Trump's Card

[WOM]

But it's going to be almost impossible to prove one way or the other, isn't it, especially if there were no other witnesses?

Much as I loathe the Republicans - and much as I find the SC nominee to be particularly odious - am I the only one that doesn't really see a whole lot in this story? When he was a teenager, he got really drunk and was waaaaay too aggressive with a girl at a house party. Doesn't that fall pretty neatly into the 'youthful stupidity' camp, as opposed to the 'pattern of behavior toward women that quite rightly should derail your future'.

[ursus arctos]

It goes to the whole lack of transparency about his record.

All of the documents they haven't produced, his very close association with the creepiest Circuit Court Judge in the country, the fact that his "character witness" for this attack would be retrograde among Neanderthals when it comes to gender relations, etc.

It does bring into sharp relief for me just how wedded the Administration is to his nomination. Recall that McConnell was against it precisely because of the volume of his record. The only thing I can come up with is that they think his view on the absolute supremacy of executive power is the most extreme of any qualified candidate, and that that they feel the chances that they are going to need someone with those views is quite high.

[ursus arctos]

She usually does.

[Tubby Isaacs]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/17/u...onditions.html

Lots of red state Dems going for protection of existing health conditions. McCaskill and Manchin are up against attorney generals who joined in a big lawsuit v Obamacare. I think they'll get over the line with this. Less hopeful about Florida and North Dakota. The Dems will likely need to pick up Arizona and Nevada seats to hold their position.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Wrong Christine Ford.

[ursus arctos]

They are such horrible people

[San Bernardhinault]

This is increasingly horrible. Not the assault claim, which is horrible enough but not exactly surprising.

But it's the lashing out by the right, attacking the victim. Attacking the victim for not speaking out earlier (although, of course, she did try and inform the people who needed to know). Proving - of course - the victim's point, that by revealing herself as the victim of assault she would become the story and her life would be turned upside down and she's be the victim of all the shaming.

If you want to stop people coming forward, the reaction to this by Kavanaugh's defenders is absolutely the right way to stop it. It's almost as if their goal is to keep sexual assault secret, hidden and unknown. To make sure that powerful men are never held accountable. I am so fucking livid at them.

[ursus arctos]

I find "this is just what 17 year old boys do" line to be particularly despicable.

[Incandenza]

It's almost as if their goal is to keep sexual assault secret, hidden and unknown. To make sure that powerful men are never held accountable.

And I wonder why the patriarchy and ruling class would be interested in this.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/mmfa/status/1041747918867374081

https://twitter.com/mmfa/status/1041747918867374081

[Incandenza]

https://twitter.com/DavidKlion/statu...83241341116416

https://twitter.com/DavidKlion/status/1041783241341116416

[Amor de Cosmos]

I find "this is just what 17 year old boys do" line to be particularly despicable.

Yes, it's up there with Trump's admission of groping women as "just locker room talk." Not all boys/men do such things at any age, in fact I'd guess most of us didn't.

[Incandenza]

Also, it is a bit strange that Kavanaugh is denying everything, while the right wing machinery is basically going out and saying he did do it, but "what's the big deal with what he did? Should that mean he can never get a job later in life?"

[ursus arctos]

This is very true.

They are flailing about without any regard to what his actual position is.

[San Bernardhinault]

I'm assuming the "Hey, he was a bit rapey as a teenager, but that's OK, everyone was, let's not make it personal or penalise anyone for this" line of reasoning is more about protecting other men who're also going to have stories like this come out about them.

[beak]

This Mark Judge chao who spike in Kavanaugh's support seems a bit rum.:

https://twitter.com/ashleyfeinberg/status/1041516195999088640

[ursus arctos]

Vote delayed.

Public hearing (under oath) before the committee set for a week from today.

[San Bernardhinault]

I presume that's only going to delay the vote for a handful of days, and they'll still sneak it through before the new session of the court starts.

The red state Dems now have good cover to vote against without too much blowback, I imagine, but I can't see Corker or Flake (or, obviously, despite all the words, Sasse) actually voting against, here. So that leaves Collins and Murkowski. And without support from any of their colleagues, they'll eventually be forced into line. So it'll finish 51-49.

[ursus arctos]

That's what the leadership is expecting.

[Benjm]

I bought a secondhand copy of Harry Hurt's The Lost Tycoon biography for a couple of pounds the other day. I don't know if I've got the stomach to wade through the whole thing but there is something very evocative about seeing Ivana's statement physically stuck into the flyleaf.

[ad hoc]

“I lay there, annoyed that I was getting fucked by a guy with Yeti pubes and a dick like the mushroom character in Mario Kart...

“It may have been the least impressive sex I’d ever had, but clearly, he didn’t share that opinion.”

"Smaller than average but not freakishly small" as I am sure you all want to know

[WOM]

Where is that quotation from, ah?

[ad hoc]

Stormy Daniels' book

[WOM]

Very nice.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This is pure Larry Sanders Show. "She knows about Mickey!"