On Brett Kavanaugh

Never have I been more deeply disappointed in the political discourse of America— perhaps not even when Donald Trump was elected back in 2016.

Today we stand on the precipice of a generation of America to come. The final vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh seems all but set in stone for later today, in spite of all the turbulence and chaos that has dominated the past few weeks. This vote matters tremendously— Kavanaugh will sit on the bench for life, occupying one of the very limited nine seats. Unforeseen circumstances aside, this means it is a vote that will have consequences extending decades into the future.

Contrary to what is probably presumed belief, I am not a raging, blind supporter of Dr. Blasey Ford. The lines between truth and fiction are blurred, an inevitable circumstance of the matter. Based on her testimony alone, I cannot know if she is truly accurately recalling the events from all those years ago. As much as I wish I could simply take her word for the truth, I cannot. It’s true that past records have shown the victim is more likely to be credible than the accused, but true objectivity nevertheless demands that the truth be governed on the basis of fact, taking into account even the smallest chances of uncertainties. Maybe she is telling what she believes to be the truth, maybe it was a failed political move by the Democrats to delay the process, or maybe it was a combination of both.

Regardless, however, doubting Dr. Ford does not clear the record for Kavanaugh. Just as Dr. Ford’s words must be taken with some level of uncertainty, so must Kavanaugh’s. The typical standard holds that one is innocent until proven guilty. The justification for Kavanaugh has been to say that he has not been afforded this same benefit of the doubt. But Supreme Court justices should be held to the highest moral standards, as they are supposed to represent America’s highest dignity and standards for objective morality (an oxymoron, I know). At the very least, Kavanaugh’s character has become majorly questionable, and that is a problem. He is questionable until proven innocent, and he has already proved himself not to be.

There are things that we know for certain: Kavanaugh was disingenuous on the stand, evidenced by the false claim of the “double triangle” as a drinking game and the stuttering fumble of “I like beer, we like beer.” While we don’t necessarily know that he specifically attempted to rape Dr. Ford, we do know that he got blackout drunk and engaged in reckless and crass behaviors. There are some pretty pertinent moral questions raised here: can people change? And if they do change, are they excused from their past behavior? (Side note: the utter relevance of The Crucible does not go unnoticed.)

I don’t know the answers to these questions, but this situation speaks volumes about Republicans. Republicans have chosen to disregard all of the doubt casted on Kavanaugh on the grounds that he will further their political agenda. By all means, a Republican Congress, as elected by the will of the people, has the full right to push a conservative bench, given the nature of the system. Had this simply been the case, I would have been much less disappointed and much more forgiving of the implications.

But perhaps most off-putting of all his testimony, Kavanaugh’s opening statement was aggressive and political. It was a declaration to the American public that he was not a nonpartisan figure— pretty terrifying, considering the court is designed to be the last defense against partisanship and a key player in the system of checks and balances.

I do believe you can have conservative beliefs and still be ultimately nonpartisan. The Republicans had a list of at least 24 other equally-qualified conservative candidates. Why not just let Kavanaugh go and nominate another candidate?

Three reasons. Confirming Kavanaugh proves defiance of the Democrats’ agenda, ensures they lock in conservative influence before they lose the House to the Dems, and gives them a victory that will appeal to Republican voters in November.

These all link back, of course, to the ultimate reason. Kavanaugh’s moral character thrown aside, he will be the necessary vote to make decisions like overturning Roe v. Wade, easily one of the most hot button social issues for voters. In this way, supporters of Kavanaugh are showing they are willing to cast aside their moral integrity for the sake of banning abortion, and any argument that Kavanaugh will act as a neutralizing force on the court, such as that made by Collins, falls flat.

To validate Kavanaugh is to validate a terrible culture in this country. It is validating the notion that young men who behave recklessly and immorally, can behave recklessly and immorally and treat women as they please because of their privilege. It sends a message loud and clear that they will not only get away with it, but they can go on to succeed enormously. These are recessive times we live in. Kavanaugh’s confirmation is less of a surprise and more of a continuation of the divisive politics that first took root in 2016. As a young woman and a regular American, I am in all honesty scared of the implications in the years ahead, and today I am not sure I have anything redeeming to say.