Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A couple days back, I posted about why Judge Brett Kavanaugh shouldn’t be nominated. I’ve seen some discussion on YouTube and other social media about it. Really these discussions highlight why political discussions are rude to have in public. They go in circles, often with people talking but unable to have a conversation.
The main gist of what I wrote was the issue of how the GOP is getting politically outmaneuvered by the Democratic party over something that should be easy to avoid. At the risk of repeating myself, this process is a political one, and it doesn’t matter that two people’s lives are going to get used up like cigarettes on national media. My personal belief regarding the matter isn’t technically relevant, as the important thing is that a potential felony and lie about that potential felony were at the heart of the matter.
This is why being dismissive about political decisions isn’t appropriate.
Senate Democrats made a smart play. Most of the GOP’s options will increase Democratic voter turnout and make independents who care about sexual misconduct accusations not vote Republican. The decision to send Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to a floor vote doesn’t do anything in their favor.
Complaining that it’s just political also is dismissive of everyone who wants to see reform on how sexual misconduct is handled. This is a political issue that’s important to more people these days. Pretending that it doesn’t exist will not make it go away. Mishandling sexual misconduct allegations actually makes it worse.
And no, accusations are not tantamount to a criminal conviction.
This is a flawed line of reasoning which is no excuse and is irrelevant to most issues of sexual misconduct. Allegations simply are that – words spoken which state a claim of criminal wrongdoing against someone else. So far, I have not read, seen, or heard any reasonable opinion about Judge Kavanaugh which seeks criminal recourse against him for his alleged actions against Dr. Ford back in the 80’s. Such claims would be ludicrous, as statutes of limitation would bar such proceedings.
Indeed, this defense of Judge Kavanaugh isn’t doing anyone any favors. Imagining an attack on someone doesn’t make it real. Again, it’s also non-responsive to people who want to see better outcomes for victims of sexual violence. To that perspective, it’s important to handle these issues with adequate investigation to protect every individual who needs to come forward to defend their rights.
None of this would be a problem if the GOP made better political decisions.
Their first course of action was suggested by many people: nominate someone else. It makes the issue of an investigation moot, respects the privacy of everyone involved, and nothing is lost. Judge Kavanaugh remains a judge, Dr. Ford is still a doctor, and they both can move on from this.
The other option would be to accept political reality and actually conduct an investigation. Such an investigation risks demonstrating Judge Kavanaugh might have done what Dr. Ford claims, but it would satisfy the public’s right to know one way or the other. While it might have been appropriate to half-ass this almost 30 years ago, fewer people are okay with that these days.
Image courtesy of Stockvault.
Amusing Nonsense 