Regardless of political affiliation, it is impossible to excuse any of the parties responsible, with the exception of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, for turning Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing to the United States Supreme Court into a circus.
It started with Ford’s letter detailing her alleged sexual assault at the hands of Kavanaugh to California Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein back in early July. It became apparent the D.C. circuit judge was likely to be granted a seat on the bench following his nomination by President Donald Trump and all members involved on the political side of this process have dropped the ball.
As far as how the actual confirmation hearing went, the most jarring issue that arose feels as if it has been brushed away in the days following by the mainstream media. The issue is that even with Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake’s revelation that he would not guarantee a vote in favor of confirming Kavanaugh unless there was an FBI probe, Ford’s words fell on deaf ears.
When Republican members of the Judiciary Committee were given mic time during the hearing, they mostly stuck to issues pertaining to only a partisan agenda.
On both sides of the committee, the mudslinging that has become so prominent in politics was at the forefront. Somewhere in between senators from both, parties arguing the Democrats attempt to delay Kavanaugh’s confirmation was Ford’s heartfelt testimony about her sexual assault story.
Despite her poised and compelling time on the stand, Ford has become an afterthought in media coverage in favor of when Sen. Mitch McConnell can get the confirmation vote to the floor of the senate, which the GOP controls until at least the midterm elections next month.
Though it is obviously a political issue because of the weight that the U.S. Supreme Court holds, politics must be pushed to the backburner for the time being while the issue of women and sexual assault is given more consideration.
After what was clearly a difficult experience for Ford on national television and watching the subsequent brushing of her words under the theoretical rug, that sets a difficult hurdle for women who could possibly be looking to speak out on sexual assault claims.
In fairness, Ford was given a stage to tell her story and make an effort to convince the Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh was the predator she described him as. But, looking back, her words never had the chance to change anything. Flake’s push toward an FBI investigation is doing Ford a favor, but the GOP White House instructed the investigators to keep a limited scope. And this is all over a judge.
The selection of the next seat on the Supreme Court is very important to the future of the country, but the main focus has been lost and needs to be rediscovered. It will not be easy to get there, but people affected by sexual assault need to be heard and taken seriously.
Photo provided by Pixabay
