If the Ford-Kavanaugh hearings prove anything is that there are no good Republicans. Full stop. None. Senators Collins and Flake have now announced they are voting to confirm Kavanaugh using the sham FBI investigation as cover. They all know better. They know that numerous potential witnesses who could corroborate the women’s testimonies were ignored. To say that the investigation was “complete” is a lie. They are liars and frauds.
(To her credit, Lisa Murkowski is voting “no”, but it is not clear that she would have if McConnell needed her vote. Clearly, back in Alaska, this helps her politically. And though Joe Manchin is voting to confirm, I believe he would have voted “no” if it made a difference, though I think he is making a mistake, both morally and politically.)
Collins and Flake know that Brett Kavanaugh perjured himself in front of the committee and that he does not have temperament and impartiality to be a Supreme Court Justice. They know it is likely he is guilty of sexual assault. They obviously don’t care. This is about power, not doing what is right. And their criticisms of Trump ring hollow when they vote to confirm Kavanaugh, who clearly should have been disqualified.
And, of course, the rest of the Republicans are equally useless at best, and their behavior and actions are almost always dishonest, hypocritical and vicious.
Republicans are not interested in governing, they’re interested in ruling…rather they’re interested in keeping their prestigious positions as lackeys for the corporate interests and the super wealthy like the Koch Brothers.
It is incredible that the Republicans will confirm Kavanaugh given the outstanding charges that have come from not one, but three accusers, one of whom states that Brett Kavanaugh knew of and maybe participated in gang rapes. Really? No investigation? And the moving and extremely credible testimony of Christine Blasey Ford was in sharp contrast to Kavanaugh’s dissembling and outright lying. And Deborah Ramirez had numerous corroborating witnesses who were prepared to validate her story, none of whom were interviewed by the FBI. Republicans know who told the truth and they don’t care.
Senate Republicans arrogance and persistence in pushing Kavanaugh through despite the wholly inadequate investigations of these allegations is their belief that control of the court is worth any political hit. They got Clarence Thomas on the court doing their bidding for the last 27 years. Do they care that he was tainted by the scandal? No. It’s all about raw power.
This is why that the next time the Democrats control the House, Senate and Presidency, they must pack the courts (both the Supreme Court and the Federal Judiciary). Republican’s refusal to even consider Merrick Garland, let alone confirm him, justifies Democrats leveling the playing field.
Democrats must come to realize this: there are no longer any norms. Republicans only abide by norms when it is in their interest, and discard them without any shame when it suits them. They are rank hypocrites and they don’t care if you call them out on it. Just look at the deficits they’re running up. Deficits were all they would talk about when Obama was President, but now there isn’t a peep about them, unless it is to discuss cutting Social Security and Medicare.
And because the Republicans only abide by norms when it suits them, the Democrats must realize that comity is dead. Lindsey Graham’s unhinged attacks on them should put the nail in the coffin of that delusion, and Mitch McConnell has also been vile in his attacks of the Democrats.
Pundits and many Democrats frequently search for “reasonable” Republicans who they pray and hope will demonstrate some principles and courage. They are almost always disappointed. They’re like Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football. But it’s more than that. Because they have to work with Republicans in order to allow the government to function, and because Democrats, for the most part, abide by norms, there is a desperate desire to find the good in their colleagues who haven’t earned it. I call this Battered Democrat Syndrome.
You could see this with Senator Chris Coons, who, from what I can tell, is a really fine man and Senator. He believed his friend Jeff Flake really wanted an FBI investigation, which turned out to be a complete sham. If Flake was really a friend to Coons, he would have called out Trump and the FBI and held up the vote until a proper investigation could be done. But instead, Flake used the sham investigation to pretend he was acting in a bipartisan manner and really weighing the “evidence” before making a decision. Flake used Coons to give him cover for his vote. If I were Coons, I would feel personally betrayed and disgusted by my so-called friend.
And Susan Collins is not and has never been a “moderate”. Her vote on the ACA wasn’t brave; it was politically smart because Maine residents like Obamacare. She has managed to perpetuate the fraud of “moderation” by her occasional crossover vote, but in fact she almost always tows the party line. (And if she really believes the Brett Kavanaugh won’t overturn or inhibit Roe v. Wade, she is really stupid.)
I do think that many on the left are starting to get this. Work with Republicans when you have to, but please stop pretending that the GOP has any real character or honesty. Many of them are sociopaths, like President Trump, who have no principles other than the accumulation of power. And the rest are weak and pathetic lemmings. When push comes to shove, like today with Flake and Collins, they frequently talk a good game, but inevitably demonstrate who they really are…partisan hacks that will support their side - the facts, truth and morality be damned.