Justice: Not For Deplorable Dregs
By Mitch Berg
Would anyone in the media be paying attention to Christine Blasey Ford if she wasn’t an academic, reporter, or other “Elite?”
I’m overhearing the television, so I’m not going to link to anything, but I keep hearing the indicia of elite status — notably, that Blasey is a college professor.
I’m trying to think of how her allegations should be handled, and I want like cases to be treated alike. When will one allegation from long ago justify delaying the Senate confirmation process and the opening of new investigations?
The answer cannot be: when the accuser has elite status!
I’m thinking of how Paula Jones was denigrated 20 years ago. “If you drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you’ll find,” James Carville said famously.
It’s never been about making women safer, or justice. It’s about power.
September 20th, 2018 at 7:48 am
There is also a possible revenge motive with Blasey.
Kavanaugh’s mom, who was/is? also a judge, presided over a foreclosure case starting in 1990, where the defendants were Blasey’s parents.
September 20th, 2018 at 8:14 am
A long-time family friend (mother of a grade school classmate) shared a post from “Not My President.” It attempted to draw an equivalency between Al Franken and Brett Kavanaugh and calling Republicans hypocrites. Even now I want to demolish that piece of garbage with vicious, unfeelzing facts. And then I want to end with, He IS your President!
Heck, I won’t see the lady in person until Christmas Eve (unless my mother disinvites my from the party for being “mean” to her friend).
September 20th, 2018 at 8:34 am
Mitch, who wrote that section you quoted?
September 20th, 2018 at 8:38 am
reader15
Althouse – yesterday
September 20th, 2018 at 12:53 pm
Feinstein made this point emphatically not only in 1998, but also by failing to defund and investigate Planned Parenthood when it became obvious their policy was to only selectively, if at all, report clear evidence of statutory rape.
September 20th, 2018 at 1:10 pm
Bosshoss429 says:
“Kavanaugh’s mom, who was/is? also a judge, presided over a foreclosure case starting in 1990, where the defendants were Blasey’s parents.”
What a rube — do you believe everything your read on the internet?
/“There was, in fact, a 1996 foreclosure case involving Martha Kavanaugh and Dr. Blasey’s parents. But according to CBS News, the Blaseys settled with their bank, and Judge Kavanaugh dismissed the case. Citing court records, Snopes noted that Judge Kavanaugh’s ruling actually allowed the Blaseys to keep their home”./ ~ NYT
September 20th, 2018 at 2:18 pm
Speaking of rubes (and the pot calling the kettle black), Snopes has been totally discredited as an objective fact checker two years ago by the UK Daily Mail.
As for the New York Slimes…Really?
But, do try to keep up, Emery.
September 20th, 2018 at 4:51 pm
Emery, always the voice of the establishment!
September 20th, 2018 at 7:33 pm
BEHOLD Q 👁
September 20th, 2018 at 11:38 pm
It bothers me, Emery, that Ford is a psychologist, yet she has complete confidence in her memories of a short, traumatic encounter when she was in her mid teens, three and a half decades ago.
Ford was reticent to make absolute, public statements about that encounter until just a few days ago. Something is fishy here.
It’s not as though Kavanaugh has a record of abusing women.
Compare the transparency of Kavanaugh with the secrecy surrounding Ford.
When you can’t get an answer from the data, look to the meta data.
September 21st, 2018 at 9:46 am
But wait, boys who wait 35 years to report a priest sexually assaulting them are to be believed?
September 21st, 2018 at 10:45 am
The charges against the priests are being pursued legally, with corroberation by multiple witnesses and victims, indictments, an exposed paper trail, continuing patterns of predatory behavior, etc. Not at all the same thing. Anyone should be able to see that.
September 21st, 2018 at 11:14 am
No matter how much men bash women for reporting assaults, they’re still hesitant to report them.
It’s a real mystery.
September 21st, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Well, if she waits 35 years to report the assault, yes, Emery, she (or any male) can expect to be bashed. Use a little common sense, will you? The real world is not a feminist talking point.
September 21st, 2018 at 2:02 pm
Sacred Cows are exempt. Clinton and JFK had a list a mile long (At least JFKs squeezes were all consensual)
September 22nd, 2018 at 1:22 am
FYI, for those who do not know, getting a PhD is a big deal. Ford has a PhD. To get a PhD, you write a book. In the sciences it is usually a hundred or more pages long. You explain, in detail, the problem you are addressing, and how you will answer it. Using copious references, and personal research, you prove your thesis, and show that your research has contributed to human learning.
Then you defend your thesis before a committee of peers who do their best to tear your thesis, and your research, and your adherence to scholarly norms, to pieces. It is done in person. usually it takes a day. Sometime it might take several days, if your thesis is especially bold.
Your entire career depends on that thesis and your ability to defend it when attacked.
Ms. Ford says, through her lawyers, that she is unwilling to appear before the committee unless she “feels safe” no lawyers are allowed to question her, and Kavanaugh must testify first and not be present when she testifies.
What complete, utter bullshit.
It is a good system.
If you pass this trial by fire, you are granted a PhD.