How the Supreme Court and Moscow Mitch McConnell Earned our Disrespect
Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart
I must admit here that this story is more about the status of women in America than how corrupt our Supreme Court has become thanks to Moscow Mitch McConnell and the Federalist Society. However, they are forever intertwined, and will likely be so for years to come.
Mistakes Were Made
I have watched multiple Supreme Court hearings held for the purpose of confirming or denying confirmation for Justices nominated by our president. I firmly believe that five of the current justices should never have been confirmed by the Senate. These justices were allowed to receive lifetime appointments because of the political affiliation, not for their judicial expertise.
The hearings I remember most happened in 1991 and 2018. Unfortunately, I remain more disappointed with the mostly white, old senators who entirely discounted the testimony of two courageous women in support of the male nominees.
Anita Hill vs Clarence Thomas
In 1991 President George H. W. Bush nominated a Black man, Clarence Thomas, to fill the void on the Court. The hearings began in September. The most interesting witness was a 33-year-old Black woman who worked for Judge Thomas. She accused Thomas of multiple instances of sexual misconduct.
As I watched senators question Ms. Hill, I felt there was an underlying effort to discredit the young woman. It appeared that this group of mostly white men had preconceived opinions that she was lying. Thomas was confirmed by a vote of 52-48.
In 2021, Ms. Hill had this to say.
"I started out with sexual harassment and I thought that was the issue that I would deal with but I started hearing from people who had told me about intimate partner violence and then there are people who wrote me, [who] spoke about their experience with sexual assault and rape," Hill told "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts. "And what I started to understand was that there was this connection and that you couldn't really separate them, because at the heart of it was the same problem."
Brett Kavanaugh vs Christine Blasey Ford
Although Brett Kavanaugh was technically nominated by Donald Trump in 2018, he was actually chosen by Moscow Mitch McConnell in collusion with the Federalist Society. The only qualification required was his willingness to overturn Roe v Wade.
As hearings began in September of 2018, he, too, had a woman challenge his qualifications to become a Supreme Court Justice.
Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of rape when she was 17 and he was 19. She described the incident in detail, but it was clear that once again the majority of senators doubted her veracity. Kavanaugh denied the allegation, claiming he was not in the same location when the rape occurred.
When it was her turn to testify, I was riveted to the television screen. She faced the senators and began.
[“I am here today not because I want to be,” Ford said. “I am terrified.” For the next four hours, she answered every question. She admitted the facts she could not remember and recited her memories of that summer night in excruciating detail.]
Kavanaugh was confirmed by a very slim margin, 50-48.
Corruption and Bias in Washington are Normal
These are two examples of how corruption in Washington has become standard operating procedure.
Women continue to struggle in our male-dominated society. I admit to having some hope during the Obama administration. However, when ignorant voters chose a self-admitted sexual predator to be our nation’s leader in 2016, all hope died.
40 years ago, any man running for the presidency who was divorced or found having an affair became an albatross and removed his name from the ballot. In 2017 a low life pretending to be a billionaire was allowed to reside in the White House, although he has no morals or principles.
Women will continue to struggle until America chooses a woman as our president, and until women become the majority in the House and Senate.
Op-ed by James Turnage
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