# 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:** 202
**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, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4021 "2018-09-27T15:25:00Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > There’s been a lot of progress on how assault of women hass been treated, but using false accusations as political ammunition is going to set that back a long way. Baselessly calling her allegations false is exactly why women like her do not come forward easily. Maybe consider you own role in that problem. ---
**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 27, 2018, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4022 "2018-09-27T15:28:17Z")
Trying to figure out where Mitchell is going with her line of questioning. Seems like she’s spending a lot of her time on clarifying minutiae in Ford’s testimony. Minutiae that I can’t see impeaching her credibility to any significant extent. But maybe she’s playing the long game… ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4023 "2018-09-27T15:31:27Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Anyone watching the hearing? I’m just following liveblogs/livetweets, since I’m in the office. From these, Ford is presenting herself very well and appearing very genuine. Agreed. She’s coming off as entirely credible so far. However, the format, with Democrats asking questions individually while Mitchell is asking a continuous series for the Republicans, is…weird. ---
**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 27, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4024 "2018-09-27T15:31:31Z")
What was Grassley going on about just before the break? He was borderline incoherent. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4025 "2018-09-27T15:34:15Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Having a conservative as SCOTUS who we can _confidently_ believe has some minimal amount of basic integrity and decency? That is beyond conservative vs moderate and not a matter of partisanship. I think we’re seeing Republicans’ fear that no conservative judge is innocent of sexual impropriety. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4026 "2018-09-27T15:35:59Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Trying to figure out where Mitchell is going with her line of questioning. Seems like she’s spending a lot of her time on clarifying minutiae in Ford’s testimony. Minutiae that I can’t see impeaching her credibility to any significant extent. > > But maybe she’s playing the long game… I could be wrong, but I assume she is constrained to a certain extent by the question give her by the Senators she is representing. As a result, I would expect her questions to look a bit disjointed. I think at least some of the Republican Senators are expecting that if there are any holes in her story at all that it damages her credibility as a witness against Kavanaugh. It’s a woman asking the questions, but it’s men behind at least some of the questions. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4027 "2018-09-27T15:36:56Z")
For anyone without cable access, CNN is live-streaming, and you can full-screen the image. It’s quite the drama. I thought that Ford’s opening statement was very moving and sincere and her answers so far very persuasive. She’s also IME a very sympathetic figure. If this hearing were really impartial, Kavanaugh would have his work cut out for him – to the point of impossibility. During the break right now Jeff Toobin is saying essentially that at this point anyone who thinks Ford is lying must be insane. ---
**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, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4028 "2018-09-27T15:37:17Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I could be wrong, but I assume she is constrained to a certain extent by the question give her by the Senators she is representing. As a result, I would expect her questions to look a bit disjointed. I think at least some of the Republican Senators are expecting that if there are any holes in her story at all that it damages her credibility as a witness against Kavanaugh. It’s a woman asking the questions, but it’s men behind at least some of the questions. I don’t think so. She is deposing Dr. Ford in textbook format following an obvious logical outline. Any lawyer would recognize it. She isn’t asking ad hoc questions suggested by Senators (yet). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4029 "2018-09-27T15:37:58Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Theory - > > What is the possibility that at this point McConnell knows he doesn’t have the votes? That the committee knows he doesn’t have the votes? Under normal circumstances they would have Kavanaugh withdraw, and move on to another candidate. But, because this is not normal circumstances, their political calculation tells them that THE BEST path forward is to go through with this hearing, because this satisfies the constituencies demanding a hearing. Based on the hearings, the public will lean more toward not confirming Kavanaugh. They will vote and this will provide political cover for the NO votes on the GOP side. For GOP candidates up for re-election, they can claim that their noses are clean because “they did the right thing” by holding the hearings. So it can still be spun as a win, even though they throw Kavanaugh under the bus. > > Thoughts? This makes sense to me, especially “they can claim that their noses are clean.” The important thing is NOT TO LOSE VOTES. Principles? Don’t need 'em. Truth? Facts? Don’t make us laugh! Truth is complicated. Facts aren’t facts anymore. We need to keep our seats (not sure exactly why, but we need to) and that means votes. Can’t piss anyone off unnecessarily. So the most important thing is TO KEEP OUR NOSES CLEAN. Don’t take responsibility. Don’t admit to anything. If something blows up, just make sure none of it gets stuck to YOU. It’s always someone else’s fault. Just shrug and claim, “We did our best.” (Wink wink!) ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4030 "2018-09-27T15:38:15Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Theory - > > What is the possibility that at this point McConnell knows he doesn’t have the votes? That the committee knows he doesn’t have the votes? Under normal circumstances they would have Kavanaugh withdraw, and move on to another candidate. But, because this is not normal circumstances, their political calculation tells them that THE BEST path forward is to go through with this hearing, because this satisfies the constituencies demanding a hearing. Based on the hearings, the public will lean more toward not confirming Kavanaugh. They will vote and this will provide political cover for the NO votes on the GOP side. For GOP candidates up for re-election, they can claim that their noses are clean because “they did the right thing” by holding the hearings. So it can still be spun as a win, even though they throw Kavanaugh under the bus. > > Thoughts? I think you’re right. Republicans can actually come out ahead in this because they have cover with Republicans and look like reasonable caring people with anyone on the fence. Sometimes doing right in the end is more powerful than doing right at the start. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4031 "2018-09-27T15:39:38Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Funny. > > Before you post again, try to imagine, not that you are that girl – don’t think you can rise to this – but that you _ **don’t know what it is like.** _ > > I’ve never met a man who had an inkling of what it is like. And explaining doesn’t seem to sink in, ever. Rarely met a woman who didn’t. You are quite correct. I don’t understand what it would be like to continue to attend parties where others were being drugged and gang-raped. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4032 "2018-09-27T15:40:10Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > For anyone without cable access, CNN is live-streaming, and you can full-screen the image. It’s quite the drama. I thought that Ford’s opening statement was very moving and sincere and her answers so far very persuasive. She’s also IME a very sympathetic figure. If this hearing were really impartial, Kavanaugh would have his work cut out for him – to the point of impossibility. During the break right now Jeff Toobin is saying essentially that at this point anyone who thinks Ford is lying must be insane. I just flipped through all the major (and some of the minor) networks and they’re all carrying it live. I don’t think you need cable to see it. Except for PBS, which is showing their usual children’s programming. Maybe they didn’t want the kiddos to accidentally stumble onto testimony about sexual assault. ---
**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 27, 2018, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4033 "2018-09-27T15:45:26Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > If the Democrats successfully block Kavanaugh, all that’s likely to happen is that he’ll be replaced by a nominee who is equally right-wing or even more right-wing but doesn’t have the same personal baggage. The judiciary implications for Roe, Obergefell, etc. remain the same. But there won’t be a possible serial sexual abuser on the court. That in and of itself is a good thing. Additionally the other issue Democrats have with Kavanaugh is how they feel he will be a Trump ally if things reach the point where Trump is actually implicated, inducted or just asked for more cooperation into ongoing investigations that he is reluctant to give (such as testimony). Another justice could be the same on policy but still not willing to shield the administration from being held accountable for their actions. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4034 "2018-09-27T15:46:49Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Theory - > > What is the possibility that at this point McConnell knows he doesn’t have the votes? That the committee knows he doesn’t have the votes? Under normal circumstances they would have Kavanaugh withdraw, and move on to another candidate. But, because this is not normal circumstances … Some of us think very possible. Or at least that they are okay with that as the probable result of today with some small chance of Ford coming off so badly as to get them the votes. But protect their own from too much harm while still having the time to get a conservative jurist they can be happy with before January if not November? That’s the bottom line they want to be sure of. > [@Steophan](#): > > I’d be astonished if you’ve never met a man who’s been sexually abused. It’s not exactly rare. We’ve just been trained not to talk about it, especially if it occurs as an adult. > > But then, men being raped is still treated as a joke on this board, as well as much of the world. There’s been a lot of progress on how assault of women hass been treated, but using false accusations as political ammunition is going to set that back a long way. No question that sexual abuse against males is real, even if less frequent than against females. And labelling an accusation false solely on the basis of partisanship is despicable. False accusations certainly occur … but to quote Ms Mitchell, an expert on these things apparently, they “are very rare.” Given that it is reasonable to take such accusations _very_ seriously. To do otherwise is at best ignorant. Yeah she is doing a textbook courtroom review … but this is like she’s trying to play baseball in the Superbowl. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4035 "2018-09-27T15:47:16Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > You are quite correct. I don’t understand what it would be like to continue to attend parties where others were being drugged and gang-raped. > > Regards, > Shodan Teens are often reluctant to become social outcasts in high school. This fear of ostracism may lead them to continue to be part of the “in” crowd in spite of their revulsion over some of what it does. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4036 "2018-09-27T15:48:12Z")
I don’t know if Mitchell’questions are doing much to tarnish Ford’s credibility. Ford has already admitted that she has no memory of the minutae. I don’t know what is to be gained by highlighting that fact. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4037 "2018-09-27T15:48:17Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > This is almost certainly the case. But right now, the nominee before us is Brett Kavanaugh. And there’s a pretty large pile of reasons he doesn’t belong on the Supreme Court, or any court really. One reason should be sufficient for anybody: He was nominated by Donald FUCKING J. GOD-DAMNED AMERICA-HATING FUCKSTICK Trump. In fact, that applies to EVERYONE he might nominate. For ANYTHING. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4038 "2018-09-27T15:48:35Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I just flipped through all the major (and some of the minor) networks and they’re all carrying it live. I don’t think you need cable to see it. > > Except for PBS, which is showing their usual children’s programming. Maybe they didn’t want the kiddos to accidentally stumble onto testimony about sexual assault. Wow, surprising about PBS! Maybe they figure if everyone else is carrying it live, they may as well provide an alternative for the kiddies. Anyway, I was just pointing out for the benefit of furriners or those for whom no cable means no broadcast TV that CNN (and probably other major networks) is live-streaming from their website. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4039 "2018-09-27T15:50:49Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Yeah she is doing a textbook courtroom review … but this is like she’s trying to play baseball in the Superbowl. It’s off-topic, I realize, but EVERYBODY who goes to the Superbowl should play baseball. Football is dumb. ---
**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, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4040 "2018-09-27T15:53:11Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > using false accusations as political ammunition is going to set that back a long way. This is pretty despicable. Your only basis for claiming that the accusation is false is that you disagree with her politically. Utterly and completely despicable. Just disgusting. And then you have the nerve to ask why victims don’t come forward sooner. Disgusting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=201) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=203)