feminist lawyer who introduced Kavanaugh at his hearing.

  113. 113.

    sukabi

    @Adam L Silverman: anything that would subject a person to blackmail should trigger a more in-depth review. I’m going to bet he basically got a pass on most of his check due to his connections and background. How things are supposed to work and how they actually work are usually very different, especially for people of “privilege”.

  115. 115.

    OGLiberal

    Susan Collins can suck a lemon and all those white female “moderates/soccer moms” who vote GOP because a) their husbands said so b) unborn fetuses, c) Clinton’s a bitch or d) tax cuts can go suck Susan’s used lemons. Probably happened to you as well, right? But, hey, boys will be boys, like your husband. She was asking for it, right?

    In the present, I think GOP women voters are much less motivated by a and b and more motivated by c and d with a heavy side of racism.

    I don’t excuse the dudes,,,just hold them to much lower standards.

  116. 116.

    Chetan Murthy

    Maybe something else we can all do? Over at LG&M somebody asked if “threatening a witness before she testifies to Congress become a federal issue?” Someone else answered:

    Obstruction of justice is codified at 18 U.S.C. 1505:

    Whoever corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication influences, obstructs, or impedes or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of the law under which any pending proceeding is being had before . . . the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry under which any inquiry or investigation is being had by either House, or any committee of either House or any joint committee of the Congress— shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years . . . or both.

    I know whom I’m calling and writing tomorrow.

  118. 118.

    Raven Onthill

    Looks to me like the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans want to lock Prof. Blasey in a room with Kavanaugh again.

    Fk that.

    And I hope Kamala Harris rakes Kavanaugh over the coals.

  120. 120.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Raven Onthill: It’s not enough (maybe it’s enough $$ — that’s not what I mean) but it’s a start.

    I know there are 12,800 children being tortured, some of them being raped, right now in ICE jails. It sickens me. But at least, this is something not-sickening, that we Americans can stand up and try to help like this. Not enough, but a small, small start.

    I have a relative, a child, who mentioned this whole fiasco to me — she saw it in the news. I’m ashamed before.

  121. 121.

    sharl

    @sharl: Update on the GoFundMe to pay for security for Dr. Blasey*:

    $50,067 of $50,000 goal
    Raised by 1,592 people in 4 hours

    Lots of folks are pissed!

    *A bit more on this GoFundMe, from the person organizing it (via this twitter thread): She did NOT contact Dr. Blasey in advance, wishing to not add to Blasey’s worries at this time; if Blasey wants to turn down the funding, she can certainly do so. She HAS reached out to Blasey’s lawyer; don’t know if she’s heard back as of yet.

  122. 122.

    Suzanne

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’m still trying to figure out why someone who admits to being a blackout drunk in high school is supposed to be given the benefit of the doubt when he says he doesn’t remember doing something while drinking that another person vividly remembers happening.

    Because penis.

  126. 126.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Suzanne: On LG&M someone noted that the German for that is “Pilzkopf”. I think “Colonel PIlzkopf” has a certain ring to it. Just as “Predisent Yeti Pubes” does.

  128. 128.

    Raven Onthill

    And, meantime, Lindsey Graham is saying that if Dr. Blasey does not testify they’ll hold the confirmation vote next Wednesday. Whatever Kavenaugh does, they’re going to try make her feel part of the blame for.

    Who are these men?

  129. 129.

    tokyokie

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    and she decided on her crazy scheme five years ago, to take down Bret Kavanagh if he ever got nominated to the USSC

    My God, she’s even more dastardly and cunning than those pesky Kenyans who placed the fake birth announcements in the Honolulu newspapers to pave the way for the formation of the American caliphate several decades hence.

  130. 130.

    tokyokie

    @Raven Onthill:

    And, meantime, Lindsey Graham is saying that if Dr. Blasey does not testify they’ll hold the confirmation vote next Wednesday. Whatever Kavenaugh does, they’re going to try make her feel part of the blame for.

    Who are these men?

    Who are these men? Republicans.

  131. 131.

    sharl

    @sharl: Update on the Dr. Blasey security GoFundMe, from its organizer Prof. Heidi Li Feldman (bolding is mine):

    With amazing speed, we raised just over $50,000 in about four hours. Having made that goal, I’m pausing donations (not accepting them) until I get further information about the extent of Dr. Blasey Ford’s security costs. If possible, I will find out whether she has sufficient funds to cover other expenses to enable her to attend hearings, should she decide to do so. If it seems necessary and appropriate, I will reopen donations.

    The display of solidarity and forceful collective action has heartened me, and I am sure will hearten Dr. Blasey Ford and her family. Thank you to all who have given to and publicized this effort.

    Where things stand over there:

    $53,840 of $50,000 goal
    Raised by 1,708 people in 5 hours

    _________________________

    @Raven Onthill: A lot of women are pissed. This may just cost the GOP the Senate.

    We may hope.

    —-> cosign!

  132. 132.

    Bill Arnold

    @Raven Onthill:

    Looks to me like the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans want to lock Prof. Blasey in a room with Kavanaugh again.

    Would she be allowed to give an uninterrupted televised opening statement? Something resembling that could be part of it, for example. (If the Senate doesn’t allow it, she could do it in a major network news interview.)
    She’s already proven to be impressively brave, so I’m assuming she’ll show and face the hostile R senators and K.
    I also hope some of the flying monkeys are caught (and not just the stupid/incompetent ones), and punished somehow.

  133. 133.

    Bill Arnold

    @Raven Onthill:

    A lot of women are pissed. This may just cost the GOP the Senate.

    The anger among women has been impressive, TBH. Focused, sharp, suddenly female-zeitgeisty.
    (Penis-American writing.)

  134. 134.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Bill Arnold: Last time around (with Dr. Anita Hill) there was another accuser, all queued-up and ready-to-go (IIRC) in a DC hotel room, waiting to be called. She never was. They railroaded Dr. Hill. Dr. Blaisey Ford and her lawyers are undoubtedly aware of this. Without evidence and corroboration, those Grabby Old Perverts WILL railroad her. And once the vote is done, the media will move on.

    If she wants to prevent that from happening, I think she *must* insist on an investigation, and proceed to try this case in the court of public opinion. Sad but true reality. At least, that’s my opinion [and IANAL, so that and $2.75 gets you a double espresso at Starbucks.]

  135. 135.

    Bill Arnold

    @Raven Onthill:

    A lot of women are pissed. This may just cost the GOP the Senate.

    The anger among women has been impressive, TBH. Focused, sharp, suddenly female-zeitgeisty.
    (Pen1s-American writing.)

  136. 136.

    Bill Arnold

    @Chetan Murthy:

    If she wants to prevent that from happening, I think she *must* insist on an investigation, and proceed to try this case in the court of public opinion.

    Interesting point, thanks.

  139. 139.

    Bonnie

    Oh, well, now Clarence Thomas will have someone to watch porno movies with during the lunch hour. What a pair!

  141. 141.

    dimmsdale

    for anyone still following this thread, the GoFundMe has been reopened, the founder having gotten in touch with Prof. Blasey’s people and them having accepted the offer of protection. New goal: $100k (not much for the protection she’ll need) and currently the fund is at $55k or so.

    Donations have been reopened. I have been in communication with Dr. Blasey Ford’s representatives who have assured me that she needs and will accept our assistance with security costs. I will set and adjust goals based on further details as I learn them. Thank you again to all who have donated or have wanted to while we were on pause.

    URL is here: https://www.gofundme.com/to-cover-dr-fords-security-costs?viewupdates=1&rcid=r01-153736194195-bf2bdeaf715f4791&utm_source=internal&utm_medium=email&utm_content=body_photo&utm_campaign=upd_n

    Adam, if you know, Id be curious to get an expert’s view of the kind of protection she should have. Thinking the sort of services Gavin DeBecker offers. do I have that right?

  142. 142.

    Death Panel Truck

    There is no “Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.” His (or her, someday, if we’re lucky) title is Chief Justice of the United States.

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