# 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:** 250
**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, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4981 "2018-09-28T20:06:56Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > Unfortunately Judge has already given sworn testimony and will therefore be extremely unlikely to recant. Apparently his ex-girlfriend said that he once admitted to taking turns with a drunk girl and that he was disturbed by it, but I think the threat of perjury will keep him quiet. Dems are gonna probably have to come up with something else. Where has Judge given sworn testimony? There’s a statement his lawyer signed, but I’m not aware of anything legally binding from Judge himself. Further, he hasn’t been asked questions about their drinking habits. ---
**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 28, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4982 "2018-09-28T20:07:31Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > Unfortunately Judge has already given sworn testimony and will therefore be extremely unlikely to recant. Apparently his ex-girlfriend said that he once admitted to taking turns with a drunk girl and that he was disturbed by it, but I think the threat of perjury will keep him quiet. Dems are gonna probably have to come up with something else. I don’t think he has. His lawyer provided a statement, but that wasn’t sworn testimony. In fact, this specific point was one of the many lies Kavanaugh told. ---
**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 28, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4983 "2018-09-28T20:10:27Z")
IMO, if Graham, Trump, & co. are all the sudden keen on an FBI investigation, then they know something we don’t. Almost guaranteed. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4984 "2018-09-28T20:14:21Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > IMO, if Graham, Trump, & co. are all the sudden keen on an FBI investigation, then they know something we don’t. Guaranteed. They probably have had it spelled out to them that it’s unlikely that the FBI would be able to actually definitively come to any sort of conclusion…which works in Kavanaugh’s favor. Unless someone is out there just waiting to give some testimony we haven’t heard yet, or one of Kav’s friends who was there is willing to corroborate Ford’s story, there just isn’t enough here to demonstrate anything conclusive. And since the Dem’s have been saying that an FBI investigation is what they want (with the presumption that whatever they find will be meaningful), it’s smart to basically give it to them and hang them on their own hook. I’m a bit surprised Trump et al are smart enough to take the advice though… ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4985 "2018-09-28T20:16:25Z")
> [@XT](#): > > … > My point is that no one can be 100% certain of a given memory. A memory isn’t a picture or a video, it’s the brains interpretation of the persons perception of the event composed of a mosaic of data, including your brain filling in the gaps, reformatting the narrative and trying to compose a full picture. … YEah, I pretty much agree with you. Add in my pretty horrible memory, and my cynicism WRT so many peoples’ memories (and having people lie to me daily as part of my job), and I am hesitant to afford some special reliability to people’s recollections of stressful events. One thing I read recently was that each time you recall a memory and return it to storage, you are liable to be “modifying/corrupting” that memory, depending on countless factors related to your recollection. So in that way, memory can be like a recording or photocopy that degrades with time and repeated playing. I also believe an individual’s personality can affect the reliability of their memory. Superficial example off the top of my head - someone who is timid might say, “The robber was huge and right on top of me,” whereas someone who is calmer or more self assured might say, “they were posing no threat, not particularly close.” Which is right? They both are 100% correct as to what they perceived - but are there even any meaningful “facts” separate from their perceptions? And a year - or 10 - later, might the timid person feel the threat was even greater than they thought at the time? ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4986 "2018-09-28T20:17:24Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Where has Judge given sworn testimony? There’s a statement his lawyer signed, but I’m not aware of anything legally binding from Judge himself. Further, he hasn’t been asked questions about their drinking habits. Ah ok good. Didnt a couple senators and Kavanaugh mention that the others at the party had contradicted Ford until penalty of perjury? Either way I’m happy to be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4987 "2018-09-28T20:17:39Z")
> [@XT](#): > > They probably have had it spelled out to them that it’s unlikely that the FBI would be able to actually definitively come to any sort of conclusion…which works in Kavanaugh’s favor. Unless someone is out there just waiting to give some testimony we haven’t heard yet, or one of Kav’s friends who was there is willing to corroborate Ford’s story, there just isn’t enough here to demonstrate anything conclusive. And since the Dem’s have been saying that an FBI investigation is what they want (with the presumption that whatever they find will be meaningful), it’s smart to basically give it to them and hang them on their own hook. > > I’m a bit surprised Trump et al are smart enough to take the advice though… What’s changed, then, since Republicans were raking Ford over the coals for wanting an FBI investigation prior to testifying? ---
**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 28, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4988 "2018-09-28T20:18:28Z")
> [@furt](#): > > As I said two days ago, she will never, ever make her claims under oath. Even after Kavanaugh is confirmed next week, there will be every opportunity for her to do so. She could file a criminal complaint. She could pursue a civil action. She could make an affidavit pursuant to an impeachment. None of these have a time limit, none require her to leave her house, and none will ever happen. Good call. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4989 "2018-09-28T20:23:21Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > What’s changed, then, since Republicans were raking Ford over the coals for wanting an FBI investigation prior to testifying? Who knows. They got a clue? Someone spelled it out in small letters or, since we are talking about Trump, perhaps pictures with bright colors? Hell, could just be wrong and the Pubs actually aren’t on board with it. No idea. If I were president (and I was stupid enough to nominate Kavanaugh and too stupid to drop him like a hot potato after his antics yesterday), I’d definitely set a limited time for an investigation and bring the FBI in. It’s a win/win for Trump…which is why I’m skeptical he’s going for it. If they find something then Trump can back out, saying man, who knew? If they don’t, which is the most likely outcome, then he can point to that as going along with the Dems, then point to them voting against Kav anyway as a partisan move. ---
**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 28, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4990 "2018-09-28T20:23:45Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > What’s changed, then, since Republicans were raking Ford over the coals for wanting an FBI investigation prior to testifying? Since then, a Republican senator heard her testimony, realized she was telling the truth, and forced the rest of the Republicans to allow an investigation. 51 Republicans and 1 decent one. Seems about right. ---
**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 28, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4991 "2018-09-28T20:24:52Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > Ah ok good. Didnt a couple senators and Kavanaugh mention that the others at the party had contradicted Ford until penalty of perjury? Either way I’m happy to be wrong. Kavanaugh did in fact say this. It was among the many, many lies he told yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4992 "2018-09-28T20:28:21Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > IMO, if Graham, Trump, & co. are all the sudden keen on an FBI investigation, then they know something we don’t. Almost guaranteed. And it’s something good for them. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4993 "2018-09-28T20:29:53Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > YEah, I pretty much agree with you. Add in my pretty horrible memory, and my cynicism WRT so many peoples’ memories (and having people lie to me daily as part of my job), and I am hesitant to afford some special reliability to people’s recollections of stressful events. > > One thing I read recently was that each time you recall a memory and return it to storage, you are liable to be “modifying/corrupting” that memory, depending on countless factors related to your recollection. So in that way, memory can be like a recording or photocopy that degrades with time and repeated playing. > > I also believe an individual’s personality can affect the reliability of their memory. Superficial example off the top of my head - someone who is timid might say, “The robber was huge and right on top of me,” whereas someone who is calmer or more self assured might say, “they were posing no threat, not particularly close.” Which is right? They both are 100% correct as to what they perceived - but are there even any meaningful “facts” separate from their perceptions? > > And a year - or 10 - later, might the timid person feel the threat was even greater than they thought at the time? Yeah…your memory is always in motion. And your brain wants to make a memory, especially one that’s traumatic, into a whole narrative. So, every time you bring it back up your brain is stitching things together, adding stuff to fill in the blanks and remixing it all together, then you ‘remember’ that. Rinse and repeat. I used to think memories, especially traumatic ones were like a video tape until this same thing happened to me. I was witness to a pretty traumatic event. Me and a bunch of other people. I was asked to testify to the event, and I gave my testimony, confident that my memory was 100% accurate. I testified to that fact too. I was wrong. And I found out that just about everyone else who was a witness was wrong as well. We weren’t punished or anything, as I’m pretty sure the authorities knew we weren’t lying (I certainly wasn’t). It shocked me enough that I did some research on the subject and on again off again I’ve followed it (I’m no expert, just a subject that interests me). To this day, my clear memory of the event tells me that what I saw was how it happened. But it wasn’t. Not even close. And I wasn’t drinking (which was unusual for me at that time), not high on anything, and the events were only a few months old at the time I was asked to testify. But my memories of those events only had a passing resemblance to what actually happened. And so were most of the other witnesses. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4994 "2018-09-28T20:32:25Z")
George W. Bush was apparently calling the Republican members of the Judiciary Committee asking them to vote for Kavanaugh. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4995 "2018-09-28T20:33:37Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > George W. Bush was apparently calling the Republican members of the Judiciary Committee asking them to vote for Kavanaugh. Someone said that up thread. Do you have a link? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4996 "2018-09-28T20:34:59Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > The thing that annoys me is, people keep suggesting she’s not remembering it right, that it was so long ago how could she trust her memories? But when Kavanaugh said there’s no way it happened, they’re just fine believing HIS memories from that long ago and don’t dare suggest that maybe’s he’s not remembering it right. This is a great point. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4997 "2018-09-28T20:35:34Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It’s very possible. I’m trying to keep my optimism in check. This is probably not going to go anywhere, because these appear to be profoundly dishonest and immoral people. But I still have a tiny hope that they refused to call Judge to the hearing yesterday because they knew he would say something damaging to Kavanaugh. It very well may not go anywhere, because Judge may not remember anything. The key is to ask him questions, hear his answer, and ask follow-up questions based on that answer. Confront him with other witness accounts. Basic investigating. Hopefully this leads to a basic investigation. That’s really all you can ask for and what should have be done from the start. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4998 "2018-09-28T20:37:52Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Someone said that up thread. Do you have a link? [https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/408995-george-w-bush-reportedly-called-undecided-senators-to-sway-them](https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/408995-george-w-bush-reportedly-called-undecided-senators-to-sway-them) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/4999 "2018-09-28T20:38:35Z")
> [@XT](#): > > They probably have had it spelled out to them that it’s unlikely that the FBI would be able to actually definitively come to any sort of conclusion…which works in Kavanaugh’s favor. Unless someone is out there just waiting to give some testimony we haven’t heard yet, or one of Kav’s friends who was there is willing to corroborate Ford’s story, there just isn’t enough here to demonstrate anything conclusive. And since the Dem’s have been saying that an FBI investigation is what they want (with the presumption that whatever they find will be meaningful), it’s smart to basically give it to them and hang them on their own hook. > > I’m a bit surprised Trump et al are smart enough to take the advice though… They have played it very well thus far. They managed to stop yesterday’s proceedings from becoming into Anita Hill Mk2. And also got some good potshots in at the Democrats. They got it out of commitee, with a favourable recommendation. How much do you want to bet that they always intended to have an FBI investigation? Every Democrat asked for one. They said it would only take a few days. Grassley and his committee staffers _have_ been investigating and they do have access to support from other Federal LEA. What’s the betting that they looked and found nothing. ---
**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 28, 2018, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5000 "2018-09-28T20:41:52Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > and having people lie to me daily as part of my job Coworker A: Oh, look, here comes Dinsdale. He’s looking distraught. Coworker B: Yeah, he’s behind on his quota. Coworker A: What, again? Okay, I’ll tell him a whopper about my uncle in ‘Nam. I can squeeze a lot of fibs into that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=249) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=251)