The Kavanaugh Circus

I haven't had a chance to watch the confirmation for Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump's choice to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Frankly, I think I'd rather have a root canal. But I have been following on the news and my feed on Facebook, which of course is filled mostly with liberal tidings.

This is the most contentious confirmation hearing since Clarence Thomas' in 1991, and before that Robert Bork's in 1987 (after going down in defeat, Ronald Reagan nominated Kennedy, so this is the actual seat that's in question). I watched as much as I could of those hearings. For Bork, I taped (yes, taped) the hearings off C-SPAN and watched them religiously. If pressed, I might be able to name every Senator on that committee (remember Gordon Humphries of New Hampshire? Dennis DeConcini of Arizona? I do). For Thomas, the drama really got going after Anita Hill made her accusations of sexual harassment, and the hearings went on into prime time. I switched back between them and the World Series (one of the better ones, when the Twins beat the Braves).

Those were great dramas, but Kavanaugh's is like a circus. It's often said that the Watergate scandal was Shakespearean, while the Iran-Contra scandal seemed to be written by Samuel Beckett. I think the Kavanaugh hearings are by Ionesco, a farce, ridiculous in the perpetration of a fraud on the American people.

To start with, 100,000 pages of Kavanaugh's records from his work on the Bush administration are being kept under lock and key by Trump, citing "security" issues. It's the first time this measure has ever been taken. It's like buying a house while only being able to see less than ten percent of it--it might have a toilet in the kitchen, or a portal to Hell in the basement.

Secondly, the choice of Kavanaugh has mud all over it. After Kennedy retired it was revealed that his son is in financial cahoots with Trump. Was Kennedy forced to retire lest something be revealed by his son? Or, as I've also heard, Kennedy may have made a deal to retire only if Kavanaugh, a former law clerk, were named. I'm sure Trump was fine with that, since Kavanaugh has made it clear that the president has more power than most people would deem necessary, including not being indicted. I wonder if that applies to shooting someone on Fifth Avenue, or maybe treason.

Kavanaugh is also being caught in perjury regarding his opinion on abortion. Every potential justice fudges on how they would decide cases (Ruth Ginsburg actually spoke the truth on her feelings about the right to choose during her confirmation and was approved by a 96-3 vote). Kavanuagh is no different. But he is on the record as opposing abortion rights in emails. Unless hes visited by three ghosts one evening who take him to a back-alley abortionist, it's clear how he will decide an abortion case. To top it off, the governor of Arizona just appointed John Kyl to replace John McCain in the Senate. Kyl is the man who was tasked with moving the Kavanaugh nomination along, and now he gets to vote on it.

Lastly, Kavanaugh seems like a bad person. Sure he looks good in his Sears family portrait, but when he spurned the father of a Parkland victim, shown above, it speaks of his lack of humanity. However he feels about gun control, it wouldn't have killed him to shake the man's hand and express his condolences. Instead he turned on his heel to walk away. The White House said "security intervened," but tape of the incident shows no security. And what's with the woman sitting behind him, the cartoonishly-named Zina Bash, making white power symbols with her hands? Have we all lost our minds?

One thing I've enjoyed watching is Democratic questioning. Whether it's Mazie Hirono correcting him on Hawaiian history, or Cory Booker saying "Bring it" when threatened with expulsion for bringing to light "confidential" documents, at least the left is not backing down on this nomination. I think major points have gone to Kamala Harris for her trying to pin down Kavanaugh on certain points. I know a lot of progressives are suspicious of her because she's the establishment candidate, but I'm hoping she gets the Democratic nomination in 2020.

Of course Trump would appoint a conservative justice, and if Kavanaugh is defeated he'll toss up another one. But Kavanaugh is beyond just being a conservative justice. This nomination stinks like week-old fish. It smells of corruption.