Posted on 09/29/2018 7:38:13 PM PDT by MaxistheBest
As the Senate Judicial Committee gathered to vote Friday afternoon to move Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination for a vote in the Senate, word trickled out that Democrat Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana was a no vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination. Donnelly is in a tough re-election race back home and Republicans hope to separate him from the herd of Democrats in lock-step opposition Judge Kavanaugh.
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As we all know now, Senator Jeff Flake decided to lob a last-minute bomb into the committee’s proceedings by holding his yes vote hostage to a demand that the FBI investigate Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations. He put a time limit of no longer than a week for the delay. Republicans were forced to go along in order to have the votes to move the process out of the committee and onto the Senate floor.
But, a late afternoon headline in a northwest Indiana newspaper shines a glimmer of a doubt on Senator Donnelly’s commitment to a no vote. He told the newspaper’s editorial board that now he’s willing to wait for the FBI’s report before making a final decision. In other words, Donnelly has moved from a no vote to a maybe.
U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., said he will await an FBI investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh before deciding whether to raise him to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Donnelly spoke Friday afternoon before The Times Editorial Board.
“I think Hoosiers are where I am on this. I want to know what happened,” he said.
It looks like the last minute demands of the senator from Arizona may give some red-state Democrats cover to vote yes after the FBI investigates. Flake is a weasel. He’s a bitter Never Trumper who, I believe, would like nothing more than to have a big, splashy eff you vote to stick it to President Trump as he ends his time in the Senate. Think John McCain and his dramatic thumbs down on the Obamacare repeal vote. In Flake’s case, he veils his opposition to Trump by virtue-signaling – in this case, it is a sense of fairness to the accuser – yet his voting record is one of siding with Trump more than 90% of the time. He enjoys the attention he receives opposing Trump and the Democrats egg him on. You may have noticed that several Democrats on the committee specifically gave a shout-out to Flake for his hesitancy to vote with the rest of the Republicans.
My theory is that Flake is pushing for a sweet cable tv gig or maybe a spot as a lobbyist (or both) when his time in elected office ends. I don’t think it’s a stretch to imagine he’ll pursue a run for President in the near future.
So, this one week delay may work out to be a plus for the Kavanaugh vote. I was as aggravated as every other conservative when Flake pulled his stunt but maybe there is the silver lining that Donnelly will vote yes in the end. This also allows Senators Collins and Murkowski to vote yes after a renewed investigation while explaining to the voters at home that it was the fair thing to do. Democrats in red-states that Trump won big (bigly) like North Dakota and West Virginia would then be able to do the same. Senators Heidi Heitkamp (ND) and Joe Manchin (WVA) may separate from their herd, too. It’s possible.
Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination is supported by Indiana’s Republican Senator Todd Young.
I am certain that this last minute investigation into the accuser’s allegations against Kavanaugh will not change any other Democrat votes. Most of them were a no vote before the hearings even began. I’m sure none have changed after Thursday’s testimonies, either. I’m not alone in this thought.
While the Democrats claim the Republicans are ramming through this Supreme Court nominee, the fact is that there would not have been any need for last-minute theatrics if Senator Feinstein had handled Dr. Ford’s allegations in good faith from the beginning. Republicans have used traditional procedure and protocol while Democrats deliberately weaponized the #MeToo movement for their own political gain.
Senator McConnell is moving forward with Judge Kavanaugh’s vote in the Senate. The tentative date is next Friday for a vote by the full Senate.
True; but doesn't explain WHY.
We hicks from the sticks tend to actually rely on EVIDENCE to make judgement calls; not emotion.
I've no need to reiterate all the logic problems with Ford's testimony again; as others have done it quite thoroughly already.
I just want to focus on the comment made by some of how angry, upset and furious Kavanaugh was on the stand.
"Not very judgelike; was he?", is the impression they want to leave in the undecided's minds.
"Do we 'really' want this type of man making very important decision that will affect America for DECADES?"
To this I can only say that he was NOT a 'judge' while on the stand, but a MAN, fighting for his good name, his family and his legacy.
Impartial? Calm?? Judge-like???
No; but very MUCH the type of MAN that I want on the bench for years to come.
Yup; and a massive plea for MONEY!! from "We support Ford!!" folks in a full page ad; too.
GoFundMe will see lots of libs toss in their money to further the Cause.
This clown is just going through the motions. He’s been doomed since voting against Trump tax cuts.
Voters will also have the choice of selecting Libertarian candidate Lucy Brenton. While Brenton was not included in the survey, 3 percent of likely voters said they would vote for another candidate and 8 percent said they would vote for none.
An NBC poll conducted this month had Donnelly up 49 percent to Braun's 43 percent. A Fox poll gave Braun 45 percent over Donnelly's 43 percent.
Just the fact that he initially came out against Kavanaugh was enough for Hoosiers who were on the fence about Donnelly to finally be convinced to vote against him in Nov. He’s toast.
I think the timing of Donnelly’s first announcement is interesting. Note that the senators who have publicly stated their voting position so far are either conservative or liberal. The moderates have not done so yet. Typically in the past, Donnelly will state that he is undecided until the morning (or hours) of a vote. I think that Donnelly thought the committee vote would be a clean vote and that it would go to the senate floor immediately. That’s why he publicly made his announcement yesterday. Now, Donnelly has to wait as much as a week and then be faced with a 7th FBI clearance report. ‘Moderate’ Joe is going to be iced for a week as people in Indiana will see what a lefty hack he is. I think this latest ‘flip-flop’ is exactly the result of his poor timing. And the people of Indiana will NOT BUY IT. Why? Because I am one of them.
When you have them by the b@!!s, their hearts and minds will follow.
The guy is just stalling for time. The people should say n9 to him ,elect a new person. If that doesn’t work out elect someone new again in 6 years.
The guy is just stalling for time. The people should say n9 to him ,elect a new person. If that doesn’t work out elect someone new again in 6 years.
He's a liberal hack that the residents of Indiana were duped into voting into office the last time around because, again, the politics of personal destruction were hard at work in Indiana and the GOP nominee got hosed in the media.
I want Donnelly out as Indiana Senator and Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, and come November I'm pulling that level in support of GOP nominee in hopes that Donnelly sees his last days in the Senate this year.
Geez, is there anyway of kicking the Libertarian off the ballot? They always screw things up!
Women are not as much a problem as are the three Marxist Secular Progressive Jews (Ginsberg, Kagan and Breyer). Women are not the problem, per se, it's their political philosophy. Women are about half our population, give or take. Until Kennedy's retirement, the other six were Roman Catholic. Now I understand Gorsuch is an Episcopalian ( a renegade Catholic). So what I want to know is in a Christian Majority Country, why are there no Protestants on the court? While we're cleaning house, how about we kick the Pope out of the SCOTUS too?
Manchin I don’t think has declared his vote... or if he did I missed it.
Of all the Dems he seems to have read the tea leave re Trump/MAGA better than most.
I would put him as the one of the most likely red state D’s to survive, but he goes no on Kavaanaugh and Kavanaugh is confirmed I don’t think he will.
Right now, in my mind, as long as the GOP seats Kavanaugh on the court and doesn’t cave... I think every red state d that votes NO is toast...
I am also looking to see how this fiasco affects the polling in the upper Midwest, where dem senators are polling well.. MI, WI, PA... I don’t think this fiasco will make those races likely wins, but I do feel the point shift this mess is going to have will be very pronounced in those polls... so while in tight states the polling will be pressured to “keep it competitive” because those states D’s have big leads there will be less incentive for pollsters to fudge the numbers.
It’s too late Joe you’re toast in Indiana.
LOL
((“I think Hoosiers are where I am on this. I want to know what happened,” he said.)) - Donnelly
Once again, Donnelly is wrong. This Hoosier is with Kavanaugh and Braun.
Donnelly votes how Schumer tells him.
——Donnelly votes how Schumer tells him.——
No
Donnelly votes how Schumer’s messenger tells him.
- Professor Stromwell
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