By Devin Dubon
With the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, it is becoming increasingly clear that no matter what accusations are put forward, sexual assault will never be taken seriously in Congress.
Not by the Republicans who attacked Dr. Ford, ridiculing and belittling her in public.
Not by those who try to act “impartial,” like Jeff Flake who called for an investigation that was so superficial and scrutinized by Republicans to the extent that nothing was found because it investigated just that, nothing. It was simply a ploy to protect himself from potential backlash.
Not even by the Democrats who waited until the very last possible minute to reveal her allegations to the country, tainting the validity of her claims and calling them into question.
And certainly not by President Trump – to no surprise – a man with over twenty sexual allegations to his name, who turned her into a punchline in front of thousands of his supporters, and the millions more watching from around the world.
The eyes of millions of women, who are scared to come out with their own assaults, watched as their worst fears became reality. These individuals, terrified that they won’t be believed, that they’ll be blamed, that their lives will be ruined, will not gain the sympathy of even the highest court of the land, a court that is supposed to uphold the highest morals in the county.
Even with the “Me Too” movement still sweeping through the nation, Christine Blasey Ford experienced first hand what Anita Hill felt in 1991 when she testified about her sexual harassment experience with current associate justice Clarence Thomas. Ford has experienced what countless women before her felt when their lives were obliterated by men who thought they could get away with anything, and proved those men right.
With credible evidence, powerful testimony, and numerous witnesses backing her up, Ford lost to a reckless, emotional, sniveling judge who lied under oath, somehow keeps 30 year old calendars, and completely lashed out and dodged every question asked aggressively.
Kavanaugh displayed the temperament of a two-year old during the nine-hour hearing on September 27th. He shouted, cried and attacked numerous Senators who attempted to question his story. This very man was selected randomly off a list, with President Trump not giving him a second thought. With an irrational temperament and tantrums, this man is expected to have exceptional rhetoric, and the capability of upholding the constitution.
Despite all of this, Republicans defended him to the very end, stooping down to his level and granting him the 50-48 vote that has made Kavanaugh into a justice for life. Some staunch Republicans, such as Lindsey Graham, were even more compelled to support Kavanaugh after having heard Ford’s compelling testimony, and his tantrums.
People often ask, as they did with Ford, ‘Why wait so long?’ This societal rejection is why.
Now, Kavanaugh is hailed as a hero. He will be deciding the rights of every citizen in the country, of every woman who has been assaulted, including the three who have come forward against him so far.
All of this makes you start to wonder: how much lower can the standards from an elected or appointed official get?
How serious do allegations have to be before political partisanship can be tossed aside for one moment, how credible does a woman have to be in order to be taken seriously? And why does she need to be held to a higher standard than a Supreme Court Justice?
This may not be the end of the Me Too movement, but it certainly challenges it. A woman asked Congress to not appoint a sexual assaulter and attempted rapist to the highest court in the country, and Congress told her no.
How much lower can we go?
