Written by New York City Councilman and Republican Commentator Joseph Borelli, and published on TownHall.com
On Monday, the Supreme Court began its new term. Over the coming months, the court will hear cases, make decisions and set precedent on some of the most important legal issues in history, ranging from the death penalty, double jeopardy, immigration enforcement and even the hot-button issue of the dusky gopher frog.
For the first time since the confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court is hearing these cases with only eight justices on the bench. This is in spite of the fact that President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh in a timely manner – and millions of Americans voted for the President precisely because of the type of justices he would appoint – and there’s no doubt that this nominee’s legal, academic and professional record are all in keeping with similarly credentialed justices appointed by presidents of both parties. In short, this is simply about delay.
The Democratic Party, which claims to be a party of the people, defender of women’s rights (particularly those who are victims of sexual misconduct), champions of the rights of youthful offenders, and advocates of the rights of all voters, is now violating every single principle it claims to stand for in causing the needless delay in a vote on Judge Kavanaugh.
What Senate Democrats are doing to Judge Kavanaugh and the country, aided by their accomplices in the mainstream media and a cascade of leftwing special interests, is absolutely shameful and will be studied for decades as a textbook example of legislative obstruction, exploitation and a violation of the framer’s vision of the “advise and consent” process.
For starters, when Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein chose not to disclose to either the President’s staff, her Republican counterparts on the Judiciary Committee, or even the nominee himself, the allegations that were being made, she immediately made clear that the Democrats’ mission was neither to “advise” nor to “consent.” It was simply to wait for the legislative equivalent of an “October surprise” in the hopes of delaying this vote until a time when the Senate would be more to their liking.
Had Senators Feinstein, Blumenthal and Booker (all of whom have had trouble with varying credibility issues themselves) done a remake of “The Godfather,” you could absolutely see them saying to Judge Kavanaugh, “You have to answer for Merrick Garland, Carlo.” They’ve chosen to exploit an alleged victim by parading her in front of the world in order to hurt a man’s career, reputation, and lifetime of accomplishment. For a party that prides itself on protecting the rights of the accused and due process, this is McCarthyism of the worst type.
Let’s keep in mind that there has not been any corroborating evidence to back Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s claim to date. But for the Resist-ocrats, the mere suggestion of guilt is enough, especially when they can move the goalposts and twist the plot to make it now focused on his – gasp! – high school drinking and a college bar fight. Yet, how often have we heard Democratic politicians from coast to coast talk about the need for second chances and for young offenders to not be punished for their hijinks (something that Senator Booker is no doubt a champion of when it comes to his own youthful peccadillos)? Apparently that benefit of the youthful doubt doesn’t apply to those who have the misfortune of being appointed by a Republican.
The FBI is currently in the midst of a robust investigation. Assuming they come up with nothing, what will Senate Democrats then use as an excuse to continue this needless delay? Will it be that the investigation wasn’t long enough? Will it be that it wasn’t independent enough? Something else? Will it be that all six of the previous FBI background checks into Judge Kavanaugh’s record were all somehow flawed?
I don’t care to find out. Voters in every state with a Senate Democrat up for re-election should make sure they’re held accountable for this shameful attempt to subvert the will of the people.
In truth, Democrats are afraid of holding a vote. New polling indicates that they may have jumped the shark in their overzealous play. If the Senate holds a vote and Kavanaugh falls short, you can bet on him being nominated again right after the election.