# 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:** 240
**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 28, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4781 "2018-09-28T14:17:03Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Yes actually. A crime is an offence against the State. That’s what differentiates it from a civil action. The party going to Court is the State, not the accuser. We regularly see the State moving forward despite the victims wishes. About half of all Domestic Violence cases are initiated despite the victim not wanting to go forward. Except the issue here – in contrast to the example of child abuse or domestic violence that you raise – does not appear to be a case of acting out of the need to protect the safety of others from a continuing threat. Oh, and of course domestic violence charges generally get some kind of police investigation, rather than a public hearing. ---
**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 28, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4782 "2018-09-28T14:22:21Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Kavanaugh wrongly claims he could drink legally in Md.](https://apnews.com/e4a48c01f3bf4094b9faea33cd049729/Kavanaugh-wrongly-claims-he-could-drink-legally-in-Md.)Why should we respect the law or the Supreme Court if he is seated as a Justice? Why should we respect Congress if he is confirmed? This is my position. Even if we subtract out the accusations, he can not be trusted to impartially and accurately interpret the law. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4783 "2018-09-28T14:25:33Z")
Bullying is not emotional expression. It is aggression. If I were in Maryland right now, I’d be sniffing, too. This was always my worst allergy season in the mid-Atlantic states. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4784 "2018-09-28T14:26:35Z")
Even if Kavanaugh gets confirmed, these women won’t magically disappear, as Clarence Thomas has been reminded this past week. More may come forward still. There were anonymous allegations that could go public. There could end up being an FBI investigation at some point. Or the women could just talk about it on TV shows and in books and media for the rest of Kavanaugh’s life. So now instead of being the nominee who was withdrawn in disgrace he could end up being the Supreme Court Justice who was charged with sexual assault. If your response that is “yeah, but at least he’s OUR Supreme Court Justice” give your head a shake. To all the people including Kavanaugh who think this is a Clinton conspiracy: PROVE IT. The President couldn’t cover up making a hush payment to a porn star and the lawyer who set it up for him has been convicted of several crimes. You want to LOCK HER UP? Find evidence that this was a hatchet job. Documents, payments, a Kenyan passport given to Dr. Ford. Something, anything that will turn Hillary Clinton from boogeyman to common crook. It shouldn’t be that hard but until then she gets to live rent-free in the heads of those who still think she’s the one who is really in charge. ---
**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 28, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4785 "2018-09-28T14:28:04Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Kavanaugh wrongly claims he could drink legally in Md.](https://apnews.com/e4a48c01f3bf4094b9faea33cd049729/Kavanaugh-wrongly-claims-he-could-drink-legally-in-Md.)Why should we respect the law or the Supreme Court if he is seated as a Justice? Why should we respect Congress if he is confirmed? He says that seniors could drink beer. Where does Kavanaugh say that he was referring to himself as one of those seniors? Not seeing it in your quote-- was it somewhere else in the article you linked to? Are you asking why you should respect Congress if Kavanaugh broke the law and drank beer when he was in High School? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4786 "2018-09-28T14:28:48Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Two reasons. First, you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater…instead, you vote in a new baby. Second, you live here…**if you really don’t want to respect the laws of the land simply because there are flawed people in positions of power (as if this hasn’t been the case since the founding of the country)** you should probably move somewhere else to avoid being incarcerated by the very people you don’t want to respect. What laws should I respect? Why are they different than the laws that Kavanaugh and the Congress should respect? I’m not a second class citizen and he’s not somehow above me. Why doesn’t our society demand that he respect the law the same as me? And why should I respect a society that acknowledges that he doesn’t have to follow the law AND THEN places him in charge of others following the law? ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4787 "2018-09-28T14:29:40Z")
This whole thing just makes me feel sick to my stomach. I’m sitting here crying and feeling completely helpless. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4788 "2018-09-28T14:30:26Z")
I wouldn’t want this entitled asshole on the Supreme Court if he were going to vote in lockstep with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The difference is that the Dems would have ceased to support someone like this weeks ago, assuming they’d nominate someone like this in the first place. ETA: This is a trashing of the Supreme Court, to put someone like Kavanaugh there. The GOP is effectively saying “we don’t value this institution as anything other than a means of expanding our power. We’ll elevate Judge Entitled Lying Asshole to the Supreme Court, because he’ll do what we say.” ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4789 "2018-09-28T14:30:47Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > He says that seniors could drink beer. Where does Kavanaugh say that he was referring to himself as one of those seniors? Not seeing it in your quote-- was it somewhere else in the article you linked to? … This. Some people don’t understand lawerly parsing. ---
**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, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4790 "2018-09-28T14:32:01Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > He says that seniors could drink beer. Where does Kavanaugh say that he was referring to himself as one of those seniors? Not seeing it in your quote-- was it somewhere else in the article you linked to? > > Are you asking why you should respect Congress if Kavanaugh broke the law and drank beer when he was in High School? This strikes me as a really silly quibble. Do you believe Kavanaugh didn’t lie about the Renate thing and binge drinking yesterday? If you think he lied, as I did, then he broke the law yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4791 "2018-09-28T14:36:20Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > What laws should I respect? Why are they different than the laws that Kavanaugh and the Congress should respect? I’m not a second class citizen and he’s not somehow above me. Why doesn’t our society demand that he respect the law the same as me? And why should I respect a society that acknowledges that he doesn’t have to follow the law AND THEN places him in charge of others following the law? By the way, I’d like to avoid personalizing these arguments. I used “we” on purpose in my previous post, but when others replied they used the pronoun “you” and I inadvertently followed suit with “I” in this post. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4792 "2018-09-28T14:36:26Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > He says that seniors could drink beer. Where does Kavanaugh say that he was referring to himself as one of those seniors? Not seeing it in your quote-- was it somewhere else in the article you linked to? > > Are you asking why you should respect Congress if Kavanaugh broke the law and drank beer when he was in High School? Agreed-- he seems to be pointing out that seniors could legally buy beer, and thus beer was available. He never says, “_I_ could legally drink,” but simply points out that since seniors could legally buy beer, beer was easily available at parties. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4793 "2018-09-28T14:36:46Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > This whole thing just makes me feel sick to my stomach. I’m sitting here crying and feeling completely helpless. You’re definitely not the only one. Though, I’ve gotten to the numb acceptance and loss of hope stage myself. At least there’s always Canada ☹ ---
**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 28, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4794 "2018-09-28T14:37:14Z")
I read an op-ed piece a couple of days ago introducing Rachel Mitchell and suggesting that at the end of it all, nothing will have changed and Republicans would plow ahead with the confirmation. It was very prescient. Further adding to the circus: - Mitchell wasn’t even allowed to fully examine Kavanaugh, apparently because Grassley didn’t like the direction her questioning was taking - none of the other two accusers were allowed to testify - Mark Judge’s letter was falsely presented as the equivalent of sworn testimony, and Republican senators voted down requests to subpoena him - Requests for an FBI investigation were repeatedly turned down by Republicans, falsely claiming that Kavanaugh had “already” been investigated – yes, but not on this particular matter, with the details that have surfaced. And despite the fact that as Rachel Mitchell herself pointed out, the hearing format was a very poor venue for determining the truth in such cases, and that the accepted method (besides all the other fact-finding the FBI could do) was a one-on-one with a trained interviewer. - The fact that Republicans continually bring up the standards of evidence required to convict in a criminal trial, whereas this is not a criminal trial with criminal penalties but an assessment of whether Kavanaugh meets the high standards required of a Supreme Court justice. It’s really sickening how Republicans are using this partisan circus with absolutely not a shred of integrity or honesty to force through Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Sure, it’s politics, but politics doesn’t have to imply a complete abdication of basic duty and decency. Some have said that Republicans have become the party of condoning sexual assault. They’re that, but only as a side effect; mainly, they are the party of total self-serving unprincipled degeneracy. This is what happens when Republicans are allowed to take power. ---
**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 28, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4795 "2018-09-28T14:37:24Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > This strikes me as a really silly quibble. Do you believe Kavanaugh didn’t lie about the Renate thing and binge drinking yesterday? If you think he lied, as I did, then he broke the law yesterday. I don’t generally accuse people of lying unless I have direct evidence that they deliberate said something they knew was untrue. So let me ask you: Did Ford lie when she said she was 100% certain her memory was correct about Kavanaugh being the attacker? She has a BA, MA, and PhD in psychology. Does she not know that we can never be 100% certain about a memory? (No, I would not say she was lying by saying that, in case you were wondering.) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4796 "2018-09-28T14:37:58Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > ETA: This is a trashing of the Supreme Court, to put someone like Kavanaugh there. The GOP is effectively saying “we don’t value this institution as anything other than a means of expanding our power. We’ll elevate Judge Entitled Lying Asshole to the Supreme Court, because he’ll do what we say.” This is what I’m talking about. Why should Americans respect the SCOTUS or Congress or the process once Kavanaugh is placed on the Supreme Court? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4797 "2018-09-28T14:40:32Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Does she not know that we can never be 100% certain about a memory? (No, I would not say she was lying by saying that, in case you were wondering.) Are you saying you don’t have a single memory you are 100% certain of? ---
**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, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4798 "2018-09-28T14:40:40Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I don’t generally accuse people of lying unless I have direct evidence that they deliberate said something they knew was untrue. There’s plenty of direct evidence – there’s the slut-shaming poem about Renate from one of Kavanaugh’s classmates in the yearbook and all the other references to Renate in the yearbook, as well as the statements of his friends and classmates (including supporters) who said he regularly binge-drank and was incoherent. > [@](#): > > So let me ask you: Did Ford lie when she said she was 100% certain her memory was correct about Kavanaugh being the attacker? She has a BA, MA, and PhD in psychology. Does she not know that we can never be 100% certain about a memory? (No, I would not say she was lying by saying that, in case you were wondering.) I don’t believe this is remotely comparable. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4799 "2018-09-28T14:41:34Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > (No, I would not say she was lying by saying that, in case you were wondering.) How generous of you. ---
**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 28, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4800 "2018-09-28T14:42:27Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I don’t believe this is remotely comparable. Then don’t compare it. Take it as a stand-alone question. Was she lying? > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > How generous of you. Thanks, but I wasn’t trying to be generous. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=239) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=241)