We had some technical issues this morning, so I'm bringing some comments over from the old post.
Anne wrote:
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be confirmed, and she will be a bright shining star on the Supreme Court. Graham, Cruz and Hawley and any other pit bulls are so petty and trite next to this smart & upright family woman. Judge Brown Jackson is an inspiration to so many, young and old, black, brown and white. Her impact will reach voters and the slime will slink back to their cesspools.
Susan wrote:
Judge Jackson will be confirmed even with the vulgar attacks on her impeccable credentials from the lowest denominators in Congress. Will voters still vote for these republicans? Probably, they've been conditioned by the last guy in the White House to not only accept this level of hatred, but to respect it. Hopefully the independents are just as appalled at their tactics as the rest of us and vote for the challengers instead. What a motley, disgusting party the GOP has become.
Paul George wrote:
Since Judge Brown was not vetted by the Federalist Society, she will be unacceptable to Republicans who will only tolerate one 'judicial philosophy'. Hopefully the days of approving a qualified candidate the President nominates are not gone.
DW wrote:
First, I did not get this in my normal email today, I stumble on to it, says posted 4 hrs ago, is there a problem? Low on likes and comments.
Yes, I think she will be confirmed, she is highly qualified and well liked by all associations. My question is, when will the republican party get enough of the "crazy" and purge the likes of Josh Hawley, Margee Q, and Boebert? Do they not see the damage being done to their once respectable and functional party? All republicans are responsible for these mean spirited actions for not calling them out on it. Hawley is a disgusting embarrassment to this Missourian.
Everyone should speak their mind, that’s how you know who the rotten ones are. GQP are providing the evidence and these comments and questions will not age well. Unfortunately there is a disturbing number of Americans who don’t have a problem with overt racist and generally nasty leaders. Midterms are coming. Please get out and vote.
This is just more of the general hate, sexism and racism along with incessant pushback of anything the Democrats try to get done. I read that, at one time in the past, the President could simply nominate a person for the Supreme Court without all this partisan sniping. When I tuned into the news and saw that there was no 'news', it was just a hate fest with a qualified candidate being interrogated by the right wingers, and subjected to accusations basically. I tuned into something else. The wingers just want to alienate, hurt and harm in the spirit of thuggery. They do not even pretend to be fair; the Courts are already stacked. They have made everything they are involved with a $#it show and a cruel farce. Just another hateful attack. Worst of all it's 'the news' all day (and night) long. No news of the judiciary doing it's vital job, nothing uplifting.
I sincerely hope that Judge Jackson will be confirmed and even more so after having just listened to Lindsay Graham interrogate her this morning. He never let her finish answering his questions, he berated her and tried to intimidate her for things that happened to previous judicial appointees, and he, perhaps most disgustingly, patronized her by saying her was sure she was a "nice woman." She is a nice woman, but she is also eminently qualified, capable, and accomplished. She is not someone who should get a "head pat" from Lindsay Graham, especially after he just bullied and tried to silence her.
I realize I am not sticking to your question, but I have had it with the likes of Graham, Cruz, Hawley, Jordan--all of them. It's all about them. All about maintaining their privilege. I've known this in some part of my being all along, but today's interrogation by Graham made it real and in your face.
I have emailed my Senators in support of Judge Jackson and I support her l00 %. I could never have done what she has. It is painful to listen to this because it brought back so many memories of how people in power seek to destroy the other. We need Judge Jackson now. We need someone on the court who is in touch with reality and with the public.
To continue to believe Trumps lies is tantamount to treason. There ought to be a heavy price for those who believe Biden lost the election. The truly flawed election was the previous one, as it now appears that Russia intervened illegally. Trump himself said that election was rigged. He was right.
Why can't certain people see through all these RWNJ lies and misdirection? It's a sad day when the average intelligence of these people (who are legally allowed to cast votes in this nation) is falling below a line that would indicate that they need a mental-health test/exam to see if they're sane.
When our supposed "Representatives" in Congress actually be forced to be our representatives instead of serving their own self interests? Unfortunately, Money runs the political system in this country even though Lobbying was illegal in the original Constitution. We should not allow outright racists be in our government. They do not serve all of their constituents nor the will of the people.
You may very well be wondering: What can I (an individual of limited financial means and no clout either) do to help restore our democracy and democratic values? Well, I am a senior living on a severely depleted retirement account (it will be gone in a month or two) and social security. I have little or no clout and try to manage against a vast malevolent network of corporations that includes my former employer (Macy*s) in the conglomerate_). I don't know that much of what I do achieves any results but, well, in the hope that some of you may get further ahead than I, I will tell you what I do--or try to do. 1--I write constant letters and emails to my elected representatives and officials at all levels of government and non-profit organizations. (My elected Congressperson happens to be Zoe Lofgren (California 19th district) who served on the Trump impeachment trials (prosecution side) and is currently serving on the Select Committee for 1/6) but I also write to businesses and corporations who have dealt with me unfairly and illegally (currently this includes amazon.com (or its affiliated/unaffiliated scam artists) as it considers me a mark for every scam/grift out there. I also write to progressive sites that solicit my feedback. Most of my written appeals and reports have little effect--or little present effect--as those running the sites do not consider my complaints and reports as anything but an annoyance. Once in a while, I find a receptive listener but I do not count on that and, if you go this way, you won't either, unless you have value as a contributor.) 2--I join and respond to organizations with programs that benefit education (all levels and particularly concerned with music, the one joy I still allow myself); public health and safety and consumer affairs. 3--I join in rallies and protest marches in downtown San Jose; I was particularly active in the rallies demanding the release of the income tax returns of the 45th president to the COngress and official offices. 4--I have worked as a poll worker for several years, you know, one of the people who spend a full day (8:00AM-12:00AM (midnight to the next day) signing people in, distributing ballots, and guiding people through the process. (I never engaged in any fraud whatsoever and resent the implications of the Trump team that I did so. I personally voted absentee when I served as we also had to vote and there was never time to do it on election day itself. Incidentally, I always vote and hope and expect that my vote is counted and duly registered. 5. I attend every single town hall held by Rep LOfgren and other members of the current government and, particularly, the political party in charge of (or behind and supportive of) committee assignments and judicial appointments. 6--I give a tiny (microscopic) amount of my income to viable, legitimate 501C charities and npos--generally those organizations that fund education (music, in particular); environmental causes; and, the rights of indigenous people in the US & Canada. Right now, my contributions (such as they are) are being exclusively sent to UNICEF Fund for Ukraine in honor of my personal hero and general role-model, an individual who is giving of his time and talents for Ukraine, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. That is what I can do and have done and I reckon I will continue. I do know that very little of this will change the world or the larger picture of things but that is not my aim. If I can make the world a bit better for a little girl or boy in Ukraine (or Poland); if I can see policies through (or even just one policy) to make our massive government work for all the people (myself included); if I can help heal a sullied and broken planet; and if I can ensure that all people (including Ukrainians and Russians) have a better future, I will do it. I reckon that's about it. You may have other irons in the fire and that's all well-and-good; the important is to do something.
Did you feel embarrassed watching that hearing? I did. This is what we have become. This is what we are today. This wasn't some fool blabbing around the water cooler. These were people WE elected to the highest offices in the country. If you want to see why most democracies fail, watch a recording of that hearing. What a gift to Putin or any autocrat. What a display of America standing before the world with its pants down! America produced those people, capitalism produced those people, Harvard produced those people, WE produced those people. And none of us want to admit it. What a beautiful person Judge Jackson is and how lucky "we" are to have produced such a person in the America of today. How lucky Harvard was to get her when they turn out a Tom Cruz and a Josh Hawley. When you see an elected representative treat a distinguished nominee to the Supreme Court with such vulgarity, what do you think when you look in the mirror? I don't like what I see in that mirror. I didn't vote for any of those representatives, but I am damn sure a part of the culture, the government that produced them.
I believe she will be confirmed by a narrow margin, something that will serve to confirm where we are and have become. There will be no price to those who are spending much of their time demeaning her and in the doing, themselves. Our tribalism is now so prevalent, represented by those we have elected, that truth has blurred into the ugly moments the hearings on Judge Jackson's nomination have produced. Thinking someone will be somehow held responsible for what we have witnessed is wistful.
These Republicans may face consequences if their leader, Donald Trump, is prosecuted for the multiple charges connected with his attempt to overthrow the US government, as recommended by Laurence Tribe and Donald Aftergut in their editorial in The Guardian. Otherwise, extremist Republicans will continue to be emboldened by their confidence in Trump's impunity, and their own.
Josh Hawley is not the only one racist in the group. Incompetence is not the point here. They hate the fact that an educated, well trained and not racist woman, like judge Brown, could not get to that level without kissing the behind of a white racist in suit. They have learnt how to manipulate the questionings to downgrade other individuals to their lower levels as Senators. It’s all anti woman and anti American.The main objective is to stop Kamala Harris to ever become president of this country.
The point that they will not tell to their constituents is to never let Biden die in office and not protect Mrs. Harris.
This type of behavior will trigger the White Nationalists, The Neo-Nazis,the QAnons to take action without laying the blame on the instigators. Trump is still doing it! They posted three (3) white “SCOTUS” to feed their racist agenda even though they themselves might no be racists!!!
Feeding the beast is their dangerous agenda. Naming Judge Brown will not change the dynamics of the court in term of numbers but will free the dissents by the others on the Court. The solution is to Build-the-Court and even the playing field .
"Despicable"? You are too kind. The Republican party - not a party anymore, an evil "cabale" - is the most dangerous organization ever (Noam Chomsky). Their power, unopposed by the Democrats, accelerates our movement toward the extinction of humanity either rapidly by nuclear war or slowly by global warming. Desperately looking for a third feasible path that would save us from extinction. Would appreciate references to such.
I completely agree 100% Dr. Reich. Would you call this another example of CANCEL CULTURE?" I think "cancel culture" has always existed. What has changed is that it has become more public through television and social media, and is now being used as a tool consistently to make others look bad, even when they didn't do anything, by making it seem like they did. How do we put a stop to it on social media, schools and in politics? I'm not really familiar with slander laws but it seems we need to take another look at these. What do you think?
I don't know the form of these individuals,apart from Lyndsay Graham who appears on UK tv news occasionally to chilling effect,but the tactics seem very familiar.If you want to take down someone with views to the centre or left of yours but that person is impeccably competent then you smear them with previously unimaginable crimes.The mental disorder of the new right is matched by masterful social media manipulation techniques that can result in gaslighting sizeable parts of the electorate. The application of these methods into senate hearings is equally disturbing however as this partisanship corrodes the highest levels of government.This ultimately favours tyranny over democracy,a joy to the Putins of this world.
We had some technical issues this morning, so I'm bringing some comments over from the old post.
Anne wrote:
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be confirmed, and she will be a bright shining star on the Supreme Court. Graham, Cruz and Hawley and any other pit bulls are so petty and trite next to this smart & upright family woman. Judge Brown Jackson is an inspiration to so many, young and old, black, brown and white. Her impact will reach voters and the slime will slink back to their cesspools.
Susan wrote:
Judge Jackson will be confirmed even with the vulgar attacks on her impeccable credentials from the lowest denominators in Congress. Will voters still vote for these republicans? Probably, they've been conditioned by the last guy in the White House to not only accept this level of hatred, but to respect it. Hopefully the independents are just as appalled at their tactics as the rest of us and vote for the challengers instead. What a motley, disgusting party the GOP has become.
Paul George wrote:
Since Judge Brown was not vetted by the Federalist Society, she will be unacceptable to Republicans who will only tolerate one 'judicial philosophy'. Hopefully the days of approving a qualified candidate the President nominates are not gone.
DW wrote:
First, I did not get this in my normal email today, I stumble on to it, says posted 4 hrs ago, is there a problem? Low on likes and comments.
Yes, I think she will be confirmed, she is highly qualified and well liked by all associations. My question is, when will the republican party get enough of the "crazy" and purge the likes of Josh Hawley, Margee Q, and Boebert? Do they not see the damage being done to their once respectable and functional party? All republicans are responsible for these mean spirited actions for not calling them out on it. Hawley is a disgusting embarrassment to this Missourian.
Everyone should speak their mind, that’s how you know who the rotten ones are. GQP are providing the evidence and these comments and questions will not age well. Unfortunately there is a disturbing number of Americans who don’t have a problem with overt racist and generally nasty leaders. Midterms are coming. Please get out and vote.
This is just more of the general hate, sexism and racism along with incessant pushback of anything the Democrats try to get done. I read that, at one time in the past, the President could simply nominate a person for the Supreme Court without all this partisan sniping. When I tuned into the news and saw that there was no 'news', it was just a hate fest with a qualified candidate being interrogated by the right wingers, and subjected to accusations basically. I tuned into something else. The wingers just want to alienate, hurt and harm in the spirit of thuggery. They do not even pretend to be fair; the Courts are already stacked. They have made everything they are involved with a $#it show and a cruel farce. Just another hateful attack. Worst of all it's 'the news' all day (and night) long. No news of the judiciary doing it's vital job, nothing uplifting.
I sincerely hope that Judge Jackson will be confirmed and even more so after having just listened to Lindsay Graham interrogate her this morning. He never let her finish answering his questions, he berated her and tried to intimidate her for things that happened to previous judicial appointees, and he, perhaps most disgustingly, patronized her by saying her was sure she was a "nice woman." She is a nice woman, but she is also eminently qualified, capable, and accomplished. She is not someone who should get a "head pat" from Lindsay Graham, especially after he just bullied and tried to silence her.
I realize I am not sticking to your question, but I have had it with the likes of Graham, Cruz, Hawley, Jordan--all of them. It's all about them. All about maintaining their privilege. I've known this in some part of my being all along, but today's interrogation by Graham made it real and in your face.
I have emailed my Senators in support of Judge Jackson and I support her l00 %. I could never have done what she has. It is painful to listen to this because it brought back so many memories of how people in power seek to destroy the other. We need Judge Jackson now. We need someone on the court who is in touch with reality and with the public.
To continue to believe Trumps lies is tantamount to treason. There ought to be a heavy price for those who believe Biden lost the election. The truly flawed election was the previous one, as it now appears that Russia intervened illegally. Trump himself said that election was rigged. He was right.
Oh, please God - if she exists! This is the most qualified person in years
Why can't certain people see through all these RWNJ lies and misdirection? It's a sad day when the average intelligence of these people (who are legally allowed to cast votes in this nation) is falling below a line that would indicate that they need a mental-health test/exam to see if they're sane.
When our supposed "Representatives" in Congress actually be forced to be our representatives instead of serving their own self interests? Unfortunately, Money runs the political system in this country even though Lobbying was illegal in the original Constitution. We should not allow outright racists be in our government. They do not serve all of their constituents nor the will of the people.
You may very well be wondering: What can I (an individual of limited financial means and no clout either) do to help restore our democracy and democratic values? Well, I am a senior living on a severely depleted retirement account (it will be gone in a month or two) and social security. I have little or no clout and try to manage against a vast malevolent network of corporations that includes my former employer (Macy*s) in the conglomerate_). I don't know that much of what I do achieves any results but, well, in the hope that some of you may get further ahead than I, I will tell you what I do--or try to do. 1--I write constant letters and emails to my elected representatives and officials at all levels of government and non-profit organizations. (My elected Congressperson happens to be Zoe Lofgren (California 19th district) who served on the Trump impeachment trials (prosecution side) and is currently serving on the Select Committee for 1/6) but I also write to businesses and corporations who have dealt with me unfairly and illegally (currently this includes amazon.com (or its affiliated/unaffiliated scam artists) as it considers me a mark for every scam/grift out there. I also write to progressive sites that solicit my feedback. Most of my written appeals and reports have little effect--or little present effect--as those running the sites do not consider my complaints and reports as anything but an annoyance. Once in a while, I find a receptive listener but I do not count on that and, if you go this way, you won't either, unless you have value as a contributor.) 2--I join and respond to organizations with programs that benefit education (all levels and particularly concerned with music, the one joy I still allow myself); public health and safety and consumer affairs. 3--I join in rallies and protest marches in downtown San Jose; I was particularly active in the rallies demanding the release of the income tax returns of the 45th president to the COngress and official offices. 4--I have worked as a poll worker for several years, you know, one of the people who spend a full day (8:00AM-12:00AM (midnight to the next day) signing people in, distributing ballots, and guiding people through the process. (I never engaged in any fraud whatsoever and resent the implications of the Trump team that I did so. I personally voted absentee when I served as we also had to vote and there was never time to do it on election day itself. Incidentally, I always vote and hope and expect that my vote is counted and duly registered. 5. I attend every single town hall held by Rep LOfgren and other members of the current government and, particularly, the political party in charge of (or behind and supportive of) committee assignments and judicial appointments. 6--I give a tiny (microscopic) amount of my income to viable, legitimate 501C charities and npos--generally those organizations that fund education (music, in particular); environmental causes; and, the rights of indigenous people in the US & Canada. Right now, my contributions (such as they are) are being exclusively sent to UNICEF Fund for Ukraine in honor of my personal hero and general role-model, an individual who is giving of his time and talents for Ukraine, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. That is what I can do and have done and I reckon I will continue. I do know that very little of this will change the world or the larger picture of things but that is not my aim. If I can make the world a bit better for a little girl or boy in Ukraine (or Poland); if I can see policies through (or even just one policy) to make our massive government work for all the people (myself included); if I can help heal a sullied and broken planet; and if I can ensure that all people (including Ukrainians and Russians) have a better future, I will do it. I reckon that's about it. You may have other irons in the fire and that's all well-and-good; the important is to do something.
Did you feel embarrassed watching that hearing? I did. This is what we have become. This is what we are today. This wasn't some fool blabbing around the water cooler. These were people WE elected to the highest offices in the country. If you want to see why most democracies fail, watch a recording of that hearing. What a gift to Putin or any autocrat. What a display of America standing before the world with its pants down! America produced those people, capitalism produced those people, Harvard produced those people, WE produced those people. And none of us want to admit it. What a beautiful person Judge Jackson is and how lucky "we" are to have produced such a person in the America of today. How lucky Harvard was to get her when they turn out a Tom Cruz and a Josh Hawley. When you see an elected representative treat a distinguished nominee to the Supreme Court with such vulgarity, what do you think when you look in the mirror? I don't like what I see in that mirror. I didn't vote for any of those representatives, but I am damn sure a part of the culture, the government that produced them.
I believe she will be confirmed by a narrow margin, something that will serve to confirm where we are and have become. There will be no price to those who are spending much of their time demeaning her and in the doing, themselves. Our tribalism is now so prevalent, represented by those we have elected, that truth has blurred into the ugly moments the hearings on Judge Jackson's nomination have produced. Thinking someone will be somehow held responsible for what we have witnessed is wistful.
These Republicans may face consequences if their leader, Donald Trump, is prosecuted for the multiple charges connected with his attempt to overthrow the US government, as recommended by Laurence Tribe and Donald Aftergut in their editorial in The Guardian. Otherwise, extremist Republicans will continue to be emboldened by their confidence in Trump's impunity, and their own.
Josh Hawley is not the only one racist in the group. Incompetence is not the point here. They hate the fact that an educated, well trained and not racist woman, like judge Brown, could not get to that level without kissing the behind of a white racist in suit. They have learnt how to manipulate the questionings to downgrade other individuals to their lower levels as Senators. It’s all anti woman and anti American.The main objective is to stop Kamala Harris to ever become president of this country.
The point that they will not tell to their constituents is to never let Biden die in office and not protect Mrs. Harris.
This type of behavior will trigger the White Nationalists, The Neo-Nazis,the QAnons to take action without laying the blame on the instigators. Trump is still doing it! They posted three (3) white “SCOTUS” to feed their racist agenda even though they themselves might no be racists!!!
Feeding the beast is their dangerous agenda. Naming Judge Brown will not change the dynamics of the court in term of numbers but will free the dissents by the others on the Court. The solution is to Build-the-Court and even the playing field .
"Despicable"? You are too kind. The Republican party - not a party anymore, an evil "cabale" - is the most dangerous organization ever (Noam Chomsky). Their power, unopposed by the Democrats, accelerates our movement toward the extinction of humanity either rapidly by nuclear war or slowly by global warming. Desperately looking for a third feasible path that would save us from extinction. Would appreciate references to such.
I completely agree 100% Dr. Reich. Would you call this another example of CANCEL CULTURE?" I think "cancel culture" has always existed. What has changed is that it has become more public through television and social media, and is now being used as a tool consistently to make others look bad, even when they didn't do anything, by making it seem like they did. How do we put a stop to it on social media, schools and in politics? I'm not really familiar with slander laws but it seems we need to take another look at these. What do you think?
I don't know the form of these individuals,apart from Lyndsay Graham who appears on UK tv news occasionally to chilling effect,but the tactics seem very familiar.If you want to take down someone with views to the centre or left of yours but that person is impeccably competent then you smear them with previously unimaginable crimes.The mental disorder of the new right is matched by masterful social media manipulation techniques that can result in gaslighting sizeable parts of the electorate. The application of these methods into senate hearings is equally disturbing however as this partisanship corrodes the highest levels of government.This ultimately favours tyranny over democracy,a joy to the Putins of this world.