This article’s title is in part an acknowledgment of the loss of one of America’s greatest singers of all-time. Aretha Franklin was a champion to all American musicians, songwriters, and singers. In my radio broadcasting career, I fell in love with her songs. She will be sorely missed.
The other part the title’s purpose: Americans today wish the lyrics of the great Aretha Franklin song would be changed from “Chain, chain, chain” to “Change, change, change.” Nope…..NO CHANGE!
What’s Up?
“You got me where you want me; I ain’t nothin’ but your fool. Ya treated me mean; Oh you treated me cruel.”
Aretha could have been singing about today’s U.S. Congress in her hit “Chain Chain Chain.” I now know why the Founders set Congressional terms at 2 years and Senate terms at 6. The problem is Congressional members really don’t care why the Founders did so. Job #1 for everyone on Capitol Hill seems to be to maintain the status quo. Why not just dial back the Nation’s political atmosphere to that of the late 1700’s? The legislation would be dramatically different than today’s, and there would certainly be more accomplishments. Remember this: Washington D.C. was not the site for the first Congress.
During the 1790s, while Philadelphia served as the nation’s temporary capital, the U.S. Congress met problems and threats to the nation that tested the endurance of the Constitution and the republic it framed. Domestic issues of finance, taxation, sectionalism, Indian affairs, and slavery divided the delegates into bitter political camps, and international relations morphed into disagreements as well. Partisan politics aside, Congress during this decade forged a government that remained intact, despite projections of failure from the prevailing monarchies overseas. Imagine if THIS Congress functioned as those first Congresses did. They too faced amazing challenges and roadblocks — some similar to today’s and some different. But what was truly different was that those early U.S. governments found ways to daily put aside partisanship and personal differences and GOT THE PEOPLE’S BUSINESS DONE!
Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing
There certainly is no change in the attitude of those sitting at the table in Senate confirmation hearing of Brett Kavanaugh. Democrats on that committee have all already publicly announced they do not and will not support Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Why? They give no substantive explanation other than they “think” he (if confirmed) would not support anti-abortion and/or gun laws if any should come before the court. His history upon which they universally base those feelings is: ____________ and _____________. “Those spaces are blank,” you say. Yes, they are. There are NO opinions, no writings, no speeches given by Brett Kavanaugh upon which they can base their opinion that he is unworthy of their votes.
Here’s their reason: Democrats and others on the Left feel abortion is the right of every woman. Even though they have a SCOTUS confirmed law that provides that legal right to all — Roe v. Wade — they are all horrified that abortion might someday be ruled illegal by the Supreme Court. They are petrified that Kavanaugh if confirmed, might cast the deciding vote. Forget about the law in existence and forget about precedence. ABORTION IS LEGAL!
Political historians, current and past federal judges, and federal law scholars pretty much in unison state that if Roe v. Wade is ever challenged at the Supreme Court on its legal structure, it would fail. But on principle, it will stand, unless a future SCOTUS faces a challenge of the law’s legal substance.
Surely they know that even if Roe is ever overturned, the legality determination of abortion will simply go back to the states. Then (as before) determination of abortion will be state-by-state.
So why the uproar? It’s not about abortion at all. Pro-Choice is simply the face of a Socialist movement. Their agenda goes far beyond just abortion rights. It includes the fundamental changes to U.S. law and American rights. And it even includes changing a fundamental principle held dearly by all Americans since the Declaration of Independence: the right to vote.
We’ll get into the substance of those. But first: the Senate confirmation hearing.
The “Agenda” of the Kavanaugh Hearings
In Judge Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation hearing, there were no questions from Senators on Tuesday, but there will be questions, answers, accusations, and assumptions Wednesday about the following:
- Roe v. Wade
- Gun Rights
- Immigration
- Public Education vs. Private Education
- First Amendment
- Roe v. Wade
- Executive Department Authority
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade is in the list 3 times because, in the hearing, it was (and will be) mentioned and discussed in questions and answers at least 30% of the hearing time!
Senators (probably by the time you read this) will have already begun Q & A with the nominee: 30 minutes each in the first round and 20 minutes each in round two. What that means is Republican members will use 25 minutes in the first round (as an accommodation to the confirmation process to save time), 15 minutes in the second round for the same reason. Democrats, however, will use 35-40 minutes just because they will demand it!
In case you missed Tuesday’s initial hearing, let me boil it down for you:
- Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Grassley (R-IA) set the rules for the hearing up front but was instantly when gaveling the hearing open interrupted by Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) who demanded immediate hearing adjournment because Senators had not had enough time to read necessary documents to prepare. And she continued to interrupt Grassley about the same subject again and again;
- Democrat Senator after Democrat Senator too demanded adjournment for the same reason, over and over again. They needed to “learn more about how Brett Kavanaugh if confirmed, would rule on controversial cases based on his notes and previous cases.” This complaint continued, even though they had been provided more than 400,000 pages of notes, case history, financial records, education records, witness testimony and on and on about Kavanaugh;
- All this came in the shadow of one glaring fact that revealed the animus, hatred, and partisanship of the Left: Appellate Judge Kavanaugh had written 307 opinions on cases that came in front of his court — 307! “If” they want to know what his judicial stance is on any one particular issue that might result in Supreme Court consideration, they certainly have documentation to show them. How do you measure what a judge thinks about issues on which he or she has ruled? Read his or her opinions.
- The harsh reality of Democrat reasoning here is clear: their only intent is to discredit Brett Kavanaugh in every way possible and disrupt confirmation hearings. It was revealed today they had a conference call over the weekend and set a plan in motion to do exactly what they did in the Tuesday hearing: obstruct the hearing with constant interruptions and attacks on Kavanaugh. Their attacks on Judge Kavanaugh were not for his specific case results — he participated in over 2000 court decisions — but on the process of these hearing led by Grassley. And the process was exactly the same as that used in the Gorsuch hearings for which no one had any issues at all about the process.
- The most glaring proof of how vile the Left was in the Tuesday hearing was that Judge Kavanaugh’s two young daughters had to leave the hearing so they would not see and hear how nasty, rude, and bombastic Democrat Senators were to their father.
Summary
I recorded and watched the replay of Judge Kavanaugh’s opening statement at the hearing. I was amazed at his composure, his positive attitude, and his grasp of the meaning of being a Supreme Court nominee and what it means if he is confirmed. He made it clear that he is proud of the work completed in his 12 years as D.C. Appeals Court judge and has no hesitation in supporting each decision reached by that court — even those with which he disagreed. Not many can say that in looking back on 12 years on their job there is nothing they’d change . Kavanaugh emphasized that his fundament basis for every court ruling was his undying commitment to the “Rule of Law.”
For those of our liberal members, before attacking Judge Kavanaugh during these hearings, please don’t listen to someone else’s summary of Judge Kavanaugh’s written opinions. Yes, 307 is quite a few, they are lengthy (I know because I’ve read several), but it is worth your time to at least Google those, grab at least a few, and read them. Once you do that, I suggest you do what is apparent Democrats are so far unwilling to do: question the Judge for what he actually did in consideration and forming opinions on specific cases.
A real and accurate measure of a nominated judge is not what he or she says. A real and accurate measure of ANY judge is what he or she actually does on cases.
These confirmation hearings illustrate the vast chasm between what Congress in the 1790’s did to operate our government and this Congress — especially the U.S. Senate. I’m certain there were partisan differences and controversial and heated debates. But those members of Congress knew one thing superseded all partisanship and personal opinion: the Rule of Law, and that justices with whom they may have had personal or political differences but had a history of supporting the U.S. Constitution and were qualified that were appointed by the President should be confirmed to the Court.
This Senate better get the job done or the mid-term and 2020 elections will be a blood-bath, regardless what the MSM polls say!
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