The senate hearing for Amy Coney Barrett has me on edge. The size and makeup of her family doesn’t impress me, nor does it interest me. I don’t find it qualifying or disqualifying. There are a whole lot of other things about this rushed, forced, sham of a confirmation hearing that are worthy of our attention.
Barrett has shown she’s untrustworthy. Lots of “I’m not going to comment on that” and “I don’t recall hearing that.” Even an unwillingness to say even basic things like it’s illegal to intimidate voters.
I mean. It’s 2020. What do you mean you “don’t have firm views on climate change?” What???
If she was trustworthy, and had moral convictions, she would say: I’m honored, I want the job, but let’s take this up in a few short weeks after the election.
Barrett knows the President backing her is immoral in every possible way. Can you imagine being of sound moral judgement and being willing to be placed on the court by an impeached President who doesn’t pay taxes, launders money for Russian oligarchs, has 26 credible sexual assault accusations filed in court against him, let 230,000+ preventable deaths happens on his watch, consistently shares misinformation and stokes hate that gets people killed, criminally uses public funds and resources for his personal enrichment, and who relishes humiliating his many wives, by publicly bragging about cheating on them?
Barrett knows that there is no mandate to rush to fill this seat. She knows there’s a pandemic and people are suffering and that holding this rushed, unusual, sham of a hearing means the Senate is being distracted from working to bring relief to the American people. Barrett can’t claim morality and go along with this. I appreciate ambition in women and can imagine she feels she has to grab this opportunity, no matter who is harmed, in order to elevate herself. But surely she must know she loses any moral credibility or trust by doing so.
As we learned from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Barrett was specifically chosen by the Federalist Society, and recommended to Trump, to do six very specific things: overturn Roe v. Wade, overturn Gay Marriage, get rid of ACA/Obamacare, weaken the Civil Jury, weaken Corporate Oversight, and increase Voter Suppression. (If you have not watched Sen. Whitehouse’s 30 minute presentation during the hearings, please do so. It was excellent teaching. Don’t miss the part where he talks about the 80 cases with clear bias.)
Barrett knows this is why she was chosen. She knows this is what is expected of her. By participating in this sham she has agreed to the corruption. She also knows the bulk of the country doesn’t want any of those six things. Wanting to force them on a country that doesn’t want them, makes her a radical extremest. It makes her an elitist too — apparently her 3 years of experience as a judge has led her to believe she knows better than the rest of the country. (Can you imagine? Only three years as a judge and they think she’s ready for the Supreme Court?)
Is she expecting to be respected and beloved? She will be hated from day one by the most of the country. Because most of the country has no interest in overturning the ACA or Roe; has no interest in filling this seat before the election. Barrett won’t even be taken seriously by those who currently support her, because they know her Supreme Court Seat was bought and paid for. Just like Kavanaugh’s seat was bought and paid for.
We can even predict that religious-right-wingers, both men and women, will quickly turn against her because she’s a mother with young kids. They will be angry she isn’t home with the kids. They will complain that her clothes are wrong (her skirt didn’t cover her knees! the horror!); that she’s taking the spot of a worthy man who needs to support his family. They don’t actually like when women have power.
And not for nothing, Barrett should never have been on the appellate court in the first place. She took the spot of a Black woman named Myra Selby.
Which reminds me, if he gets to fill a Supreme Court seat, Biden has pledged to put a Black woman on the court, something that’s long overdue.
The whole rushed, sham of a hearing is an embarrassment. You know this and I know this because the Republicans promised to support the candidate before they even knew who it would be! Which means the hearing is just a show. It’s a joke. It’s yet another stain on our country put there by Republican corruption.
Please vote. Trump and the GOP is a disaster. Let’s show up at the polls in such a big way that they can’t come back. Click here for voting and registration info, and if you have questions about how it works, don’t be shy.
