This’ll be the last one of these I’m putting up as I have to head out in a few minutes. Live feed is below.
Open thread!
Adam L. Silverman is a consulting national security subject matter expert specializing in low intensity warfare (asymmetric, irregular, and unconventional warfare, revolution, insurgency, terrorism), civil affairs, psychological operations, and cultural considerations for strategy and policy.
He routinely provides operational support to a number of US Army, DOD, and other US Government elements. Dr. Silverman holds a doctorate in political science and criminology from the University of Florida, as well as masters' degrees in comparative religion and international security. Full professional bio available here: https://balloon-juice.com/adam-silverman-bio/
Adam Silverman has been a Balloon Juice writer since 2015.
by Adam L Silverman| 365 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Election 2018, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Not Normal
This’ll be the last one of these I’m putting up as I have to head out in a few minutes. Live feed is below.
Open thread!
by Adam L Silverman| 386 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Election 2018, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Not Normal
Here’s a fresh post and comment thread for Judge Kavanaugh’s turn to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Open thread!
by Adam L Silverman| 257 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Election 2018, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Not Normal
Here’s a third open thread for the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing with Dr. Blasey and, eventually, with Judge Kavanaugh.
Open thread!
by Adam L Silverman| 280 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Election 2018, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Not Normal
Here’s a Part II to for the live feed for the Senate Judiciary Hearing with Dr. Blasey and Judge Kavanaugh.
Open thread!
by Adam L Silverman| 309 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Election 2018, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Not Normal
Here’s the live feed for today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Dr. Blasey and Judge Kavanaugh. A quick note: it has been reported that they are using one of the smaller/smallest hearing rooms in the Dirkson Senate Building. It is so small that there will only be room for about six reporters, basically a small reportorial pool, in the room. I think this was done to try to minimize the audience/crowd so as to minimize protestors and prevent this from getting completely out of hand and becoming a complete circus. For instance, it has also been reported that Juanita Broaddrick is traveling to the Capitol to headline a rally in support of Judge Kavanaugh and try to attend today’s hearing, so…
Updated at 9:58 AM EDT
Here’s Dr. Blasey’s opening statement that was released/submitted last night.
And here’s Judge Kavanaugh’s.
Open thread!
Senate Judiciary Hearing with Dr. Blasey and Judge Kavanaugh Live FeedPost + Comments (309)
by Adam L Silverman| 97 Comments
This post is in: America, Crazification Factor, Election 2016, Election 2018, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, The War On Women, Women's Rights Are Human Rights, Not Normal
Chuck Grassley’s staff says two different (unnamed) men came forward and admitted sexual assault in the past week, looking to exonerate Kavanaugh https://t.co/ylpNsiwkNz
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) September 27, 2018
Now we know why they brought in the sex crimes prosecutor from Arizona.
In a timeline of actions the Senate Judiciary Cmte has taken in response to allegations against Kavanaugh, they says TWO individuals have come forward to the Cmte saying THEY had the encounter with Dr Ford instead of Kavanaugh —> pic.twitter.com/WqgX4gRSYo
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 27, 2018
Asked for more info about the individuals, @ChuckGrassley Spox Taylor Foy says “Nothing further at the moment.”
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 27, 2018
Dem aide responds: “Twelve hours before the hearing they suggest two anonymous men claimed to have assaulted her. Democrats were never informed of these assertions or interviews, in violation of Senate rules. This is shameful and the height of irresponsibility.”
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 27, 2018
The state of play less than ten hours out from the hearing is that the Senate Judiciary Committee’s GOP majority has conducted three interviews, with two men, without notifying the ranking Democratic member or any of the Democratic staff on the Judiciary Committee, both of whom claim they are the man who attacked Dr. Blasey. I will be very, very, very (pleasantly) surprised if the female sex crimes prosecutor from Maricopa County, AZ doesn’t conduct an inquisition of Dr. Blasey tomorrow morning.
Dr. Ford KNOWS it was Kavanaugh. She has no doubt. Republicans still trying this "silly woman must be confused" defense is so so offensive.
— JackiSchechner (@JackiSchechner) September 27, 2018
Make them come before the committee and publicly say it. On live television, make them say “yes, I believe I was the one who committed sexual assault”. https://t.co/rnDT8VKw2N
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) September 27, 2018
Brace for impact!
Open thread!
Senator Grassley, Via His Staff, Tips His HandPost + Comments (97)
by Adam L Silverman| 331 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Election 2018, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Silverman on Security, Not Normal
With the new allegations brought forth by Michael Avenatti, as well as the reporting that the President is taking over the public relations regarding his nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, including an announced 5 PM press conference/statement/availability, the real action will be within the Republican majority caucus in the Senate. Specifically all the attention needs to be on Senator McConnell.
The Senate majority leader is not particularly popular within his own caucus. He’s a top down, micromanager who tries to control everything. This includes the committees. The GOP committee chairs in the Senate are, in many ways, just figureheads. Right now every reporter is scrambling to get answers from Senator Grassley, who is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, about what is going to happen. And while he or his office will eventually provide some, they aren’t really Grassley’s answers. They’re McConnell’s. Senator Grassley is just the face of the GOP majority on the committee, McConnell is really calling the shots.
Senator McConnell is almost the truest example of a natural fascist in American politics and public life today. His guiding principle that might makes right is the distilled essence of totalitarianism and was a hallmark of Mussollini’s fascism (national-syndicalism), as well as part of the bastardization of Nietzche’s philosophies adopted and used by the NAZIs. As I wrote back in June:
Senate Majority Leader McConnell isn’t a politician or like any politician who has ever served as Senate Majority or Minority Leader. Rather than view him as a politician, it is more appropriate to understand Senator McConnell as an insurgent, albeit a non-violent one. He recognizes no legitimacy but his own. When out of power he’ll do whatever is necessary using asymmetric, irregular, and/or unconventional means to achieve power. And once he achieves power he will do whatever he can to achieve his objectives to consolidate his gains as quickly as possible using any means necessary as he believes his actions are self justifying – that his achievement of power justifies his by any means necessary strategy. This is, by the way, the basic argument of the premier Italian fascist (national-syndicalist) theorist Sergio Panunzio, who delineated the fascist theories for the use of political violence and low intensity warfare in the 1920s. As a result, there is no law, rule, tradition, norm, ethic, promise, and/or deal he won’t violate or renege on. This also makes him an unreliable interlocutor and makes it impossible to negotiate with him in good faith as he doesn’t believe in good faith negotiations.
Senator McConnell doesn’t do anything in good faith. The last thing that Senator McConnell wants is to lose control of the Senate. Whether now because of the defections of a pair of his retiring members using it as leverage to achieve their own objectives or in the mid terms because enough voters want a check on the President to override the partisan Republican advantage in this senatorial election cycle. It is why he’s ground everything in the chamber other than handling nominations, specifically judicial nominations, to a halt. It is why he doesn’t want to do the legally required annual budgetary resolution so he can avoid having his members take tough votes before the midterms. And it is why he’s cancelled most of the August recess under the pretense that it is the only way he can move judicial nominees because of what he alleges is Democratic obstruction. Nominations that only exist because he prevented President Obama from seating almost any judicial nominees during his final two years in office. The Democratic minority has no tools to stop these nominations, regardless of what Senator McConnell says because Senator McConnell in conjunction with Senator Grassley has gotten rid of the blue slip rule and refuses to recognize Democratic senators holds on nominees. Senator McConnell’s cancellation of the August recess is really just a thinly veiled attempt to keep incumbent Democratic senators up for reelection off the campaign trail. Every Senate rule, tradition, norm, ethic, and even law (Congressional Budget Act) has been bent or stretched to breaking or just outright ignored by Senator McConnell in his quest to consolidate his power and achieve his revanchist and reactionary objectives. As an insurgent, albeit a non-violent one, Senator McConnell only understands and recognizes the application of leverage and force.
If you want to know how the Senate is going to respond to these recent allegations, or specifically how the Senate’s GOP majority is going to respond, watch Senator McConnell. He is the only Republican senator that matters.
Open thread.
What to Watch for in the US Senate Over the Next Several DaysPost + Comments (331)