For somebody who’s supposedly weighing a presidential run, Joe Biden sure has been quiet during the year’s biggest political drama. Not without reason — Republicans are following his 1991 playbook for the Anita Hill hearing, using things he said to Clarence Thomas as justification for their deference to Brett Kavanaugh.
Biden has had a comity addiction for most of his political career, priding himself on being a sort of Democratic John McCain, a pals-y straight-talker who can get along with everyone. But if his actions are any indication, “everyone” does not include women. … In 1991, The New York Times reported, that there were other occasions, according to Biden, when “he had been made aware of unsubstantiated reports of wrongdoings by nominees that he did not divulge in order to protect their reputations.” Let that sink in. Rather than take seriously, and investigate, claims about someone who was about to get a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court, he worried about that person’s “reputation.”
There’s plenty more at the link, and the arguments the article puts forward — along with Biden’s absence from the stage — seem like indications that he’ll realize his time has passed.
Biden isn’t the only one who suffered collateral damage from the Kavanaugh spectacle. It probably spells the end of the political career of Sen. Susan Collins, who’s up for re-election in 2020 and is caught in the middle. Collins is sort of the Tom Carper of Maine, a functionary who kept getting promoted because of rather than despite her blandness, one who plugs away at her job but occasionally bucks her party. This time, however her fence-straddling has generated passionate opposition from both sides.
Of course, the most collateral damage is being felt by the Republican Party, which now has to worry about Democrats moving to impeach Kavanaugh as soon as they get the chance.
The best story you’ll read about the larger context of the Kavanaugh hearings comes from The Atlantic, where Megan Garber connects the dots back to the culture of impunity that surrounds rich kids being groomed for positions among the elite. When it comes to cases like this, or countless others that have been in the news the past two years (Brock Turner et al), she details how radically different the standards are for a male who’s been drinking vs. a female who’s been drinking.
The alcohol-drenched sexual drama keeps obscuring the obvious — Kavanaugh is more political operative than lawyer, and continually crosses the line of fact on small, easily-refuted matter like his drinking. Indeed, he’s the epitome of the lawyer as trained, word-parsing liar. Hey, it’s a skill like any other, only morally bankrupt.
Finally, a historical look back at how controversial SCOTUS appointees have performed on the bench. Not to give away the whole game, but two words: Roger Taney.