The Political Thread - Machiavelli Edition

[smjjames]

I thought the other woman, Swetnick, said it happened at the Yale frat house? I don't remember where they said it happened.

[smjjames]

 

Isnt Yale in Connecticut?

 

Brett Kavanaugh's Georgetown Preparatory School, where the alleged rapes happened, is in Maryland.

 

 

 

Theres one that allegedly took place in Colorado in 1998 and theres another that seems to be secondary reporting in Rhode Island of something happening on a boat and the womans friends later giving Kavanaugh a beating. The FBI really seems like the best place to handle this what with multiple accusations that need cooroboration.

 

 

Links?  I thought most of them happened in Georgetown Prep, one (the second woman) in Yale, and one (the fifth woman, the most recent case and an actual rape in 1989) in Washington.

 

 

Washington state or D.C? I haven't heard an allegation that came from either 1989 or Washington state.

[Hurlshort]

Kt, it does not have to be sexual assault. It can be anything. Maybe she cheated on a Calculus exam in college. Hell during her appellate court nomination hearing Diane Feinstein practically called for her to be fed to the lions for being religious. That would be an issue they could use. This is the new normal. They are going to go over every interactions, meeting, written document, whatever of the the nominee. And heck if that turns up nothing maybe they will just make something up. No matter which color of rat is doing the nominating this is how it is now. You will be destroyed. Nothing personal.

 

 

Yeah, I'm not a fan of comparing sexual assault to cheating on a test. Let's keep in mind that Gorsuch got in. It was still a bipartisan mess of a confirmation, but he was clean. As should anyone that is given a lifetime seat on our highest court.

 

Again, you believe her or you don't. You can try and make it a more complicated issue of politics and grandstanding, but at the end of the day sexual assault is extremely serious and should be taken as so.

 

I agree it sucks that every nomination gets destroyed by the process, but understand that Ford is also going to get destroyed by the process. Which is why I find her completely believable. She knows what this will lead to and is still willing to testify. This isn't some celebrity obsessed with the spotlight, this is a women with a family, a community and a career, and she is risking all of that to confront the man who assaulted her. She has my full sympathy and support.

[injurai]

*sigh*

 

The "rapes" would no longer be prosecutable due to the statue of limitation for that crime running out ~30 years ago.

 

One nice thing about the court of public opinion is that it doesn't have a statute of limitation.

[Malcador]

Well Kavanaugh seems pretty distraught.  Man, good thing this isn't like a normal job interview, he'd have been turfed by now

[smjjames]

He's also clearly attempting to pre-amswer every question he could possibly think of, so many that I wonder if he had some help with the questions, or maybe he just went with what was asked during the practice sessions.

[Gfted1]

One nice thing about the court of public opinion is that it doesn't have a statute of limitation.

Nor does it have two brain cells to rub together.

[Guard Dog]

 

Kt, it does not have to be sexual assault. It can be anything. Maybe she cheated on a Calculus exam in college. Hell during her appellate court nomination hearing Diane Feinstein practically called for her to be fed to the lions for being religious. That would be an issue they could use. This is the new normal. They are going to go over every interactions, meeting, written document, whatever of the the nominee. And heck if that turns up nothing maybe they will just make something up. No matter which color of rat is doing the nominating this is how it is now. You will be destroyed. Nothing personal.

 

 

Yeah, I'm not a fan of comparing sexual assault to cheating on a test. Let's keep in mind that Gorsuch got in. It was still a bipartisan mess of a confirmation, but he was clean. As should anyone that is given a lifetime seat on our highest court.

 

Again, you believe her or you don't. You can try and make it a more complicated issue of politics and grandstanding, but at the end of the day sexual assault is extremely serious and should be taken as so.

 

I agree it sucks that every nomination gets destroyed by the process, but understand that Ford is also going to get destroyed by the process. Which is why I find her completely believable. She knows what this will lead to and is still willing to testify. This isn't some celebrity obsessed with the spotlight, this is a women with a family, a community and a career, and she is risking all of that to confront the man who assaulted her. She has my full sympathy and support.

 

I've been listening to this stuff on the radio all day today. I asked myself "Do I believe her" You know what answer I arrived at? I don't care. Maybe it's true. Maybe it's not. Maybe it's sort of true and she is a pawn in the game. Maybe she has an axe to grind and made the whole thing up. It really does not matter. He will be confirmed or he won't be. If he is and it's true he won't be the biggest dirtbag to ever sit on that court. If he's not and it's not true he won't be the first decent man destroyed for politics. If it's not him it will be someone else and they will fight over that person. Like I said it's a farce. It's professional wrestling. His being there or not being there will make far less difference in the course of history than people believe. 

 

There is not one Senator on that committee I have a shred of respect for. Not one person in that whole city I want making decisions over me or minyou e. I would not cast my vote for any of them. They have whipped people into a frenzy by calling that guy evil and saying his presence on the court will kill people. It's absurd. But people love drama and the rat circus is providing it. Republicans do it too. They had half the country believing Obama intended to start a civil war. Heck even I half believed it. After a while you realize that if you make a list of what would actually be different had McCain won in 2008, or Romney in 2012 it would be a very short list. And mostly inconsequential. But every election the rats are right there whipping people up with "this is the most important election in history". 2016 is really was about picking the rat that stank the least. Almost nobody was really pleased with who they voted for. Except perhaps the folks like us who went 3rd party.

 

Like I said it's all a farce. No matter who wins it's still the same rats in the same sewer. Maybe someday people will realize that but probably not. Because the next election will be "the most important in history" and you have to pick these rats over those rats or you will be rounded up and put in FEMA camps. Anyway. No point in railing on about how people should be suspicious or contemptuous of the rats who deign to rule over us. Too few do it. And as Machiavelli wrote: "How we live is so different from how we ought to live that he who studies what ought to be done rather than what is done will learn the way to his downfall rather than to his preservation."

[Zoraptor]

Except the "Prime Directive" is the Chinese explicit and guiding principle on dealing with other nations, (which, of course, contrasts sharply with the US foreign policies of endlessly interfering and meddling in the domestic affairs and politics of all other nations.)

 

Haha no.

 

China doesn't, by and large, go around semi randomly invading people on the other side of the world- just their neighbours- but they 100% indulge in every other sort of interference the US does.

 

 

Also, Graham's bemoaning of partisanship is a bit rich.

 

 

Just about everything I've ever seen Graham related has been a bit rich. But yes, assuming Kavanaigh is innocent the Republican senators certainly aren't an injured party when they blatantly played for time last time around, and IIRC for considerably longer and with less justification.

[smjjames]

And now I guess the Republicans are going to ask questions of Kavanaugh themselves? Which doesn't seem consistent. And Lindsey Graham is pissed, understandably at the whole farce (of which his party is also to blame), but I don't know if it'll help or hurt the Republicans there.

[Malcador]

If you can call these questions. Getting a kick out of Kavanaugh's outrage though

[ktchong]

Putting all of the sexual assault allegations aside, I found Kavanaugh's behavior during the hearing yesterday to be distasteful enough to disqualify him from holding a Supreme Court seat. He came off as aggressive, belligerent, condescending, and generally like an entitled little brat.

[Malcador]

Good thing he didn't have ****, else that would have disqualified him

 

Flake said he'll vote for him, so it'll go as expected.  Good thing his life wasn't ruined by..uh not getting on to the SCOTUS. 

[rjshae]

Kavanaugh is the Republican end game for the anti-abortion movement. Short of being a mass rapist, he'll get the nomination. Well it's been a disgraceful two years for the U.S. government, so this is the cherry on top. Possibly down the road the Democrats will initiate an FBI investigation of Kavanaugh to see if they can get him impeached. But that seems improbable.

[smjjames]

The GOP has agreed to do a one week FBI background check https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/kavanaugh-senate-committee-vote/h_8d0ff7cfee7a7294b187c03a8336f2d8 , which may or may not satisfy the Democrats.

Edited September 28, 2018 by smjjames

[Guard Dog]

LOL! I think the only thing that would satisfy the Democrats as if He were was laid out behind the Senate building shot twice in the head, scalped, and his body hung feet first in front of the Supreme Court building as a warning to all other nominees. Oh and the scalp will be used to make a new purse for Diane Feinstein!

[smjjames]

You and your Marine imagination. lol

 

Well yeah, they certainly won't be fully satisfied until they're sure with a deep investigation, but will it be enough to move some of the marginal votes? Possibly. And Jeff Flake is the one asking for the investigation, they can only lose one vote and a couple other Republican Senators are on the fence about it.

 

IMO, they should do it for a month, maybe more, to do a deep investigation, but since the Anita Hill one was done for 3 or 4 days, a week seems reasonable in that respect.

[Volourn]

"Putting all of the sexual assault allegations aside, I found Kavanaugh's behavior during the hearing yesterday to be distasteful enough to disqualify him from holding a Supreme Court seat. He came off as aggressive, belligerent, condescending, and generally like an entitled little brat."

 

Aggressive? Entitled? Etc.?

 

 

LMAO

 

 

he is being accused of a serious crime with no actual evidence and having his reputation  thrown in the trahs, having bhis family threatened with death, rape, and worst and you are  mad that he is 'aggressively' defending himself? I guess he should just be meek, shrug his shoudlers, and go 'oh well, no biggie'.

 

 

LMAO

[smjjames]

He was certainly defiant, and undertandably so, but he didn't seem like he came off as an entitled brat. Picked a fight with the Dem questioning in a way he didn't need to though.

[ShadySands]

 

having his reputation  thrown in the trahs, having bhis family threatened with death, rape, and worst

All this is happening to his accusers as well

 

I didn't like his behavior either but mostly because it clashed with what I thought he was trying to portray himself as before. Though as I understand it Trump was getting frustrated that he wasn't attacking back. If it was me I'd look forward to having the whole matter thoroughly investigated if for no other reason than to dispel all doubts and clear my name. 

[Volourn]

trust me on this. People who think he's being 'too aggressive' wouldn't want to see me in action if I ever got falsely accused of such a heinous crime. If he is being falselya ccused like he says he is,he was way too kind to Ford. I'd be calling her a host of nasty stuff. I'd be showing NO MERCY.

[ShadySands]

That would be your privilege but I wouldn't vote for you 

[injurai]

I watched Kavanaugh's statement first, and thought he came off alright, for the most part if you grant him the benefit of the doubt and place that in context with his argued innocents.

 

Then he went on to be questioned and that looked extremely poor. It's like he didn't understand the judiciary process at all, and was more inclined that his prepared testimony would be enough to dispel and doubts. I don't expect him to not be emotional or irritated, but it came out in the wrong ways. There was a point in which he should have gathered composure worked constructively towards the clearing of his name. It's clear he was not comfortable stepping outside of his prepared testimony.

 

Let's say the accuser was assaulted, but was mistaken in who it was. Kavanaugh is cleared. I still don't think he's a good fit for the Scotus, and the GOP pressures around him only make things far more swampish.

 

[Elerond]

He confessed that he was criminal in high school, drinking under age, although he claimed that his crimes weren't crimes, he said that age limit for drinking alcohol in Maryland was 18 when he was high school senior even though limit was raised to 21 when he was 17, which is something that such fan of beer probably would remember quite well.

 

Altough his crimes were only misdemeanors, current government has already shown that commiting misdemeanor is enough to remove constitutional protections from people and he clearly supports current government's actions so one would think that such criminal should lose his ability to vote and especially his judgeship and all possibility to get Scotus but such treatment is saved only certain kind of people.

[Hurlshort]

Although the tone he struck seems terribly bizarre for a judge, someone who is supposed to be impartial and rational, it is what has worked for Trump in his Presidency. I guess it is the new normal.