# 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:** 310
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6182 "2018-10-05T05:11:59Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Because he’ll vote for Schumer for majority leader, but hey, if you don’t want that vote, I’d be delighted to see him or his replacement vote for McConnell. That is a pretty big deal. I still say fuck them all. Democrats need to get the senate or don’t…having a traitor on your team because he votes your way on one thing is bullshit. I’m not sure a deal with the devil for that one thing, important as it is, is worth it. I think McConnell is a truly evil man (Trump isn’t, McConnell is) and I think your support for him says a lot about you. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6183 "2018-10-05T05:30:04Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > If we were one week out, he could weather the storm. With a month left, he is toast if he votes no. This seems backwards to me. I would think that voting against your own party base is not how you _keep_ a nine-point lead. But I don’t know W.Va. ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6184 "2018-10-05T06:21:34Z")
I swear, if this was reversed and it was a democratic nominee that was acting the exact same way as Kavanaugh I’d bet my life savings the polled Democrats would indicate they should withdraw the nomination and just nominate another left-leaning judge. I simply can not relate to conservative mindset. I don’t get it. I haven’t for years and it’s just gotten worse.It’s really fucking weird. They are all really fucking weird. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2018, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6185 "2018-10-05T09:19:04Z")
> [@nate](#): > > I swear, if this was reversed and it was a democratic nominee that was acting the exact same way as Kavanaugh I’d bet my life savings the polled Democrats would indicate they should withdraw the nomination and just nominate another left-leaning judge. I simply can not relate to conservative mindset. I don’t get it. I haven’t for years and it’s just gotten worse.It’s really fucking weird. They are all really fucking weird. Not weird, just really anti-democratic, corrupt, and hypocritical. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6186 "2018-10-05T09:44:37Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > Right. I could easily maintain my calm. I’m not an angry, unhinged drunk, and I would actually be innocent. Mostly I’d feel concern and sympathy for you for having been raped. Why would you have concern for them having been raped when you know for a fact they are lying about it? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6187 "2018-10-05T10:49:14Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Why would you have concern for them having been raped when you know for a fact they are lying about it? If at that age I regularly got staggeringly, falling-down drunk, I wouldn’t know that for a fact. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6188 "2018-10-05T11:18:47Z")
Per the WSJ (behind paywall); the friend who was claimed to be at the party by Prof Ford; Leland Keyser has now stated that she was pressured to change her story by another friend of Prof Ford, Monica McLean, the same lady who [Prof Fords ex-boyfriend claims was turtored by her to defeat the polygraph.](https://www.wsj.com/articles/friend-of-dr-ford-felt-pressure-to-revisit-statement-1538715152). No evience that Ford or her legal team were involved. This is becoming less of a judicial confirmation, more like some Court TV presentation. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6189 "2018-10-05T11:34:06Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Per the WSJ (behind paywall); the friend who was claimed to be at the party by Prof Ford; Leland Keyser has now stated that she was pressured to change her story by another friend of Prof Ford, Monica McLean, the same lady who [Prof Fords ex-boyfriend claims was turtored by her to defeat the polygraph.](https://www.wsj.com/articles/friend-of-dr-ford-felt-pressure-to-revisit-statement-1538715152). No evience that Ford or her legal team were involved. > > This is becoming less of a judicial confirmation, more like some Court TV presentation. I’ll give these “bombshell” claims more credence when they start coming from Keyser herself, and not a “concerned family member” or “people familiar with the matter.” ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6190 "2018-10-05T11:49:13Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I’ll give these “bombshell” claims more credence when they start coming from Keyser herself, and not a “concerned family member” or “people familiar with the matter.” It was said to the FBI. Of course on its own, simply reaching out is not unlawful, indeed its fairly standard. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6191 "2018-10-05T11:51:12Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > If at that age I regularly got staggeringly, falling-down drunk, I wouldn’t know that for a fact. In his hypothetical, **Evil Economist** claims he is actually innocent, so he does, in fact know that. Also, I regularly got falling-down drunk for 15 or so years, and I can say for certain I didn’t rape anybody. Given the rather idiotic modern views on drunken consent, it’s more likely _I_ was raped, but that’s of course nonsense. The general ignorance here around how alcohol works astounds me. It would seem that I’m about the only person here who’s ever been drunk… ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6192 "2018-10-05T11:57:15Z")
> [@nate](#): > > I swear, if this was reversed and it was a democratic nominee that was acting the exact same way as Kavanaugh I’d bet my life savings the polled Democrats would indicate they should withdraw the nomination and just nominate another left-leaning judge. I simply can not relate to conservative mindset. I don’t get it. I haven’t for years and it’s just gotten worse. It’s really fucking weird. They are all really fucking weird. Yup…pretty unprecedented. Republicans really could not care less though. They know Americans have a short attention span and will forget about this in a short time. - [Mass Arrests as Thousands Descend on Senate Office Building Demanding Lawmakers Reject Kavanaugh](https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/04/mass-arrests-thousands-descend-senate-office-building-demanding-lawmakers-reject) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6193 "2018-10-05T12:14:28Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > This is probably the first WSJ op-ed in history written for only three people. 🙂 I don’t think he has anything to apologize for. You think that his apology rings hollow. We are not one of those three people it was meant for. “rings hollow”?? No, I think it was a fucking _joke_, a truly bizarre and downright hilarious self-own. Another Twitter steal: “I, too, will independently and impartially judge cases brought before me by groups that I believe to be part of a coordinated and well-funded effort to personally destroy me and my family.” Seriously, the jokes are practically writing themselves out there. You’re certainly hoping that the three (four? five? don’t forget Manchin and Cory Gardner!) people it’s meant for, won’t just go “WTF?” when they read it. As the saying goes, hope is not a plan. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6194 "2018-10-05T12:20:31Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > This is probably the first WSJ op-ed in history written for only three people. 🙂 It’s certainly been said that his performance last Thursday was for an audience of one. And it’s been widely acknowledged over the years that various op-eds in major newspapers were really aimed at a handful of powerful people, and the fact that the rest of us got to read it too was incidental. If this really was aimed at just 3-5 people, it’s not really that new a thing. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6195 "2018-10-05T12:33:47Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > That lead will evaporate if he votes no. A 9-point lead will evaporate if he votes No on Kavanaugh? That’s one hell of a lot of West Virginians who otherwise favor Manchin who are seriously invested in Kavanaugh becoming a Justice to the point of being single-issue voters about it. Since you’d more or less have to assume that most of the people who feel that strongly that Kav **must** become a Supreme are already in the GOP column, you’re saying that probably nearly 25% of WV residents are pro-Kav single-issue voters. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6196 "2018-10-05T12:36:26Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > In his hypothetical, **Evil Economist** claims he is actually innocent, so he does, in fact know that. His hypothetical also involved not being an angry unhinged drunk, so he’s veering away from Kavanaugh there. I was bringing it back home. > [@](#): > > Also, I regularly got falling-down drunk for 15 or so years, and I can say for certain I didn’t rape anybody. Given the rather idiotic modern views on drunken consent, it’s more likely _I_ was raped, but that’s of course nonsense. The general ignorance here around how alcohol works astounds me. It would seem that I’m about the only person here who’s ever been drunk… You’re not, but your level of certainty isn’t really a level I share with you. I rarely got incredibly drunk; if someone told me I’d done something terrible when I did, I’d pay attention, and certainly wouldn’t make any sort of claims about my memory as though I was a superman who wasn’t affected by alcohol in the way it affected mere mortals. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6197 "2018-10-05T12:45:36Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > If Manchin is a democrat only in name and votes with republicans then so what if an actual republican gets voted in? As a liberal why would Manchin be better for me if he does not vote with the democrats? > > Manchin needs to vote no or change his affiliation to (R). Manchin votes with the Dems a little more than half the time. If he were to lose, his replacement would vote with the Dems only slightly above 0% of the time. He’s about as good as it gets for us, from a state like WV. I lived in Bristol, VA for five years. It’s in far SW VA, and I was represented by a Dem Congressman, Rick Boucher. He was a Blue Dog, but he was still one of the most liberal people in Congress, _relative to his district_, according to 538 when his career and 538’s existence overlapped. He eventually lost in the Tea Party wave of 2010, and his GOP replacement of course votes with the Dems almost never. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6198 "2018-10-05T12:50:52Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Per the WSJ (behind paywall); the friend who was claimed to be at the party by Prof Ford; Leland Keyser has now stated that she was pressured to change her story by another friend of Prof Ford, Monica McLean, the same lady who [Prof Fords ex-boyfriend claims was turtored by her to defeat the polygraph.](https://www.wsj.com/articles/friend-of-dr-ford-felt-pressure-to-revisit-statement-1538715152). No evience that Ford or her legal team were involved. She was pressured to change her story? Kinda meaningless by itself. And was this in a news story, or an op-ed? People say all sortsa shit in op-eds that wouldn’t pass the scrutiny of a news editor. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2018, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6199 "2018-10-05T12:53:13Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Per the WSJ (behind paywall); the friend who was claimed to be at the party by Prof Ford; Leland Keyser has now stated that she was pressured to change her story by another friend of Prof Ford, Monica McLean, the same lady who [Prof Fords ex-boyfriend claims was turtored by her to defeat the polygraph.](https://www.wsj.com/articles/friend-of-dr-ford-felt-pressure-to-revisit-statement-1538715152). No evience that Ford or her legal team were involved. > > This is becoming less of a judicial confirmation, more like some Court TV presentation. Well, that tears it; Leland Keyser should not be appointed to the Supreme Court! …that’s what we’re debating, right? ---
**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:** [October 5, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6200 "2018-10-05T12:58:48Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > [http://wvmetronews.com/2018/09/10/west-virginia-poll-voters-say-manchin-should-vote-to-confirm-kavanaugh/](http://wvmetronews.com/2018/09/10/west-virginia-poll-voters-say-manchin-should-vote-to-confirm-kavanaugh/) Which doesn’t say at all whether his vote - even if it is unpopular - will sway the voters. It certainly may but there are a ton of issues that people have opinions on but won’t sway them for deciding their elected officials. For example, Americans overwhelmingly and across the political spectrum have support for certain ways to tackle the gun violence problem in our country but they keep voting for the Republicans who keep killing such bills. And traditionally court nominations have not moved the needle much (I’d argue that they should, but that’s not the reality). A poll that shows that how Manchin votes on Kavanaugh would impact how West Virginians would vote would be needed to answer this question. This poll doesn’t show that. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733/6201 "2018-10-05T13:01:21Z")
Any last bets about what’ll happen today? I’m sticking with my prediction that there will be no vote this morning (EDT). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=309) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-democrats-actually-stop-the-nomination-of-brett-kavanaugh/820733.md?page=311)