Columns

THE PUBLIC EYE:Righteous Anger: Trump and Kavanaugh

Bob Burnett
Monday October 08, 2018 - 12:15:00 PM

The confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh began on September 4th, quickly devolved into a demolition derby, and finally has reached it's ultra-partisan conclusion. Kavanaugh will be confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. Republican actions will live on in infamy. And Democrats are united in righteous anger.

This 33 day process established several things. First, Brett Kavanaugh is unfit to be a Supreme Court Justice. At first, many of us opposed him because we thought his views were too extreme -- he will, I'm sure, oppose Roe v. Wade and any other law that lets women make their own health decisions. (And he is a corporatist who will side with corporations, and the wealthy, in cases that pit these interests against working folks.) But, as he we got to know Kavanaugh -- through the determined efforts of Senators like Cory Booker and Kamala Harris -- we realized that he's a liar; that he had lied to Congress (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/09/five-times-brett-kavanaugh-appears-to-have-lied-to-congress-while-under-oath/ ) And then, because of the courageous efforts of Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez, and other women, we learned that Kavanaugh had (or has) a drinking problem and, when he drank to excess, assaulted women. 

Finally, when Kavanaugh was asked to defend himself from the Blasey-Ford accusations, he lost control of his temper: "This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election. Fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record. Revenge on behalf of the Clintons. and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups. This is a circus." Kavanaugh does not have "judicial temperament." 

Watching the hearings, millions of Americans came to the conclusion that Kavanaugh is unfit to be a judge. Among these was retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/us/politics/john-paul-stevens-brett-kavanaugh.html

The second thing the Kavanaugh hearings established is that the Republican Party, run by old white men, will say and do anything to win. The GOP has embraced the morality that "the ends justify the means." This shouldn't come as a surprise; after all, the Republican Party decided to invade Iraq because they needed a wining issue for the 2002 mid-term elections. 

What's so disappointing is that the entirety of the Republican Senate -- with the exception of Senator Lisa Murkowski -- has gone over to the dark side. No longer can we find a handful of Senators -- such as the late John McCain -- who, on occasion, were willing to do what's right; who were willing to declare that Emperor Trump has no clothes. The Republican party has lost its moral compass. 

The third thing we learned from the Kavanaugh hearings is that the Republican Party is Trump's Party. Trump pushed through a totally unfit Supreme Court nominee and, in the process, he forced the GOP to submit to his will. With the exception of brave Senator Murkowski -- and for a few minutes Senator Jeff Flake -- no Republican was willing to stand up to Trump. They will not stand up to an unrepentant sexual predator and habitual liar. 

The fourth thing that was established during the 33 day ordeal is that Democrats, and like-minded voters, are angry. The website 538 reported that Kavanaugh was the least popular choice for the Supreme Court in 100 years ( https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-final-look-at-where-voters-stand-on-kavanaugh-before-the-senate-votes/) Kavanaugh was supported only by Republican voters. (Overall, women were strongly opposed to Kavanaugh.) 

There's strong feeling about the Kavanaugh confirmation process. Watching Christine Blasey Ford's September 27th testimony, many sexual-assault survivors were re-triggered. They were not pleased with the way the Republican-controlled committee handled Professor Ford -- or Kavanaugh's other accusers -- and they were angered by Donald Trump's mocking Professor Ford on October 2nd. 

As a result of this painful process, Democrats, and their allies, are angry at Donald Trump and his Republican Party. Now they plan to channel their anger into work related to the November 6th midterm elections. The 538 website (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/is-kavanaugh-helping-republicans-midterm-chances/ ) just cited a poll that concluded: "more voters would be angry than enthusiastic if Kavanaugh was confirmed." That confirms what we're seeing on the Left Coast. There's a big money and determination gap between Democrats and Republicans. 

Nonetheless, two incumbent female Democratic Senators were hurt by their opposition to Kavanaugh: Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill and North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp. Their bravery merits support. 

Finally, the Kavanaugh hearings established once and for all that the Republican Party can no longer claim to represent orthodox Christians. Surely no political Party that consistently lies and supports the moral tenet that the ends justify the means, can claim allegiance to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. 

In the Beatitudes, Jesus said: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." On October 6th, 2018, it's the Democratic Party that hungers and thirsts for righteousness. With 30 days of hard work, our quest for righteousness will be fulfilled. 

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer and activist. He can be reached at bburnett@sonic.net