# 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:** 225
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4481 "2018-09-27T23:36:24Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Actually, got a lot of respect in high school, maybe part because I’d been there for six years. And that _was_ the school mascot… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4482 "2018-09-27T23:38:16Z")
Wouldn’t trust Flake any further than I can punt a bowling ball. He angles to stay out of sight until he can determine which way the herd is moving, so he run out in front of them and pretend he’s leading. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4483 "2018-09-27T23:38:54Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Let’s count the votes **asahi**. > > This clearly gives the red state Dems enough to vote against. I don’t see any D votes to confirm unless Ford comes off as completely non-credible. You think otherwise? > > IF all D’s vote no that means just one R needs to go no. Collins, Murkowski, Flake? Hell Deb Fischer? Her seat is safe even if the base gets pissed. She could afford to vote against sexual assault and not have to deal with any blowback from the base for six years. Okay probably not but of the other three will _all_ stay in line when the general public is clearly believing her more than him? So bottom line, where are we now? Does this thug get confirmed or not? I hope I’m wrong, but I suspect he does. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4484 "2018-09-27T23:40:12Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …yeah, about that: > > [https://twitter.com/WaPoSean/status/1045449833077780481](https://twitter.com/WaPoSean/status/1045449833077780481) > > From everything I heard Rachel Mitchell did her job as well as one would expect. And if she wasn’t there to question Ford it would have been a shit-show-from-hell. For the shit show one just needed to wait for the Graham Crackers. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4485 "2018-09-27T23:42:10Z")
I’d still probably bet that he’s confirmed, but it’d essentially be a guess. I do think that confirming Kavanaugh on a party-line vote would be the best-case short-term political scenario for the Democrats’ chances of taking the Senate. And getting Roe v Wade overturned would be the biggest get-out-the-vote benefit to the Democrats in a generation or more. But I hope he’s voted down. I think he’s a liar and I think it’s more likely than not that Ford’s allegations are true (not to mention the others). We shouldn’t be putting such dishonest (and abusive, obviously) people on the SCOTUS. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4486 "2018-09-27T23:42:28Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Wouldn’t trust Flake any further than I can punt a bowling ball. He angles to stay out of sight until he can determine which way the herd is moving, so he run out in front of them and pretend he’s leading. He wants to stay in the game as a lobbyist or conservative activist, even if he can’t be a senator. There’s no such thing as retiring from Washington. There’s no such thing as political independence, even in retirement. The Republicans are gonna vote for Kavanaugh, because Kavanaugh will protect the plutocrats who are going to bankrupt the country and make 95% of us pay for it. Once Americans wake up and understand that ours is a fake democracy and decide definitively that they want a real one instead, then we can have real change. But that’s not gonna happen until a financial apocalypse happens, not the 2008 kind but the kind where people are fighting in the streets over bottles of water and loaves of bread. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4487 "2018-09-27T23:44:49Z")
One of the accusations is that Feinstein sat on the letter waiting until the last minute to bring it forth and demand a delay for an investigation. The implication is that she should have dealt with this situation when it happened as part of the committee interview/questioning process. If so, then why should the Republicans/Kavanaugh agree to a delay? Why not tell the Dems you should have dealt with this already and F Feinstein for using this woman and her story as a political move? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4488 "2018-09-27T23:48:13Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > One of the accusations is that Feinstein sat on the letter waiting until the last minute to bring it forth and demand a delay for an investigation. The implication is that she should have dealt with this situation when it happened as part of the committee interview/questioning process. If so, then why should the Republicans/Kavanaugh agree to a delay? Why not tell the Dems you should have dealt with this already and F Feinstein for using this woman and her story as a political move? Why indeed? Sure, if they want to get more information about whether the allegations might be true, they could actually call more witnesses (like Mark Judge and the other accusers), but if they want to stick it to the Dems, why delay at all? Why not just plow through, no matter if the allegations are true or not? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4489 "2018-09-27T23:50:49Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > One of the accusations is that Feinstein sat on the letter waiting until the last minute to bring it forth and demand a delay for an investigation. The implication is that she should have dealt with this situation when it happened as part of the committee interview/questioning process. If so, then why should the Republicans/Kavanaugh agree to a delay? Why not tell the Dems you should have dealt with this already and F Feinstein for using this woman and her story as a political move? So they can pretend to “listen to the facts” before voting yes. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4490 "2018-09-27T23:51:47Z")
If the Feinstein maneuver was nothing more than a rank political ploy, but the allegations regarding the Kav are true…he gets a pass because he’s the victim? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4491 "2018-09-27T23:52:19Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > So bottom line, where are we now? Does this thug get confirmed or not? Even if there is video showing ALL of the allegations are true, every Pub votes for him claiming the angle of the videos make the actions inconclusive and the videos were made to entrap him 30 years later if he were up for a major political office. Even if there is video showing ALL of the allegations are false, every Dem votes against him claiming they’re sure he did something to someone because unproven claims against rich white guys still have some element of truth. ---
**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, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4492 "2018-09-27T23:53:34Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > …it is clear from the record of Blasey Ford’s testimony that this is not an incident that she forgot for a single moment since it happened. No need to elicit a memory that never left – even if one would wish to forget it. Let me clarify. The term “forgot” is not operative with recovered memories. I think it would be “repressed”, or something like that. It was not my intention to say that she “forgot” about it. And the memory of being assaulted might not have been a recovered memory, while the name of the assailant might have been. I seem to remember reading something about that as this news broke, but that could’ve been speculation, fake news, or a faulty memory on my part. Maybe even a recovered memory just a few days ago when I brought it up here for the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4493 "2018-09-27T23:55:01Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Let me clarify. The term “forgot” is not operative with recovered memories. I think it would be “repressed”, or something like that. It was not my intention to say that she “forgot” about it. And the memory of being assaulted might not have been a recovered memory, while the name of the assailant might have been. > > I seem to remember reading something about that as this news broke, but that could’ve been speculation, **fake news** , or a faulty memory on my part. Maybe even a recovered memory just a few days ago when I brought it up here for the first time. Let’s go with that one. I listened to every word of her testimony today. It’s a non-issue. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4494 "2018-09-27T23:55:04Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Even if there is video showing ALL of the allegations are true, every Pub votes for him claiming the angle of the videos make the actions inconclusive and the videos were made to entrap him 30 years later if he were up for a major political office. > > Even if there is video showing ALL of the allegations are false, every Dem votes against him claiming they’re sure he did something to someone because unproven claims against rich white guys still have some element of truth. What’s your bottom line: do you believe the allegations or not? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4495 "2018-09-27T23:56:47Z")
Anyone else find it like beyond weird that he kept a calendar from 35 years ago? Like I’ve found a calendar or two that was older than some of my wine bottles, but never intentionally kept them for decades. What the crap? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4496 "2018-09-28T00:02:57Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > If the Feinstein maneuver was nothing more than a rank political ploy, but the allegations regarding the Kav are true…he gets a pass because he’s the victim? Never said that, but it seems that Feinstein is getting a pass on how she played this. Assuming the sexual assault happened, shouldn’t Feinstein had handled the situation more approriately? Isn’t it fairer to accuser not to be handled like a pawn? Isn’t it fairer to the accused (not convicted) nominee that it be dealt with in a timely manner no matter the outcome? ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4497 "2018-09-28T00:03:10Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > This may be why they’re so desperate to ram through this confirmation as quickly as possible: > > > [@](#): > > > > The Utah lawmaker Orrin Hatch, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, filed a 44-page amicus brief earlier this month in Gamble v. United States, a case that will consider whether the dual-sovereignty doctrine should be put to rest. The 150-year-old exception to the Fifth Amendment’s double-jeopardy clause allows state and federal courts to prosecute the same person for the same criminal offense. According to the brief he filed on September 11, Hatch believes the doctrine should be overturned. > > … > > Within the context of the Mueller probe, legal observers have seen the dual-sovereignty doctrine as a check on President Donald Trump’s power: It could discourage him from trying to shut down the Mueller investigation or pardon anyone caught up in the probe, because the pardon wouldn’t be applied to state charges. Under settled law, if Trump were to pardon his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, for example—he was convicted last month in federal court on eight counts of tax and bank fraud—both New York and Virginia state prosecutors could still charge him for any crimes that violated their respective laws. (Both states have a double-jeopardy law that bars secondary state prosecutions for committing “the same act,” > > [Orrin Hatch, the Supreme Court, and Trump's Pardons - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/571285) > > Of the dual-sovereignty doctrine is endes states couldn’t retry the same crime at the state level so states couldn’t retry persons pardined at the federal level. ^ This was posted pages ago but deserves highlighting. Kavanaugh’s performance today was horrifying to those who value integrity, honesty, fair-dealing, and (not least) mental stability. But it was catnip to those who get their news from Alex Jones. That 25% or so of Americans adored the red-faced yelling, the crying, the claims that the Clintons are behind it all, and most of all the profound self-pity of the aggrieved white male. And of course Trump will have loved it. Not the crying so much, but the rest of it. So the Republican Senators—and possible the red-state Dems—WILL fall in line and vote to confirm this blatantly, flagrantly, and brazenly unfit candidate for the SCOTUS. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4498 "2018-09-28T00:05:08Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > So they can pretend to “listen to the facts” before voting yes. The Dems? Oh no, they will “listen to the facts” before voting no. Honestly, do you believe ANYONE on the committee did not make up their mind before this testimony started? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4499 "2018-09-28T00:05:13Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > “definitely” must not mean the same thing in your world. Still waiting for your alternative explanations. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4500 "2018-09-28T00:07:40Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Never said that, but it seems that Feinstein is getting a pass on how she played this. Assuming the sexual assault happened, shouldn’t Feinstein had handled the situation more approriately? Isn’t it fairer to accuser not to be handled like a pawn? Isn’t it fairer to the accused (not convicted) nominee that it be dealt with in a timely manner no matter the outcome? Maybe, but how is that relevant to how senators should vote? Either they think the allegations might be true or they don’t. That should be based on the words of Ford and Kavanaugh and ideally others called as witnesses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=224) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=226)