Kavanaugh Part IV

Whew! He made it. It was close, and it seemed in doubt for a time, but, ultimately, the Constitution worked.

In my view, regardless of one’s politics a reasonable person should concede that (1) Kavanaugh is qualified, and (2) President Trump was within his rights to appoint him. “Advise and consent” does not give the Senate veto power. It does not provide license to destroy Kavanaugh’s life in an effort to derail his appointment. Furthermore, a free press does not and should not translate to unfettered license to publish uncorroborated, irresponsible and inaccurate stories.

As I have said in previous blogs, it was not about Kavanaugh per se. It was about power. The Dems lost it, and they want it back, regardless of the cost. Kavanaugh was just standing in their way. As the mafiosos say in the movies, “it was not personal,just business.”

Dems are not happy to see Kavanaugh on the bench. He was not acceptable to them. They would have preferred a more progressive justice. I get it. But, as former President Obama gleefully informed us on several occasions, “elections have consequences.” In 2016 the people elected Donald Trump, and one of the consequences was that he gets to nominate Supreme Court justices when, as and if the opportunity arises. He has already nominated two, and, given the age of some of the justices, he may be nominating more prospectively, particularly if he wins re-election in 2020.

[Which presidents nominated the most justices, the least? See below for the answers.]

Some on the left have threatened to seek impeachment of Kavanaugh if they win back control of Congress. Not only is this a loser politically as few voters are in favor of it, but, moreover, a successful impeachment requires a 2/3 vote in the Senate. That is a very high hurdle, and the odds of that happening would be remote, even if the Dems were to have a majority. The Senate was even unable to convict the much hated and incompetent Andrew Johnson (although it did come close). Perhaps, these impeachment advocates have forgotten that minor detail (or are ignorant of it). So, I say, “be my guest.” Run on that issue, and lose again.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the unintended consequence of the Kavanaugh matter is that it has motivated the GOP base. The Dems were already motivated as, rightly or wrongly, they are incensed that Mr. Trump won the 2016 election and question the validity of the result. Many GOP voters had grown complacent, but after having seen firsthand on the news the extreme rhetoric and violent behavior of many Dems and their supporters, they have become very concerned what about would happen of the Dems were to regain power.

Typically the party in power loses seats in the off-year election, and that seemed likely to occur in 2018. But, since the hearings most polls show gains by the GOP in key Senate and House contests. A lot can happen between now and election day, but, as I write this, what looked like a blue wave has become a blue trickle, if not a toss up. It ought to be very interesting.

Quiz answers: George Washington nominated the most – 11. But that is somewhat misleading, since as the first president, he got to nominate the entire SC. The next most was William Howard Taft with six. Ronald Reagan appointed the most federal judges – 382. The only president to serve a full term and not get to nominate a single justice was….. Jimmy Carter.