Tunnel Wall

Friday, October 5, 2018

It’s ON! Kimberley Strassel tags Flake, Collins, and Murkowski in BRUTAL thread about what voting no on Kavanaugh really means

Twitchy "Kimberley Strassel wrote a thread about what voting no on Brett Kavanaugh could really mean BEYOND even just the fact that he wouldn’t sit on SCOTUS. It’s bigger than SCOTUS at this point … and she tagged Jeff Flake, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski in the thread.

"And damn.

"The media is working overtime to make Kavanaugh into someone he isn’t because at this point it’s also bigger for them. If he is confirmed then all of their efforts in smearing him and controlling the narrative have failed.

"This isn’t about ice. Or cursing. Or even allegations of sexual assault at this point.

"No.

"This is about right and wrong, and the dirty tactics Democrats are willing to use, the lengths they are willing to go to, in order to retain or regain power.

"Even if Flake, Collins, and Murkowski are more moderate, even they have to see how absolutely gross this has been.

Lisa Murkowski Should ‘Pair No’ with Steve Daines’s ‘Paired Yes’

National Review

"Conservatives of course are deeply disappointed with Senator Lisa Murkowski’s decision to vote against cloture on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, and we hope that for some reason she changes her mind for the final floor vote. (I would love a chance for a one-on-one conversation to help her get to “yes.”) But even if she doesn’t, there is something she can and should do that would show real decency and judgment, and that could help, at least at the margins, start a long healing process that is necessary within the Senate. Murkowski should restore a once-common Senate tradition that has fallen out of use, but should be renewed. There was a time when, if senators with known views on an issue were unavoidably absent because of reasons of health or major family events, senators with the opposite view would “pair no” with them, with neither of them voting at all. That would leave the status quo the same as if both voted their known proclivities.

Did this encounter affect Murkowski's decision?

"It was a wonderful tradition of courtesy, decency, and mutual respect. It also played a huge role in the ultimate confirmation of Daniel Manion to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in 1986, when Joe Biden went back and forth as to whether he would honor a “paired” agreement until Robert Byrd shamed him into staying true to it, with Manion being confirmed only after a controversial re-vote.

"Anyway, it is known that Republican Steve Daines of Montana, a strong supporter of Kavanaugh, will be walking his daughter down the aisle on Saturday. Word is that he has said he will find a way to get back to Washington if his vote is absolutely needed for Kavanaugh to pass — but he should not need to be worrying about that. He, his daughter, and his family should be able to enjoy the daughter’s big day, without having to monitor every last development or leave the celebration to manage a cross-country flight at the last moment. A daughter’s wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and no father should be forced to miss it if humanly possible."

Murkowski should therefore offer to “pair no” with Daines’s “paired yes,” so the vote margin will be the same as if both were there — but so Daines will be able to remain in Montana.

"Note: A paired vote is absolutely not the same as voting “present,” which is tantamount to a no vote because it pushes up the total votes needed for a simple majority. Instead, it is literally not a vote at all, as if both senators are absent.

"Memo to Senator Murkowski: If you won’t vote for Brett Kavanaugh, at least demonstrate this collegiality so Senator Daines can act wholly as a dad on Saturday."

Campus Chaos Has Come to Congress

Mitch McConnell: Democrats "Tarnished the Dignity" Of The Senate 10/5/18

Victor Davis Hanson

The Senate adopted the modern university’s doctrine of self-censorship, no-go zones, and safe spaces

"The polarizing atmosphere of the university has now spread to Congress.
the Senate. On campus, constitutional due process vanishes when accusations of sexual harassment arise. America saw that when false charges were lodged against the Duke University lacrosse players and during Rolling Stone magazine’s concocted smear of a University of Virginia fraternity. Americans may disagree about the relative credibility of either Kavanaugh or his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. But they all witnessed how the asymmetry of the campus governed the hearings. Ford’s veracity hinged on empathy and perceived believability. There was little requirement of corroborating testimonies, witnesses, and what used to be called physical evidence. In contrast, Kavanaugh was considered guilty from the start. He had to prove his innocence. One belief of the university is the postmodern idea of relativist truth.
. . .

"Meanwhile, Booker, by virtue of not being old and white, was considered a credible- senatorial examiner. No one cared that Booker had once invented stories about an imaginary friend named “T-Bone.” Such blanket race- and age-based stereotyping was not even consistent. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) is 72 and white. Yet given his progressive politics, no one dismissed him on the basis of gender and age, much less for being a serial fabricator who concocted false stories of being a Vietnam veteran."
. . .
"Swarming and shouting down those who hold different views in order to shame and intimidate them is part and parcel of the modern university. Now, we are seeing such campus street theater in Congress. During a break in the hearings, female protesters cornered Senator Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.) in an elevator and screamed in his face.

"The psychodrama worked — just as it usually does on campus. A shaken and flushed Flake soon backed down from his stated intention of voting to confirm Kavanaugh.

"Campuses are no longer out-of-touch ivory towers. Their creed is now beginning to run the country, which is frightening. "

Kavanaugh Pens Op-Ed Defending His Impartiality as a Judge

If a hated-by-the-liberals judge writes an op-ed and Democrats refuse to read it, does it make a sound? TD

“After all those meetings and after my initial hearing concluded, I was subjected to wrongful and sometimes vicious allegations. My time in high school and college, more than 30 years ago, has been ridiculously distorted. My wife and daughters have faced vile and violent threats,” Kavanaugh wrote.

Townhall "Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday defending his impartiality as a judge.

"His remarks come after liberals criticized him for his temperament during last Thursday’s hearing.

"Kavanaugh acknowledged that at times his testimony reflected his “overwhelming [frustration] at being wrongly accused, without corroboration, of horrible conduct completely contrary to [his] record and character.”

"He also was upset over how the allegations have been handled.

" .I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been," he said. "I might have been too emotional at times. I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad. I testified with five people foremost in my mind: my mom, my dad, my wife, and most of all my daughters." . . .

What Democrats did to the Judiciary Committee they hope to do to the entire Congress

What we saw at that hearing Thursday last week was an abomination. It was Kafkaesque, the shameful, purposeful attempted destruction of a fine man without a kernel of evidence. And they knew what they were doing. Our left today is monstrous. Leftists learned well from the Clintons' politics of personal destruction. It has always worked before; why not now? Not now because of Trump. He fights back. And Kavanaugh stands tall.

The Kavanaugh setup becomes clear "With each passing day and with each bit of information that seeps out about Christine Blasey Ford, it is clearer and clearer that what the Democrats have done to Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been a setup from the outset.

"Most of us are relatively naïve, ready to believe what our news outlets put forth. We have open minds and were ready and willing to listen to Ford's testimony and consider for ourselves if it was believable. It was not. Her testimony was obviously scripted, practiced, massaged, and fabricated out of whole cloth.

"Ford may have seemed like a victim, not of Kavanaugh, but perhaps of her Democrat operatives. Over the past days, however, what is nearer to the truth is that she was and is part of a faction of anti-Trump activists bent upon destroying Kavanaugh in order to deny Trump another nominee to the Supreme Court.

"They have badly misjudged the wisdom and sentiment of the American people. These Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are so deluded by their belief in their own intellectual superiority that they felt comfortable publicly, derisively attacking a man with a reputation finer than any of those who sat in judgment. This was like Salieri sitting in judgment over the music of Mozart – preposterous." . . .

Speaking of the wisdom and judgment of Democrats:

Do Democrats feel Hillary has the stable temperament to select Supreme Court justices?

I'm not sure but have been told these are old Hillary high school photos. TD

She who would rule over America.

From 2016: Top 36 Hillary F-bombs, flip-outs and eye-popping tantrums

"In just three weeks, American voters might just “unleash Hellary” on the nation – electing a president known to fly into foul-mouthed fits of rage, hurl dangerous objects at people’s heads, physically attack a former president and even diabolically tongue-lash Secret Service agents sworn to protect her with their lives.

How does she stack up with
this fellow Democrat?

"But don’t expect the mainstream media to start digging into Hillary’s reported temper tantrums any time soon. While the major networks focus single-mindedly on an 11-year-old video recording of GOP nominee Donald Trump making sexually charged comments about women, they virtually ignore claims by witnesses who say Hillary’s foul-mouthed fits of rage happen even today.That’s according to dozens of witnesses – many former Secret Service agents, Arkansas state troopers and an FBI agent – who might say Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton is what Rush Limbaugh could call “a witch with a capital B.”

"And those expletive-laced explosions are enough to make any right-minded American recoil in horror.

"During her campaign for the Democratic Party nomination and the presidency, Hillary has reportedly made the lives of her staffers a living hell.

“ 'Hillary’s been having screaming, child-like tantrums that have left her staff members in tears and unable to work,” a campaign aide told Edward Klein in 2015, according to a New York Post report. “She thought the nomination was hers for the asking, but her mounting problems have been getting to her, and she’s become shrill and, at times, even violent.' ” . . .

Orrin Hatch Op-Ed Nails It: ‘Kavanaugh’s Righteous Anger’ "Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch nails it with an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal where he defends Kavanaugh’s “righteous anger” over the assault charges leveled against him by multiple accusers:" . . .

Thursday, October 4, 2018

The sad state of what used to be called "journalism". Is there no sense of pride and integrity in this profession?

Tony Branco

Grassley mows down media over Kavanaugh coverage: 'Some of you have bias'

"Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley scolded some members of the press on Thursday for being biased against Republicans and their Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

"Grassley said one incident in his office revealed that slant. He'd been visited by both pro- and anti-Kavanaugh protesters, but said in one case, a reporter refused to interview pro-Kavanaugh activists.

" 'One time, the people that were for Kavanaugh wanted to be interviewed," said Grassley, R-Iowa. "And they said, 'We're only interested in interviewing people against Kavanaugh.'"

" 'That’s a bias that none of you should be proud of," he added.

"Grassley delivered the biting criticism at a press conference to discuss a supplemental FBI background investigation report delivered early Thursday." . . .

A Fired Up Chairman Grassley Explains to the Press How Biased They Are

Ted Koppel UNLOADS: CNN’s Ratings ‘Would Be in the Toilet’ Without Trump

"Veteran journalist Ted Koppel absolutely unloaded on CNN, Brian Stelter, and the state of journalism in 2018. Appearing in an October 1 Kalb Report forum, Koppel told CNN host Brian Stelter that the network secretly loves fighting with Trump: “CNN’s ratings would be in the toilet without Donald Trump.” The former Nightline anchor also called for journalistic “humility” instead of “arrogance.”

"As the panel discussed Trump, Koppel looked at Stelter and bluntly informed him: “Everybody here keeps talking about ideology and politics." “Money,” he stressed, adding, “You would be lost without Donald Trump... CNN”s ratings would be in the toilet without Donald Trump” A flustered Stelter sputtered, “Ted, you know that’s not true... You are playing for laughs.' ” . . .

The Mainstream Media Fraud "The conjoined Democratic Party and mainstream media's despicable character assassination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh combined with the two-year single-minded determination to destroy the Trump presidency by any means possible has irretrievably awakened a preponderance of the citizenry. In a recent poll, 70% of all Americans and 90% of Republicans have lost faith in the self-styled mainstream media. They are imploding due to the self-inflicted destruction of their credibility and integrity, which has exposed the fraud this cabal has carried out over the past 85 years. The damage done to this nation and its citizenry is incalculable." . . .

That Male Feminist Who Kicked A Pro-Life Woman? He Just Got A Small Taste Of Justice

Weasel Zippers

"Actions have consequences, screwball. Update to this story.

"Via Daily Wire:

On Wednesday, a video surfaced online of a male feminist identified as Jordan Hunt physically assaulting a woman for being pro-life.

Though Hunt is apparently still on the run and yet to be apprehended by Toronto police, he has received a small taste of the justice coming his way: The hair studio he worked at up until Wednesday, Noble Studio 101 Hair Studio, swiftly cut ties with Hunt after seeing the disturbing video, Human Defense Initiative has confirmed:

In screenshots provided to the Human Defense Initiative, when questioned about the assault, the shop replied “Was a sub contracter. Until today when I found out what happened today!!!! Not cool. He will never step foot in my studio again.”

Keep reading…

NY Times: "For Once, I’m Grateful for Trump"

From the NY Times...WAIT!...what?

"For the first time since Donald Trump entered the political fray, I find myself grateful that he’s in it. I’m reluctant to admit it and astonished to say it, especially since the president mocked Christine Blasey Ford in his ugly and gratuitous way at a rally on Tuesday. Perhaps it’s worth unpacking this admission for those who might be equally astonished to read it.

"I’m grateful because Trump has not backed down in the face of the slipperiness, hypocrisy and dangerous standard-setting deployed by opponents of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. I’m grateful because ferocious and even crass obstinacy has its uses in life, and never more so than in the face of sly moral bullying. I’m grateful because he’s a big fat hammer fending off a razor-sharp dagger.

"A few moments have crystallized my view over the past few days.

"The first moment was a remark by a friend. “I’d rather be accused of murder,” he said, “than of sexual assault.” I feel the same way. One can think of excuses for killing a man; none for assaulting a woman. But if that’s true, so is this: Falsely accusing a person of sexual assault is nearly as despicable as sexual assault itself. It inflicts psychic, familial, reputational and professional harms that can last a lifetime. This is nothing to sneer at.

"The second moment, connected to the first: “Boo hoo hoo. Brett Kavanaugh is not a victim.” That’s the title of a column in the Los Angeles Times, which suggests that the possibility of Kavanaugh’s innocence is “infinitesimal.” Yet false allegations of rape, while relatively rare, are at least five times as common as false accusations of other types of crime, according to academic literature.

"Since when did the possibility of innocence become, for today’s liberals, something to wave off with an archly unfeeling “boo hoo”?

"A third moment, connected to the second: Listening to Cory Booker explain on Tuesday that “ultimately” it doesn’t matter if Kavanaugh is “guilty or innocent,” because “enough questions” had been raised that it was time to “move on to another candidate.”

"This is a rhetorical sleight of hand in three acts: Elide the one question that really matters; raise a secondary set of “questions” that are wholly the result of the question you’ve decided to ignore; call for “another candidate” because it will push confirmation hearings past the midterms, which was the Democratic objective long before most anyone had ever of Blasey’s allegation.

"Fourth moment: Watching Julie Swetnick, the woman who accused Kavanaugh of attending parties decades earlier where women were gang raped, change key details of her story in an interview with NBC News." . . .

Read the full article and learn about the next four moments.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion), join the Facebook political discussion group, Voting While Female, and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter.

How Jeff Flake's One-Week Delay Helped Clear Brett Kavanaugh's Name

Weekly Standard Let us count the ways. "When Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake insisted on an additional one-week delay of the Kavanaugh confirmation vote in order to allow the FBI to conduct a supplemental background-check investigation into allegations of sexual assault, many Republicans feared that it would accomplish nothing other than provide time for more people to smear Kavanaugh with new false allegations.

"In fact, the delay has actually helped clear Kavanaugh’s name.

"FBI investigation turns up no groundbreaking information?

"Shortly after 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 4, Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer spoke to the press following a confidential briefing about the FBI's supplemental background check. While the senators were limited about what they could say, Feinstein focused first on the fact that neither Kavanaugh nor Ford, who testified publicly for hours last week, were interviewed by the FBI.

"If the FBI investigation had turned up some groundbreaking new information, that is not the kind of thing you’d expect the Democratic senators to focus on.

"The FBI interviewed all the alleged party attendees—Ford’s lifelong female friend Leland Ingham Keyser, Kavanaugh friend P.J. Smyth, and alleged accomplice Mark Judge. Keyser had previously said she recalls no party at which Kavanaugh was present and does not know Kavanaugh. Schumer and Feinstein gave no indication Keyser has changed her story.

"The FBI also interviewed Chris Garrett, a person Ford went out with around the time of the alleged assault in 1982 and Ford’s only known social connection to Kavanaugh and Judge. The FBI also interviewed Tim Gaudette, who hosted a July 1, 1982, party that has been the focus of much speculation. Schumer and Feinstein gave no indication those interviews turned up groundbreaking information.

"Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley said in a statement: “This investigation found no hint of misconduct and the same is true of the six prior FBI background investigations conducted during Judge Kavanaugh’s 25 years of public service.

”Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a key undecided vote, said this morning: "It appears to be a very thorough investigation.”

"Senator Flake told reporters: “We’ve seen no additional corroborating information.”

" By all indications, the additional FBI investigation has been good for Kavanaugh.

"Let’s also consider the other ways in which the week-long delay helped Kavanaugh clear his name. " . . .