9/29/20
The politics of personal destruction will soon be on full display again with the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The modern-day incarnation of this political phenomena is thought to be the purview of former president Bill Clinton. He certainly perfected it but learned this tactic from none other than Joe Biden and Ted Kennedy. Ted Kennedy was foremost purveyor of this type of political hypocrisy at the time. He and his acolyte Joe Biden brought it to a new level with the confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee of Robert Bork for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1987. This wasn’t a review of just past rulings on the law or his stance on thorny issues that may come before the court. It was the destruction of him personally and professionally. And it worked, or did it really? Although the Democrats stooped to character assassination it appears that is all they really did. Lots of name calling and mudslinging as usual. Do they remind you of whiny spoiled children that scream and cry until they get their way? It sounds as if a trip to the woodshed or a little “time out” is in order. They’re “sensitive” ya-know! Robert Bork was not confirmed by the Senate. This has been their modus operandi ever since with every Republican nominee with the possible exception of John Roberts.
Next, we have the spectacle of the Clarence Thomas hearings in 1991 in which the Democrats sunk to new levels in their attempt to “publicly lynch” (his words not mine) a black man for the crime of being a conservative. Democrats lynching black men is nothing new, it was that a black man had the audacity to call them out on it in front of the whole world. Why the unmitigated-gall, how ungrateful! Doesn’t he know how much the Democrats have done for his kind? The juxtaposition was overlooked by the media, who by this time had stopped trying to hide their far-left agenda. In any case the Republicans showed a little back bone, and he was confirmed by the Senate 52-48. Finally!
In 1993 Bill Clinton nominated Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The Republicans in their misguided belief that things had changed with Bill Clinton, allowed her to sail through the Senate even with her far left credentials on a vote of 96-3. John Roberts was confirmed relatively easily but the vote was only 78-22 and this shows that comity, within the Senate when it came to judicial choices was ending.
In 2006 when Sam Alito was before the Judiciary Committee, he was castigated to such an extent that his wife broke down in tears at the way he was being portrayed. The media disparaged her for being a weak political wife, so piling on the entire family was now fair game. He was confirmed 58-42 and it has been down-hill ever since for the Democrats.
In 2009 and 2010 Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were both confirmed on votes of 68-31 and 63-37 respectively. Sotomayor was questioned about some of her decisions while on the bench and her comment about being a “Wise Latina”. Kagan was questioned about her positions on current issues and the fact that she had never been a judge. Nothing was ever said about their character or anything outside of their positions on the law. Am I the only one who sees a pattern emerging here?
Donald Trump nominated in 2017 and 2018 Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. I’m quite sure these would have been bruising confirmation hearings without Trump’s involvement, but the fact that he nominated them added fuel to the fire. Given the Democrats’ past performances Gorsuch knew he was in for a beating, but he was confirmed pretty much along party lines with only three Democrat votes 54-45. Kavanaugh on the other hand was savaged un-mercilessly with unfounded accusations of rape made up out of whole cloth. The media gladly ran with these baseless allegations to make an unseemly spectacle that was only surpassed by the Clarence Thomas hearings. Joe Biden was no longer on the Judiciary Committee, but Kamala Harris was, and she was equal to the task of dishing dirt in the Biden/Kennedy mold. Harris even stated that “he” should have to “prove his innocence”, and here I am thinking that in this country you are innocent until proven guilty. What happened to being judged by the content of one’s character or better yet actual evidence? For Ms. Harris of all people to make such a statement is not only un-nerving but shameful. First, as a former officer of the court and student of the law, how could she possibly consider saying anyone should have to “prove their innocence” in this country? Maybe California should review her admittance to the Bar considering she got this question wrong. How many, other basic doctrines of law did she misunderstand? Second, her willingness to put her so-called convictions aside to be Joe Biden’s nursemaid (sorry) Vice President is suspect. The Democrats wanted nothing to do with her in the primaries. In fact, she dropped out before the voting even started. Now she’s the perfect pick for VP. Really? I see a double standard. Do you see a double standard? Is this who we want to be a heartbeat away from the presidency? God Help Us!
With the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill her seat on the Supreme Court a fire storm of criticism has been ignited. The president has said he intends to fill her seat before the election. This act will change the makeup of the court for a generation and the air is rife with democrat claims of hypocrisy. To say that politicians are hypocrites is akin to saying sugar is sweet or better yet that Rev. Al Sharpton is a self-promoting race-baiter. Certainly, the Republicans have changed their position since they denied Merritt Garland a seat on the court, but the Democrats have also done a 180 on their position. It would appear the hypocrisy runs both ways. The Democrats pious indignation is transparent and should be seen for what it is. Their problem lies in the fact that former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reed changed Senate rules, and this is now a process they cannot stop. Their next gamut will be to pillory Judge Barrett with Vice Presidential nominee Sen Kamala Harris at the fore trying to besmirch the good name of a sitting judge. A person I might add that has already been confirmed to a lower court and has been thoroughly vetted with bi-partisan support just as Brett Kavanaugh was. Alas this means nothing to democrats who believe in destroying reputations both personal and professional to achieve their goals. It may be harder with a woman nominee, so I guess gang rape is off the table but I’m sure they’ll find something. I know her religion! The idea that the person who is to be reviewed is a Christian certainly is grounds in Democrats minds for harsh questioning particularly in lieu of the Roe v Wade controversy. We are all aware that questioning someone’s religion is unconstitutional and against the law just as race and ethnicity are out of bounds. Oh yeah, not all of us had civics class! So, we don’t know what is constitutional. This will matter not one whit to the Democrats on the Judiciary Committee. What bothers Democrats is that Judge Barrett lives by the tenets of her faith unlike Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi whose religion is predicated on convenience and whatever at the time is politically correct. With cries of hypocrisy being bandied about let’s look at this from the other side. The Democrats put forward a sitting jurist who is a practicing Muslim and the Republicans ask he or she about their faith, the Coran. Can that person put their personal beliefs aside and rule according to the law and the Constitution? How do you think the media would receive that? One would be a valid question about an important issue of the day (abortion) and other nothing more than xenophobia and has no business being brought up. That my friends, is classic democrat hypocrisy!
Let’s see how viciously they treat Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s nominee. It’s going to be ugly, but the democrats will show themselves for who they really are as if we don’t know. In the words of Maya Angelou “When people show you who they really are BELIEVE THEM THE FIRST TIME”. Maybe just maybe the Republicans will show some back-bone and stick together. One can only hope. Mitt Romney is not to be trusted. That adage applies to some Republicans as well. The people of Utah should vote him out at the first possible opportunity, because he is disingenuous and self-serving. I’m of the belief that he intends another run for the presidency. Then all we’ll have to worry about is the democrats packing the court or adding two more states to cement their majority in the Senate. They believe that the ends justify the means. This is the only way they can dodge the prickly issues of the Constitution and the will of the people. Their drive toward a two-party system in name only, is the first step on the road to the destruction of our Republic. You should be Troubled!!
