Yeah honestly at this point I wish Collins and Murkowski would stop trying to fine tune their press release and just say they are yeses, if they are. It's worse to have the tiniest kernel of hope honestly, and having to be anxious about what is going to happen. Just tell us so we can all start dealing with it.
I guess I must be in a good (fighting) place today because I still think some hope is better than no hope.
When you call, remind senators that this isn’t a did he/didn’t he situation. Is he REALLY the very best they can find to fill this role? Yesterday wasn’t about proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty...it was asking is he FIT TO BE A SCJ? Sexual allegations aside (which is enough for me, but obviously not for them), he is very obviously partisan, lost his temper, and was very emotional.
If someone accused me of murder, I wouldn’t act like that. You know why? Because I know there’s absolutely, positively NO way that I murdered someone. Time and investigation would clear my name.
I can’t imagine ANYONE acting like that in a job interview and still getting a job offer. For ANY position! Surely they can do better.
Oh, and remember all of the documents and debts? What about those?
I've been thinking that, too. Even a pretty niche, well-paid position where there is a relatively small pool of candidates. There's really ALWAYS another candidate, especially if someone behaves like that. Next!
My Senator's DC office VM is full (always had been when I've called about anything big. I think he might just leave it full on purpose.) I'll start calling the local one when it opens.
My friend's Senator doesn't set his phones to go to voicemail at all. Nice.
Post by morecoffeeplease on Sept 28, 2018 9:05:48 GMT -5
PDQ because I will delete.
I live on a military base. I just went to buy my poster board. I overheard an Army officer tell a woman following him around saying "I'm sure she believes it was him. I don't doubt that but what if it wasn't him" that he 100% believes Dr. Ford and this bullshit that is happening is not what he fought for. The woman was something though. She followed him through the store going on and on. I finally walked near them and told him that I agree that Dr. Ford is telling the truth. He finally had to tell the woman to stop following him.
At least five Democrats walked out of today's meeting after the Senate Judiciary Committee moved to vote later today on Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Kamala Harris, Sheldon Whitehouse and Mazie Hirono left the room as Chairman Chuck Grassley was giving an opening statement. Sen. Patrick Leahy left a bit later.
Look, you don't like how it was handled. Fine. I don't think any of us really like it. But why the fuck aren't we going about the right process now? Why aren't we bringing in the witnesses to have them testify under oath? Why aren't we doing an FBI investigation or background check? Why do previous "mistakes" or flubs preclude the proper actions now?
I mean, it just screams of a coverup and it makes me physically sick.
There's a large, chaotic protest underway at the Dirksen Senate Office Building just down the hall from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room.
Demonstrators are blowing the whistles in an apparent attempt to drown out the Capitol Police’s instructions.
They are chanting, “November is coming,” and blowing whistles to drown out the Capitol Police who are attempting to shout instructors.
Some are sitting down and police are getting plastic handcuffs, indicating arrests are likely to follow. The press is being pushed away from the protest.
I just got off the phone with Donnelly's office and got the general reply, "I'll pass that along!" However, the feeling I got was that he's already decided to vote Yes and isn't making this public. I hope I'm wrong.
Ernst is one of my Senators. I just called and left a message, pleading for her to ask for further investigation and/or vote no. I am doubtful that it makes any difference, but one thing is for certain, NOT calling won’t make any difference at all.
seeyalater52 , do you have any suggestions for a DC resident? Can I call anyone or no one?
You could call Grassley and McConnell. Most of all tell everyone you know in all the places that aren't taxed without representation to call their Republican Senators. I assume you already do a lot of that though. (Also somehow your avatar led me to assume you were... not a DC resident lol)
When you call, remind senators that this isn’t a did he/didn’t he situation. Is he REALLY the very best they can find to fill this role? Yesterday wasn’t about proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty...it was asking is he FIT TO BE A SCJ? Sexual allegations aside (which is enough for me, but obviously not for them), he is very obviously partisan, lost his temper, and was very emotional.
If someone accused me of murder, I wouldn’t act like that. You know why? Because I know there’s absolutely, positively NO way that I murdered someone. Time and investigation would clear my name.
I can’t imagine ANYONE acting like that in a job interview and still getting a job offer. For ANY position! Surely they can do better.
Oh, and remember all of the documents and debts? What about those?
I've been thinking that, too. Even a pretty niche, well-paid position where there is a relatively small pool of candidates. There's really ALWAYS another candidate, especially if someone behaves like that. Next!
I have been saying this for a week. There are SO MANY THINGS that should be disqualifying about him, before the allegations even surfaced. The anger. The drinking. The lying. The weird money issues. I absolutely do not for a minute believe that there is not a conservative jurist out there better suited for the seat. I don't expect a GOP president and Senate to put someone I agree with politically on the court. But FFS can they at least find someone with some integrity and respect for the institution of the court and our system of government? I don't agree with John Roberts on almost anything but I have no doubts as to his fitness to serve in the seat. I mean, COME ON.
seeyalater52 , do you have any suggestions for a DC resident? Can I call anyone or no one?
Not an official recommendation but one of the daycare teachers I referenced above is a DC resident and she said she's been calling all of the undecideds/flippables.
Not only would I not get a job with that behavior, I'd lose the one I already have.
I am raging still today. DH and I got into it last night because he "can't feel that kind of defeat." No shit you can't. You haven't been part of this bullshit since the get go. And round and round we went. I have to believe that things will change, but nothing, absolutely nothing, tells me that it will. Not for women, not for people of color, not for the LGBTQ community, not for anyone but the fucking white males that continue to lord their fucking mediocrity over us all. I'm so angry. So so angry.
Flake says he has as much "doubt as certainty" about what happened in the 80s and isn't certain of like other colleagues (i.e. Graham) but he feels that the same principles of fairness and due process that apply to the "system of justice" should apply to confirmation hearings, and that the lack of corroborating evidence* about what happened means that he has to vote for Kavanaugh as a result of those principles.
*if you ignore the fact she told people before he was nominated, the polygraph test, and the calendar. Not to mention that Kavanaugh's evasiveness and untruthfulness could (and in similar situations is!) used as "corroborating evidence" as consciousness of guilt. Among so much more.
I keep hearing and seeing people say this and it makes me so mad! We're not talking about putting this dude in JAIL. We're just saying he is unfit to receive a lifetime appointment to the highest court in our country, where he will help shape laws that concern women and their bodies. FFS.
seeyalater52 , do you have any suggestions for a DC resident? Can I call anyone or no one?
Not an official recommendation but one of the daycare teachers I referenced above is a DC resident and she said she's been calling all of the undecideds/flippables.
Disclaimer that I am not attacking you personally or even directing this to you in particular, because you're far from the first person who has ever said this and considering how often I say the below you won't be the last. <3
The most common complaint we get from the offices of the "flippables" (and they're the same group of 6ish Senators every single time for every single vote) is that there are many more people calling from out of state than who are their actual constituents. It leads to them discounting the constituents who call with the same opinions, especially if the ratio of in-state to out-of-state callers favors the more liberal side of the issue. They start to automatically assume that anyone calling with that opinion is from out of state and should be discounted, and everyone calling with the opposing opinion is their constituent and it makes it much more challenging to get through to them that lots of their constituents DO support this position.
This is why I highly, highly recommend not calling. There are many hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent right now to get constituents in target Senate states on the phone with those offices today and over the weekend and calls from non-constituents dilute that message and put that to waste.
Forcing myself to put on political strategist hat. The safe bet is that they suck up the blowback of the midterm election and then press on from there. Anger will subside into acceptance for suburban white women. It always does. They always go back to the GOP. And in the meantime the GOP, with the help of the courts, will work on disenfranchising every liberal vote they can.
Not an official recommendation but one of the daycare teachers I referenced above is a DC resident and she said she's been calling all of the undecideds/flippables.
Disclaimer that I am not attacking you personally or even directing this to you in particular, because you're far from the first person who has ever said this and considering how often I say the below you won't be the last. <3
The most common complaint we get from the offices of the "flippables" (and they're the same group of 6ish Senators every single time for every single vote) is that there are many more people calling from out of state than who are their actual constituents. It leads to them discounting the constituents who call with the same opinions, especially if the ratio of in-state to out-of-state callers favors the more liberal side of the issue. They start to automatically assume that anyone calling with that opinion is from out of state and should be discounted, and everyone calling with the opposing opinion is their constituent and it makes it much more challenging to get through to them that lots of their constituents DO support this position.
This is why I highly, highly recommend not calling. There are many hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent right now to get constituents in target Senate states on the phone with those offices today and over the weekend and calls from non-constituents dilute that message and put that to waste.
Oh completely understand - but does that recommendation hold for DC residents too?? (e.g., unrepresented in the Senate... grrrr)
Post by katieinthecity on Sept 28, 2018 9:21:57 GMT -5
Does anyone have any insight into why, for all of the GOP grandstanding and belligerence about supposed delay tactics, none of the D's bothered to mention Garland? The hypocrisy is just astounding!
Disclaimer that I am not attacking you personally or even directing this to you in particular, because you're far from the first person who has ever said this and considering how often I say the below you won't be the last. <3
The most common complaint we get from the offices of the "flippables" (and they're the same group of 6ish Senators every single time for every single vote) is that there are many more people calling from out of state than who are their actual constituents. It leads to them discounting the constituents who call with the same opinions, especially if the ratio of in-state to out-of-state callers favors the more liberal side of the issue. They start to automatically assume that anyone calling with that opinion is from out of state and should be discounted, and everyone calling with the opposing opinion is their constituent and it makes it much more challenging to get through to them that lots of their constituents DO support this position.
This is why I highly, highly recommend not calling. There are many hundreds of thousands of dollars being spent right now to get constituents in target Senate states on the phone with those offices today and over the weekend and calls from non-constituents dilute that message and put that to waste.
Oh completely understand - but does that recommendation hold for DC residents too?? (e.g., unrepresented in the Senate... grrrr)
Yes. Senate offices don't care *where* you're calling from or why, their job is to determine whether you're their problem, and if you don't vote in their state/district you're not their problem.
I am very sympathetic to how massively unfair it is that DC is without representation but that to me is a separate issue. Calling from out of state/from DC makes the CALLER feel better but it doesn't help the issue or the cause. I think there are better ways to channel that energy that make a difference (including getting set up to phone bank to constituents of target Senators in other states) that are much more helpful, or at the very least not actively harmful.
ETA: Small exception is arguably committee chairs. Personally I do not call the committee chairs for the above reason but it's not quite as unexpected as other members. If you do call those Senators see if you can get the committee office rather than the Senator's office.
Does anyone have any insight into why, for all of the GOP grandstanding and belligerence about supposed delay tactics, none of the D's bothered to mention Garland? The hypocrisy is just astounding!
I was wondering this myself, but my bet is that they didn't want to be accused of seeing revenge/payback via Kavanaugh.
I called Ernst and Grassley and I am checking out for the rest of the day. I went to bed so fucking mad and woke up mad. I keep taking it out on H.
It is my bday today. For my sanity I am going to allow myself to check out today and take a social media break.
Hugs to everyone.
Happy birthday. I'm so sorry this is happening on your birthday and that you're understandably mad. I share that anger so much. I hope you can get some sanity and peace today and do something fun. <3
Does anyone have any insight into why, for all of the GOP grandstanding and belligerence about supposed delay tactics, none of the D's bothered to mention Garland? The hypocrisy is just astounding!
I was wondering this myself, but my bet is that they didn't want to be accused of seeing revenge/payback via Kavanaugh.
Yup. It polls TERRIBLY. It's actually one of the worst messages I've seen in terms of polling. Even Russia/investigation messages score higher, and those are not very popular (best ones are ACA and women's health related actually!)
Post by suburbanzookeeper on Sept 28, 2018 9:25:01 GMT -5
I'm all over the place. This is a job interview, this is not a criminal investigation. As I've said on Facebook, this was the icing on the shit cake - there were plenty of reasons why they shouldn't have confirmed him. He's been groomed for this his entire life and he's not going to let this happen because he believes he deserves this.
I'm going to spend my day handing out information with my emergency response team in the burn areas from our 22k+ acre fire since we're projected to have rain next week. I'm just at a total loss. I've called Harris's office and Feinstein's office, and emailed, I mean who else do I contact?