tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post210843750967731902..comments2024-03-27T17:15:37.606-04:00Comments on Triablogue: GlazedRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17809283662428917799noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-71920318500607181552018-09-30T15:48:51.482-04:002018-09-30T15:48:51.482-04:00John--
That makes sense in a reasonable confirmat...John--<br /><br />That makes sense in a reasonable confirmation process. I'm not at all sure it makes sense here. The two sides are at war.<br /><br />Renate in the present day denies that she was promiscuous at the time. So perhaps all Kavanaugh is guilty of is exaggeration...of sidestepping the question...of withholding the whole truth. <br /><br />He may have even been instructed not to give them ANY red meat. To give this gang of thugs an inch may have resulted in their taking a mile.<br />I seem to recall Judge Bork queried on his drinking habits...and he said something on the order of enjoying an occasional glass of wine with a meal. To NOT downplay any personal peccadillos may be to see them hyperbolized beyond recognition.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12813848972700972321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-37656433226615434082018-09-30T14:31:15.839-04:002018-09-30T14:31:15.839-04:00The remark, in itself, doesn't bother me in th...The remark, in itself, doesn't bother me in the slightest. It is irrelevant to whether he assaulted Ford or whether he is competent to sit on the court. What I'm bothered by is his explanation of the remark under oath. He seems to have lied about it. It's not clear why he would even need to lie about the remark to save embarrassment in front of his wife since, as you say kids sometimes brag about imagined sexual conquests. Why not just say "In high school I exaggerated my sexual exploits"? His interpretation of the remark doesn't even make sense and it just adds one more thing that the left can point to in order to make their case against him.John R Bowlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06668314209562119465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-22311527522800355702018-09-30T14:08:06.013-04:002018-09-30T14:08:06.013-04:00John--
I, too, am troubled by the Renate remarks,...John--<br /><br />I, too, am troubled by the Renate remarks, but they are difficult to ascertain in terms of their intensity.<br /><br />Was Kavanaugh crass, domineering, and excessive as a teenager, or--more in line with his later model-citizen reputation--was he simply a "red-blooded" choir boy?<br /><br />Teenagers brag about real AND imagined sexual conquests...or even partial conquests. Perhaps all he did was to have a "make out session" with the girl (whose name appears a number of times in the yearbook in similar contexts).<br />Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12813848972700972321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-48112953478322814712018-09-30T13:30:59.156-04:002018-09-30T13:30:59.156-04:00This closely mirrors conversations I've had wi...This closely mirrors conversations I've had with my wife.<br /><br />Unfortunately for Kavanaugh, if it comes out in the investigation that he downplayed his partying ways, he will be vitiated for his "lack of candor." <br /><br />Those with a commendable judicial temperament are transparent and forthcoming, don't you know.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12813848972700972321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-71794650928056914412018-09-30T13:00:27.868-04:002018-09-30T13:00:27.868-04:00I don't really care about the drinking thing v...I don't really care about the drinking thing very much. While I agree that it's plausible that Kavanaugh got black-out drunk on at least some occasions, I'm willing to say that in the end I just don't know and I'm not willing to say that we should ruin this man's life on that basis. <br /><br />What does bother me a bit more is Kavanaugh's remarks on the "Renate Alumnius" yearbook remark. This is also what I've seen conservative pundits talk about least. This is, I think, the only really clear evidence of Kavanaugh lying. Here it's not just "that explanation strikes me as unlikely," as maybe the ralph remarks do, but as so unlikely that it's reasonable to say we know they're false. <br /><br />Incidentally, these remarks are even more irrelevant to the question of whether he likely sexually assaulted Ford than the drinking remarks. The drinking question can undermine how much confidence we have in his denial that he assaulted Ford while drunk. But the Renate Alumnius issue is completely extraneous. Still, it's lying under oath. <br /><br />I'm spit-balling here: what would make the logic of supporting Kavanaugh's confirmation different than the logic of supporting Trump's presidency? Many Evangelicals supported Trump on the basis that he was the least bad option and a decision had to be made. Given that Dr. Ford is most likely misremembering or lying and, at best, we simply can't know that her allegations are true, it seems that Kavanaugh's only real crime at this point would be a "white lie" to, perhaps, not embarrass himself in front of his wife and kids (I'm really not sure why he would lie about it). The alternative to confirming a good justice who told a white lie about an extraneous yearbook detail is have the left hold the seat open till 2020 where we risk an activist judge that could do real damage to the country. <br /><br />If my view of the situation is accurate, then, prima facie, wouldn't it make sense for the #NeverTrump-ers to align as they did before? Those who believe giving up the standard for political warfare is more damaging than losing any particular battle should oppose Kavanaugh's confirmation. Those who are convinced this battle could turn the tide of war should support it. But so far the #NeverTrump pundits, like David French, have supported Kavanaugh (but they also haven't said anything about the Renate Alamnius remark... at least not that I've seen).<br /><br />Personally, I was #NeverTrump, but I think the calculus has changed and, as of now, plan to support Trump in 2020. The factors that I think now justify my voting for Trump may also support me being in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation. But I haven't dug down into the details of this yet.John R Bowlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06668314209562119465noreply@blogger.com