Supreme Court Nominee #3

[CARIIS]

I will state that Montana is Red, while there are outliers, Missoula, Bozeman, Helena, reservations, but a lot of folks live in those little towns, and they will literally drive to town, and vote against Tester. When Senator Tester votes against Kavanaugh, he will hand his opponent, a big wrapped Christmas gift.

I only know about the four headliners -- is this one that can keep the nation safe tomm??

I have never done the SC stuff before until this creep _ he was a creep way before Dr Ford tragedy

he is a racist anti semitic homophobic xenophobe misogynistic entity

watching the hearings -- before any of the other stuff I was stunned . There is nothing impressive , compelling , articulate - ugh he came off (like some others) as a medicroce USED car salesman.

just a schelp

it seems like he will get in - and then the nation is gonna have to deal with impeachment of a SC deal in about 4 months

as a nation we are in for some very destructive times between now and TGiving

 

[Betty P]

Thank you. Well said.

That is why I do not like using identity politics especially when it comes to women.

Women are as individual as anyone else and what matters most to them individually.

We are not clones of each other thinking exactly alike about all things.

Women are free critical thinkers...not caricatures of each other.

The important issues to woman also widely vary as they should.

I think most would want to see a secure economy where they or their children or friends have job opportunities.

Many small businesses are owned by women so they would care about having enough business to keep workers employed or being able to expand their business.

I would think most women want to live in areas that are safe for them and their families.

Yes you are right women are so much more and far more diverse in their thinking as they should be.

Making everyone the same based on gender is totally illogical. Human beings no matter their gender have always been diverse in their thinking. None are robots programmed to think exactly the same on all matters. Who would want that anyway?

Jmo

I understand what you're saying, but that's not exactly what I mean. Every woman deserves basic rights, affordable health care, affordable quality education privacy and secure retirement without poverty, etc. If there are other women who disagree with that,so be it, but I have no use for them and would work against them.

 

[Inthedetails]

it seems like he will get in - and then the nation is gonna have to deal with impeachment of a SC deal in about 4 months

as a nation we are in for some very destructive times between now and TGiving

I don't think BK will be impeached. The votes aren't there. This guy is there for life, imo.

jmo

 

[mickey2942]

How many minutes does every Senator get to talk? Seriously, the grandiosity is over the top here.

Yay, Nay, move on...we don't need a history lesson of American judiciary decisions.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

As a woman, I refused to be defined only by birth control and sexual abuse. Those issues are important, but affect a small portion of US women. I prefer to be defined by economic, health and education issues. Millions of elderly US women living in poverty, unable to afford good food and affordable health care. Ongoing attempts to cut Social Security and Medicare. Young women earning low wages, also with no access to affordable health care.

Yet we're only expected to care about sexual assault and abortion. Our lives are so much more complicated than that.

I’m with you in that it all matters. It’s all critically important — it all tied together. Reproductive health, choice, affordability, accessibility — it’s all related.

I disagree, strongly, with the statement that sexual assault and reproductive health/choice only impacts a small number of US women. It impacts most, of not all, of us in some way. Families are built around reproductive health and choice.

Women’s livelihoods and earning power are affected by the brigade to remove these rights from women. It impacts the economic mobility of women, their children, their health, etc.

Sexual assault and harassment also steals from women their social and mental capital.

Think, too, if pregnancy became a preexisting condition like it used to be.

 

[Hope4More]

Why do you say that? The last poll showed him up by 6 percent. Another poll said the majoruty of WV citizens want Kavannah nominated.

I think if he votes for him tomorrow he may get a bump in the polls. Joe is unique...he is highly liked by both moderate Democrat and Republicans and independent voters.

I am sure the Republicans would be glad to win that seat but I think Joe will be reelected. The only way his poll numbers may go down is if he votes against BK but I even doubt that would be enough.

We will see though.

There are totally unsubstantiated rumors afloat, spread by some who don't lack for sources, that Manchin & McConnell might have made a deal: vote yes for K & agree to switch parties, & we'll guarantee you will never be primaried or have to worry so much about either pesky fundraising or pesky voters who want you out.

A man who says he believes Ford was sexually assaulted, by a man on top of her who was heavy enough she couldn't move or get away, who was looking down on her, literally & figuratively, and holding his hand over her mouth so forcefully she thought he might accidentally kill her, he believes that, but that she is confused about who it was who she thought would kill her, because gee whiz, sure couldn't have been the upstanding, church going pillar of the community Kavanaugh?

And who isn't concerned by perjury or judicial temperament, much less K's judicial leanings?

I don't think he'll have any problem fitting right in with this current repub party, if that's his choice .

 

[Hope4More]

As a woman, I refused to be defined only by birth control and sexual abuse. Those issues are important, but affect a small portion of US women. I prefer to be defined by economic, health and education issues. Millions of elderly US women living in poverty, unable to afford good food and affordable health care. Ongoing attempts to cut Social Security and Medicare. Young women earning low wages, also with no access to affordable health care.

Yet we're only expected to care about sexual assault and abortion. Our lives are so much more complicated than that.

Preach, sister.

 

[Hope4More]

Thank you. Well said.

That is why I do not like using identity politics especially when it comes to women.

Women are as individual as anyone else and what matters most to them individually.

We are not clones of each other thinking exactly alike about all things.

Women are free critical thinkers...not caricatures of each other.

The important issues to woman also widely vary as they should.

I think most would want to see a secure economy where they or their children or friends have job opportunities.

Many small businesses are owned by women so they would care about having enough business to keep workers employed or being able to expand their business.

I would think most women want to live in areas that are safe for them and their families.

Yes you are right women are so much more and far more diverse in their thinking as they should be.

Making everyone the same based on gender is totally illogical. Human beings no matter their gender have always been diverse in their thinking. None are robots programmed to think exactly the same on all matters. Who would want that anyway?

Jmo

At long last- complete agreement. See? There IS hope- and middle ground, if we all are inclined & persistent enough to make our way there & not be budged out.

 

[CARIIS]

man talk about stress

lady love bug has moved in for comfort

the are incredible


she knows dad is anxious

 

[Hope4More]

man talk about stress

lady love bug has moved in for comfort

the are incredible


she knows dad is anxious

Yes. dad is anxious , perhaps because it is said but not so loudly as to scare off the crickets , that he is in charge of knowing where the ladies love bugs are, at all times.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

I understand what you're saying, but that's not exactly what I mean. Every woman deserves basic rights, affordable health care, affordable quality education privacy and secure retirement without poverty, etc. If there are other women who disagree with that,so be it, but I have no use for them and would work against them.

Thank you, @Betty P, for clarifying your point. I wholly agree with you

 

[oceanblueeyes]

There are totally unsubstantiated rumors afloat, spread by some who don't lack for sources, that Manchin & McConnell might have made a deal: vote yes for K & agree to switch parties, & we'll guarantee you will never be primaried or have to worry so much about either pesky fundraising or pesky voters who want you out.

A man who says he believes Ford was sexually assaulted, by a man on top of her who was heavy enough she couldn't move or get away, who was looking down on her, literally & figuratively, and holding his hand over her mouth so forcefully she thought he might accidentally kill her, he believes that, but that she is confused about who it was who she thought would kill her, because gee whiz, sure couldn't have been the upstanding, church going pillar of the community Kavanaugh?

And who isn't concerned by perjury or judicial temperament, much less K's judicial leanings?

I don't think he'll have any problem fitting right in with this current repub party, if that's his choice .

As you probably already know I don't put any weight on anything based on rumors. Not in this case or any other case for that matter.

That is why I don't rely on media articles before a trial has been held due to the possibilities of inaccurate information.

Jmo though

 

[mickey2942]

Ah, my husband says that today is grand standing, and tomorrow is the real deal. He thinks some may flip. One way or another.

 

[Betty P]

Thank you, @Betty P, for clarifying your point. I wholly agree with you

Thanks. By the same token I disagree with those who use identity politics on women's issues with a very narrow focus. I find it a national disgrace that the women's movement today still hasn't bothered to finish the ratification process for the ERA and is failing to ask the hard questions about high poverty rates among elderly women.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

I've been doing grassroots advocacy a long time. Yes, the organization's that rally and encourage these people to protest are paid very well. They bring in celebrities, do a lot of social media, etc to get a lot of sincere protesters to show up. The problem is, they recruit protesters who are easily manipulated. They don't wonder why this or that organization is paying bus fare and hotel rooms in DC to protest Kavanaugh, but not when they need cheaper prescription drugs or higher wages or to oppose cuts to Social Security, etc. Many US women are naive about any issues besides abortion or both control or rape. They don't pay close attention or advocate for issues that affect their own economic lives, or are too embarrassed to admit they don't earn much or are afraid of having to live on $1000 or less per month for the rest of their lives.

Sex abuse and reproductive rights groups cultivate these women in their grassroots networks. The politicians like it because its an easy issue for them and involves little or no budget appropriations. Cheap, easy, inflammatory issues. Both sides do it.

What you’re describing sounds like typical organizational and recruitment. There is nothing sinister or disingenuous in how this happens.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding your statements, but I sense some claims of “illegitimacy” from you when you discuss this. I hope I’m wrong. You’re obviously welcome to correct me!

The protesters today, to a vast and staggering degree, are there because they wholly believe in what they’re fighting for. They aren’t paid. To imply otherwise seems almost like cognitive dissonance. MOO

Say, sexual assault and domestic violence orgs aren’t working against groups advocating for better access to health care. One, hopefully, opens the door for education and activism in related areas. It’s not a finite pool, poaching or cannabalism.

That’s my educated opinion on the matter.

This is also how grassroots activism works, and can be part of the process of how grassroots movements transition into national movements and organizations.

I don’t see anything unusual about courting celebrities, having top-level experience and advisement in how to effectively organize. I don’t see any problem in asking longtime civil rights activists help fine-tune a message, for example.

It doesn’t mean, in any remote way, that the individual activists protesting for or against Kavanaugh are illegitimate, paid, or disingenuine.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I watched Susan Collins' 45-minute speech. Sometimes her voice is annoying, but I like Senator Collins and have respected her views on many issues over the years. Her speech was thoughtful, well-researched, and reassuring. I'm satisfied that she carefully considered all aspects of Kavanaugh's confirmation and has justified her reason for voting in favor of the next Justice of SCOTUS.

 

[Hope4More]

I never understood this reasoning. So you take all those people and spread them across unpopulated states, you're still going to have the same number of votes, right? Or am I missing something?

I never understood this reasoning. So you take all those people and spread them across unpopulated states, you're still going to have the same number of votes, right? Or am I missing something?

The reason why HC won the popular vote is because more voted for her, lol.

The US is not, in the literal sense , a democracy, and never was. Our founding fathers were adamantly against direct democracy because they feared it would, like at others in history, descend into anarchy.

A direct democracy = who wins the most votes wins. Nah. Too radical.

So, the electoral college. We don't vote directly for president, we vote for electors in the electoral college.

The formula is: the number of electors in each state = the number of elected reps.

The 2 Senators per state doesn't vary. A state with a population of 340,001 has the same number of senators as a state with 33, 400, 001. Both have 2. Always, no matter the shift in population.

The number of congressional reps varies by state because it IS a function of population. That's why NY & CA & OH & FL & TX are such bug electoral prizes in presidential elections. 270 electoral votes at min, and bam, a president is elected.

The distortion in voting power as a function of population thus manifests in the Senate, not the House.

All better?

 

[human]

"This is a George Soros conspiracy, and it’s time we wake up, expose them, stand up and fight for our country, because that’s what’s at stake here,” Perdue added, referring to the billionaire activist who has donated to liberal social causes.

GOP senator: Kavanaugh protesters are 'paid activists'

The two women are affiliated with the Center for Popular Democracy, which receives funding from Soros. Perdue chalked this up to a coordinated attack by Democrats on Ingraham's show.

“This is a sham, it’s a new low in America," he said.

....

I agree wholeheartedly.

So so so many of my friends are ticked off. They protest a lot and have never been offered any money. Is there anyway to find out how to get paid? They are retired and a little extra income would be welcome especially for doing what they believe in for free all of this time

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Collins a 'yes' on Kavanaugh, virtually ensuring his confirmation

Minutes after the Maine Republican backed Trump's nominee, Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia also came out in support of him.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Susan Collins, who had been the last undecided Republican vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, announced Friday she will vote in favor of President Donald Trump's pick, virtually ensuring his confirmation when the full Senate holds its final vote on Saturday.

In a speech on the Senate floor that lasted more than 40 minutes, Collins, a Maine Republican, forcefully outlined her belief that Kavanaugh was well-qualified, that the Senate confirmation process "is not a trial" and that she "cannot abandon" the "presumption of innocence." ...

 

[Betty P]

What you’re describing sounds like typical organizational and recruitment. There is nothing sinister or disingenuous in how this happens.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding your statements, but I sense some claims of “illegitimacy” from you when you discuss this. I hope I’m wrong. You’re obviously welcome to correct me!

The protesters today, to a vast and staggering degree, are there because they wholly believe in what they’re fighting for. They aren’t paid. To imply otherwise seems almost like cognitive dissonance. MOO

Say, sexual assault and domestic violence orgs aren’t working against groups advocating for better access to health case. One, hopefully, opens the door for education and activism in related areas. It’s not a finite pool, poaching or cannabalism.

That’s my educated opinion on the matter.
This is also how grassroots activism works, and can be part of the process of how grassroots movement transition into national movements and organizations.

I don’t see anything unusual about courting celebrities, having top-level experience and advisement in how to effectively organize. I don’t see any problem in asking longtime civil rights activists help fine-tune a message, for example.

It doesn’t mean, in any remote way, that the individual activists protesting for or against Kavanaugh are illegitimate, paid, or disingenuine.

Sort of typical grassroots organizing, but highly focused on short term goals that don't address long term problems. We deal with this in the women's cancer community all the time, where it took years to convince women that they didn't need to campaign for free mammograms, they needed to campaign for affordable treatment for all women with breast cancer.

If you're not paying attention, these two things can look very similar, but they're not. The advocacy groups bringing women to DC to protest against Kavanaugh will have no use for those women once the campaign is over. They will not care about any other issues women are still facing on a day to day basis, including issues related to the causes they claim to care about - in this case, what? sexual abuse prevention? Next month when some girl gets raped on a college campus and needs help, these advocacy groups won't be there to help her or any local groups struggling to prevent rapes on that campus. Their environment is DC only. It's very similar to "astroturfing" but with real people.

ETA: I agree, the vast majority of the activists showing up to do the protesting are legitimate and care about this issue and others. It would be great if they organize themselves in regular activist groups at the local level. That used to be more common, needs to be revived again.