Brett Kavenaugh Supreme Court Nomination

[LA Ute]

And as you know, juries are often very wrong in their findings.

Anyone who is innocent and knows the justice system would ask for a bench trial.

You’re right about juries. I absolutely would ask for a bench trial. I think that you once again misread my intent. I was saying that the truth is unknowable here, that the American public is the jury, and there’s no telling whether this jury is going to get this one right. In my opinion, our system is not perfect, but it’s the only one we have and we have to live with it.

[Ma'ake]

You’re right about juries. I absolutely would ask for a bench trial. I think that you once again misread my intent. I was saying that the truth is unknowable here, that the American public is the jury, and there’s no telling whether this jury is going to get this one right. In my opinion, our system is not perfect, but it’s the only one we have and we have to live with it.

The truth is unknowable in this case.

It's like asserting someone is a bad driver, based on an alleged accident that wasn't documented, 35 years ago. Yet while we're left to judge on a single incident, others might be able to add to the mosaic.

"I remember he was driving too fast and took out the neighbor's fence because I had to fix it", or "Didn't he back over your brother's bike, too? A few of us remember that one".

Nothing else is allowed, at this point. Did the incident occur, or is it unknowable? He gets the benefit of the doubt, where Ford gets a pat on the head, and the others get the Stonewall McConnell treatment. Republicans bellow that it's not a trial... and then use the tightest political filter to exclude relevant information, on a lifetime appointment.

[Rocker Ute]

The truth is unknowable in this case.

It's like asserting someone is a bad driver, based on an alleged accident that wasn't documented, 35 years ago. Yet while we're left to judge on a single incident, others might be able to add to the mosaic.

"I remember he was driving too fast and took out the neighbor's fence because I had to fix it", or "Didn't he back over your brother's bike, too? A few of us remember that one".

Nothing else is allowed, at this point. Did the incident occur, or is it unknowable? He gets the benefit of the doubt, where Ford gets a pat on the head, and the others get the Stonewall McConnell treatment. Republicans bellow that it's not a trial... and then use the tightest political filter to exclude relevant information, on a lifetime appointment.

That's fine to collect that information, but we are already ignoring the information like that which has been gathered and submitted, including the two of the others present who deny it happened, the many people who have vouched for his character in HS and college, and apparently two men who have purportedly confessed to doing it. Conversely we've also ignored the other character witnesses for Ford, and even timelines of when she started talking about this before K's nomination.

I honestly don't think that it will uncover anything new or even as substantial as what we have now. Plus an important factor in all of this is being drunk at a party, and even blackout drunk doesn't make him a sexual predator either, and that seems to be the very best we can come up with. Plenty of people out there getting blackout drunk that aren't committing any crimes beyond soiling their own pants.

It also seems pretty disingenuous to be critical of Republicans using a tight filter when Feinstein deplorably sat on this information throughout the entire vetting process. It seems she has escaped this whole thing unscathed when her actions have done harm to Ford second only to what Kavanaugh is accused of doing.

[Ma'ake]

That's fine to collect that information, but we are already ignoring the information like that which has been gathered and submitted, including the two of the others present who deny it happened, the many people who have vouched for his character in HS and college, and apparently two men who have purportedly confessed to doing it. Conversely we've also ignored the other character witnesses for Ford, and even timelines of when she started talking about this before K's nomination.

I honestly don't think that it will uncover anything new or even as substantial as what we have now. Plus an important factor in all of this is being drunk at a party, and even blackout drunk doesn't make him a sexual predator either, and that seems to be the very best we can come up with. Plenty of people out there getting blackout drunk that aren't committing any crimes beyond soiling their own pants.

It also seems pretty disingenuous to be critical of Republicans using a tight filter when Feinstein deplorably sat on this information throughout the entire vetting process. It seems she has escaped this whole thing unscathed when her actions have done harm to Ford second only to what Kavanaugh is accused of doing.

I don't know the timeline of when Feinstein got the letter from Ford, but Feinstein seems to be getting into Hatch territory, cognitively. Which is a big problem, on both sides. I fear in the 2020 if the Democratic side boils down to Joe Biden, a bunch of nobodies and Avenatti... look out. Who could have predicted the Bernie Sanders movement?

Watching the re-runs of the Clarence Thomas hearings, it's like watching home videos. Everyone's younger, but it's the same damn people.

(I don't hold it below Dem Senators to take a page out of the McConnell-Reid playbook and delay to get maximum political impact right before the elections. Besides waiting for these people to die off, how do we start to put things back together? A formal rule requiring Dems & Republicans to eat lunch together twice a week?)

I'm glad the FBI is getting involved. If there are serious concerns, we should know about them. If there aren't, Kavanaugh gets his name cleared, the SCOTUS gets a small increase in legitimacy in the eyes of those not close to the epicenter of the our political dysfunction.

[sancho]

(I don't hold it below Dem Senators to take a page out of the McConnell-Reid playbook and delay to get maximum political impact right before the elections. Besides waiting for these people to die off, how do we start to put things back together? A formal rule requiring Dems & Republicans to eat lunch together twice a week?)

Term limits! The congress was never intended to be a career. If I can't get term limits, can we at least stop calling it "public service" after they've milked us for over $1 million in salary?