Why can’t I see what all of these others see?
Before I begin, I feel like I, once again, need to present my credentials as a conservative:
- I have NEVER, EVER voted or even considered voting for a Democrat in my entire 35 years of voting. NEVER.
- My political philosophy is nearly 100% diametrically opposed to that of the progressive Democrats. It can be summed up as stating that we need to return to the basic principles that founded this Republic…life, liberty, and property.
- I have been very active as a conservative voter for decades, fighting the “dirty Democrats” and their media cohorts every step of the way…and I would contend that I could demonstrate that it’s been a great deal more than 90% of the ranks of current Republicans.
No, I am not just some RINO who really sides with the Democrats more often than not. I am honestly, sincerely baffled by what’s going on with people.
Ok, I’ll get on with it…
Let’s start with Erick Erickson: A Week of Lies, Smears, and Moved Goal Posts
Now they’ve taken to smearing Kavanaugh. They are picking apart his testimony claiming he lied about things, including claiming he lied about getting into Yale on his own merit because his grandfather went there before World War II.
The Resurgent
He then ends with this:
Here’s the reality — many of the progressive activists suddenly finding their puritanism are regular drug users, alcoholics, and philanderers. They are in high dudgeons about Kavanaugh because they think he might impede their abortions or access to drugs. They will lie, distort, and promote every possible grievance to try to keep Murkowski, Collins, and Flake from supporting Kavanaugh.
The Resurgent
We must all spend the week pushing back.
Then we have Matt Walsh, (typically a reliable, steady and consistent purveyor of Christian values) explaining to us how Kavanaugh’s lying under oath is understandable and acceptable under the circumstances. Beth covered this very well yesterday.
The writers at The National Review have gone into overdrive in their attempts to cover for Kavanaugh and get him confirmed. Multiple articles have been telling us how great his testimony was last Thursday. Kyle Smith tells us that it was a “History-Changing Speech”.
Mark it in your memory: 3:10 p.m., September 27, 2018. If what Kavanaugh had to say sealed his confirmation (and I think it did), and if Kavanaugh serves as a resolute constitutionalist on the Supreme Court (and I think he will), his speech did what so many political speeches try to do but don’t come close to accomplishing: It changed the course of American history. By 3:20 it was apparent that he was on his way to pulling off the political equivalent of what the New England Patriots did to the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
National Review
What the hell is wrong with me? Why can’t I see what all of these others see?
Even Jonah Goldberg, who I contend has been one of the most stalwart voices for principled, honest conservatism in the Age of Trump, is joining in, relishing how good it feels to finally have something where he can again join his old time allies.
Because, finally, there was a left–right fight about which I am largely un-conflicted. This wasn’t a brouhaha about Trump or any of the usual stuff. The issue here was that the Democrats and their abettors in the media simply behaved atrociously.
National Review
What am I missing?
I watched the entire Kavanaugh testimony that he is speaking of and it was absolutely, unequivocally, indisputably, the craziest, appalling train-wreck that I have ever seen in such testimony. And it’s not even close. How am I seeing this so differently than these people?
Did they really not see all of the evasiveness, deflections, and outright lies that Kavanaugh told?
Do they really not see how it just might be a problem for a Supreme Court Justice to have lied in sworn testimony?
Honestly, I just don’t get it.
Yes, the Democrats play dirty politics. Yes, they are doing everything they can to stop or delay this appointment as long as possible. Yes, there are plenty of things the Democrats could have done differently that would have been more honorable.
But none of that takes away from Kavanaugh’s abysmal, lying performance in his testimony. None of that excuses it.
Kavanaugh lied. Repeatedly.
There is simply no disputing that by any reasonable, intellectually honest viewing of his testimony. If you didn’t watch his full testimony, then you really have no credibility in opining otherwise. But even if you did watch the whole thing and opine otherwise, your credibility is crap. Yes, it really was that bad and that blatantly dishonest.
Nathan J. Robinson at Current Affairs delivers a very detailed, point-by-point analysis of his testimony that is spot on. It’s over 11,000 words….and all of them are devastatingly accurate to what happened.
I want to show you, clearly and definitively, how Brett Kavanaugh has lied to you and lied to the Senate. I cannot prove that he committed sexual assault when he was 17, and I hesitate to draw conclusions about what happened for a few minutes in a house in Maryland in the summer of 1982. But I can prove quite easily that Kavanaugh’s teary-eyed “good, innocent man indignant at being wrongfully accused” schtick was a facade. What may have looked like a strong defense was in fact a very, very weak and implausible one.
Current Affairs
And then he does just that…picking apart Kavanaugh’s testimony with precision. Robinson’s description of the testimony tracked exactly the way I witnessed it.
There is no question that he lied throughout the sworn testimony. How in the hell is that not a problem for all of these people? These are not the usual Trump sycophants we have witnessed being just fine with the lying for over 2 years now. Many of these people have remained staunch Trump critics, in large part because of his non-stop lying. So why are they giving Kavanaugh a pass?
The only possible reason is partisan politics. Shocking, right? The right sees a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure a “solid”, conservative majority on the Supreme Court, which looks like it would last for decades (maybe even such that we can finally reverse Roe v. Wade). I believe that is extremely short-sighted. In my opinion, they are “selling their souls” for something I don’t believe will be as solid or as permanent as they think. Because of the shady way they are doing it (starting with blocking Garland, then using the nuclear option for Gorsuch, and now pushing through Kavanaugh even after he lied under oath), it provides the Democrats more ammunition for when they will most assuredly strike back.
And they will strike back.
If you are under the impression that there will be nothing they can do about the Supreme Court, then you better brush up on our Constitution and how our government works. They will have options. And make no mistake, they will use them.
We can’t be okay with this.
Let me be clear about Judge Kavanaugh:
- I had no problem with his nomination. I didn’t agree with some of his positions on how he interpreted such things as Executive powers and immunity, but there was nothing that I thought should disqualify him for the appointment.
- When Ford’s accusation first surfaced, I did not think that it would or even should prevent his appointment, as long as no additional, corroborating information came out. On it’s own, it was not enough evidence to destroy his reputation or his appointment.
- Because I believed that Ford’s accusation met the “Possible and Plausible” test, as I described in this editorial, I saw the need for the FBI to investigate things to make sure there was no information that would corroborate her story. Justice demanded that, and frankly, I believed that if Kavanaugh was being honest, it would only be good for him to have gone through that process and “clear his name” enough that there wouldn’t be a lingering cloud hovering over him once appointed (at least for reasonable people).
- What’s more, I have absolutely no desire to protect Roe v. Wade and I absolutely want a constitutionally conservative Supreme Court.
But the Republicans (damn their arrogant stupidity) and Kavanaugh blew it, time and time again, by refusing to go through the simple investigative steps…making it appear that they were afraid of what the investigation would turn up. I wrote a piece describing their stupidity here.
Kavanaugh’s testimony on Thursday changed everything for me. I did not expect to witness such a spectacle. It was a disaster, plain and simple. Forget about his anger and crying and obstinate belligerence that all of his supporters excuse as being justified from being falsely accused of not only sexual assault by Ford, but also being part of a serial gang of rapists. I will give you that and won’t quibble about it.
But he lied. Repeatedly and blatantly.
Please, I’m begging here…somebody, anybody, explain to me why that is okay. The only rule is that you can’t use the words “Democrats”, “Feinstein”, “Roe v. Wade”, “Ford”, “Due Process”, “Deep State”, or “Clinton”. None of that matters anymore. It isn’t about any of that now. His testimony changed everything…and he alone did that.
No matter what you say about all of those topics, it does not take away from the only point that now matters.
He lied.
Repeatedly and blatantly, under oath, during testimony to be confirmed as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court, he lied.
Tell me why that’s okay.
What the hell is wrong with me? Why can’t I see what all of these others see?