Two Important Takeaways from the Ford-Kavanaugh Testimony
Apparently virtually all of America (if you can believe the media) watched Ford and Kavanaugh on Thursday. I haven't watched any of the more recent Advise and Consent hearings when they're broadcast. But I did watch a bit of these.
A friend of mine, who's a real political junkie, watches all this stuff. He understands the machinations of Congressional hearings as well as legislative processes. I typically would check in with him and get some feedback and, usually, valuable insight regarding what's going on. I haven't contacted him yet re Thursday's sessions, but I will. When I do, since I did watch some of it, I'll tell him the following and be curious whether he agrees with me.
First, it seemed pretty clear that these sessions could have been conducted privately, out of the public eye. Given the nature of the allegations, they could have been investigated and the players interviewed without having it all aired by the media. That fact that it was makes me think the politicians involved saw some advantage in the media circus they produced. What that might be, I can only guess. I suspect my friend might have some opinion on this, so I'll ask him.
Further, it seems the Democrats, by delaying the presentation of Ford's accusations until the last minute, precipitated the ensuing media circus, although I suspect they'd find some way to counter this accusation. Whoever did cause it, both sides used the public venue to score their points. And while the Republicans could possibly claim they didn't want to have any part of this, they did engage full throttle even as they expressed sympathy for Kavanaugh's family. Did they really care about that? Who knows. I'm not going to judge. Besides, I'm not sure they had any choice once the whole thing was unleashed.
On balance, I thought it unseemly, frankly disgusting, to be dragging these two before the cameras, in light of the subject matter. And I really did think the treatment of Kavanaugh was outrageous, no matter what you think of him as a nominee. Being a husband and father, his comments about what this has done to his family really struck a note with me. Of course, these days, you expect to have your laundry will be aired aired in such hearings. But this one seemed to take this process to a new level - one that one hopes will never be repeated again, but one suspects will only get worse next time. Why anyone would want to subject themselves to this sort of treatment in the future is beyond me.
As for the second takeaway, I'll quote from an analyst* whose work I follow. He recently made these two points unrelated to the hearings. But I think you'll see how they apply:
"The way a politician wins elections is not by being an expert in economics, geopolitics, international trade, finance, military maters, or any of the other crucial areas about which he will make decisions. He wins elections by being an expert at winning elections.
"Those who lie more convincingly than their opponents become the winners."
He further refers to politicians as "experts at deception and tomfoolery."
These words were nothing new or surprising. Witnessing the Senate Judiciary Committee at work on Thursday more or less provided further confirmation of this. The other point he made, though, was disturbing, although not surprising:
"Something big is brewing...I think millions are at the end of their emotional ropes, and we are near the intensity of the divide between Americans just before the 1776 Revolution and the 1861 Civil War. The hope that is generated by Trump is all that is stalling off a third uprising."
Note that this fellow isn't a big fan of Trump. He's merely making an informed observation of the effect of Trump's presidency on a segment of the citizenry.
While the exaggerated division between Americans isn't news, I really hadn't thought of it in these terms. If you've got any knowledge of history, you'll understand the power of this statement and why it's so disturbing. If this guy's right, we're possibly sitting on a real powder keg. The Revolution and the Civil War involved Americans killing each other. (Remember that a large segment of the American population remained loyal to Great Britain and many were actively involved in fighting against the patriots who sought separation.) I may not lose sleep over this, but I'm sure going to keep my eyes and ears more keenly attuned to political developments as a result.
Meanwhile, we still don't have a new Justice appointed to the Supreme Court. That process may take a bit longer, given the recent calls for more investigation into Ford's allegations. And even then, Democrats have apparently indicated that they will attempt to impeach Kavanaugh if appointed. I guess they can add that to their efforts to impeach Trump.
While their efforts at preventing a Kavanaugh appointment and/or impeaching either Kavanaugh or Trump may not succeed, it does seem that something big is indeed brewing.
*Richard Maybury, quoting from the most recent edition of his "Early Warning Report"
A friend of mine, who's a real political junkie, watches all this stuff. He understands the machinations of Congressional hearings as well as legislative processes. I typically would check in with him and get some feedback and, usually, valuable insight regarding what's going on. I haven't contacted him yet re Thursday's sessions, but I will. When I do, since I did watch some of it, I'll tell him the following and be curious whether he agrees with me.
First, it seemed pretty clear that these sessions could have been conducted privately, out of the public eye. Given the nature of the allegations, they could have been investigated and the players interviewed without having it all aired by the media. That fact that it was makes me think the politicians involved saw some advantage in the media circus they produced. What that might be, I can only guess. I suspect my friend might have some opinion on this, so I'll ask him.
Further, it seems the Democrats, by delaying the presentation of Ford's accusations until the last minute, precipitated the ensuing media circus, although I suspect they'd find some way to counter this accusation. Whoever did cause it, both sides used the public venue to score their points. And while the Republicans could possibly claim they didn't want to have any part of this, they did engage full throttle even as they expressed sympathy for Kavanaugh's family. Did they really care about that? Who knows. I'm not going to judge. Besides, I'm not sure they had any choice once the whole thing was unleashed.
On balance, I thought it unseemly, frankly disgusting, to be dragging these two before the cameras, in light of the subject matter. And I really did think the treatment of Kavanaugh was outrageous, no matter what you think of him as a nominee. Being a husband and father, his comments about what this has done to his family really struck a note with me. Of course, these days, you expect to have your laundry will be aired aired in such hearings. But this one seemed to take this process to a new level - one that one hopes will never be repeated again, but one suspects will only get worse next time. Why anyone would want to subject themselves to this sort of treatment in the future is beyond me.
As for the second takeaway, I'll quote from an analyst* whose work I follow. He recently made these two points unrelated to the hearings. But I think you'll see how they apply:
"The way a politician wins elections is not by being an expert in economics, geopolitics, international trade, finance, military maters, or any of the other crucial areas about which he will make decisions. He wins elections by being an expert at winning elections.
"Those who lie more convincingly than their opponents become the winners."
He further refers to politicians as "experts at deception and tomfoolery."
These words were nothing new or surprising. Witnessing the Senate Judiciary Committee at work on Thursday more or less provided further confirmation of this. The other point he made, though, was disturbing, although not surprising:
"Something big is brewing...I think millions are at the end of their emotional ropes, and we are near the intensity of the divide between Americans just before the 1776 Revolution and the 1861 Civil War. The hope that is generated by Trump is all that is stalling off a third uprising."
Note that this fellow isn't a big fan of Trump. He's merely making an informed observation of the effect of Trump's presidency on a segment of the citizenry.
While the exaggerated division between Americans isn't news, I really hadn't thought of it in these terms. If you've got any knowledge of history, you'll understand the power of this statement and why it's so disturbing. If this guy's right, we're possibly sitting on a real powder keg. The Revolution and the Civil War involved Americans killing each other. (Remember that a large segment of the American population remained loyal to Great Britain and many were actively involved in fighting against the patriots who sought separation.) I may not lose sleep over this, but I'm sure going to keep my eyes and ears more keenly attuned to political developments as a result.
Meanwhile, we still don't have a new Justice appointed to the Supreme Court. That process may take a bit longer, given the recent calls for more investigation into Ford's allegations. And even then, Democrats have apparently indicated that they will attempt to impeach Kavanaugh if appointed. I guess they can add that to their efforts to impeach Trump.
While their efforts at preventing a Kavanaugh appointment and/or impeaching either Kavanaugh or Trump may not succeed, it does seem that something big is indeed brewing.
*Richard Maybury, quoting from the most recent edition of his "Early Warning Report"
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