BBO Discussion Forums: Has U.S. Democracy Been Trumped? - BBO Discussion Forums

Very disappointed to see how pro-forma the FBI investigation will be.

Given the restrictions on their investigation, its hard to imagine how they can turn up anything.
In particular, the fact that they can not talk to Swetnick is a travesty.

I believe I also saw that Swetnick has a history of filing lawsuits that puts her low on the credibility scale.

I am more optimistic. Surely they can find a number of people that saw him falling down drunk, especially at Yale and maybe even the guy that yelled out "Hey, Kavanaugh just stuck his penis in Debbies face".

His calendar and Mark Judges employment records may well pinpoint July 1st as a credible date for the attempted rape and they can find and interview any number of his frat bro's from Yale including about Swetnicks claims.

Let the FBI unleash a ton of resources on the other 2 allegations. I understand they are really good at this.

I believe I also saw that Swetnick has a history of filing lawsuits that puts her low on the credibility scale.

With all its deep-state anti-Trumper magicians,

Perhaps the collapse of modern conservatism came out most clearly in Kavanaugh’s own testimony—its self-pity, its hysteria, its conjuring up of conspiracies, its vindictiveness. He and his family had no doubt suffered agonies. But if we expect steely resolve from a police officer confronting a knife-wielding assailant, or disciplined courage from a firefighter rushing into a burning house, we should expect stoic self-control and calm from a conservative judge, even if his heart is being eaten out. No one watching those proceedings could imagine that a Democrat standing before this judge’s bench in the future would get a fair hearing. This was not the conservative temperament on display. It was, rather, personalized grievance politics.

A Jim Jones disciple

Swetnick holds multiple security clearances.
Her work depends on her keeping them.
And she made a sworn deposition.

My take on things: She has an awful lot to lose.
I'd rate her as pretty damn reliable.

What does it say about this country that this is the state of our discourse? That Kavanaugh even stands any chance of being made one of the most powerful figures in the American government, with control over life and liberty? That a man like this is even a judge? He went before the United States Senate and showed total contempt for his vow to tell the truth. He attempted to portray a highly esteemed doctor as a crazy person, by consistently misrepresenting the evidence. He treated the public like we were idiots, like we wouldn’t notice as he pretended he was ralphing during Beach Week from too many jalapeños, as he feigned ignorance about sex slang, as he misread his own meticulously-kept 1982 summer calendar, as he replied to questions about his drinking habits by talking about church, as he suggested there are no alcoholics at Yale, as he denied knowing who “Bart O’Kavanaugh” could possibly be based on, as he declared things refuted that weren’t actually refuted, as he claimed witnesses said things they didn’t say, as he failed to explain why nearly a dozen Yale classmates said he drank heavily, as he invented an imaginary drinking game to avoid admitting he had the mind of a sports jock in high school, as he said Ford had only accused him last week, as he responded to his roommate’s eyewitness statement with an incoherent story about furniture, as he pretended Bethesda wasn’t five miles wide, as he insisted Renate should be flattered by the ditty about how easy she was, as he declared that distinguished federal judges don’t commit sexual misconduct even though he had clerked for exactly such a judge.

And what does it say about us, and our political system, that he might well get away with it?

Just returned last night from a trip to Tuscany to find little has changed in the world of Dennison: Paul Manafort has flipped and nominee Kavanaugh has been accused of being a rapist. It's good to see stable leadership at the top.

I was quite disappointed to find the Trastevere area in Rome has significantly declined over the past 4 years, with graffiti everywhere and panhandlers galore - it had turned quite seedy and no longer seemed the inviting and ingratiating place it was when last I visited. I don't know if this change is related to the populist movement spreading throughout Europe, but it made me recall the tour guide we had in 2014 who claimed many younger Italians were turning towards the lure of fascism due to extremely high unemployment within that younger group.

I certainly underestimated the numbers of Americans who would set aside common sense and logic in order to vote for a demagogue and con-man. The issue, though, is all about division. We have separated ourselves into two camps. Without finding again the common bond that helps us all feel prosperous and part of something larger than ourselves, we are in serious trouble.

It is not about making America great again but of making everyone's life good again.

https://www.nbcnews..../amp/ncna915566

How did Kavanaugh know in July that Ramirez was going to invent a false narrative in September?

Should teen age mistakes in the context of an exemplary legal and personal life -- one might say redemption in action -- bar someone from SCOTUS?

No, but lying to Congress and evidence of an inability to control anger along with overt partisan bias should be enough, don't you think?

As usual, we cannot have the discussion we should be having: Should teen age mistakes in the context of an exemplary legal and personal life -- one might say redemption in action -- bar someone from SCOTUS?