Although the Brett Kavanaugh hearings have been analyzed extensively, John Oliver manages to find some aspects that were largely ignored and sheds some new light on why Kavanaugh is a poor choice. He wonders why Republicans have chosen him as the hill they wish to fight and die on, when there are any number of highly conservative judges who do not have the same baggage and would be as eager as Kavanaugh to restrict abortion rights, which seemingly has become the issue they care most about.
Tom Tomorrow reflects on the shout-fest that the hearings devolved into.
When I watched Oliver’s piece I expected him to connect the dots to Mueller, the Russia Investigation and Kavanaugh’s stated legal opinion that sitting presidents are only subject to impeachment and not other legal remedies to criminal activity.
But Oliver did not go there and I’m not sure why.
I think Roe v. Wade is a smoke screen. If this were about a woman’s right to choose, any of the 25 judges on the Federalist Society’s list would have been a solid vote to severely restrict, if not flat out overturn Roe v. Wade, but Trump chose Kavanaugh.
The nation has to ask, as does Oliver, why him and not one of the other 24.
For me the answer is obvious.
This, as has been the case since January 2017, is all about Trump.
Full stop.
Yes and no. That is probably the reason Trump liked Kavanaugh. But the fact is he was on the list, a list compiled specifically with overturning Roe v. Wade in mind.
@Reginald Selkirk No. 2
That’s true, you’re absolutely correct. However, please read the statement you quoted again.
All 25 individuals on the list could be depended upon to weaken or overturn Roe.
So the questions has to be: why Kavanaugh and not any of the other 24? We know what he has in common with the other 24, what we need to know is what makes him different.
Roe clearly was irrelevant in specifically selecting Kavanaugh and not one of the other 24 since all 25 on the list agree on that one point.
My suspicion is that by this point, it’s all about ‘not backing down’ and ‘not losing’. Basically, they proposed someone, and admitting defeat here and going with someone else would be admitting defeat and showing weakness in front of their fans, even if it would actually have a better chance of being successful in the long term.
The last several years of Republicans being primaried out of existence if they showed any weakness has only left the true believers and the craven behind. (Flake, obviously, falls into the ‘craven’ category.)
@hyphenman
Because it doesnt make sense ? It needs 5 justices to decide a sitting President cant be subject to any legal cases. So either all 4 conservative justices are onboard with this idea , in which case , just like Abortion anyone from the list will do OR it will be no use to just have a justice who believes so.
Note , as can be seen from the behavior of Republican senators , conservatives , Fox news , and other conservatives they just dont seem to think this is a problem even if he did it -- and so it follows that believe that withdrawing the nomination would mean the libtards “win”. And there is no way they would allow it.
@deepak shetty, No. 5
That’s true. You’re absolutely correct.
The Republicans have manned the barricades and intend to either win or go down swinging.
That, however, still does not provide us with a reasonable (a stretch in today’s Washington, I know) explanation why Kavanaugh?
Do
Ah thats easy -- In the conservative meritocracy there is no higher rank than privileged white christian male with extremely conservative politics,
More seriously he has already demonstrated how his politics will affect his decisions , even before this hearing.
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/08/why-everyone-should-oppose-brett-kavanaughs-confirmation
II dont know why the senators are with him but for Trump the problem with Kavanaugh going down is what sort of person he’s revealed himself to be along the way and the reasons he’s unsuitable.
The kind if person Kavanaugh is? He’s shown the world that he’s a very trumpy kind of guy.
The reasons he’s unsuitable? He’s a blackout drunk who has been very credibly accused of being a sexual predator. And then he twists himself in knots lying about it all.
Kavanaugh isn’t Trump but he’s far too similar for Trump to be willing to dismiss him without a big fight.
The real confusing bit is why the senators are supporting Kavanaugh. Do they see it being harder to support Trump if Kavanaugh fails for those reasons?
I think Jenora @4 is probably correct, it’s a very plausible explanation.
Hyphenman also makes a good point; for Trump, it is about Trump.
And Kavanaugh has given indications about his opinions regarding executive privilege, upon which Trump relies heavily.
(Important if Trump needs to pardon himself)
cf. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/11/17551648/kavanaugh-mueller-trump-executive-power-legal