# 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:** 198
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3941 "2018-09-26T21:37:46Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > We already know people didn’t keep their mouths shut. The accuser said she didn’t (she told multiple people after the alleged rape), and Judge’s ex was told about it. > > Some of y’all have a very self-centered way of interpreting information. Just because this is the first time \*you’re \*learning about all these shenanigans doesn’t mean this hasn’t been an open secret among Kav’s peers for a long time. it’s a very convenient way of interpreting information if you are inclined to support rape culture. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3942 "2018-09-26T21:42:41Z")
Remember this thread "Sometimes The Bad Guys Win (WARNING: NOT funny. Disturbing) ". I’m putting the link in a spoiler because the thread describes a gang rape that he witnessed as a 15-year-old at a house party:[Sometimes The Bad Guys Win (WARNING: NOT funny. Disturbing) - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=213577) > [@](#): > > No charges were ever brought against anyone. No complaints were ever made. I wondered what I would do if I were brought to testify, but no one ever asked me to. Once, a guy bumped me in the hall hard enough that it felt like a body check, and muttered, “keep your damn mouth shut,” but that was all anyone ever said to me about it. There was no doubt that everyone at that party knew exactly what happened, yet no one said anything. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3943 "2018-09-26T21:56:25Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > How many times are we going to have to explain to this guy the role of the FBI in this process? I swear to god… Isn’t he the one in this thread who swore he’s read every post? I’m not going back to see if I’m wrong. Regardless he certainly didn’t read that one. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3944 "2018-09-26T21:57:09Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Do you get out much? Virtually every US male has had something like a blackout in their life. > . That’s not remotely true. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3945 "2018-09-26T22:03:29Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Virtually every US male has had something like a blackout in their life. > [@Magiver](#): > > That’s not remotely true. Concur. I’ve been drunk plenty of times, but never so much that I didn’t know what was going on at the time, or had any gaps in my memory the next day. Now _weed_, OTOH, was a different story, which was why I gave it up decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3946 "2018-09-26T22:10:07Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Want to bet what the next allegation is going to be? He seduced his Moms friend? He had gay sex with the gardener at his school? Had his dick sucked by a pig? A live one unlike that Brit Cameron? > > How about just dealing with the very real and serious claim made by Prof Ford. Can you please provide the cite for your “rape club” assertion? You were adamant that people be precise in their use of the term affidavit, so I’m sure you wouldn’t have used the term rape club unless Kavanaugh’s accuser used the term. Otherwise, it would seem you were trying to diminish her credibility through slander and hyperbole. ---
**Author:** ![HelenTroy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helentroy/32/86_2.png) [@HelenTroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenTroy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3947 "2018-09-26T22:27:34Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > :smack: > Do you believe the moon landing hoax too? Since this required just as many people to keep their mouths shut. > > Is it possible Kavanaugh is a rapist? Absolutely. A repeat offender? Sure. Is it possible that he ran a rape club over more than 10 parties with a cumulative attendance of dozens to hundreds, most of the people older then him and not under his power and this remained quiet and unknown to everyone for decades, including to FBI investigators looking for dirt? Are you seriously equating a culture of entitled, rich bros feeling they can get away with deplorable behavior with conspiracy theories? in 20-fucking-16 the same type of man got 6 months for attempted rape. Need I name Brock Turner? You believe in the early 1980s these men had more fear? And no one said he ran a rape club, Mr. Need to Be Precise with our language. Would you like to call me hysterical next? Because my post certainly doesn’t speak to losing my cool as some others I could point to. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3948 "2018-09-26T22:38:12Z")
I wonder if bringing in Rachel Mitchell is meant to make it easier for Senate Pubbies to break with Judge K. The initial thought was that the panel of old white man-senators were too cowardly to question a woman about her assault allegations. But now I’m wondering if they’re just too cowardly to question Kavanaugh when they know he’s a dirtbag, and that they know he’s an absolute trainwreck of a nominee that they don’t want to pass through, but they are deathly afraid of the base. But…if they bring in a woman, a Republican, a sex crimes prosecutor, well maybe her line of questioning on ol’ Brett, combined with his line of bullshit, makes it absolutely \*impossible \*for them to vote “Yea.” But since they didn’t do any of the heavy lifting, they don’t have to have any blood on \*their \*hands, neither Judge K’s nor Dr. Ford’s. Just a random thought that crossed my mind while sitting on the can today. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3949 "2018-09-26T22:57:27Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > But…if they bring in a woman, a Republican, a sex crimes prosecutor, well maybe her line of questioning on ol’ Brett, combined with his line of bullshit, makes it absolutely \*impossible \*for them to vote “Yea.” But since they didn’t do any of the heavy lifting, they don’t have to have any blood on \*their \*hands, neither Judge K’s nor Dr. Ford’s… That would actually make a lot of sense, but would require some Republican senators to be decent people. Curious myself how it’ll play out. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3950 "2018-09-26T23:00:14Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > That would actually make a lot of sense, but would require some Republican senators to be decent people. Curious myself how it’ll play out. I don’t think decency has anything to do with it. They see the writing on the wall as far as polling with almost everyone, everyone besides their deplorable base that is. K is becoming less and less popular with Americans by the minute, and Republicans might be looking to lose women voters by the tens of thousands if K goes through. But they’re fucking cowards so they outsource their dirty work to their “female assistant.” ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3951 "2018-09-26T23:01:16Z")
Possibly another one. > **[Senate probed new allegation of misconduct against Kavanaugh](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/senate-probing-new-allegation-misconduct-against-kavanaugh-n913581)** > > Supreme Court Nominee was asked about an anonymous accusation of physical assault. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3952 "2018-09-26T23:06:46Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Possibly another one. > > [Senate probed new allegation of misconduct against Kavanaugh](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/senate-probing-new-allegation-misconduct-against-kavanaugh-n913581) > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Jeff Flake made a decent speech on the floor of the Senate which implored people to remember that everyone involved in this current situation are human beings. I like that line of thinking. And I hope that the human being Brett Kavanaugh feels sick when he looks at his daughters for the rest of his life. I also hope his human being wife feels sick when she looks at him. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3953 "2018-09-26T23:10:25Z")
Dr. Blasey’s statement is quite powerful. I suggest people read it (linked above). ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3954 "2018-09-26T23:12:44Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > That’s not remotely true. The idea of him as a blackout drunk comes from his high school drinking buddy. But OK that’s fair. As long as we know it wasn’t a democratic conspiracy. He was a heavy drinker and a lot of circumstantial evidence points to overdoing it habitually. Alcohol lowers inhibitions. Those in his position may end up throwing up. I don’t want the scotus nominees to lie about this just because that’s what you do to get on the court. It’s a different era now. To someone like that I say “Maybe you didn’t pass out but you don’t get a pass onto the scotus.” ---
**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 26, 2018, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3955 "2018-09-26T23:20:24Z")
**Fiveyearlurker** , posted this a few posts ago, but I’d like to expand on it… [Senate probing new allegation of misconduct against Kavanaugh](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/senate-probing-new-allegation-misconduct-against-kavanaugh-n913581) > [@](#): > > The sender of the complaint described an evening involving her own daughter, Kavanaugh and several friends in 1998. > > “When they left the bar (under the influence of alcohol) they were all shocked when Brett Kavanaugh, shoved her friend up against the wall very aggressively and sexually.” C’mon man. Enough is enough. How do you say enough in Italian again? Oh yeah… #Basta. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3956 "2018-09-26T23:28:54Z")
What I hear, each Senator gets five whole minutes to interview, interrogate, hound or hector. No follow ups, no extensions, five minutes and the hammer comes down. So does their designated questioner get their five minutes each? If she’s using Senator Throckmorton’s five minutes, does that mean she’s asking his question? So, that we can identify which Senator is responsible for which question? Also, if _one_ answer takes up the whole five minutes, well, that’s it, isn’t it? The witness can offer as much improvisational word salad as they can. They can use the time honored ploy of fully answering a different question than the one asked, and thereby escape a uncomfortable point. Seems to me the five minute rule expressly favors Kavanaugh. So, anyway, if the surrogate asks a question with a heavy dose of sluttish innuendo, we get to know which Senator asked it? “This bathing suit you describe, was it provocative, or only very, very sexy?”. Because its his five minutes she’s spending? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3957 "2018-09-27T00:00:45Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > **Fiveyearlurker** , posted this a few posts ago, but I’d like to expand on it… > > [Senate probing new allegation of misconduct against Kavanaugh](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/senate-probing-new-allegation-misconduct-against-kavanaugh-n913581) > > C’mon man. Enough is enough. > > How do you say enough in Italian again? Oh yeah… #Basta. It’s all a very carefully calibrated leftist conspiracy, don’t’cha know? We gave each of these women rigorous training in the basement of the Comet Ping Pong pizza parlor, and released them at intervals calculated to cause the most disruption in the vetting process. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3958 "2018-09-27T00:06:44Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > So, that we can identify which Senator is responsible for which question? It looks as though the answer is yes (or more precisely, they may be Mitchell’s questions rather than the senator’s questions, but we will know on which Senator’s time she asked them): Ford will be sworn in under oath and have the opportunity to give an opening statement with no time limitation. After that, questions will begin. Each senator will then have the opportunity to ask questions of Ford, but any senator may defer to another committee member or to staff counsel. That would be Mitchell for the Republicans. At Ford’s request, each senator will have five minutes of questioning. Also, in response to her request, the committee will limit questioning to one round. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3959 "2018-09-27T00:17:34Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > It’s all a very carefully calibrated leftist conspiracy, don’t’cha know? We gave each of these women rigorous training in the basement of the Comet Ping Pong pizza parlor, and released them at intervals calculated to cause the most disruption in the vetting process. You kid, but I’ve been reading right wing websites just to see what they think (taking one for the team, one might say) and they really do think this is all a Democratic conspiracy. Nate Silver just posted on Twitter that this may be a good example of a case where the more one hears evidence opposing one’s deeply held views, the stronger one believes in those views. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/3960 "2018-09-27T00:31:20Z")
Newest GOP Senate tactic is to release obviously non-credible allegations by anonymous sources in order to muddy the waters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=197) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=199)