10/1/18 “This nomination is no longer in the best interests of the country”
Ugh, Kavanaugh.
The American Bar Association, a group of Mormon women, the dean of Yale Law School, and finally—finally—the U.S. Senate determined that serious, multiple, credible allegations of sexual abuse of Brett Kavanaugh must be investigated by the FBI before he can be confirmed. (The American Bar Association also had concerns about Kavanaugh as a judge 12 years ago.) Besides an eleventh-hour Jeff Flake (who nonetheless voted to further Kavanaugh’s nomination), four Republican governors have added their voices to Democrats’ (and much of America’s) in demanding further investigation before any vote is taken.
After Kavanaugh repeatedly touted the Jesuit education he received at Georgetown University, the Jesuit Review rescindinded its endorsement of him and demanded that the White House rescind Kavanaugh’s nomination, stating that “even if the credibility of the allegation has not been established beyond a reasonable doubt and even if further investigation is warranted to determine its validity or clear Judge Kavanaugh’s name, we recognize that this nomination is no longer in the best interests of the country,” and that “Judge Kavanaugh continues to enjoy a legal presumption of innocence, but the standard for a nominee to the Supreme Court is far higher; there is no presumption of confirmability…. If Senate Republicans proceed with his nomination, they will be prioritizing policy aims over a woman’s report of an assault.”
Meanwhile, Matt Damon’s SNL portrayal of Kavanaugh’s belligerent, out-of-control, politicized, and histrionic performance in the hearing is both a palate cleanser, and heartbreaking in the accuracy of its parody, as is this spot-on opinion piece by a WaPo columnist….and also this Pulp Fiction mash-up.
A federal judge reversed the decision of Donald’s Fish and Wildlife department last year to rescind protections on grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park and allow hunting—grizzlies will once again be a protected species
A federal judge rejected Donald’s attempts to stop a lawsuit against him by Democrats for violations of the Constitution’s emoluments clause with his maintaining control of his personal businesses and holdings and doing business with foreign governments. The lawsuit will proceed.
Democrats are preparing to force to a floor vote a bill to protect Robert Mueller’s investigation, as Donald and his toadies in Congress begin openly gunning for the investigation, Sessions, Rosenstein, and Mueller himself.
Donny was thrown when his baseless claim at the UN summit that his administration had accomplished more than any other in history was met with laughter from world leaders.
This is a hard week to remember this, but despite the co-opting of our government by what conservative CNN commentator Kevin Madden called “a pathetically mean skirt-chasing man-child” and “authoritarian demagogue,” Donald’s flunkies in Congress, and the mindlessly zealous support of a small portion of his base, most people are decent. The Texas Trib Fest over the weekend featured a lineup of lawmakers, intelligence agents, ethics officials, and commentators who are actively fighting, denouncing, and publishing about the abhorrent behavior of the Republican party and its Dear Leader, and working to motivate moderate voters—even a significant number of Republicans or former Republicans themselves, like former George W. Bush ethics counsel Richard Painter, former House Rep Mickey Edwards, The Weekly’s Charlie Sykes, GOP political strategist Rick Wilson, and others. Week’s like this seem as if the world’s gone mad, but there are more good, decent people fighting for our country and our democracy than those seeking to co-opt or destroy it. Cleave to those people, remind yourself what we’re fighting for, and hang in there.