# 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:** 269
**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 30, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5362 "2018-09-30T15:27:55Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > False. I don’t need to provide an alternative theory to recognize that “most likely” != “definitive”. I’m sure you’d like for me to offer some alternatives, but it is not necessary for my point to stand on it’s own. YOU may not be able to understand that, but I’m confident that a good number of our readers can. He’s not saying “most likely” equals “definitive”. He’s saying “only plausible explanation” equals “definitive”. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5363 "2018-09-30T15:30:34Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > He’s not saying “most likely” equals “definitive”. > > He’s saying “only plausible explanation” equals “definitive”. You’re wrong: > [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > If something is by far the most likely explanation (which, judging from the fact that even you agree that it is, means it is hugely the most likely explanation) and there is no alternative explanation (which, again, you have refused to even attempt to provide), then it is definitive. That’s how this works. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5364 "2018-09-30T15:33:00Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Do you have any alternatives? > > Just denying the most likely explanation without offering a possible counterexample is just being stubborn, not just being skeptical. > > What is your reason that you believe that he apologized for his behavior at a dice game that he says he cannot remember? I don’t need an alternative to recognize that, while something may be likely, we can’t be certain of it based on that probability alone. ---
**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 30, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5365 "2018-09-30T15:33:36Z")
Are you for some reason ignoring, “and there is no alternative explanation”? That’s an important part of that sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5366 "2018-09-30T16:01:11Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Are you for some reason ignoring, “and there is no alternative explanation”? > > That’s an important part of that sentence. It’s almost like there’s no point to this. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5367 "2018-09-30T16:11:23Z")
Gotta go with [Josh Marshall’s standard](https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1046408647667044352): “It’s a reasonable, blanket standard that judges will not engage in public tantrums or casually lie.” ETA: I’d add something about not being a proponent of conspiracy theories. ---
**Author:** ![LAZombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b38774/32.png) [@LAZombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LAZombie)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5368 "2018-09-30T16:19:38Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > [SNL presents Matt Damon as Brett Kavanaugh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHPqhhayCEI) in what might be the longest-running sketch they’ve ever done, clocking in at nearly 12 minutes. Rape is a really funny subject. Was there any laughter that wasn’t canned? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5369 "2018-09-30T16:33:23Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I don’t need an alternative to recognize that, while something may be likely, we can’t be certain of it based on that probability alone. If I ever get in trouble with the law, I so want you on my jury. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5370 "2018-09-30T16:34:28Z")
> [@LAZombie](#): > > Rape is a really funny subject. Was there any laughter that wasn’t canned? If the audience is highly sympathetic, laughter is almost guaranteed. For an example, when Il Douche makes “jokes” at one of his pep rallies, his audience laughs, even though he couldn’t humor his way in to a paper bag, much less out of it. ---
**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 30, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5371 "2018-09-30T16:36:20Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > It’s almost like there’s no point to this. Ya think? :smack: ---
**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 30, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5372 "2018-09-30T16:39:58Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I don’t need an alternative to recognize that, while something may be likely, we can’t be certain of it based on that probability alone. How did kavanaugh avoid blackouts if he was a heavy drinker? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5373 "2018-09-30T16:45:03Z")
Don’t have to be “blackouts”, could be brown. Mauve, beige, you don’t know! Maybe you insist on “blackout” because you’re racist! ---
**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 30, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5374 "2018-09-30T16:52:43Z")
How would a teenager monitor his drinking so that he was in control of whether he had one too many? ---
**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 30, 2018, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5375 "2018-09-30T16:58:24Z")
From Google: Definition. An alcoholic blackout is amnesia for the events of any part of a drinking episode without loss of consciousness. It is characterized by memory impairment during intoxication in the relative absence of other skill deficits. Nov 6, 2009 A blackout means you can’t remember an event that you should have. How does one prevent this, if one is drinkinig beer, beer, more beer, and and an “I like beer, don’t you” for the road? It doesn’t seem like a perfect science to me. ---
**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 30, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5376 "2018-09-30T17:08:07Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > How would a teenager monitor his drinking so that he was in control of whether he had one too many? I think he refers to a chart. He actually said something along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5377 "2018-09-30T17:12:25Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I don’t need an alternative to recognize that, while something may be likely, we can’t be certain of it based on that probability alone. My cat just pushed something off the table and it fell to the ground. All the evidence points to the conclusion that it fell due to gravity. There is no alternative explanation that has been offered. But, I guess gravity is just very, very likely the answer, and we can never draw any conclusions. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5378 "2018-09-30T17:22:08Z")
I don’t care what anyone says. That man lost his grace right on TV for the whole world to see. He melted into a puddle of stale beer. He didnt spend his highschool years working out and study-ing. He was not at Yale going to bible study and working for the soup kitchen. He was party-ing. Last Thursday was a shameful day for any sane American. I, for one, am embarrassed for him. Sad. ---
**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 30, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5379 "2018-09-30T17:58:21Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Keep in mind that thump is hitting the road with a series of rallies. I’m pretty sure he will be telling his minions to demonstrate loud and long for Kav. Like I said: “At rally, Trump turns Kavanaugh nomination fight into a rallying cry” > **[In West Virginia, Trump turns Kavanaugh nomination fight into partisan...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-west-virginia-trump-turns-kavanaugh-nomination-fight-into-partisan-rallying-cry/2018/09/29/87fb5b2c-c41e-11e8-b338-a3289f6cb742_story.html)** > > “A vote for Judge Kavanaugh is also a vote to reject the ruthless and outrageous tactics of the Democrat Party,” the president said at a rally in Wheeling, W.Va. > [@](#): > > WHEELING, W.Va. — President Trump on Saturday night turned the fight over the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court into a midterm election rallying cry, denouncing “the ruthless and outrageous tactics of the Democrat Party.” > > … > > Earlier Saturday, before leaving for the rally, Trump struck an optimistic tone about Kavanaugh’s confirmation, saying an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him that the White House and the Republican Party previously resisted could be a “blessing in disguise.” > > … > > At the rally, Trump framed the resistance to Kavanaugh’s nomination in partisan terms, despite Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and two other GOP senators forcing the additional FBI probe. > > While Trump has said the process should play out, he has also repeatedly suggested a failure to confirm Kavanaugh would be a shame. He praised Kavanaugh’s angry and defiant testimony on Thursday, which followed Ford’s appearance in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. > > “On Thursday, the American people saw the brilliant and really incredible character, quality and courage of our nominee for the United States Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh,” Trump said. He added: “A vote for Judge Kavanaugh is also a vote to reject the ruthless and outrageous tactics of the Democrat Party.” > … ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5380 "2018-09-30T18:01:34Z")
Brett Kavanaugh is nominated to be a Supreme Court judge and he has, on national TV, repeatedly lied to United States senators asking him important questions. Even if it wasn’t him who attacked Christine Blasey Ford, he has no business being a judge. Anyone who still says he should be seated isn’t really serious about the Supreme Court being a court, and its justices dealing in justice. ---
**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 30, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/5381 "2018-09-30T18:05:23Z")
> [@LAZombie](#): > > Rape is a really funny subject. Was there any laughter that wasn’t canned? Mine. I laughed a lot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=268) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=270)