Thread by @phillyrich1

Sudden Thoughts and Second Thoughts

The Blasey-Ford/Kavanaugh Hearing

1. I originally hated what the "Prosecutor" was doing. It was taking too long and was completely disjointed.

2. Then I realized she was deposing Blasey-Ford and the entire sworn testimony could be strung together via video editing to form a complete, on the record deposition.

3. I had no idea the "Prosecutor" would then question Kavanaugh. I recognized the brilliance of what she was doing then. She gave Kavanaugh his chance to refute the allegations point by point.

4. His responses could also be spliced via video up against her allegations. Smart.

5. The "Prosecutor" did get to an extremely important issue: It appears Diane Feinstein played a role in planting a lawyer near Blasey-Ford and that lawyer played a role in the Dems delay strategy.

6. Blasey-Ford appears to have not known that Grassley offered to take her testimony in California. That offer was blocked by her lawyer, who claimed she was afraid of flying. Yet the "Prosecutor" teased out of her that she flies all the time.

7. I did not see when the "Prosecutor" stopped questioning Kavanaugh, but I think it was when Lindsey Graham went full Rambo on the process. If she had more questions, the next two GOP senators should have turned it back to her.

8. Sheldon Whitehouse: The yearbook thing was hilarious. But there were so many theories floating around that he actually did Kavanaugh a favor by asking the questions and allowing Kavanaugh a chance to show to what outrageous level the hearing had actually sunk.

9. The Dems had two questions:

-Is Kavanaugh a black out drunk who can't remember the event?
-Will he demand an FBI investigation?

Ironically, the person who only has partial recognition of this significant event is Blasey-Ford, who claims at the age of 15 to have only 1 beer.

10. Kavanaugh should have simply stated that he does not recall a time when he didn't remember something from the night before. If they pushed him on the possibility, he could have responded he won't speculate on hypothetical situations, as a Judge should not.

11. As for the FBI questions, he could have noted the irony that two weeks ago they were concerned abt Separation of Powers, yet at this very moment the Legislature was asking a Judge to demand action from the Executive. That very request is a threat to Separation of Powers.

12. He missed an opportunity to point out, as noted in his opening, that this thing was in fact a circus, with the Dems trying to make him do something (ask Potus for an FBI investigation) like an animal trainer would demand of a circus animal. ("I'm not your circus animal.")

13. Kavanaugh came in fired up. It was excellent. But he went too far and should have toned it down after his opening comments. He should have taken a short recess to compose himself. Everyone watching knew the left would use his excessive emotions against him today.

14. Brett loves beer. He's now in my foursome of people I'd like to have a beer with: Me, Brett Kavanaugh, Charles Barkley, Will Ferrell

15. We should all thank Brett Kavanaugh for his 45 minute attempt to cleanse the process. He's right. Good people will not expose themselves to this insanity. I myself was asked to run for Congress and declined for this very reason.

16. Blasey-Ford revealed that if there was an FBI investigation it could help memory. At that point I felt she was trying to restore her memory not for the process but for her own mental health.

She also revealed she's aware of Go Fund Me pages (raking in $400k+)

17. Mark Judge. This guy appears to be fragile, given his history of substance abuse. I have the feeling his friends/Kavanaugh are protecting him. I saw an interview where a friend noted that Judge recently said he not only doesn't recall such an event, he doesn't recall 1982.

18. Not enough has been said about Kavanaugh's calendars. For a guy that's trying to prove something didn't happen, the calendars are pretty solid evidence to defeating Blasey-Ford's timeline of some mystery night the summer of 1982.

19. Blasey-Ford's two front door thing is weird. And renters use the second front door? That should have been explored more. Someone who was assaulted and traumatized allows strangers in her house?

That makes no ffffff-ing sense.

20. How did the media get the letter Blasey-Ford wrote to Feinstein?

21. Lindsey Graham is right. Feinstein should have shared the letter in confidence to at least Grassley so it all could have been handled quietly.

22. Lastly, when I hear the left's call for the FBI, all I hear and see is the exact same manipulated process that led to the "Special Counsel" to go after a different political rival: Trump.

23. I think Kavanaugh gets confirmed and the stink of this stays with him and his family forever, just like it does with Clarence Thomas.

24. Late addition: Who in the world refers to their own hypothalamus and the mechanics of brain chemistry when explaining their own memories? That's just weird.

and @jnewmark

Whitelhouse just said he doesn't believe a single thing Kavanaugh said about those yearbook questions.