Oh geez, Kavanugh could have been fondling Blasey Ford right there and then in the confirmation hearing and HE STILL would have been confirmed!!! It is quite possible that his seating on the SC could be the most corrupt in history.
Can you imagine the reaction if Blasey Ford had sniveled, wept, and whimpered half as much as Kavanaugh? Never forget his unmitigated gall to respond to Amy Klobuchar thus: “I like beer. Do you like beer, Senator?” Scum of the earth now sits for life on the highest court of the land.
AND William Barr, who was also Attorney General for Poppy Bush, advised him to pardon 6 individuals who, with their testimony in the Iran-Contra scandal, could have exposed just how far IN 'the loop' George Herbert Walker really was.
I saw Lisa Desjardins/PBS reporter (on TV) in the hallway as Kavanaugh was escorted into the hearing room, hand-in-hand with his wife. How I wanted her to meet up with the wife afterward so she could ask, 'Was his hand sweaty?' ..
I felt sorry for Kavanaugh’s wife. When he was sobbing and feeling sorry for himself, then indulged in an embarrassing rant, I was looking at her, because he’s probably played the “rant” card quite often to get his way at home. It’s a typical narcissistic manipulation.
Ethical witness preparation should not influence the substance of testimony or “reshape” the witness's independent recollection. It is appropriate and legitimate to enhance the manner and clarity with which a witness will present untainted recollection.
Mr. Reich, you need to write a play. Actually, you have written a play, you just have to put two acts to it. It’ll play, it’ll play real well! You will find fabulous actors, and it will win the Pulitzer Prize. Or the Tony or whatever they give for plays. Hey, they’ll even make a movie. I mean you’ve got the dialogue, it’s all right there!! It’s already superb. It is TRUTH, it is real, it is passionate, dramatic, comedic, what else do you need?! YOU are a playwright! You may already have a title: “Lessons Learned; or how to survive a Senate confirmation hearing without really trying.” Thank you, those were great scenes!
So true. What Dr. Reich is referring to here is human psychology as it relates to ego. As it turns out, real life isn’t necessarily about how correct or how right you are, but how you cater to the ego of the listener. I failed to understand this fundamental truth for most of my life...and I think this gets to our problem with the MAGA people. We can scream the truth to high heaven, but if their egos feel bruised they’ll never accept the leadership of the educated.
That sounds like a few job interviews that I went on. I wish somebody had educated me on how to respond like those staffers did Robert. I usually didn't get the job, and I wondered why. I was never good at sucking up, and I didn't even realize that's what I was supposed to do. Too bad I didn't have some interview coaches. I read up on how to do a job interview, but they never mentioned you must show so much respect and respond not answer the questions. All that kinda goes against the natural instinct learned at school to show how brilliant you are. I'm just glad I won't ever have to do that kind of thing ever again. It was never much fun.
Yes, so sad that we have to spend so much of our time "playing the game" while doing a job to make a living. I refused after awhile and am paying the financial price but feel more peaceful and satisfied as a result.
I did the same thing although it's much more complicated than that, but, like you, the price financially that I've paid is serious. I'm retired, but my life is considerably less comfortable than I would like or had planned for. My generation put up with far more than we should have, but people can only do so much. We had a lot to deal with starting for me with that dreadful Viet Nam War. I should have known then that life would prove more difficult than we had been promised.
I'll have to say that I'm happier than I've been since I was a teenager. It's good to unload all the needs and desires that push us to do so many things we hate and never wanted to peruse. That includes people who exert some degree of control over one's life. Call me crazy, but peace of mind is a wonderful thing. lol
Amen!! Thanks for sharing your story! It is affirming to hear how someone at your level of expertise did things differently and ended on a "good note!"
I understand completely. I imagine every form of music faces limitations and rules made by those who really lack the inspiration and imagination that makes a great musician. Some are able to find that elusive success in spite of all the opposition. They learn early on how to maneuver through the maze. I was not one of them, but my love of music has endured just like yours has. Good luck to you.
Most interviewers (even many in HR) don't know how to conduct an interview. Unless the situation calls for a highly trained & experienced candidate, they just want to know (even if only subliminally) that the candidate will fit into the group.
Yes! and the 1 new thing I learned when applying for a job (my dream retirement job) was: don't lie, but don't tell the whole truth and don't volunteer more information than strictly is asked - - -about my situation (semi handicapped post bi-lateral knee replacement, i.e. strokes) which is not outwardly obvious, but personally impeding nonetheless ~ The 2nd thing was not - filling in the
salary expected/required ? with TBD. That leaves it open to presumption that, because of my age
and experience, I'd want more $ than they were willing to pay rather than my simply wanting to
add to my meager retirement income ~ so me and my cat could live -comfortably -
I've been having a difficult time with a very stubborn boss, and this is a tough but needed lesson to learn. I've never been good at this sort of thing either. I'm only book-smart, and you can't learn these skills from books.
Luckily, my contact with people like that is seriously limited by my choice. If I run into a difficult person, it's goodbye Susie. I don't deal with them. I don't have to anymore. Some of the most difficult people we have to deal with as it turns out is our own family, and perhaps the most difficult could even be a spouse. Of course, my younger brother is the only family I have left that I have to deal with. He's one of the most difficult people ever. I've outlived everyone else. By the way, my brother lives 2,000 miles from me in CA. I haven't seen him in 10 years. He refuses to come back home to Georgia for a visit, and I can't go to CA to visit him, but I'm in contact with him almost every day. It's all good.
The bad thing about your situation is there's nothing that can be done when the boss is a prick, and from my experiences, most of them are. So, you either have to move on, or suck it up and deal with it which is what most people do. I think their skin was always much thicker than mine was. Honestly, it takes a very thick skin to deal with some of these people, or you have to be so success driven that you let nothing deter you, even a crappy boss. Good luck to you. I hope you figure it out.
Oh no, I don't regret anything. It just might have made things more difficult for me than they should have been. But most everything I did made life more difficult than it should have been, but for the most part it has been, and still is, a gas. lol
We all have sold ourselves to some extent, but I was never successful at it. So, from that standpoint I didn't sell out. I might have been willing to sell out to a greater extent when I was a young man, but the older I got the less inclined I was to do so until at some point, I completely refused. Not that anybody was buying. You know, it's much easier to have scruples when nobody is buying.
Elena Kagan knew how to answer hypocritical bigots of the Senate: “During those proceedings, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked Kagan, who is Jewish, how she spent the last Christmas holiday.
“Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant,” Kagan quipped, prompting hearty laughter and applause in the hearing room.”
Too bad what Brett Kavanaugh had to say or not say didn’t even matter one way or another. It’s just a numbers game when it comes to the tyranny of the minority.
That was one of the worst hearings I can remember. What a damn embarrassment. Between the rage, the red face, the crying, the tortured wife in the background, I thought I was watching an afternoon soap opera.
and how very much he and his friends disrespected women to the point of illegal actions which just like clarence thomas’s case were not heard or respected by Comgress
Yeah, so much for displaying a "judicial temperament". Kavanaugh knew he had drumpf and Moscow Mitch in his corner so he wasn't worried. the FBI never vetted him completely and Mitch would've pushed his nomination through regardless of the theatrical antics he staged. It was a disgusting display from a spoilt man-baby who has never been told "NO"...hmmm, think hard...of whom does that remind all of us?
This sounds very familiar to me. During the 50’s every woman was trained to hide her intelligence, never outshine a man, and always cater to a man’s needs first. The home is the man’s castle and he has the last word in all decisions. Woman must never show anger. These ideas of male superiority still haunt women . Dr Reich had to endure this for a short time. It is a good lesson in how many have to speak to power. We often call it, don’t poke the dragon. I hope once he was able to be in the cabinet, true communication was valued. We saw how Trumps sickophant cabinet had to continue to praise Trump and never let him know he was the emperor with no clothes. Watching the confirmation hearing of Ketinji Brown Jackson shows this is still the game that was played. Actually having mutual respect and honesty would be a better model, but historically people in power prefer praise and awe. What a dysfunctional species we are.
So true that women have to learn this lesson about sucking up very early in life (not just in the '50s but throughout history and even today). And as I watched part of the video of Reich's confirmation hearing, I was reminded how recently women and people of color have been senators. Reich's hearing was all white men, except for one white woman, Nancy Kassebaum, who was the first woman elected to a full term in the Senate without having first gotten in through her husband's death (because the wife was considered an extension of the husband).
I have heard it said that those who feed at the public trough have no self respect, therfore expect and demand a show of public respect. Your experience clearly shows that. Thank you for your insights.
Great article! Here’s a question. Why should a Congress agree to confirm a single appointment if an Executive refuses to comply with it’s subpoenas? That is a singularly emphatic display of disrespect, no?
That's really interesting. This rite of passage, even with a "friendly" group of Senators; to have to be coached on how to properly genuflect when you know the answer cold has got to be really difficult for any intelligent person. Kind of makes me wonder if anything has really changed since we were living in caves. You know, back when the guy that ran the place was the brute who swung the heaviest club....
Thank you for writing this. I work in a profession where my knowledge and deference are tested about 4x an hour. The truth is, for most people, in most workplaces, there's someone who wants either their ass kissed or acknowledgement that they also know things.
We have a hard relationship with knowing here in the America. We have to point out we know things. Our knowledge isn't useful unless other people know we know things. It all very much gets in the way of creating wisdom from knowledge.
I'm not sure I like reading about how the sausage is made.
I know! watching Kavanaughtius Maximus'
Senate performance surely
turned My stomach
.
he too was Well-schooled
but his promises of Retribution
seemed to Defy common sense
.
and yet
There He IS.
Oh geez, Kavanugh could have been fondling Blasey Ford right there and then in the confirmation hearing and HE STILL would have been confirmed!!! It is quite possible that his seating on the SC could be the most corrupt in history.
'our' formerly-Supreme Court
has lost All Credibility and
now is mostly just a Rub-
ber Stamp for Right-
wing reactionaries
Corporations &
Billionaire Rule.
time for some
Re-packing.
Can you imagine the reaction if Blasey Ford had sniveled, wept, and whimpered half as much as Kavanaugh? Never forget his unmitigated gall to respond to Amy Klobuchar thus: “I like beer. Do you like beer, Senator?” Scum of the earth now sits for life on the highest court of the land.
Maybe his bad habits will catch up with him....
..and then there was Bushie-Boy, sending HW off with a tearful 'He was the best dad ..' The guy who gave us Clarence Thomas.
AND William Barr, who was also Attorney General for Poppy Bush, advised him to pardon 6 individuals who, with their testimony in the Iran-Contra scandal, could have exposed just how far IN 'the loop' George Herbert Walker really was.
I agree. The most corrupt so far anyway.
🥵🥵🥵🤬
"Devil's Triangle"
"Kava-nauseous" is very apt indeed!
Kavanaugh just made the Senate look like the weak fools they are.
"Republicans" HATE Democracy
and're doing All they Can to prove
the Gov't DONT WORK. All they want
is to Drown it in a Bathtub full of Fascism.
I saw Lisa Desjardins/PBS reporter (on TV) in the hallway as Kavanaugh was escorted into the hearing room, hand-in-hand with his wife. How I wanted her to meet up with the wife afterward so she could ask, 'Was his hand sweaty?' ..
I felt sorry for Kavanaugh’s wife. When he was sobbing and feeling sorry for himself, then indulged in an embarrassing rant, I was looking at her, because he’s probably played the “rant” card quite often to get his way at home. It’s a typical narcissistic manipulation.
Stockholm Syndrome is
Rampant in right-wing Utopia:
Free the Womenfolk
& Free the Planet.
In the trade, called "witness preparation."
They don't teach this in law school. But there are courses in it. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/government_public/publications/public-lawyer/2022-winter/effective-witness-preparation/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/tips-testifying
Ethical witness preparation should not influence the substance of testimony or “reshape” the witness's independent recollection. It is appropriate and legitimate to enhance the manner and clarity with which a witness will present untainted recollection.
I'm not big on "sit and squirm" justice, but there are "tells" that reveal when a witness has been coached. https://www.rid.uscourts.gov/sites/rid/files/historical/documents/20170927-LitigationAcademy-Direct-CrossExaminationSkills-NK-Presentation-PP.pdf
Right. The perils of being appointed, not elected.
Its even worse at the abattoir...
Mr. Reich, you need to write a play. Actually, you have written a play, you just have to put two acts to it. It’ll play, it’ll play real well! You will find fabulous actors, and it will win the Pulitzer Prize. Or the Tony or whatever they give for plays. Hey, they’ll even make a movie. I mean you’ve got the dialogue, it’s all right there!! It’s already superb. It is TRUTH, it is real, it is passionate, dramatic, comedic, what else do you need?! YOU are a playwright! You may already have a title: “Lessons Learned; or how to survive a Senate confirmation hearing without really trying.” Thank you, those were great scenes!
Another movie title idea: “The Hearing”
(A comedy horror film?)
or 'Six Angry Men.'
I like the way you phrased this = very Dumpty Trumptyian. It was fun to read. I, too, find myself
in D.T.ian speech modes - than mentally slap myself ~
So true. What Dr. Reich is referring to here is human psychology as it relates to ego. As it turns out, real life isn’t necessarily about how correct or how right you are, but how you cater to the ego of the listener. I failed to understand this fundamental truth for most of my life...and I think this gets to our problem with the MAGA people. We can scream the truth to high heaven, but if their egos feel bruised they’ll never accept the leadership of the educated.
I've been looking for a way to say just this ^^^.
Or more accurately, to understand just this.
Along with the Dunning-Krueger effect, my understanding of MAGA has been significantly increased.
Now, the educated must ask our professionals "What to do with this new understanding?"
How can we sooth and retrieve such damaged souls when there are millions of them? Sadly, one-on-one therapy and deprogramming seems impossible.
Is there a way to reverse the mass psychosis of 7 +/- years of mass propaganda?
Oh, Faux Noise has been pumping out this toxic mind-bending garbage for longer than 7+/- years!!!
Right! Jon Stewart built his career on The Daily Show (1999-2015) on pointing out the garbage being spewed on Fox News.
That sounds like a few job interviews that I went on. I wish somebody had educated me on how to respond like those staffers did Robert. I usually didn't get the job, and I wondered why. I was never good at sucking up, and I didn't even realize that's what I was supposed to do. Too bad I didn't have some interview coaches. I read up on how to do a job interview, but they never mentioned you must show so much respect and respond not answer the questions. All that kinda goes against the natural instinct learned at school to show how brilliant you are. I'm just glad I won't ever have to do that kind of thing ever again. It was never much fun.
Yes, so sad that we have to spend so much of our time "playing the game" while doing a job to make a living. I refused after awhile and am paying the financial price but feel more peaceful and satisfied as a result.
I did the same thing although it's much more complicated than that, but, like you, the price financially that I've paid is serious. I'm retired, but my life is considerably less comfortable than I would like or had planned for. My generation put up with far more than we should have, but people can only do so much. We had a lot to deal with starting for me with that dreadful Viet Nam War. I should have known then that life would prove more difficult than we had been promised.
I understand what you are saying and hope you feel some type of comfort beyond the physical for living life on your terms!?
I'll have to say that I'm happier than I've been since I was a teenager. It's good to unload all the needs and desires that push us to do so many things we hate and never wanted to peruse. That includes people who exert some degree of control over one's life. Call me crazy, but peace of mind is a wonderful thing. lol
Glad to hear that, Charlie! Glad to meet a fellow “crazy!!”
Good for you!
Amen!! Thanks for sharing your story! It is affirming to hear how someone at your level of expertise did things differently and ended on a "good note!"
I understand completely. I imagine every form of music faces limitations and rules made by those who really lack the inspiration and imagination that makes a great musician. Some are able to find that elusive success in spite of all the opposition. They learn early on how to maneuver through the maze. I was not one of them, but my love of music has endured just like yours has. Good luck to you.
Most interviewers (even many in HR) don't know how to conduct an interview. Unless the situation calls for a highly trained & experienced candidate, they just want to know (even if only subliminally) that the candidate will fit into the group.
And that must have been what made it so difficult for me being a square peg. lol
Yes! and the 1 new thing I learned when applying for a job (my dream retirement job) was: don't lie, but don't tell the whole truth and don't volunteer more information than strictly is asked - - -about my situation (semi handicapped post bi-lateral knee replacement, i.e. strokes) which is not outwardly obvious, but personally impeding nonetheless ~ The 2nd thing was not - filling in the
salary expected/required ? with TBD. That leaves it open to presumption that, because of my age
and experience, I'd want more $ than they were willing to pay rather than my simply wanting to
add to my meager retirement income ~ so me and my cat could live -comfortably -
To continue: I never did get an in person job interview, even though I checked up on IF ? they got
my paper application. So I've had to make my own assumptions about - why not ~ Sigh ~
I would have loved to work there even part time (SKY Nursery, indoor & out - everything in north
Seattle. And right up my lifetime interest, training & experiences ~ Sigh ~
Mr. Jervis, what a wonderful response. Your humility is inspiring.
Well, thank you very much. At my age, there's no other way for me to be. lol
I just turned 74. You still get credit.
To thine own self be true (if you’re independently wealthy).
And who the hell on here is wealthy?
Yes, too often sadly true!
I've been having a difficult time with a very stubborn boss, and this is a tough but needed lesson to learn. I've never been good at this sort of thing either. I'm only book-smart, and you can't learn these skills from books.
Most of us were not trained in how to deal with difficult people, solve conflicts in positive ways. Never too late to learn!
Luckily, my contact with people like that is seriously limited by my choice. If I run into a difficult person, it's goodbye Susie. I don't deal with them. I don't have to anymore. Some of the most difficult people we have to deal with as it turns out is our own family, and perhaps the most difficult could even be a spouse. Of course, my younger brother is the only family I have left that I have to deal with. He's one of the most difficult people ever. I've outlived everyone else. By the way, my brother lives 2,000 miles from me in CA. I haven't seen him in 10 years. He refuses to come back home to Georgia for a visit, and I can't go to CA to visit him, but I'm in contact with him almost every day. It's all good.
The bad thing about your situation is there's nothing that can be done when the boss is a prick, and from my experiences, most of them are. So, you either have to move on, or suck it up and deal with it which is what most people do. I think their skin was always much thicker than mine was. Honestly, it takes a very thick skin to deal with some of these people, or you have to be so success driven that you let nothing deter you, even a crappy boss. Good luck to you. I hope you figure it out.
I’m glad you weren’t coached to belittle yourself. It’s too bad you regret it.
Oh no, I don't regret anything. It just might have made things more difficult for me than they should have been. But most everything I did made life more difficult than it should have been, but for the most part it has been, and still is, a gas. lol
I thought you said you didn’t sell yourself.
We all have sold ourselves to some extent, but I was never successful at it. So, from that standpoint I didn't sell out. I might have been willing to sell out to a greater extent when I was a young man, but the older I got the less inclined I was to do so until at some point, I completely refused. Not that anybody was buying. You know, it's much easier to have scruples when nobody is buying.
I think we would be better off raised by wolves.
Bob,
I got nervous just reading this, AND I’m not even nominated for anything! Ha!
I hear you! Me, too!
Elena Kagan knew how to answer hypocritical bigots of the Senate: “During those proceedings, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked Kagan, who is Jewish, how she spent the last Christmas holiday.
“Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant,” Kagan quipped, prompting hearty laughter and applause in the hearing room.”
Many thanks. If only Brett Kavanaugh had been given (and taken!) this advice -- especially about respecting the Senators!
Too bad what Brett Kavanaugh had to say or not say didn’t even matter one way or another. It’s just a numbers game when it comes to the tyranny of the minority.
We do know how very much he loves beer!! 😳😉
That was one of the worst hearings I can remember. What a damn embarrassment. Between the rage, the red face, the crying, the tortured wife in the background, I thought I was watching an afternoon soap opera.
and how very much he and his friends disrespected women to the point of illegal actions which just like clarence thomas’s case were not heard or respected by Comgress
"have YOU ever Blacked Out, Senator?
well HAVE You!?' --Kavanaugh at his Hearing
to Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) not verbatim
but it's the nasty Tone that makes all the difference
.
unfit for OUR USSC in any case.
“I don’t recall.”
A season's greeting for Kavanaugh: https://youtu.be/7Io0krjMwdE
An excerpt from his confirmation hearing: https://youtu.be/1-e6QeKvcKs
When Kavanaugh blew his stack at the Senators, we saw the REAL Kavanaugh, and it was not pretty!
Alcoholism is never pretty--the country needed to do some liver enzyme testing before confirming Kavanaugh. Talk about “unfit” . . .
Yeah, so much for displaying a "judicial temperament". Kavanaugh knew he had drumpf and Moscow Mitch in his corner so he wasn't worried. the FBI never vetted him completely and Mitch would've pushed his nomination through regardless of the theatrical antics he staged. It was a disgusting display from a spoilt man-baby who has never been told "NO"...hmmm, think hard...of whom does that remind all of us?
his Promise of Retribution
should've Disqualified
him on the Spot.
And yet: “Justice Kavanaugh”
😬😱😠
Just US.
This sounds very familiar to me. During the 50’s every woman was trained to hide her intelligence, never outshine a man, and always cater to a man’s needs first. The home is the man’s castle and he has the last word in all decisions. Woman must never show anger. These ideas of male superiority still haunt women . Dr Reich had to endure this for a short time. It is a good lesson in how many have to speak to power. We often call it, don’t poke the dragon. I hope once he was able to be in the cabinet, true communication was valued. We saw how Trumps sickophant cabinet had to continue to praise Trump and never let him know he was the emperor with no clothes. Watching the confirmation hearing of Ketinji Brown Jackson shows this is still the game that was played. Actually having mutual respect and honesty would be a better model, but historically people in power prefer praise and awe. What a dysfunctional species we are.
So true that women have to learn this lesson about sucking up very early in life (not just in the '50s but throughout history and even today). And as I watched part of the video of Reich's confirmation hearing, I was reminded how recently women and people of color have been senators. Reich's hearing was all white men, except for one white woman, Nancy Kassebaum, who was the first woman elected to a full term in the Senate without having first gotten in through her husband's death (because the wife was considered an extension of the husband).
as women gain strength and power
and shed their fear look for men
to become more Afraid and
resort to more and more
Oppressive tactics.
.
well not ALL men.
not This one.
.
End Stockholm Syndrome
whilst the Planet's still
(mostly) Habitable.
Dear God, imagine having to be humble and deferential to the pack of Republican fools and jackhats that populate the Senate nowadays.
But, better the Republican Senate fools than the rabble, riff-raff and boorish ignoramuses of the GQP House, it must be said.
Wow...and I worked for the DoD was I kinda understand the people in government. I do enjoy your insight and wish you were still on the Cabinet.
Great post! Love the from-the-trenches perspective; hideous and demoralizing, but sadly not surprising.
I have heard it said that those who feed at the public trough have no self respect, therfore expect and demand a show of public respect. Your experience clearly shows that. Thank you for your insights.
Great article! Here’s a question. Why should a Congress agree to confirm a single appointment if an Executive refuses to comply with it’s subpoenas? That is a singularly emphatic display of disrespect, no?
That's really interesting. This rite of passage, even with a "friendly" group of Senators; to have to be coached on how to properly genuflect when you know the answer cold has got to be really difficult for any intelligent person. Kind of makes me wonder if anything has really changed since we were living in caves. You know, back when the guy that ran the place was the brute who swung the heaviest club....
Thank you for writing this. I work in a profession where my knowledge and deference are tested about 4x an hour. The truth is, for most people, in most workplaces, there's someone who wants either their ass kissed or acknowledgement that they also know things.
We have a hard relationship with knowing here in the America. We have to point out we know things. Our knowledge isn't useful unless other people know we know things. It all very much gets in the way of creating wisdom from knowledge.