The hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday contained testimony that should be utterly disqualifying for any consideration of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court—testimony that should, in fact, lead to impeachment of Kavanaugh in his current role. That testimony didn’t come from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. It came from Kavanaugh. Because his statements on Thursday afternoon didn’t just show a man who was emotional and angry. They showed a man who wasn’t just completely embedded into a machine whose central purpose was attacking Democrats and creating a false narrative of conspiracy to fuel partisan rancor.
The structure of the hearing on Thursday was notable. Throughout the morning, as Dr. Ford testified, Republicans sat on their hands allowing a state prosecutor to talk to Ford rather than address her directly. While the five minute time periods may have seemed like a poor match for the meticulous approach taken by that prosecutor, leaving the impression that the Republican effort had been ineffective … it wasn’t. Because the point of the Republican approach was simple: Those watching the hearing never saw Ted Cruz, or Orrin Hatch, or John Cornyn or any of the others speaking to Dr. Ford. With the exception of a few words from Chuck Grassley at the opening of the hearing, not one Republican ever thanks Dr. Ford for coming forward, offered a word of support, or simply address her as a human being.
Republicans didn’t talk to Dr. Ford out of concern that viewers would think they were mean to her. They didn’t talk to her because they did not want to acknowledge her as a person acting through her own means and under her own volition.
And the moment that Brett Kavanaugh launched into his lengthy opening statement, the other half of the plan was clear. Kavanaugh didn’t just declare the statements by Ford “last-minute smears” and “obvious character assassination.” That might be expected from someone who thought themselves genuinely innocent and distraught over a difficult process and an unexpected accusation. Instead, Kavanaugh didn’t just fully join, but led, in the script the Republicans built for the afternoon. One that created a conspiracy on the part of Democrats and turned Dr. Ford into just another version of the “crisis actor.”
Kavanaugh: You have tried hard. You've given it your all. No one can question your effort. But your coordinated and well-funded effort to destroy my good name and destroy my family will not drive me out.
That declaration alone shows that Kavanaugh was completely on-board with the plan that unfolded through the afternoon. A plan that turned the argument into one where Brett Kavanaugh was the victim and Democrats were the rapists. And a plan that completed the dehumanizing of Christine Blasey Ford.
No comments: