Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) asserted that Brett Kavanaugh’s accusers “need to be heard, they need to be believed.” When Jake Tapper followed up with a question as to whether Kavanaugh himself deserved the presumption of innocence, she responded:

I put his denial in the context of everything that I know about him in terms of how he approaches his cases.

In other words, because his ideology doesn’t align with hers, he’s to be presumed guilty of whatever is alleged against him, due process be damned.

THIS IS A [REDACTED] UNITED STATES SENATOR!!! THIS IS SOMEONE WHO HAS SWORN AN OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION AND IS SUPPOSED TO UPHOLD THE COUNTRY’S CORE PRINCIPLES!!!!!

Hirono declared, openly and unabashedly, that she cares not about due process or the presumption of innocence, and instead will apply an ideological test to determine Kavanaugh’s guilt.

A nitpicker will point out that this is not a court of law, and therefore that the Senate is not bound by the rules of evidence, but that’s nothing more than an excuse to justify a character assassination and career destruction for partisan reasons. We are witnessing, yet again, an application of the Joy Behar Rule, which notes that people subordinate facts to political ideology.

Make no mistake, these hearings regarding are not about getting to the truth of the matter. They are not about determining whether Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations are factual or accurate. They are solely about influencing the outcome of the mid-term elections and about the ideological balance of the Supreme Court, either short-term or over the next couple decades.

It is unlikely that the Dems will recapture the Senate in this mid-term, given the reality of the numbers (25 D seats up for vote vs 8 R seats), but it’s possible, if the Republican base is so disgusted with the party’s fecklessness. Moreover, three red state Democrats will be given cover by this circus: if a vote happens quickly, they can vote “no” and assert that Ford wasn’t given a fair shake. If a vote happens after some time, they can vote “no” and assert that they believe Ford. If no vote happens, well, then their opponents cannot pillory them for voting against a Trump nominee.

It is likely that the Dems will recapture the House, based on history and current polling. The Dems’ scorched earth strategy could backfire, but I’m not holding my breath, and it’s likely that, no matter the outcome here, the Dem base will be energized to come out and vote for House seats.

And, it’s likely that Kavanaugh won’t be confirmed in time for the start of the current SCOTUS session (this Monday), which means that he won’t hear or vote on at least some of the October cases.

Hirono, by the way, was busted for leveraging the Kavanaugh allegation for fundraising purposes, and had to issue an apology. Her fundraising email included the howler “deny a fair investigation into the credible sexual misconduct allegations against him.” Her assertion about judging his guilt by his court decisions made it clear she has no interest in fairness, and her declaration that the allegation is “credible” prior to hearing Ford’s testimony makes it clear that she’s already made her mind up.

When a sitting United States Senator so brazenly uses the Constitution as fish wrap, it is no wonder that people’s confidence in government is as low as it is. What is of great wonder is how anyone could possibly think that giving such people more power is remotely a good idea.

As for the rest of them? Apart from three Dem senators in red states who were contemplating the political calculus, was a single Democrat going to vote for Kavanaugh prior to the release of the Ford accusation? Did a single Democrat hear what they both said and decide that Kavanaugh was being truthful and Ford was mistaken? Forget about the Republicans for a moment, and consider the odds of that outcome were this about fairness and not scorched-earth partisan politics.

This latest chapter of the Trump era has served – again – to illustrate that many of our elected officials, goaded on by many of our fellow citizens, have decided that our nation’s core rules and core values are no longer of any interest to them. All they want is power, power that was denied them by the voters, and they’ll break whatever they have to to get it.

Are these the people you want running your life?

• About the Author

About Peter Venetoklis

I am twice-retired, a former rocket engineer and a former small business owner. At the very least, it makes for interesting party conversation. I'm also a life-long libertarian, I engage in an expanse of entertainments, and I squabble for sport.

Nowadays, I spend a good bit of my time arguing politics and editing this website.

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