Well… We lost the fuck out of that one, didn’t we? After Christine Blasey Ford’s heroic testimony, after Jeff Flake’s ego-driven dithering, after a week of two Republicans pretending to struggle with the ethics of the thing, we had Trump mocking Dr Ford while his disciples laughed uproariously. After the promise of the FBI looking things over we had a four-day nonvestigation so narrow and fraudulent that other shams are embarrassed to be seen with it. They chose not to speak to Dr Ford or Kavanaugh; or to Kenneth Appold, Kavanaugh’s roommate who told the New Yorker he heard about Kavanaugh’s alleged rape of Deborah Ramirez around the time it happened; or his classmate who said his “Renate alumnus” comment was very definitely shaming her sexual activity; or James Roche, his roommate who told Slate that Kavanaugh regularly blacked out from drinking and that “boofing” and “the devil’s triangle” were very obviously sexual references; or literally dozens of witnesses named by Dr Ford and Deborah Ramirez; or accuser Julie Swetnick who was ignored because Republicans don’t like her lawyer. They didn’t touch near the many obvious lies he told under oath or his mysteriously disappearing debts.
But with that sham shammed and their hands mock-wrung, fake humans Jeff Flake and Susan Collins felt perfectly comfortable voting for an alleged sexual predator and a confirmed perjurer who had in the meantime explained he felt bad about how angry we’d made him, an appropriately familiar bit of look-what-you-made-me-do. The unexpected heroism of Republican Lisa Murkowski voting no was countered by the unexpected treachery of Democrat Joe Manchin voting yes. Their efforts were added to the votes of 47 other Republicans who’d steadily given no shits all week. The bad guys won.
Next, in the same plain sight in which this was slung together, will be Trump extending his powers to pardon his criminal cronies, the likely ditching of Mueller, and the possible end of impeachment.
Except. Except there’s something that could knacker his plans: the midterm elections. If the Democrats get a majority they could hold additional hearings on Kavanaugh to expose him even after his confirmation; they could move to impeach him for perjury and kick him off the bench; they could end life terms for Supreme Court judges; they could protect Mueller in his investigation of Trump; and they could support an investigation into his massive tax evasion which was another story that broke this week and is as irrelevant as every other scandal involving the untouchable Teflon prick.
Vote! Campaign for candidates and for voter registration! Donate all over the place! I can’t vote or give to political campaigns on account of how I’m in another country, but given Trump presents an existential threat to everyone everywhere us non-US residents need to get stuck in too. I’m giving to Rock The Vote to help increase voter registration and young turnout, the theory being younger people are more likely to be horrified by Republican reptiles but less likely to do anything about them. A recent poll had 74 percent of seniors and only 28 percent of young adults committing to vote in the midterms. If it’s allowed I’ll also give to Move On, which agitates for progressive candidates.
This will work. Voting, campaigning, donating. Winning. On the day Darth Collins announced she’d vote for Kavanaugh, the crowdfund for her future opponent was so bombarded with donations its website crashed and has since exceeded her last opponent’s total spend. Move On announced it would cancel its six-figure ad campaigns for Phil Bredesen and Manchin for their Kavanaugh love-in.
In the noble words of the next justice of the Supreme Court: What goes around comes around. And we are fucking coming.
Photo credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
