Weekly Wrap-Up

One issue dominated the news this week and depending on where you get your news from you most likely will be influenced by their reporting of the continued Kavanaugh Hearings.  The Washington Post headline – charges and denials fuel an emotional hearing as Kavanaugh nomination hangs in the balance – begins with “The most consequential Supreme Court opening in a generation gave rise to the most bitter Senate hearing in memory Thursday, as California professor Christine Blasey Ford accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when both were teenagers and Kavanaugh angrily assailed Democrats for pushing what he said were false charges to “blow me up and take me down.”   It was an emotional hearing – a hearing based on emotion, not a discussion of corroborated facts which are necessary to make sound decisions. 

If your newspaper of choice is the New York Times you will be reminded that the hearing “was a spectacle of tantrums, tears, preening and political ambition — what Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, called, “Sadly one of the most shameful chapters in the history of the United States Senate.”  (The political ambitions of the Democrats on the Judicial Committee are conveniently omitted.)   Yahoo News described it as a “partisan fistfight” and that “the charged atmosphere in the room was heightened by Kavanaugh himself, who delivered what has to rank among the most combative testimony ever heard in a congressional hearing room.”

Unless you were able to watch the Hearings yourself, what you read and hear on the radio, will undoubtedly influence how you judge what took place in Washington, DC yesterday.  C-Span has yesterday’s Hearing broken down into segments here for you to watch at your convenience, unfiltered by the bias of major news organizations. 

Our first poll question wants to know what you think is the most outrageous accusation against Brett Kavanaugh.

Lindsey Graham’s frustration with the lack of forthrightness from Sen. Diane Feinstein was apparent in his allotted time. 

Sen. Chuck Schumer vowed back in July to oppose Kavanaugh with “everything I’ve got.”

Let’s not forget what Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) said “I just want to say to the men in this country: Just shut up and step up. Do the right thing, for a change.”  She believes that Dr. Ford has a very credible story, yet not one person was willing to come forward to corroborate it. 

Sen. Cory Booker wanted to know if Brett Kavanaugh thought Dr. Ford was a “political operative” instead of a victim of sexual assault. 

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Slams GOP Senators as “Patronizing Bullies” in her effort to prevent Brett Kavanaugh from becoming a Supreme Court Justice.

This leads us to our second poll question that wants to know whose behavior was the most shameful.

The Democrats may have overplayed their hand and energized the Republican/Independent base. 

The New York Sun has a factual editorial on the time has come to confirm Kavanaugh and the New York Post says It’s time for senators to vote on whom they believe.

Did you know that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for Brett Kavanaugh to take a polygraph test?   Be careful what you wish for Gov. Andrew Cuomo.  Maybe Gov. Cuomo should be asked while taking a polygraph if he knew convicted Joe Percoco was using government resources in 2014.  How about also asking him about Crystal Run healthcare.