Thank you Charlie for defending KBJ on this matter, especially since it reeks of QAnon subtext. KBJ advocating for a change where the laws are strange isn't remotely controversial, and of course, you could always solve the disparity by making both possession and receipt a five-year minimum sentence.
I confess that I am often hard on you Charlie, because I expect quality from you, and I am rarely disappointed in that output. Today you've shown why; I have no doubt that you probably disagree with KBJ on many issues, but the fact that you can say that she's more than qualified for the role is why you're worth listening to.
It's clear to everyone, or it should be, that she'd be a fine judge, and certainly not deserving of what Hawley is doing. It's disgraceful, and very little seems to meet that term these days in my opinion.
My general view has always been that presidents should have latitude when nominating judges, it's why I was fine with Gorsuch despite not being particularly supportive of his politics. KBJ is more than qualified for the role, so there's no reason she shouldn't be confirmed, but I'm sure the GOP will find reasons.
Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson comes with impeccable credentials: She went to Harvard Law, and graduated cum laude. Clerked for Supreme Court Justice Breyer. Spent more than a decade as a public defender. And eight years as a trial court judge in the DC US District Court. She was Vice Chair of the US Sentencing Commission. More credentials than anyone that Trump appointed and now serving. Yet, Tucker Carlson asked to see Judge Jackson’s LSAT scores- an exam you take to get into a Law School – something he never asked of Amy Coney Barrett or Brett Kavanaugh. And said her name was difficult to pronounce- just as he thought VP Kamala Harris’ was. Wonder why.
"There is no clear dividing line between the right and the far right in the 2020s".
Precisely. And this is the reason why that as a non-partisan, unaffiliated voter who had, up until 2016, voted a split ticket more often than not, I cannot and will not vote for a Republican candidate for any office, at any level of government, anytime, ever again, unless there's a radical change in the behavior of the GOP as a whole. For those who say "But what about Cheney, Kinzinger..." and the other handful of Republicans in DC and the states who have actually stood up squarely and unequivocally on the side of liberal democracy and who clearly stand against the forces seeking to undermine and destroy it, I say that that is not a line. It's a small fox hole on the front of an ongoing battle in a war that will determine the fate of our country either as a nation of laws or a nation of men.
I thank them for their service. But in any war, there are unintended and undeserving casualties. And while there are others in that party who may not actually be shouldering arms and firing volleys at the heart of who we are supposed to be as a nation, their failure to raise their heads from their bunkers and fire so much as a single round against the real enemies we face make them every bit as complicit as the Russian troops - however many or few there may be - who know that what they are doing in Ukraine is wrong, but march to their orders of the day nonetheless.
I'm not foolish enough to draw any parallels between the Democratic party and the good people of Ukraine. But sadly, when war comes, you must fight it with the army you've got, not the one you wish you had. In this fight, I sorely wish we had something resembling the latter rather than the former. But lacking that, until the GOP marches under a different flag, I'll stand against them with whatever means I have at my disposal, regardless of any noise some of them may be currently making about supporting and defending freedom in a foreign land. If and when they start showing the same spirit in supporting and defending freedom and liberty within our own borders and do something to prove their commitment to that enterprise, I may be persuaded to reconsider my position. But until then, me giving my vote to a Republican is about as likely as my sending a care package to a Russian soldier.
Perhaps the time is ripe for a nickname for Josh. I suggest Josh Haw-Haw, as in Lord Haw-Haw, clearly a mental mentor for the boy.
"Lord Haw-Haw was a nickname applied to William Joyce, who broadcast Nazi propaganda to the UK from Germany during the Second World War. The broadcasts opened with "Germany calling, Germany calling", spoken in an affected upper-class English accent.
Dan McLaughlin is out of his cotton pickin mind, this Ohio GOP moron cage match over their nomination is improving Tim Ryan’s odds every day… he’s a quality guy too, and I i’ll be voting for him (expat absentee)
Was a Republican for many years until Trump came around, and often wonder when I’ll be able -if ever- to wander back to voting GOP again. Races like this putrid Senate contest make it easy to put that off indefinitely
No it didn't always used to be this way. But this has defined what it means to be nominated to serve in government on any level whatsoever. Vast fundraising to oppose or support, media campaigns and social media gang wars.
At least Bork's rejection was a bipartisan decision and he got a fair vote. Bork also was his own worst defender.
Republicans will see this as their best chance to humiliate the nominee as they believe Kavanaugh and Barrett were humiliated. Resentment, retaliation and revenge are the driving principles today.
In this new world the objective isn't to stop a nomination--- just to smear the opposition.
I’m actually stunned by how utterly dishonest and shameless Josh Hawley is regarding KBJ’s record. Also, you know, in general. Somewhere along the way Hawley made a choice to be a shameless troll. I don’t see him every being POTUS because nobody likes somebody with such an apparent “try hard” vibe.
It's inreresting to watch all these would be's who think they can be President and sadly one of them might make it, God help us. It appears Hawley is in charge of trying to screw up the court hearings. Cruise is dealing with the truckers, riding around in circles with them. DeSantis appears to be doing everything he can to screw up his state to the point it may never recover or at least be a clone of Texas. Then there is Abbott of Texas building the wall that won't stop anyone and trying to run gay folks out of the state. Pompeo is losing weight so you can't recognize who he used to be.
I don't believe the Dumper will run again once he harvests all the possible dollars from his MAGA bunch "the great unwashed" who still think he is President. I'm sure glad my years are running down because the future looks bleak!
There is no clear dividing line between the right and the far right in the 2020s.
That's because it is now All Far Right. The fascists have taken over, stolen the word "conservative" the way Hitler and the Nazis did, and they now believe they have no reason to hide their true beliefs.
What was PizzaGate, 2 months after Dennis Hastert went to jail? Then the doctor Jim Jordan worked with. Then the bipartisan but trumpy list of Epstein friends. Then Matt Gaetz. Not to mention the Christian camp in Missouri and a dozen other little scandals. Q-anon did a pretty good job of projecting attention towards the Democrats, easy to see why someone like Hawley would jump on it.
I read George Will's questions for KBJ and wasn't all that impressed. They pretty much boiled down to "will you please protect white fragility?" and "will you please rule against government public-health related mandates?"
Quick History lesson: The GOP have always been the party of isolationism, at least as far back as the early 20th Century. FDR didn't stay out of WWII from '39-41 because the Dems didn't want him to get involved. The Republican party went so far as to say Hilter was good for the German economy. So their newfound isolationism is just a return to type.
Has Josh Hawley surpassed Ted Cruise as the most despicable person in the U.S. Senate? (The House has a whole 'nother level of crazy)
Thank you Charlie for defending KBJ on this matter, especially since it reeks of QAnon subtext. KBJ advocating for a change where the laws are strange isn't remotely controversial, and of course, you could always solve the disparity by making both possession and receipt a five-year minimum sentence.
I confess that I am often hard on you Charlie, because I expect quality from you, and I am rarely disappointed in that output. Today you've shown why; I have no doubt that you probably disagree with KBJ on many issues, but the fact that you can say that she's more than qualified for the role is why you're worth listening to.
It's clear to everyone, or it should be, that she'd be a fine judge, and certainly not deserving of what Hawley is doing. It's disgraceful, and very little seems to meet that term these days in my opinion.
My general view has always been that presidents should have latitude when nominating judges, it's why I was fine with Gorsuch despite not being particularly supportive of his politics. KBJ is more than qualified for the role, so there's no reason she shouldn't be confirmed, but I'm sure the GOP will find reasons.
Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson comes with impeccable credentials: She went to Harvard Law, and graduated cum laude. Clerked for Supreme Court Justice Breyer. Spent more than a decade as a public defender. And eight years as a trial court judge in the DC US District Court. She was Vice Chair of the US Sentencing Commission. More credentials than anyone that Trump appointed and now serving. Yet, Tucker Carlson asked to see Judge Jackson’s LSAT scores- an exam you take to get into a Law School – something he never asked of Amy Coney Barrett or Brett Kavanaugh. And said her name was difficult to pronounce- just as he thought VP Kamala Harris’ was. Wonder why.
"There is no clear dividing line between the right and the far right in the 2020s".
Precisely. And this is the reason why that as a non-partisan, unaffiliated voter who had, up until 2016, voted a split ticket more often than not, I cannot and will not vote for a Republican candidate for any office, at any level of government, anytime, ever again, unless there's a radical change in the behavior of the GOP as a whole. For those who say "But what about Cheney, Kinzinger..." and the other handful of Republicans in DC and the states who have actually stood up squarely and unequivocally on the side of liberal democracy and who clearly stand against the forces seeking to undermine and destroy it, I say that that is not a line. It's a small fox hole on the front of an ongoing battle in a war that will determine the fate of our country either as a nation of laws or a nation of men.
I thank them for their service. But in any war, there are unintended and undeserving casualties. And while there are others in that party who may not actually be shouldering arms and firing volleys at the heart of who we are supposed to be as a nation, their failure to raise their heads from their bunkers and fire so much as a single round against the real enemies we face make them every bit as complicit as the Russian troops - however many or few there may be - who know that what they are doing in Ukraine is wrong, but march to their orders of the day nonetheless.
I'm not foolish enough to draw any parallels between the Democratic party and the good people of Ukraine. But sadly, when war comes, you must fight it with the army you've got, not the one you wish you had. In this fight, I sorely wish we had something resembling the latter rather than the former. But lacking that, until the GOP marches under a different flag, I'll stand against them with whatever means I have at my disposal, regardless of any noise some of them may be currently making about supporting and defending freedom in a foreign land. If and when they start showing the same spirit in supporting and defending freedom and liberty within our own borders and do something to prove their commitment to that enterprise, I may be persuaded to reconsider my position. But until then, me giving my vote to a Republican is about as likely as my sending a care package to a Russian soldier.
Perhaps the time is ripe for a nickname for Josh. I suggest Josh Haw-Haw, as in Lord Haw-Haw, clearly a mental mentor for the boy.
"Lord Haw-Haw was a nickname applied to William Joyce, who broadcast Nazi propaganda to the UK from Germany during the Second World War. The broadcasts opened with "Germany calling, Germany calling", spoken in an affected upper-class English accent.
Lord Haw-Haw - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Haw-Haw"
Dan McLaughlin is out of his cotton pickin mind, this Ohio GOP moron cage match over their nomination is improving Tim Ryan’s odds every day… he’s a quality guy too, and I i’ll be voting for him (expat absentee)
Was a Republican for many years until Trump came around, and often wonder when I’ll be able -if ever- to wander back to voting GOP again. Races like this putrid Senate contest make it easy to put that off indefinitely
No it didn't always used to be this way. But this has defined what it means to be nominated to serve in government on any level whatsoever. Vast fundraising to oppose or support, media campaigns and social media gang wars.
At least Bork's rejection was a bipartisan decision and he got a fair vote. Bork also was his own worst defender.
Republicans will see this as their best chance to humiliate the nominee as they believe Kavanaugh and Barrett were humiliated. Resentment, retaliation and revenge are the driving principles today.
In this new world the objective isn't to stop a nomination--- just to smear the opposition.
A little disappointed you didn't link the Cancel Culture attacks you discussed yesterday and the pedo-baiting today. Are they not the same?
I’m actually stunned by how utterly dishonest and shameless Josh Hawley is regarding KBJ’s record. Also, you know, in general. Somewhere along the way Hawley made a choice to be a shameless troll. I don’t see him every being POTUS because nobody likes somebody with such an apparent “try hard” vibe.
It's inreresting to watch all these would be's who think they can be President and sadly one of them might make it, God help us. It appears Hawley is in charge of trying to screw up the court hearings. Cruise is dealing with the truckers, riding around in circles with them. DeSantis appears to be doing everything he can to screw up his state to the point it may never recover or at least be a clone of Texas. Then there is Abbott of Texas building the wall that won't stop anyone and trying to run gay folks out of the state. Pompeo is losing weight so you can't recognize who he used to be.
I don't believe the Dumper will run again once he harvests all the possible dollars from his MAGA bunch "the great unwashed" who still think he is President. I'm sure glad my years are running down because the future looks bleak!
There is no clear dividing line between the right and the far right in the 2020s.
That's because it is now All Far Right. The fascists have taken over, stolen the word "conservative" the way Hitler and the Nazis did, and they now believe they have no reason to hide their true beliefs.
What was PizzaGate, 2 months after Dennis Hastert went to jail? Then the doctor Jim Jordan worked with. Then the bipartisan but trumpy list of Epstein friends. Then Matt Gaetz. Not to mention the Christian camp in Missouri and a dozen other little scandals. Q-anon did a pretty good job of projecting attention towards the Democrats, easy to see why someone like Hawley would jump on it.
I read George Will's questions for KBJ and wasn't all that impressed. They pretty much boiled down to "will you please protect white fragility?" and "will you please rule against government public-health related mandates?"
Dan McLaughlin is delusional. Mr. Vanderbrouk is absolutely correct.
Quick History lesson: The GOP have always been the party of isolationism, at least as far back as the early 20th Century. FDR didn't stay out of WWII from '39-41 because the Dems didn't want him to get involved. The Republican party went so far as to say Hilter was good for the German economy. So their newfound isolationism is just a return to type.