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Ben Wikler @benwikler
, 4 tweets, 2 min read Read on Twitter
GOP seems to think that if Dr. Blasey Ford doesn't speak at their 2-witness hearing on Mon, she'll disappear. But per @JRubinBlogger, "Ford has another option: Hold a news conference with her own experts and make the case directly to the American people."
washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/…
It is Dr. Blasey-Ford's right to decide how, whether, when, and where to share her story. It's unclear to me why Senate Republicans keep saying, and apparently believing, that they have the power to dictate terms to her. She doesn't have to play their game.
Media seem confused about this too. Axios quoted @JeffreyToobin on CNN saying "If she refuses to testify on Monday, Kavanaugh is getting confirmed." Why? If she chooses to make her case publicly on her own terms, it could be *more* powerful than in a GOP-controlled hearing.
If Dr. Blasey Ford decides to further shoulder the crushing weight of attacks and fury from the right by sharing her story publicly and on camera, the deadline to affect Kavanaugh's confirmation isn't Fri at 10am, It's not Monday's hearing. It's the day of the final vote.
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At the Tony Evers/Mandela Barnes inaugural ball in Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin takes the stage to open up the program. For six years, she kept the light of progressivism alive here. Tonight, every constitutional officer in the state is a Democrat.
Lt Governor Mandela Barnes compliments Senator Tammy Baldwin’s inaugural garb: “I love those coattails!”
(Get it? Like, political coattails helping downballot candidates get elected? It’s an excellent joke, people.)
Read 6 tweets
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"May we be willing to do what’s best for the next generation, rather than the next election." – @Tony4WI
Wisconsin's newly elected Democratic governor, Tony Evers, just concluded his inaugural address this way: "Let's polka tonight, and get to work tomorrow!"

(He really does polka, and will do so at the inaugural ball tonight)
madison.com/ct/entertainme…
Sarah Godlewski took her oath of office today as State Treasurer of Wisconsin—after successfully leading the fight against the GOP effort to eliminate the office. She's dynamite. Keep an eye on her.

madison.com/ct/opinion/col…
Read 9 tweets
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Kids’ inaugural gala for @GovEvers and @TheOtherMandela!
When you elect a teacher governor, he doesn’t just use little ones as props. He throws a gala at the Children’s Museum and talks directly to the kids.
Q&A with kids. Child asks Tony Evers what he, as a kid, wanted to be when he grew up. Answers that he first job was scraping mold off cheese, which taught him what he *didn’t* want to do, so he became a teacher. #KidsGala
Read 5 tweets

Related threads

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Let's talk about sex, #Kavanaugh & Venn diagram overlap of male entitlement.

I've written a lot about sex in various contexts. In the late 80s/early 90s I also gave safe sex workshops back when folks my age were dying 24/7 from #AIDS. My 1st book was on juvenile prostitution.
1/
Most of us know consensual and non-consensual sex differ. The entirety of #Kavanaugh's defense and his defenders' outrage is predicated on the presumption that no teenaged boy knows what consent is.

THEY. KNOW.

Some, like their adult counterparts, don't care.

This is key.
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Since #MeToo we've seen egregious serial rapists like #BillCosby and #HarveyWeinstein exposed & attempts made to prosecute them.

But there are "lesser" sexual assaults we've given a lighter hand to: Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Mark Halperin, Louis CK--too many to list.
3/
Read 28 tweets
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I've been trying to process what I saw yesterday. I never feel ok until I analyze things and try to come up with a conclusion or solution not based on emotion. No matter how bad it is, I analyze it. So these are my takeaways from yesterday.
Rachel Mitchell: I think she knew Dr Blasey Ford was telling the truth. What was seared into her mind was Dr. Ford repeating the names of the people at the gathering, she'll never forget their laughter, & she just needed to know when Judge worked so she could figure out the date.
I think it was planned that she would only do some of the questioning for Repubs. If Rachel Mitchell doubted that Kavanaugh was guilty, that disappeared after watching his opening statement. She prosecutes sexual assault cases. She knows the signs. She knows when they are guilty.
Read 13 tweets
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Blasey Ford's lawyers have no patience for Mitchell's bullshit after the break. "Let me put an end to this misery. Her lawyers paid for the polygraph." followed by the second lawyer saying, "As is typical."
They are going to run to the ground the fees for this polygraph test while letting Mark Judge read Superman comics in Delaware unmolested.
For not being a trial, this is sure a show trial.
Read 22 tweets
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Dr. Blasey Ford, Kavanaugh to Testify Thursday

@drawandstrike @ThomasWictor @HNIJohnMiller @catesduane @rising_serpent @_ImperatorRex_ @Debradelai @GodlessNZ @almostjingo @tracybeanz @MAGALisaHartz

grassley.senate.gov/news/news-rele…
WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford on Thursday, September 27. This will occur as a continuation of the hearing to consider the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to serve as...
an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Following Dr. Ford’s testimony, Judge Kavanaugh will appear again before the Committee.

Chairman Grassley has also postponed the Committee’s vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination previously scheduled for Monday
Read 11 tweets
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🐘GOP AM🐘

LB: Alt-Right = Active Measures (AM) + RU 💰& amplified by RU trolls + coordinated RW media machine + guided by Conservative PR firms & think tanks + Bannon/Trump operatives + key @GOP Senate/Congressional staff = sources for MSM = control the news cycles/narratives
🐘GOP AM2🐘

In June 2016, Rob Goldstone emailed DonJr. promising incriminating information about HRC as part of a RU gov’t effort to help the Trump campaign.

Did the White House via @RajShah45 leak identity of Dr. Ford to @GOP operatives hours before the WaPo story broke?
🐘GOP AM3🐘

‼️Nationwide Women’s Walk out Mon 1 pm EDT to 10 pm PDT

👉🏼@GOP are actively dehumanizing woman via normalizing rape, sexual assault, limit access to birth control, sexual abuse of children & likely next decriminalize domestic violence, like Putin did in RU.
Read 71 tweets
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I remember the abuse I took after reporting my rape to the authorities. I remember trying to avoid the people who raped me but if they happened to see me how they would scream at me in the street, call me whore & bitch, said I deserved it. I remember our house being robbed.
I remember being afraid of going out of my house for fear that I would run into them. Years later when I go visit my parents, I still look to see if they're nearby.

It is ludicrous for people to think people like Dr. Blasey-Ford would lie & subject themselves to such abuse.
Dr. Blasey-Ford is receiving death threats & is in hiding with her family. She's in danger of having her life completely turned upside down all because she had the nerve to say what happened to her.

And then people wonder why victims take so long or never report sexual assault.
Read 3 tweets

Trending hashtags

#NeverAgain #MeToo #IndivisibleTimes #Kavanaugh #TeamNutShellReport #SelfCare #DrBlaseyFord #MaxfieldParrish #BelieveHer #NeverForget #2020census #TrumpLies #WhyIDidntReport #ThePatriotTimes #TeamPatriot #ChristineBlaseyFord #FamiliesBelongTogether #PresidentialAlert #TrumpPutin #WeBelieveChristine #HurricaneMaria #WarriorMenandWomen #PAMFAM #KremlinAnnex #EnoughIsEnough

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