# Can Democrats actually stop the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 4, 2018, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733 "2018-09-04T12:49:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 178
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3541 "2018-09-25T22:30:20Z")
Recent Tweets > [@@SenateMajLdr](#): > > “We have hired a female assistant to go on staff and to ask these questions in a respectful and professional way. We want this hearing to be handled very professionally not a political sideshow…” > [@Josh Marshal](#): > > OfSenate ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3542 "2018-09-25T22:34:06Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > LOL. If you’ve got cites, share them. Silly preconditions like “go read every post in a 70+ page thread first” are unbecoming. Cites have been shared. On pages that you participated in. In posts that you responded to. Evidence indicates that Kavanaugh was a belligerent black out drunk at times. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3543 "2018-09-25T22:35:04Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Oh shit man, what should we do now? Investigate? Call the FBI? Impeach him? …can you be clear on what it is exactly you want the FBI to investigate? Can you see anyone in this thread calling for the FBI to investigate Kavanaugh on the basis of speculation from a single online source? > [@](#): > > Or maybe, and it’s just an idea, we can drop the guilt-by-association thing? Who is calling for the “guilt by association” thing? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3544 "2018-09-25T22:36:07Z")
[GOP hires woman to question Kavanaugh accuser, Dems demand her name](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/democrats-want-the-name-of-the-woman-hired-by-republicans-to-question-blasey-ford) > [@](#): > > Senate Republicans have hired a female prosecutor to ask questions Thursday of the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, a move that prompted Democrats to complain that they don’t know who the prosecutor is. > > “We don’t know who the prosecutor is, if that is what she is,” said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. He said Republicans did tell Democrats that someone was hired, but that’s it, and some reports said Republicans wanted to keep her anonymous to ensure her safety. > > … That certainly puts the shoe on the other foot. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3545 "2018-09-25T22:37:47Z")
just heard they are voting in committee Friday morning. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3546 "2018-09-25T22:37:58Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …Who is calling for the “guilt by association” thing? Did you read the discussion about the “panty flag” or elucidator’s complaints about the “no means yes” chant? ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3547 "2018-09-25T22:38:54Z")
They are paying a woman to question another woman in a respectful and professional way. Translation: Old white men are unqualified at questioning a woman in a respectful and professional way. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3548 "2018-09-25T22:41:42Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > That certainly puts the shoe on the other foot. It certainly does. Senate Judiciary Republicans put woman in danger in the name of good optics. Savvy. Not scared. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3549 "2018-09-25T22:41:46Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Did you read the discussion about the “panty flag” or elucidator’s complaints about the “no means yes” chant? > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Silly preconditions like “go read every post in a 70+ page thread first” are unbecoming. …Who is calling for the “guilt by association” thing? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3550 "2018-09-25T22:43:01Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > Well, I’m glad its come down to what some nondescript group people may have said or didn’t say something more or less sexist or vulgar within a 30 year timespan. > > I wonder if they’ll ask Kavanaugh if he ever said “That’s gay”, or “that’s retarded” while they’re at it? I would hope that Kavanaugh adopts this approach during his hearing: “Mr. Chairman, even if I did wave my penis in the face of another student, that’s merely a matter of expression protected by the First Amendment! Why do my opponents hate free speech?” He could call it the **Ashtura** defense. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3551 "2018-09-25T22:44:11Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Cites have been shared. On pages that you participated in. In posts that you responded to. I’ve responded to a great number of posts in this thread, and participated in a lot of pages. Are you capable of being more specific, or is this evasiveness by design? > [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Evidence indicates that Kavanaugh was a belligerent black out drunk at times. Even this sounds like you’re backing off your previous claims: > [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > … There is a ton of evidence that Kavanaugh drank until he blacked out on numerous occasions. … Is the “ton” of evidence now down to just a few pounds? An ounce or two? A milligram? “numerous occasions” vs “at times” \<–those don’t sound like the same thing. Which is it? “I’m not backing off that one bit” or maybe just a wee bit? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3552 "2018-09-25T22:46:28Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …Who is calling for the “guilt by association” thing? I was merely asking if you had. If you have not, I can go dig up a link to them, if you genuinely do not recall. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3553 "2018-09-25T22:47:50Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > just heard they are voting in committee Friday morning. good. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3554 "2018-09-25T22:49:53Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I was merely asking if you had. If you have not, I can go dig up a link to them, if you genuinely do not recall. …why would I be asking the question if I knew what on earth you were talking about? It isn’t about whether or not “I recall” anything. As you point out: its a 70+ page thread. And your perception of a particular exchange may not match up with my perception of that exchange. Or I may not have read it at all. So TLDR yes go dig them up. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3555 "2018-09-25T22:50:36Z")
Does anyone think the committee will vote against him? Better chance of being hit by lightning. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3556 "2018-09-25T22:53:20Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > [GOP hires woman to question Kavanaugh accuser, Dems demand her name](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/democrats-want-the-name-of-the-woman-hired-by-republicans-to-question-blasey-ford) > > That certainly puts the shoe on the other foot. The Democrats should hire a prosecutor to question Judge Kavanaugh about lying to Congress. That would be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3557 "2018-09-25T22:58:00Z")
First, someone who drank as heavily and frequently as Kavanaugh claimed to, which is supported by the accounts of others, has definitely gotten black out drunk on numerous occasions. It’s just how binge drinking works. It is simply not possible for someone to have that history with alcohol and never been black out drunk. Support for this claim comes from Kavanaugh, Judge, Roche, Ford, Ramirez, and probably others. With that in mind the Occcam’s Razor reading of the 2001 boat trip email is that Kavanaugh apologized for getting aggressive after losing a dice game even though he didn’t recall the incident is because he is, on occasion, a belligerent black out drunk. No other explanation comes close. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3558 "2018-09-25T23:00:57Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …why would I be asking the question if I knew what on earth you were talking about? > > It isn’t about whether or not “I recall” anything. As you point out: its a 70+ page thread. And your perception of a particular exchange may not match up with my perception of that exchange. Or I may not have read it at all. > > So TLDR yes go dig them up. [This post](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=21229749#post21229749), as one particular example, struck me as trying to associate the guilt of DKE’s bad acts, some of them decades after Kavanaugh’s college years, with Kavanaugh. Do you perceive it differently? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3559 "2018-09-25T23:06:08Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > … It is simply not possible for someone to have that history with alcohol and never been black out drunk. Support for this claim comes from Kavanaugh, Judge, Roche, Ford, Ramirez, and probably others. Certainly there is evidence that he was a heavy drinker, but did any of those people say Kavanaugh got “blackout drunk”? If not, I don’t see how it is “support for this claim”. If so, please quote their statements that you think support your “blackout drunk” on “numerous occasions” claim. > [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > With that in mind the Occcam’s Razor reading of the 2001 boat trip email is that Kavanaugh apologized for getting aggressive after losing a dice game even though he didn’t recall the incident is because he is, on occasion, a belligerent black out drunk. No other explanation comes close. It’s certainly one plausible explanation, but not the only one. The emails don’t even mention or allude to drinking alcohol on the sailing trip. It’s certainly _possible_ they did, but can you see how weak “it’s possible” evidence is? ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3560 "2018-09-25T23:10:23Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Avenatti has addressed this… > > “It never happened. None of it. No truth to it. This is a fabrication of the right because they are worried and they should be." > > He has not been known to make idle threats. Then what is he waiting for, fucking sweeps week? If he had something let’s hear it. Don’t wait for maximum camera exposure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=177) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=179)