Can Democrats actually stop the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh?

[HurricaneDitka]

@Cheesesteak

Curse you! When I read this, I was too far from my fainting couch, and now I’ve broken my best set of clutching pearls.

Truly, our government is broken when politicians time the use of information to their advantage.

I’m not complaining about it, but I am acknowledging the reality of it. Feinstein was more concerned about the political advantage she thought she could get out of this than with seeing it investigated thoroughly.

[HurricaneDitka]

@RTFirefly

Apparently it was completely within the control of the Republicans on the committee to thwart that scenario anytime during the past two months.

C’est la vie, amirite?

I’m not following you. How was any of this “completely within the control of the Republicans on the committee”? AFAIK, they didn’t even know the letter existed.

[HurricaneDitka]

@iiandyiiii

… an investigation would greatly help Kavanaugh…

No, it would not. An investigation, and (most importantly) delaying a vote on Kavanaugh until it’s complete, would greatly help Democrats. Practically everyone can see this.

[ElvisL1ves]

Don’t you think his, and the Republican Party’s, credibility matters anymore?

[John_Mace]

@RTFirefly

Since the matter was referred to law enforcement: IF* that constitutes a reason why the Senate shouldn’t conduct its own parallel investigation, ISTM that the Senate should wait for law enforcement to complete theirs, and testify to the Senate on what they found.

“Law Enforcement” declined to investigate, presumably because the charges were 35 years old (going by Bone’s number) but could also because the allegation came from an anonymous source.

[Bone]

@iiandyiiii

The Senate is actually capable of finding things out. They can hire investigators, call witnesses, and much more. They could find out if anyone else has such experiences with Kavanaugh. They could find out if there is any such pattern. They could actually ask Kavanugh questions on record about this. They could find out if there is any evidence of pay offs.

There’s a ton they could do. It’s easy to rationalize doing nothing, but that’s still wrong.

It’s not about law enforcement if this is about personal character – law enforcement isn’t involved with personal character.

If there’s nothing to the allegations, then all this costs is time. And there’s another benefit – the Senate can tell the country that they actually fully investigated these allegations and determined that they were false, thus lessening the chance of Kavanaugh being seen as an abuser on the court.

Just Asking Questions, amiright?

We should investigate whether he’s a space lizard in human skin. That would lessen the chance he’s seen as a space lizard. More JAQing, hoping that anything sticks.

[Lance_Turbo]

@HurricaneDitka

I’m not following you. How was any of this “completely within the control of the Republicans on the committee”? AFAIK, they didn’t even know the letter existed.

I think the letter from 65 women indicates that someone on the Republican side knew that this was possibly going to come out.

[drad_dog]

@Velocity

The truth or falsehood of the allegation aside - this smacks of the last-hour delaying tactics used in preventing the execution of condemned inmates. The timing is deliberately meant to throw things off. Exonerating evidence could often have been produced weeks, months in advance. Instead the timing is obviously flailing to get a delay.

This process was sped up to beat normal democratic processes, Mueller and other stuff. Your timing concern is here noted

and given it’s due.

[Cheesesteak]

@HurricaneDitka

Feinstein was more concerned about the political advantage she thought she could get out of this than with seeing it investigated thoroughly.

Let me see if I have this right, a 35 year old crime can’t be investigated thoroughly because Feinstein waited 2 weeks to publicize this letter? Is that what you’re suggesting?

If you’re not suggesting that, then it doesn’t matter in any way that Feinstein waited, except that it’s inconvenient for Republicans.

[ElvisL1ves]

@drad_dog

This process was sped up to beat normal democratic processes, Mueller and other stuff.

Like, you know, the election that has a pretty good chance of making further such fuck-you nominations no longer possible.

[Bijou_Drains]

Here in NC there is no statute of limitation for a felony but that is normally only the case for murder in other states. Assuming this was in DC then it’s way beyond their statute of limitation.

[HurricaneDitka]

@drad_dog

This process was sped up to beat normal democratic processes, Mueller and other stuff. Your timing concern is here noted

Cite for “This process was sped up …”?

[ElvisL1ves]

@Bone

Just Asking Questions, amiright?

Wrong. Rape matters. Well, to most actual humans, it does.

So do financial corruption and perjury, but this is far more serious.

[drad_dog]

@Lance_Turbo

I think the letter from 65 women indicates that someone on the Republican side knew that this was possibly going to come out.

That means they could have avoided this had they been acting like participants in a normal democracy. What a shame.

[iiandyiiii]

@Bone

Just Asking Questions, amiright?

We should investigate whether he’s a space lizard in human skin. That would lessen the chance he’s seen as a space lizard. More JAQing, hoping that anything sticks.

If the country had a history of ignoring space lizards, and many women were assaulted by lizards and subsequently punished for talking about it, then maybe you’d have a point.

But sexual assault is a real phenomenon, and our society has handled it terribly, in general, with things only starting to change very recently, so it seems reasonable to ask the Senate to take this seriously.

[HurricaneDitka]

@Cheesesteak

Let me see if I have this right, a 35 year old crime can’t be investigated thoroughly because Feinstein waited 2 weeks to publicize this letter? Is that what you’re suggesting? …

First off, it wasn’t “2 weeks”, it was more like 6 weeks, or maybe 8 or 10. Vox says:

Feinstein, who had heard about the allegations in July, did not involve Senate Democratic colleagues in the matter, reportedly finding the allegations to be too far in the past to warrant national conversation, according to the New Yorker.

Secondly, IDGAF if someone wants to investigate (the FBI apparently declined), but I don’t think it should delay the committee (or full Senate) vote on his nomination.

[HurricaneDitka]

@ElvisL1ves

Wrong. Rape matters. Well, to most actual humans, it does. …

Senator Feinstein apparently isn’t among “most actual humans”?

Feinstein, who had heard about the allegations in July, did not involve Senate Democratic colleagues in the matter, reportedly finding the allegations to be too far in the past to warrant national conversation, according to the New Yorker.

[Bricker]

@RTFirefly

From the New Yorker:

Ok, fair enough — attempted rape is a legitimate description of this. My earlier demur was based on the earlier Guardian description and not this one. This is fairly described as attempted rape.

I’m speaking only about how to characterize the described events, of course, and not making any comments on the likelihood of their accuracy.

[elucidator]

@Lance_Turbo

I think the letter from 65 women indicates that someone on the Republican side knew that this was possibly going to come out.

Might have been licking their porcine chops in anticipation. What could be better for them than an old, flimsy charge that falls apart quickly? Even as I type, his partisans are beside themselves with righteous indignation, as this surely proves the hounding of an innocent man!

Charges that he was, shall we politely say…economical with the truth, it is too valuable to be tossed about loosely. Mostly what its about his resume, the resume of a political operative more than a legal scholar. Did he work to support candidates who’s political views are just to the right of Czar Nicholas II? Did he work for Ken Starr to hound HRC about Mr Foster? The picture I’m getting is of a political hack being rewarded for loyalty and ideological reliability.

This other bullshit is just manna from Hell for the Republicans.

[HurricaneDitka]

@elucidator

… This other bullshit is just manna from Hell for the Republicans.

Well, manna from Senator Feinstein’s office, which is close enough I suppose.