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Fact-checking Donald Trump’s press conference on eve of Kavanaugh, Ford hearings

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter...nce-eve-k/

"U.S. steel is opening up a minimum of eight plants."

That’s False. It would be huge news, given the company only has four steelmaking facilities in the United States. But there’s no evidence on their website that any new mills are on the horizon. U.S. Steel is restarting two shuttered mills. Other companies are re-opening or building a few other mills.

"We have trade imbalances with almost everybody. It's a rare exception that we don't."
This is incorrect. In March, we looked at the full list of countries and country equivalents that are tracked by the United States on trade balances to see whether the United States had a surplus or a deficit with them.

We found 129 countries or country equivalents with whom the United States had a surplus in 2017, out of 234 entities listed overall. This means that the United States had a surplus in 55 percent of those countries, or a majority.


Says Brett Kavanaugh finished No. 1 in his class at Yale.

Kavanaugh graduated from Yale Law School in 1990 and from Yale College in 1987. We found no indication that Kavanaugh finished first in his class from law school or college.

Yale Law School’s explanation of its current grading system says that individual class rank is not computed. Yale Law School in 1968 converted its grading system from letter grades to a modified pass-fail system, "partly to alleviate the destructive competition and anxiety among students," according to the Association of American Law Schools.

Says Brett Kavanaugh finished No. 1 in his class at Yale.
in a press conference – Wednesday, September 26, 2018

"We spent $3.2 (billion), and we’re getting another $1.6 (billion), and eventually we’re getting the whole thing and we’ll complete the wall."

This is not accurate. Trump has not received money for his promised border wall. His administration so far has received $1.6 billion for new and replacement border fencing and technology — but the funds can’t be used to build the wall he promised.

Even though his administration contracted companies to build wall prototypes, none of them will be used as the design standard for future border wall construction, Customs and Border Protection previously told PolitiFact.

The Trump administration is seeking an additional $1.6 billion for the border wall in fiscal year 2019, but that has not been appropriated by Congress.

(09-27-2018, 10:10 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]The testimony by Christine Ford is on the air... and it is as unflattering a view of Bret Kavanaugh as is possible.

A hand covering her mouth and nose is far worse (she was scared that she would suffocate!) than pubic hairs on a soft drink can or references to the pornographic "Long Dong Silver".

The lady seems like she's a ditz. The lady seems like she can be emotionally unstable at times and very forgetful at times as well. I wonder if she is being treated for a mental disease that was largely unknown, undetectable and untreated during the time period she claims the incident with Bret Kavanaugh occurred with her.The liberal view of Kavanaugh has been largely unflattering up to this point. So, what's new about that? I do feel sorry for her being used by the Democrats the way she is today.

(09-27-2018, 12:43 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 10:10 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]The testimony by Christine Ford is on the air... and it is as unflattering a view of Bret Kavanaugh as is possible.

A hand covering her mouth and nose is far worse (she was scared that she would suffocate!) than pubic hairs on a soft drink can or references to the pornographic "Long Dong Silver".

The lady seems like she's a ditz. The lady seems like she can be emotionally unstable at times and very forgetful at times as well. I wonder if she is being treated for a mental disease that was largely  unknown, undetectable and untreated during the time period she claims the incident with Bret Kavanaugh occurred with her.The liberal view of Kavanaugh has been largely unflattering up to this point. So, what's new about that? I do feel sorry for her being used by the Democrats the way she is today.

Do you know what it is like to be raped or to be assaulted in a context in which you can be raped? I don't. This is a very strong statement. If her testimony cannot convince one that she was assaulted in the context of a potential rape, then nothing can other than the confession of a rapist.

She has the sort of memory characteristic of someone who has been sexually assaulted. As far as I am concerned, she was most damning when she said that BK put a hand on her nose and mouth, scaring her that she could be suffocated. What other context could there be.

She admits to behavior characteristic of someone who has feared that she was going to be raped -- even her admission of claustrophobia and the double front doors on her house that damage its value.

I have no illusion that Donald Trump will not nominate some other reactionary jurist should this nomination implode. He could in theory nominate someone on Death Row to be a Justice of the US Supreme Court. He could in theory nominate someone who has the legal philosophy of Nazi "hanging judge" Roland Freisler. He could nominate me, for all the Constitution dictates (ridiculous in view of what I think of him). He could nominate a snake, and I mean a literal legless reptile. More reasonably, he could nominate someone who believes that workers have no rights against employers, that vote fraud is fine as long as it serves the current leadership, that damnatio ad bestiae is a fair way of dealing with political or religious dissidents (read the book or see the movie Quo Vadis? to know what that means -- OK, that is casting Christians to the lions, so you don't have to search the stacks of a library or to find an old movie), or that abortion is a crime against humanity in the same sense that herding Jews into gas chambers was. Or he could nominate a political hack.

Yes, elections have consequences, and I wish that we had elected someone else in 2016 as President or at the least we had a different Congress than one whose majorities believe that no human suffering can ever be in excess so long as it serves a tiny fraction of the public that matters more than everyone else. But we are stuck with Donald Trump.

Traditionally, character and competence have mattered for appointments to Cabinet positions and especially the US Supreme Court. This nominee, so far as I can tell, is Robert Bork with a history of sexual assault.

Bret Kavanaugh is now in full Captain Queeg mode in his defiant attempt to attack his attackers -- a conspiracy of well-funded liberals with an agenda of smashing conservatism.

(09-27-2018, 02:23 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]Bret Kavanaugh is now in full Captain Queeg mode in his defiant attempt to attack his attackers -- a conspiracy of well-funded liberals with an agenda of smashing conservatism.

Who's on trail now? You're beloved Democrats are on trial now, you dumb son of a bitch.

Democrats may be on trail (whatever that means), but not on trial.

By the way -- Trump's style of purported conservatism is not conservatism. It's nearly fascism.

(09-27-2018, 12:43 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 10:10 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]The testimony by Christine Ford is on the air... and it is as unflattering a view of Bret Kavanaugh as is possible.

A hand covering her mouth and nose is far worse (she was scared that she would suffocate!) than pubic hairs on a soft drink can or references to the pornographic "Long Dong Silver".

The lady seems like she's a ditz. The lady seems like she can be emotionally unstable at times and very forgetful at times as well. I wonder if she is being treated for a mental disease that was largely  unknown, undetectable and untreated during the time period she claims the incident with Bret Kavanaugh occurred with her.The liberal view of Kavanaugh has been largely unflattering up to this point. So, what's new about that? I do feel sorry for her being used by the Democrats the way she is today.

What's she's doing is exactly what any competent attorney would advise her to do: Don't answer a question that's open ended.  Don't answer a question that is ambiguous.  Don't add anything you can't remember for certain.  Don't speculate.  Always be honest … always!

Most people think she was credible (her #1 goal) and honest (Her #2 goal).  She did fine.

(09-27-2018, 02:10 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 12:43 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 10:10 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]The testimony by Christine Ford is on the air... and it is as unflattering a view of Bret Kavanaugh as is possible.

A hand covering her mouth and nose is far worse (she was scared that she would suffocate!) than pubic hairs on a soft drink can or references to the pornographic "Long Dong Silver".

The lady seems like she's a ditz. The lady seems like she can be emotionally unstable at times and very forgetful at times as well. I wonder if she is being treated for a mental disease that was largely  unknown, undetectable and untreated during the time period she claims the incident with Bret Kavanaugh occurred with her.The liberal view of Kavanaugh has been largely unflattering up to this point. So, what's new about that? I do feel sorry for her being used by the Democrats the way she is today.

Do you know what it is like to be raped or to be assaulted in a context in which you can be raped? I don't. This is a very strong statement. If her testimony cannot convince one that she was assaulted in the context of a potential rape, then nothing can other than the confession of a rapist.

She has the sort of memory characteristic of someone who has been sexually assaulted. As far as I am concerned, she was most damning when she said that BK put a hand on her nose and mouth, scaring her that she could be suffocated. What other context could there be.

She admits to behavior characteristic of someone who has feared that she was going to be raped -- even her admission of claustrophobia and the double front doors on her house that damage its value.

I have no illusion that Donald Trump will not nominate some other reactionary jurist should this nomination implode. He could in theory nominate someone on Death Row to be a Justice of the US Supreme Court. He could in theory nominate someone who has the legal philosophy of Nazi "hanging judge" Roland Freisler. He could nominate me, for all the Constitution dictates (ridiculous in view of what I think of him). He could nominate a snake, and I mean a literal legless reptile. More reasonably, he could nominate someone who believes that workers have no rights against employers, that vote fraud is fine as long as it serves the current leadership, that damnatio ad bestiae is a fair way of dealing with political or religious dissidents (read the book or see the movie  Quo Vadis? to know what that means -- OK, that is casting Christians to the lions, so you don't have to search the stacks of a library or to find an old movie), or  that abortion is a crime against humanity in the same sense that herding Jews into gas chambers was. Or he could nominate a political hack.

Yes, elections have consequences, and I wish that we had elected someone else in 2016 as President or at the least we had a different Congress than one whose majorities believe that no human suffering can ever be in excess so long as it serves a tiny fraction of the public that matters more than everyone else. But we are stuck with Donald Trump.

Traditionally, character and competence have mattered for appointments to Cabinet positions and especially the US Supreme Court. This nominee, so far as I can tell, is Robert Bork with a history of sexual assault.

Nope, I don't know what it's like to be raped or sexually assaulted. As I mentioned before, I don't really care about what happens with you or you rights and don't really care if the blues let you keep some or not either. Yes, there was a time when character and competence mattered more than race and gender but that time has passed as far as the Democratic party goes these days.

(09-27-2018, 03:10 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 02:23 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]Bret Kavanaugh is now in full Captain Queeg mode in his defiant attempt to attack his attackers -- a conspiracy of well-funded liberals with an agenda of smashing conservatism.

Who's on trail now? You're beloved  Democrats are on trial now, you dumb son of a bitch.

It's his only viable ploy after Ford did as well as she did.  It may work; it may fail.  Tune in tomorrow for the results of the instant polls soon to be conducted.

(09-27-2018, 03:45 PM)David Horn Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 12:43 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 10:10 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]The testimony by Christine Ford is on the air... and it is as unflattering a view of Bret Kavanaugh as is possible.

A hand covering her mouth and nose is far worse (she was scared that she would suffocate!) than pubic hairs on a soft drink can or references to the pornographic "Long Dong Silver".

The lady seems like she's a ditz. The lady seems like she can be emotionally unstable at times and very forgetful at times as well. I wonder if she is being treated for a mental disease that was largely  unknown, undetectable and untreated during the time period she claims the incident with Bret Kavanaugh occurred with her.The liberal view of Kavanaugh has been largely unflattering up to this point. So, what's new about that? I do feel sorry for her being used by the Democrats the way she is today.

What's she's doing is exactly what any competent attorney would advise her to do: Don't answer a question that's open ended.  Don't answer a question that is ambiguous.  Don't add anything you can't remember for certain.  Don't speculate.  Always be honest … always!

Most people think she was credible (her #1 goal) and honest (Her #2 goal).  She did fine.

Well, she seems to be pretty clueless about important matters pertaining to her personal knowledge and the particulars relating her case against Kavanaugh.

She did fine. Unlike those Republican senators. They are making themselves into incredible fools, saying that this hearing is only about torturing someone and shouldn't happen. The women should not be allowed a hearing. It's just a play for power, says Sen. Graham. So 9 months blocking Garland was not a power play? What was Graham doing when he and his fellow hypocrites and sex abusers went after Bill Clinton and impeached him just for saying it depends on what the meaning of the word is, is? They won't investigate anything, they block revealing papers, they want to push Kavanaugh through before the election. They want to lock in the last 40 years of regression and block all future progress on the environment, workers protections, consumer rights, women's rights, civil rights, voting rights, fair wages, health care, campaign finance reform, gerrymandering reform, and protecting a president who breaks the law and appoints judges that will let him do it; everything important in this country. I hope the women rise up. I hope the people rise up. Republicans make me angry.

(09-27-2018, 04:22 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: [ -> ]She did fine. Unlike those Republican senators. They are making themselves into incredible fools, saying that this hearing is only about torturing someone and shouldn't happen. The women should not be allowed a hearing. It's just a play for power, says Sen. Graham. So 9 months blocking Garland was not a power play? What was Graham doing when he and his fellow hypocrites and sex abusers went after Bill Clinton and impeached him just for saying it depends on what the meaning of the word is, is? They won't investigate anything, they block revealing papers, they want to push Kavanaugh through before the election. They want to lock in the last 40 years of regression and block all future progress on the environment, workers protections, consumer rights, women's rights, civil rights, voting rights, fair wages, health care, campaign finance reform, gerrymandering reform, and protecting a president who breaks the law and appoints judges that will let him do it; everything important in this country. I hope the women rise up. I hope the people rise up. Republicans make me angry.

But the women did rise up with the #MeToo movement big time. As a result, most if not all of those who were christened in what is often referred to as the "boys will be boys" mentality will no longer be able to get away with their shenanigans. And the mostly black victims of police brutality have brought back shades of many of the arguments from a half century ago when cities were literally burning down. What we haven't seen yet is much organized unrest over issues of income equality, climate change, and especially the crisis in affordable housing which IMO is very highly underrated as a societal problem.  Do you feel as if, at least by time the turn of the decade hits in 16 months, that we will see the launching of a new and exciting era with rebel, authority and energizer in the mix? Can we expect all the feels? Hope so as I don't see how the current status quo can hold for very much longer.

(09-27-2018, 03:46 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 02:10 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 12:43 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 10:10 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]The testimony by Christine Ford is on the air... and it is as unflattering a view of Bret Kavanaugh as is possible.

A hand covering her mouth and nose is far worse (she was scared that she would suffocate!) than pubic hairs on a soft drink can or references to the pornographic "Long Dong Silver".

The lady seems like she's a ditz. The lady seems like she can be emotionally unstable at times and very forgetful at times as well. I wonder if she is being treated for a mental disease that was largely  unknown, undetectable and untreated during the time period she claims the incident with Bret Kavanaugh occurred with her.The liberal view of Kavanaugh has been largely unflattering up to this point. So, what's new about that? I do feel sorry for her being used by the Democrats the way she is today.

Do you know what it is like to be raped or to be assaulted in a context in which you can be raped? I don't. This is a very strong statement. If her testimony cannot convince one that she was assaulted in the context of a potential rape, then nothing can other than the confession of a rapist.

She has the sort of memory characteristic of someone who has been sexually assaulted. As far as I am concerned, she was most damning when she said that BK put a hand on her nose and mouth, scaring her that she could be suffocated. What other context could there be.

She admits to behavior characteristic of someone who has feared that she was going to be raped -- even her admission of claustrophobia and the double front doors on her house that damage its value.

I have no illusion that Donald Trump will not nominate some other reactionary jurist should this nomination implode. He could in theory nominate someone on Death Row to be a Justice of the US Supreme Court. He could in theory nominate someone who has the legal philosophy of Nazi "hanging judge" Roland Freisler. He could nominate me, for all the Constitution dictates (ridiculous in view of what I think of him). He could nominate a snake, and I mean a literal legless reptile. More reasonably, he could nominate someone who believes that workers have no rights against employers, that vote fraud is fine as long as it serves the current leadership, that damnatio ad bestiae is a fair way of dealing with political or religious dissidents (read the book or see the movie  Quo Vadis? to know what that means -- OK, that is casting Christians to the lions, so you don't have to search the stacks of a library or to find an old movie), or  that abortion is a crime against humanity in the same sense that herding Jews into gas chambers was. Or he could nominate a political hack.

Yes, elections have consequences, and I wish that we had elected someone else in 2016 as President or at the least we had a different Congress than one whose majorities believe that no human suffering can ever be in excess so long as it serves a tiny fraction of the public that matters more than everyone else. But we are stuck with Donald Trump.

Traditionally, character and competence have mattered for appointments to Cabinet positions and especially the US Supreme Court. This nominee, so far as I can tell, is Robert Bork with a history of sexual assault.

Nope, I don't know what it's like to be raped or sexually assaulted. As I mentioned before, I don't really care about what happens with you or you rights and don't really care if the blues let you keep some or not either. Yes, there was a time when character and competence mattered more than race and gender but that time has passed as far as the Democratic party goes these days.

I wouldn't wish rape or sexual assault on anyone. I have seen stories of people who had the experience, and they live in very different worlds from those who have not had such an attack on their persons. 36 years later Dr. Ford still has problems with a sexual assault (or an assault that initially seemed as if it would become sexual). She is a brilliant person, a holder of a PhD and a college professor.

Rape is the antithesis of sexual freedom, one part of which entails the right to say no. Rape is a dangerous, degrading crime that can easily end in murder. When I was seventeen (FYI, I am a man) I found the idea of rape sickening. It was not a way to get a woman, and I did not think one orgasm with a scared and hostile female worth a prison term. I wanted to get to know her and her to get to know me. I expect far more than sex out of my involvement with women.

But you should recognize from my posts that I am a law-and-order type, anyway... I just do not believe in exploitation and oppression which I consider unlikely to foster social concord. I am convinced that my side will do far more to protect the rights of conservatives than your movement conservatives will do to protect my rights. Human decency is essential to the survival of freedom. Donald Trump and Bret Kavanaugh have shown that they are monsters. They have shown their poor character, and that has nothing to do with race, gender, or cultural origin. Kavanaugh is apparently a brilliant man, but brilliant people can be evil. Think of Ted Kaczynski.

The power of your contemporary Movement Conservatives looks to be on the wane. The confirmation of Bret Kavanaugh (which could be a strict party-line vote) could well be the last victory of your side in American politics for a long time. Your conservatives have soiled conservatism as an alternative to liberalism. In an ideal world, conservatism goes into hibernation while it rediscovers a soul, divests itself of superstition and bigotry, and becomes less plutocratic... and becomes a check upon uncaring, corrupt, incompetent, inattentive, and reckless pols while addressing the interests of communities that will never be liberal. My side is for learning... and success in life is on the side of the educated. If I had to sacrifice white privilege for a first-rate education, I would.

Conservatives are going to look at the election of Donald Trump and wonder how they could end up with someone that awful.

(09-27-2018, 10:00 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]I wouldn't wish rape or sexual assault on anyone. I have seen stories of people who had the experience, and they live in very different worlds from those who have not had such an attack on their persons. 36 years later Dr. Ford still has problems with a sexual assault (or an assault that initially seemed as if it would become sexual). She is a brilliant person, a holder of a PhD and a college professor.

Rape is the antithesis of sexual freedom, one part of which entails the right to say no. Rape is a dangerous, degrading crime that can easily end in murder. When I was seventeen (FYI, I am a man) I found the idea of rape sickening. It was not a way to get a woman, and I did not think one orgasm with a scared and hostile female worth a prison term. I wanted to get to know her and her to get to know me. I expect far more than sex out of my involvement with women.

But you should recognize from my posts that I am a law-and-order type, anyway... I just do not believe in exploitation and oppression which I consider unlikely to foster social concord. I am convinced that my side will do far more to protect the rights of conservatives than your movement conservatives will do to protect my rights. Human decency is essential to the survival of freedom. Donald Trump and Bret Kavanaugh have shown that they are monsters. They have shown their poor character, and that has nothing to do with race, gender, or cultural origin. Kavanaugh is apparently a brilliant man, but brilliant people can be evil. Think of Ted Kaczynski.

The power of your contemporary Movement Conservatives looks to be on the wane. The confirmation of Bret Kavanaugh (which could be a strict party-line vote) could well be the last victory of your side in American politics for a long time. Your conservatives have soiled conservatism as an alternative to liberalism. In an ideal world, conservatism goes into hibernation while it rediscovers a soul, divests itself of superstition and bigotry, and becomes less plutocratic... and becomes a check upon uncaring, corrupt, incompetent, inattentive, and reckless pols while addressing the interests of communities that will never be liberal. My side is for learning... and success in life is on the side of the educated. If I had to sacrifice white privilege for a first-rate education, I would.

Conservatives are going to look at the election of Donald Trump and wonder how they could end up with someone that awful.

Dude, you don't have to teach me about the value of women. You don't have to teach me virtues either. You shouldn't be proud of your beloved Democrats performance today. What I saw was a bunch of incompetent, piece of shit humans, that have no fucking chance of running this country without a war that destroys what little you have left of your worthless. What happens to them eventually, I could care less.

Kavanaugh was disgusting. His facial expressions say it all too. He showed he is only going to be a partisan judge who disrespects women rights and all our rights.

(09-28-2018, 01:39 AM)Eric the Green Wrote: [ -> ]Kavanaugh was disgusting. His facial expressions say it all too. He showed he is only going to be a partisan judge who disrespects women rights and all our rights.

I support the proceeding which should be done in a court of law, rather than the media hype that seems to me like
the circus like stuff like at 3T. Sorry, but media hype is a real bummer, man.

(09-27-2018, 03:47 PM)David Horn Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 03:10 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 02:23 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]Bret Kavanaugh is now in full Captain Queeg mode in his defiant attempt to attack his attackers -- a conspiracy of well-funded liberals with an agenda of smashing conservatism.

Who's on trail now? You're beloved  Democrats are on trial now, you dumb son of a bitch.

It's his only viable ploy after Ford did as well as she did.  It may work; it may fail.  Tune in tomorrow for the results of the instant polls soon to be conducted.

Like I said, I felt bad for her ending up being used for a liberal ploy. I feel bad that her identity was revealed by some liberal that she thought she could trust. I feel bad that she ended up being drug into it against her own will as well.

(09-28-2018, 01:39 AM)Eric the Green Wrote: [ -> ]Kavanaugh was disgusting. His facial expressions say it all too. He showed he is only going to be a partisan judge who disrespects women rights and all our rights.

His facial expressions said it all to me too. What she saw was a true real life display of anger and disgust of a man who has been falsely accused of something bad that he had nothing to do with. Hey, she's used to hanging around with actors and players and liars and fake people who have been lying about themselves and their accomplishments and reinforcing the false images created for themselves their entire life. What do you do about them? You let them find out and learn for themselves the hard way. If you be blue you better be prepared to face the scary bumpy road that's ahead you.

(09-27-2018, 10:00 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 03:46 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 02:10 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 12:43 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2018, 10:10 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: [ -> ]The testimony by Christine Ford is on the air... and it is as unflattering a view of Bret Kavanaugh as is possible.

A hand covering her mouth and nose is far worse (she was scared that she would suffocate!) than pubic hairs on a soft drink can or references to the pornographic "Long Dong Silver".

The lady seems like she's a ditz. The lady seems like she can be emotionally unstable at times and very forgetful at times as well. I wonder if she is being treated for a mental disease that was largely  unknown, undetectable and untreated during the time period she claims the incident with Bret Kavanaugh occurred with her.The liberal view of Kavanaugh has been largely unflattering up to this point. So, what's new about that? I do feel sorry for her being used by the Democrats the way she is today.

Do you know what it is like to be raped or to be assaulted in a context in which you can be raped? I don't. This is a very strong statement. If her testimony cannot convince one that she was assaulted in the context of a potential rape, then nothing can other than the confession of a rapist.

She has the sort of memory characteristic of someone who has been sexually assaulted. As far as I am concerned, she was most damning when she said that BK put a hand on her nose and mouth, scaring her that she could be suffocated. What other context could there be.

She admits to behavior characteristic of someone who has feared that she was going to be raped -- even her admission of claustrophobia and the double front doors on her house that damage its value.

I have no illusion that Donald Trump will not nominate some other reactionary jurist should this nomination implode. He could in theory nominate someone on Death Row to be a Justice of the US Supreme Court. He could in theory nominate someone who has the legal philosophy of Nazi "hanging judge" Roland Freisler. He could nominate me, for all the Constitution dictates (ridiculous in view of what I think of him). He could nominate a snake, and I mean a literal legless reptile. More reasonably, he could nominate someone who believes that workers have no rights against employers, that vote fraud is fine as long as it serves the current leadership, that damnatio ad bestiae is a fair way of dealing with political or religious dissidents (read the book or see the movie  Quo Vadis? to know what that means -- OK, that is casting Christians to the lions, so you don't have to search the stacks of a library or to find an old movie), or  that abortion is a crime against humanity in the same sense that herding Jews into gas chambers was. Or he could nominate a political hack.

Yes, elections have consequences, and I wish that we had elected someone else in 2016 as President or at the least we had a different Congress than one whose majorities believe that no human suffering can ever be in excess so long as it serves a tiny fraction of the public that matters more than everyone else. But we are stuck with Donald Trump.

Traditionally, character and competence have mattered for appointments to Cabinet positions and especially the US Supreme Court. This nominee, so far as I can tell, is Robert Bork with a history of sexual assault.

Nope, I don't know what it's like to be raped or sexually assaulted. As I mentioned before, I don't really care about what happens with you or you rights and don't really care if the blues let you keep some or not either. Yes, there was a time when character and competence mattered more than race and gender but that time has passed as far as the Democratic party goes these days.

I wouldn't wish rape or sexual assault on anyone. I have seen stories of people who had the experience, and they live in very different worlds from those who have not had such an attack on their persons. 36 years later Dr. Ford still has problems with a sexual assault (or an assault that initially seemed as if it would become sexual). She is a brilliant person, a holder of a PhD and a college professor.

Rape is the antithesis of sexual freedom, one part of which entails the right to say no. Rape is a dangerous, degrading crime that can easily end in murder. When I was seventeen (FYI, I am a man) I found the idea of rape sickening. It was not a way to get a woman, and I did not think one orgasm with a scared and hostile female worth a prison term. I wanted to get to know her and her to get to know me. I expect far more than sex out of my involvement with women.

But you should recognize from my posts that I am a law-and-order type, anyway... I just do not believe in exploitation and oppression which I consider unlikely to foster social concord. I am convinced that my side will do far more to protect the rights of conservatives than your movement conservatives will do to protect my rights. Human decency is essential to the survival of freedom. Donald Trump and Bret Kavanaugh have shown that they are monsters. They have shown their poor character, and that has nothing to do with race, gender, or cultural origin. Kavanaugh is apparently a brilliant man, but brilliant people can be evil. Think of Ted Kaczynski.

The power of your contemporary Movement Conservatives looks to be on the wane. The confirmation of Bret Kavanaugh (which could be a strict party-line vote) could well be the last victory of your side in American politics for a long time. Your conservatives have soiled conservatism as an alternative to liberalism. In an ideal world, conservatism goes into hibernation while it rediscovers a soul, divests itself of superstition and bigotry, and becomes less plutocratic... and becomes a check upon uncaring, corrupt, incompetent, inattentive, and reckless pols while addressing the interests of communities that will never be liberal. My side is for learning... and success in life is on the side of the educated. If I had to sacrifice white privilege for a first-rate education, I would.

Conservatives are going to look at the election of Donald Trump and wonder how they could end up with someone that awful.

You weren't listening to her testimony, she claimed it took her a only a few years to put the incident behind her and move on with her life. I don't know if she she was lying or not. I don't know if she had a mental issue of some sort at the time or not. I don't know who her friends were or the kind of girl she was at the time. I don't know what people who knew her thought about her at the time. You see, she wasn't thoroughly investigated and legally forced to turn over her medical records pertaining like she normally would in a court of law. Who knows, she may actually have been the friend of the witness that she claimed had witnessed it who she she claimed had serious issue of her own at the time and the person on top of her friend may have been the friend of Brett's who had the drinking problem and the person who jumped on top of him and pulled him off her friend may have actually been Brett. Now, I understand that guilty by association is often viewed as good enough for most uppity blue half wits these days.

(09-28-2018, 12:25 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: [ -> ]You weren't listening to her testimony, she claimed it took her a only a few years to put the incident behind her and move on with her life. I don't know if she she was lying or not. I don't know if she had a mental issue of some sort at the time or not. I don't know who her friends were or the kind of girl she was at the time. I don't know what people who knew her thought about her at the time. You see, she wasn't thoroughly investigated and legally forced to turn over her medical records pertaining like she normally would in a court of law. Who knows, she may actually have been the friend of the witness that she claimed had witnessed it who she she claimed had serious issue of her own at the time and the person on top of her friend may have been the friend of Brett's who had the drinking problem and the person who jumped on top of him and pulled him off her friend may have actually been Brett. Now, I understand that guilty by association is often viewed as good enough for most uppity blue half wits these days.

You used a highly-sexist word (ditz). I found her testimony riveting.

I don't know what a sexual assault does to a woman. Victims of non-marital rape have an unusually-high rate of divorce, which indicates that it can mess up a marital relationship -- let alone dating that leads to a marriage.  Bringing it up when an attacker gets into a position of prominence or getting some honor must hurt.  Rapists belong in prison. I am sure that Bill Cosby's victims were enraged any time that they heard of him getting some award of him as an entertainer or 'humanitarian'.


Kavanaugh has been caught as a heavy drinker despite claiming that he has no problems with drink. He has lied about his drinking. Have you ever heard a fifty-something adult who isn't a problem drinker who brings up the words "I like beer" out of a context having little to do with the beverage? He has even lied about his drinking, which is  commonplace for an alcoholic.

Maybe his term will be short. He is a middle-aged alcoholic still drinking. His liver might impeach him, if you get what I mean.