The New York Times published a piece today with the bland title “For Midterms, Supreme Court Political Drama Plays to Its Audience.” It turns out that’s a nice way of saying vulnerable Senate Democrats are struggling between telling the base what it wants to hear and reality. Right now, it sounds as if reality is winning: | Making his way through the Capitol, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said “look at my statement” three times in 15 seconds when pressed about the appointment, hoping to let his carefully worded news release carry the day.
Such dodges only whetted the appetites of Republicans, who taunted the Democrats for their hesitation and, in some cases, predicted they would eventually give in and support Judge Kavanaugh… Perhaps no Republican Senate hopeful was more eager to hold up the court issue than Josh Hawley, the Missouri attorney general and former Supreme Court clerk who is challenging Senator Claire McCaskill. Mr. Hawley predicted that his rival would oppose Judge Kavanaugh because her focus is “stopping Donald Trump.” Ms. McCaskill vowed only to make “an independent judgment” on the appointment, but did point out she had voted for nearly 80 percent of Mr. Trump’s judicial nominations. “That doesn’t sound like someone who is a knee-jerk partisan,” she said. The political calculus could be simpler for Democrats if Judge Kavanaugh appears almost certain to be confirmed. If the Republican caucus is bound to ultimately fall in line and approve Mr. Trump’s choice on a party-line vote, then some Democrats would prefer not see their most endangered incumbents hectored by liberal donors and activists for what would be only a show of symbolic opposition. “Our base doesn’t like hearing this, but it comes down to math: You either have the votes or you don’t,” said Jim Manley, a former Senate Democratic aide. “And I’m not so sure the votes are there to beat Brett Kavanaugh.” |
Sen. Heitkamp gets a passing mention in the piece, but it sounds like she is also thinking about her prospects in November as she weighs the nomination: | Heitkamp, a vulnerable Democrat, said of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination, "elections have consequences" and she'll give him an "open-minded evaluation." She also said all his docs should be disclosed. “I’m going to vote however I’m going to vote regardless of what" Schumer says
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 11, 2018 |
So it sounds as if the resistance to Kavanaugh is going to fall on the shoulders of Senators Collins and Murkowski, two Republicans who lean left on abortion. Only it seems that’s not working out for the left either. From Politico: | “Let’s put it this way: There were some who have been on the list that I would have had a very, very difficult time supporting, just based on what was already publicly known about them,” Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in an interview on Monday. “We’re not dealing with that.”
Collins (R-Maine) told reporters that while she wouldn’t directly compare Kavanaugh with Barrett, she touted Kavanaugh’s experience and sounded warm notes about him while insisting she has yet to decide.
“It will be very difficult for anyone to argue that he’s not qualified for the job. He clearly is qualified for the job,” Collins said. “But there are other issues involving judicial temperament and his political, or rather, his judicial philosophy that also will play into my decision.” |
Granted that’s not a yes, but it’s also not the ‘Hell no!’ the left was hoping for. Unless the oppo-researchers can come up with something pretty dramatic in the next couple weeks, I think this is a done deal.
Uh-oh, maybe I spoke too soon. The Washington Post just changed everything: | In Kavanaugh’s Georgetown Prep yearbook, he listed himself as the treasurer of the “Keg City Club — 100 Kegs or Bust” and included references to the “Beach Week Ralph Club” and “Rehoboth Police Fan Club.” |
That’s probably going to be the highlight of the confirmation hearings right there. Sen. Chuck Schumer, or someone even more desperate, is going to ask about Keg Club. Good luck with that. |
#1: Hank Rearden To: Tooconservative (#0)
The odds are pretty good he'll have a bigger margin in the Senate, where he'll dare them to dump seven kiddies' Mommy.
The Idiot Left will shit itself right before exploding, as a young Catholic mom with a passel of kids replaces a dried up old leftist babykilling bridge troll with a sofa doily around her worthless neck.
Hank Rearden posted on 2018-07-11 21:10:21 Reply Private Reply
#2: Tooconservative To: Hank Rearden (#1)
Tooconservative posted on 2018-07-11 21:27:36 Reply Private Reply
#3: Hondo68 To: Tooconservative, 100s of Prosecutors investigating Kavanaugh, Judge Swamp (#0)
In Unprecedented Move, Rosenstein Asks 100s Of Prosecutors To Review SCOTUS Pick's Records
In a somewhat unprecedented move, Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein has asked the offices of all 93 U.S. attorneys to each provide up to three federal prosecutors to assist the Justice Department in reviewing government records of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Even The New York Times admits this move is "an unusual insertion of politics into federal law enforcement."
While the Justice Department has helped work on previous Supreme Court nominations, department lawyers in Washington typically carry out that task, not prosecutors who pursue criminal investigations nationwide.
Mr. Rosenstein’s email, which had the subject line “Personal Message to U.S. Attorneys From the Deputy A.G.,” included the sentence, “We need your help in connection with President Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court.”
Former law enforcement officials told the Times that Rosenstein's request is troubling.
Rosenstein also wrote that he would need the equivalent of 100 full-time attorneys to work on the nominee's confirmation hearing.
As The Hill notes, Kavanaugh previously worked for President George W. Bush's administration, as well as for the investigation led by Kenneth Starr of former President Clinton. He left a lengthy paper trail that Democrats and outside groups opposed to his nomination are likely to search through for arguments against his confirmation.
Rosenstein has faced pressure from congressional Republicans over his role in overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Democrats have raised the Mueller probe in the context of Kavanaugh's nomination, arguing that he should not be confirmed because he could end up making decisions on the probe itself.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-07-11 22:17:31 Reply Private Reply
#4: Tooconservative To: hondo68 (#3)
Those are going to get some very close scrutiny. Kavanagh is quite the talented writer supposedly. So they will have to read all those papers and check the precedents he cites, etc.
It seems excessive to ask all the feds to help do a vetting though.
Tooconservative posted on 2018-07-11 22:29:14 Reply Private Reply
#5: Liberator To: hondo68 (#3)
Showing your REAL colors, Hondo?
Liberator posted on 2018-07-12 11:30:23 Reply Private Reply
#6: Hondo68 To: Liberator, Jesuit Don Trump, The Jesuit University of New York (#5)
You Papist Francis NWO shills will fail, even if Trump succeeds in adding 2 or more Jesuits to the SCOTUS.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-07-12 14:36:34 Reply Private Reply
#7: Liberator To: hondo68 (#6)
I can't help your bizarre obsession and attention span of a gnat.
I've already mentioned my objection to a SCOTUS that already has ample RCCs (and even a couple/few Commie Jews, dykes and homos) but conspicuously lacks Prots.
Do you even follow ANYTHING that isn't on your anti-Trump feeds?
Did you note how Trump cleaned the clocks of the EU's arrogant czars, like Angela Merkel regarding NATO obligation? Or do you also oppose even that?
You haven't a clue as to what and how Donald Trump has challenged and changed American "business as usual" for the first time in several decades....IN FAVOR OF THE USA.
Not even The beloved Gipper was nearly as effective, wise, and darinly resolute as President Trump.
So while you complained that your toast was "over-done" and eggs were "runny" this morning, Donald Trump was busy NOT kissing the behinds of Merkel, May, and Micron but instead knocking EU leaders on their fat azzes. He's managed to reduce future Americans' picking up the tab for rich fat-cat EU elites and held their stinky hooves to the NATO fire.
Liberator posted on 2018-07-12 15:02:54 Reply Private Reply
#8: nolu chan To: Tooconservative (#4)
Rosenstein should be so concerned about processing documents that are under subpoena by the legislature.
nolu chan posted on 2018-07-12 15:15:08 Reply Private Reply
#9: Hondo68 To: Liberator (#7)
He's too busy kissing the Jesuit Pope Francis' behind, and you approve.
Jesuit dinner
Hondo68 posted on 2018-07-12 15:15:15 Reply Private Reply
#10: nolu chan To: Tooconservative (#0)
Mitch will slam this through before the Senate recesses prior to mid-term elections.
nolu chan posted on 2018-07-12 15:17:50 Reply Private Reply
#11: nolu chan To: hondo68 (#6)
Attending a Jesuit run school does not make one a Jesuit any more than attending a Franciscan school makes one a master of knot tying.
nolu chan posted on 2018-07-12 15:21:23 Reply Private Reply
#12: Hondo68 To: nolu chan (#11)
Governor Jerry Moonbeam Brown attended a Jesuit School and look how he turned out, a progressive like Donald & a cross dresser like his girlfriend Ruby Giuliani.
Edmund & Jerry Brown 1958 Jesuits
Hondo68 posted on 2018-07-12 15:44:15 Reply Private Reply
#13: Tooconservative To: nolu chan (#10)
McConnell had already been talking about cancelling or drastically curtailing the recess, mostly due to the need to keep running out the clock to get Trump nominees confirmed to judicial and civil posts. I'd say this nomination will guarantee that Mitch will cancel the recesses altogether. And it just so happens that means those Red-state Dem senators won't be able to go home and campaign.
Pshaw. I'm sure Mitch didn't even think of that angle.
Tooconservative posted on 2018-07-12 16:02:07 Reply Private Reply
#14: CZ82 To: hondo68 (#3)
Looks like the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings are set to begin on 4 September.
https://www.westernjournal.com/dems-dealt-tough-blow-archivist-wont-respond-to- demand-for-kavanaugh-docs/? utm_source=Email&utm_medium=conservativevideos&utm_campaign=dailyam&utm_content= libertyalliance
CZ82 posted on 2018-08-18 08:35:31 Reply Private Reply