Kavanaugh confirmation decision: Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a key holdout, announces support for Su

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

PowerPost

Kavanaugh confirmation decision: Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, a key holdout, announces support for Supreme Court nominee

By Seung Min Kim and John Wagner
September 28 at 10:30 AM

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), one of the key holdouts on Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh's confirmation, announced Friday morning that he would support him after more than eight hours of testimony from Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused the nominee of assaulting her.

His statement comes ahead of a key Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Kavanaugh's nomination Friday. In a statement, Flake called Ford's testimony before the committee "compelling," and Kavanaugh's response "persuasive."

"I wish that I could express the confidence that some of my colleagues have conveyed about what either did or did not happen in the early 1980s, but I left the hearing yesterday with as much doubt as certainty," Flake said. "What I do know is that our system of justice affords a presumption of innocence to the accused, absent corroborating evidence. That is what binds us to the rule of law."

With Flake's support, the Judiciary Committee -- which includes 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats -- is expected to vote along party lines Friday afternoon to advance Kavanaugh's nomination a day after hearing riveting testimony from the judge and Ford.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-committee-prepares-to-vote-on-kavanaugh-nomination-as-key-senators-remain-silent/2018/09/28/0b143292-c305-11e8-b338-a3289f6cb742_story.html

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Hardly shocking. Should this even be news, or merely confirmation of what we knew would happen all along, like "Sun rises in East. Details at 11"?

[hibbing]

1. What a maverick n/t

[Zambero]

8. Flake's Maverick rating just in...

Hat: 100%
Cattle: Zero

When will his next "outrage" book be hitting the shelves?

[NCjack]

2. Flake is a party loyalist. Trump will go a little easier on this little man. nt

[Kber]

3. Guess he's not running for President after all.

[cstanleytech]

19. No, he probably will still run he is more likely counting on

the voting public to not care by the time he does run which will probably be in 2024.

[Taraman]

21. He just killed his 2020 chances.

There are reasonable, Christian-type Mormons. He isn't one of them. No moral center to the man.

[aeromanKC]

4. If Flake had doubt he should demand further Investigation

It is for a lifetime position to the highest court of the land. His excuse is Bullshit.

[defacto7]

5. And his instability means nothing?

And his lack on intelligent comment means nothing?

And his disingenuous manipulation means nothing?

And his dubious financial situation means nothing?

His ultra partisanship means nothing?

His acceptance of conspiracy theories means nothing?

etc. etc.

[Trust Buster]

6. He wants to be a lobbyist when his term ends. He will make millions.

If he votes “no”, he will be blackballed from the revolving lobbyist door.

[Racerdog1]

7. Flake is an idiot

Always has been. About as smart as a fence post. Easily bought like a cheap whore.

[Doodley]

9. That wasn't confirmation of a yes vote.

[lagomorph777]

10. Flake is never a holdout. He's just a flake.

[stopbush]

13. Bingo!

[3catwoman3]

11. He has testicles...

...but no balls. No spine either.

[hotrod0808]

12. How

in the hell can this be a fucking surprise? Flake's M.O. is the same in every issue. Support it at first, feign skepticism, pretend to be conflicted, meet with the opposition as window dressing, then rubber stamp whatever Trump/party/Putin/wealthy donors want. Let's just stop running fucking stories on each of his publicity seeking, self-absorbed attempts to save his post-political reputation. Fuck this guy and anyone who believes him.

[rpannier]

14. Flake the Fake

Now we can watch Collins and Murkowski express the angst they went through before deciding to vote for him as well

[FloridaBlues]

15. So goes flake so goes the rest of republicans

In the full senate.

[iluvtennis]

16. Predictable. Same shit, different day with Flake.

[ffr]

17. Flake was always a yes vote, but nobody knows what Collins and Murkowski will lean.

This has always been at about Susan Collins [phone] and Lisa Murkowski [phone] who care more about reelection than anything else. CALL THEM NOW. CALL THEM ALL WEEKEND LONG.

[Oneironaut]

18. Flake was never a holdout. This entire process is theater.

Everyone knows what their vote is going to be before the confirmation hearings. The hearings are just a formality that didn’t change anyones’ minds.

His confirmation is inevitable. Republicans are the majority party, and they aren’t going to vote against their own party.

There will be no surprises in the vote. We’ve already known what’s going to happen for a while.

[elmac]

20. they will all fall in line

they don't care about being reelected, they know the kochs brothers will give them a cushy job and the Koch's will get 40+ years of a fascist supreme court who will dismantle every safety net left after tRump.

[olegramps]

22. This is a blessing in disguise.

There is little doubt in my mind that Kavanaugh and the crowd that he associated were drunken abusive privileged kids that got away with things that would not be tolerated in most average class neighborhoods. As a former Catholic, I wonder just why is the church involved in the education of kids of extreme wealth when so many tens of thousands of kids within their community were sorely in need of their attention. I think that it was and continues to be outrageous they are operating schools with the yearly tuition at attend is from $40,000.00 to $60,000.00 a year. I am also appalled by the fact of these kids testimony of heavy drinking by kids ranging from 14 to 17 years of age. I find that to be totally unbelievable that they were not aware of the situation. Where in the hell were the parents?


I hope that this sham more than anything else opens up the eyes of the average citizens to realize that our government is totally under the control of the privileged. Those in control have been groomed from childhood to be the future leaders. Kavanaugh is a prime example of the product of this culture. I did not see someone who was forthright in his answers, but evasive on key questions. The entire procedure was a farce.

But I welcome it and I absolutely pleased at the results. Not that they totally discounted Ford's testimony, but it has been exposed for all who are not blinded by the hatred to see that her plea for justice was agreed beforehand to be to totally disregarded as irrelevant. The securing of their candidate's seat on the court was tantamount. They had to keep it in perspective of their goal. Even if Justice be Damned.

Hopefully this will the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Hopefully it will prove to be the event that will produce an outpouring of revulsion of the Republican Party's absolute disregard for law and justice. Their feigned compassion for this woman's suffering was exposed for all to see. It is little more than mockery when contrasted with their determination to seat their lapdog on the Supreme Court. Unfortunately this not atypical Republican behavior. They have demonstrated with out reservation that they have no regard for truth or even the basic concepts upon which this nation was founded. Like Pilot's reply, Truth, what is truth? I am Truth. Power is truth.

Their candidate was chosen for his extreme conservative ideology primarily/ Major of which is his disregard for the right of women over the control of their own bodies. It secured for them a powerful block of voters who are determined to impose their religious beliefs on the entirety of the citizens. We all know that it crass hypocrisy. This is about retention of power. Nothing else. Hopefully, it will be that one bridge too far.

[truthisfreedom]

23. Sooprise sooprise!

[Princess Turandot]

24. Chances are he got a call from his Mormon bishop threatening him..

..with being kicked out of their church.

[djg21]

25. This due process crap is a canard.

This isn’t a criminal prosecution, and there is no due process right or presumption of innocence that attaches. This is utter nonsense, and we’ve allowed the right to frame the debate.

[Ccarmona]

26. In Other News, the Sun, as predictable as Jeff Flake, Rose in the East

He loves the attention of appearing to be holding out, but he always votes the Party line.

[Perseus]

27. Anyone who made a bet thinking that Flake would vote "no" has not been following his actions

He is all talk, nothing else.

What a flake he is...all that negative talk about the man-child, but when the time comes out to vote for what the man-child wants, he doesn't even bring a belt to make sure his pants are down quickly.