Michael Hammerschlag W R I T I N G S
Censored
Dear Senator, October 3, 2018
You have a momentous decision to make- whether to approve a manifestly unfit Judge, one who is a confirmed liar and perjuror, and an apparent molester... for partisan reasons... or show some courage, honor, and caution; and reject him. Kavanaugh's hearing was almost cartoonishly bad: injudicial temperament, no trial experience, brain damage from years of young drinking, assault, possible rape, gang rape, 10 instances perjury, all partisan employment.
As a journalist who has often had to assess the honesty of sources, I'm convinced Bret is guilty as sin- his quivering outrage was carefully ginned up and manicured, but his self-serving self-pitying self-centeredness echoed Trump's narcissism and revealed the depth of his dysfunction and detachment- this IS a guy who could rape someone and believe HE was the victim! Obviously he was a serious heavy drinker at the time, and often out-of-control.
But this is more than losing the right to abortion or making all corporations untouchable or destroying unions... this is about whether Donald Trump becomes a dictator and the Constitution is trashed. Kavanaugh may have made a deal with Donald on protecting him from the closing Mueller net, and believes in the radical dangerous Unitary President theory. If he lets Chump seize power, we could lose 250 years of liberties in a flash.
He
is an existential threat to the United States and our system of
government.
The appointment of Kavanaugh would mean the
Supreme
Court has four justices appointed by presidents who lost the popular
vote; two justices accused of sexual misconduct and lying to the
Senate; and one justice who should have been Obama's. If you want to
destroy the Supreme Court's legitimacy,
few better ways to do it than appoint such a weird, unstable, and
dishonest character. This
would be the 2nd
radical appointment by a President who lost the popular vote by 3 mil
people, and whose legitimacy is also in doubt because of Russian
interference and a likely Conspiracy.
With FBI only have (practically) 5 days, and questioning limited to 4 witnesses, their results are meaningless. If you block questioning of accusers or contradictors, the whole thing is a sham. Especially Swetnick, whose gang rape allegations dwarf the others in seriousness and criminality.
Politically the Republican may lose women for a generation or two, if you let a sexual abuser appoint another one to the highest Court. Me Too is a movement that can't be underestimated, and these women have no reason to lie; you know what happens to critics of this President (as a sometime critic). Or Republicans may go the way of the Whigs!
I urge you, I beg you, reject this unfit candidate- who believes you owe him this seat because he has checked the right boxes- anyone acting that arrogantly and bizarrely wouldn't get a job at Arby's. We are at the threshold of the extreme division of our country tipping into real violence- such a lifelong partisan, among the most extreme ever suggested for the Supreme Court, could push our country over the edge.
If Trump proves nothing else, it is that courage is rewarded. A principled act of political courage, especially if it is in service of comity, decency, and justice; may glean you more (womens) votes than you lose. The GOP has devolved enough under Trump's ugliness.
Sincerely,
Michael Hammerschlag