Back in July I asked “Amy Coney Barrett nomination would stop working parents from demanding more help?”
Donald Trump decided to nominate Brett Kavanaugh (generic white guy) instead of the mom-of-7 and now the white male has been #MeTooed.
Earlier this year I wrote “Should Republicans run only black women for Congress and Senate?” The same question could be asked regarding appointees. In a country of roughly 330 million (Census), why do Republicans need white males for any job?
Let’s consider Nikki Haley, Trump’s U.N. Ambassador. She’s accorded victim status as a “brown woman” in this 2011 New York Times article:
Why on earth did your parents — wealthy Sikh immigrants from Punjab, one with a law degree, the other with a Ph.D. — settle in Bamberg, S.C. …
You don’t think it’s just a question of their preferring any white guy over a brown woman?
[Separately, a friend asked in a Facebook Messenger thread:
How come all of Clinton’s accusers can’t find work but Anita Hill and all Democrats who accuse someone end up with cushy university jobs?
]
Why can’t the Republicans learn from this and appoint only people whom the U.S. media will defer to as victims of racial, gender, or sexual orientation prejudice?
The U.S. media won’t defer to anyone the Republicans appoint. People they consider “victims” are required to be Democrats, and anyone who strays from the plantation will be viciously attacked. Just ask Clarence Thomas.
Ken: The Clarence Thomas hearings were in 1991. You don’t think that American victimhood has become more intense and sacred in the intervening 27 years? There are a lot more processes today in which people are first sorted by race and gender ID than there were in 1991. So Clarence Thomas could have been considered a Republican man who happened to be black. Today he might be a black man who happens to be a Republican.
Well, he denies that it happened. But of course it did happen. I could forgive a single sobering youthful indiscretion. But I can’t believe it was sobering because he denies it happened. So, besides the indiscretion either he is a liar or he was so drunk that he really doesn’t remember–either case should be disqualifying. My money says he is a liar, and this won’t be the only lie. It is like an employee stealing from the till–the time you see it happen is never the first instance. What will really be telling is if he gets confirmed anyway, it would prove that a majority of the congress lacks the basic decency and honesty expected from man.
The Democratic attitude towards “victims” who escape the plantation hasn’t changed since 1991. If you want a modern (but much less well-known) example, consider Candace Owens.
zzazz: The fact that you say “of course it did happen” about an event where you don’t have any possibility of personal knowledge supports my point, I think. If Americans will immediately believe any story in the #MeToo genre then it doesn’t make sense to appoint someone who can be #MeTooed. A woman of color would be the best choice, therefore, (East Asian and Indian women qualify as “of color,” these days, which broadens the field) and a white woman as a last resort. Given the enormous size of the U.S. workforce, what is the possible justification for appointing a white man?
Imagine for a moment that Amy Coney Barrett had been appointed. A cisgender man sends a letter to a senator saying that she tried to force him to do something sexual 30 years ago. He has been in therapy ever since he was attacked by Ms. Coney, a high schooler with raging hormones. The therapist will corroborate that the victim shared his painful memories well before the nomination of Mrs. Barrett. Would anyone believe this or care?
Indian people are generally referred to as being brown, even if they look rather tan. They often refer to themselves that way. Referring to an Indian-American female as a brown woman does not accord her any status.
Anita Hill already had a job at a university before she made her famous accusation.
None of has any “personal knowledge” about the fall of the Roman Empire. That doesn’t mean that we can’t know anything about it.
First you go over the Clarence Thomas story again and then claim that a non-white woman would have an easier confirmation than a white woman. That doesn’t make sense.
Finally, regarding your question asking why Republicans don’t just nominate non-white women, they have the majority in the Senate. They could just ignore the attempted rape allegations and confirm Kavanagh this week.
Vince: “They often refer to themselves that way.”
Let’s survey the readers, many of whom have tech backgrounds and therefore have had a lot of interaction with immigrants from India and second-generation Indian-Americans. Folks: How often have you heard an Indian-American refer to himself or herself as “brown”?
(My personal experience: My boss at NASA in 1978 was an Indian immigrant physicist. He never referred to himself as “brown”. As I was too young to drive, I got a ride every day from a Sikh immigrant (he had a radical non-conformist streak when it came to staying in one lane on the Beltway and I think he might have driven an AMC Maverick(!)). He never referred to himself as “brown.” I entered MIT in 1979 and have interacted with a lot more Indians since then, both at work and socially. I can’t think of a single occasion on which any of them used this term.)
I’ve been in the tech industry for over twenty years, and have never heard any Indian-Americans refer to themselves as “brown.” For that matter, I’ve never heard any of them refer to themselves as “Indian-American” either.
“My personal experience: My boss at NASA in 1978 was an Indian immigrant physicist. He never referred to himself as “brown””
Correct…
for 1978
Some of the kids now do use the term “brown”.
@zzazz #3: we all have been or have a “naughty” story stuck to us and if we don’t someone will find something. Until when I see multiple women / men speaking against Kavanaugh giving evidence and accounts of similar conducts, I do not see any reason why he should not be a voted on even if Ford’s story is true. If you think otherwise, then the only qualified persons are newborns (but only to the age of 9 months).
@Philg: no matter who you nominate, the other party will object one way or another. This is all about “it’s my turn now to make your life measurable” and unfortunately, a lot of people have a lot of free time and the internet isn’t helping.
And why would anyone would want to classify themselves as “white”, “brown” or what have you? Oh right, to take advantage of a system and to excel in life so that the other “white”, “brown”, and what have you don’t excel.
Isn’t that discrimination right there? Where is the outrage?
philg–I can be reasonably sure that the assault happened in precisely the same way that a police officer on a dark night finding a man dressed like a burglar and in possession of burglary tools skulking in the backyard of a house in a neighborhood that doesn’t contain his residence is reasonably sure that he has in fact come across a burglar, even though he has not witnessed any burglary.
George A–I completely reject that everyone does it. And like I said I am willing to forgive many indiscretions, there but for the grace of god go I, but Kavenaugh has doubled down–unless the charges are completely fabricated, which is unlikely and certain to be found out if they are, that means he remains a bad actor.
In any case, after these allegations I want to know about his drinking habits–that’s not off limits–it is some of the exact character that needs a close examination.
zzazz-The charges are completely unsubstantiated and cannot be confirmed or falsified as 35 years have passed. In addition to the possibility of them being completely fabricated, which actually cannot be proven unless the accuser admits it, she could simply have remembered wrong. 35 year old memories are very unreliable. We also have asymmetric incentives. She will pay no penalty for lying and has tremendous incentive to lie-potentially being the hero that saves Roe v. Wade.
You think that any man being accused of a sexual assault is as reliable probable cause as finding someone dressed as a burglar with burglary tools at night in a backyard that isn’t his? Seriously???
If he was blackout drunk, which seems quite possible, he may not remember it. But he didn’t say that – he said it did not happen. If his friend was also out of it, he may not remember either – but he did not say that. K has apparently dodged and lied about several issues. This does not sound like a judge, much less a Justice of the SC. I suspect McConnell knows a few more soft spots or he would not have flagged K as hard to confirm. It is time for K to withdraw and let the next Federalist have it. Appeals court judge for life is not a bad gig for a beltway frat boy.
@the other Donald: if Kavenaugh was blackout drunk and doesn’t remember and he claimed it didn’t happen, does that mean he lied? What about Ford, could she have had some fantasy dream about this but think it is real? We are talking about something from high school, 35 years ago.
I’m not defending Kavenaugh but I’m also not going to drop him or anyone else no matter what “color” or “group” that person is from, until when I see multiple accusers come forward with similar stories. If we are going to drop anyone on a dime like this, we won’t have anyone who remains standing.
So this goes back to Phil’s question which I tried to answer in comment #10.
PS: I’m speaking as father who has a son and a daughter, I do not want to see EITHER of them go through this kind of ordeal: to be a victim or the abuser.
@philg: You don’t see Indians referring to themselves as brown because the whole subcontinent culture is the most racist on Earth. Indians have for millennia judged social status and caste on the base of skin color (the lighter, the better), and so it is subconsciously ingrained that brown skin is bad. No wonder they don’t admit being brown. As a personal anecdote, I’ve heard an Indian woman call herself a “woman of color” (a term I hate, does that make the others colorless?) when pulling up the race card.
More on topic, Kavanaugh is a GOP apparachik who should be happy and lucky to be in his present post. His nomination is a disgrace to the SCOTUS, not because of silly things he did while a teenager, but because of his lying, questionable record, and personal debts. He will most likely be confirmed, and will probably challenge Clarence Thomas as the most incompetent judge at SCOTUS (the fact that CT is black is probably just a coincidence).
“….35 year old memories are very unreliable.”
Nonsense. I had my first sexual experience 45 years ago and I remember it well.
I lost all respect for Kavanaugh after I saw the clip of him turning his back on the man (sorry, forgot his name) who introduced himself and offered a handshake. The look on Kavanaugh’s face had f…you written all over it. The jerk already thinks he’s a god.
Answer: Because they lose their diversity points as soon as they acquire any prominence as Republicans. Just ask Clarence Thomas, etc.
From what I’ve read, it was Mark Judge who wrote in a memoir he sometimes got blackout drunk. Doesn’t mean it happened at the time mentioned, nor of course that Kavanaugh was thus drunk at the time.
“I lost all respect for Kavanaugh after I saw the clip of him turning his back on the man (sorry, forgot his name) who introduced himself and offered a handshake.”
The name of that man? Adolf Hitler.
Sorry, such an incident per se doesn’t impress me without more details. Also, I thought progs and generic Massachusetts dwellers approve of social ostracism, etc. Perhaps that’s only of White House officials?
“He will most likely be confirmed, and will probably challenge Clarence Thomas as the most incompetent judge at SCOTUS (the fact that CT is black is probably just a coincidence).”
Whoah, that’s your loyal allies you’re dissing, you know.
Interestingly, this process may well be repeated two or three times more for the Trump era. Let’s see … the nodding RBG (age 85) might not be long for this world; Breyer is 80 years old too (I just had a relative grow ill and die in just a couple of weeks at age 82, and, as we recall, Scalia died suddenly at age 79); Sotomayor (age 64) is furthermore rumored to be suffering heavily from diabetes and might retire early. Though I guess she will be getting some calls to hang on.
Thomas (age 70) and Alito (age 68) could even take the opportunity to retire while a Republican is in power. Soon there might be an entire new generation in your SC.
Tom..sorry, I don’t understand your “Adolf Hitler” reference. The incident is not supposed to “impress” you. It was a polite introduction followed by an offer of a handshake. Google it if it helps you be “impressed”. Arrogance isn’t flattering.
Well, let’s try again: refusing to shake the hand of an unknown man is not despicable by itself. If the man is Adolf Hitler, for example, or perhaps Sarah Huckabee Sanders, then some would even praise such a refusal. Perhaps including you? So just getting angry over this without telling the reader such key information does not convince the readet to share your anger. Is that clearer?
Does not have to be a black woman. A black man can survive #MeToo
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/14/638654866/dnc-reviewing-domestic-abuse-allegations-against-deputy-chair-ellison
Tom….thanks for clarifying for simple minded people like myself. It’s so clear now.