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A Flawed Friend
National Review Online ^ | October 8, 2018 | Rich Lowry

Posted on 10/08/2018 7:10:09 AM PDT by billorites

Brett Kavanugh is on the Supreme Court and the biggest reason is Donald Trump. When he won the nomination in 2016, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that Trump wouldn’t win the general election, he wouldn’t be true to his promise on judges even if he won, and even if he nominated the right people, he wouldn’t care enough about the Court to see through a difficult, high-stakes confirmation fight. We can now say of these presumptions, wrong, wrong, and wrong.

The Kavanugh confirmation was clarifying in another way. Brett Kavanugh is not a loudmouth. He never insulted anyone or said a bad word in public. He’s upstanding. He never paid off a porn star or resorted to dubious tax schemes. He’s not a populist or a nationalist. He’s a respectable member of the Republican establishment who no reasonable person could find threatening or outrageous. Yet they tried, not just to defeat him, but to destroy him. Comments

By “they,” I mean the liberal media, the Democratic Party, the legal academy and, Hollywood. All that stood in the way of this effort were Republican officeholders, conservative voters and media—and Donald Trump.

This tells us something important about how Trump-skeptical conservatives should regard him. The president has many flaws. We can argue about how much weight to put on them and it remains to be seen how they will ultimately ramify. But the last two weeks make clear that despite them, Trump is a friend. It also makes abundantly clear, if it wasn’t already completely obvious, who is out to destroy conservatism and conservatives, even those who don’t have a whiff of Trump about them.


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortion; belongsinbloggers; beyotchlowry; brettkavanaugh; lowry; maga; nevertrump; richlousy; richlowry; scotus
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To: billorites
The Blazing Saddles version of Rich Lowery.


61 posted on 10/08/2018 9:06:32 AM PDT by TADSLOS (I hate Russian Dolls. They are so full of themselves.)
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To: Ann Archy
Are you SURE?? Brett was Bush’s SECRETARY.

Nah - I've been here for 21 and a half years, and I just post crap without checking it out.

Ashley Estes Kavanaugh served as an assistant to George W. Bush from 1996 through 1999, during his tenure as Governor of Texas and his presidential campaign in 2000. When Bush became President in January 2001, Estes Kavanaugh took the position of Personal Secretary to the President; she served in that position through 2004.


62 posted on 10/08/2018 9:11:54 AM PDT by kiryandil (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive)
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To: Qiviut

Bkmk


63 posted on 10/08/2018 9:12:59 AM PDT by Qiviut (McCain & Obama's Legacy in two words: DONALD TRUMP!)
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To: kiryandil

How weird that they were BOTH Bush Secretarys!! Different kind f Secretary but still....weird.


64 posted on 10/08/2018 9:13:54 AM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion....... The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: Ann Archy
How weird that they were BOTH Bush Secretarys!! Different kind f Secretary but still....weird.

I'm still thinking that she was closer to Dubya than Justice Kavanaugh was.

Starting in July 2003, future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh served as Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary, succeeding Harriet Miers. In that position he was responsible for coordinating all documents going to and from the president.

65 posted on 10/08/2018 9:17:52 AM PDT by kiryandil (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive)
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To: avenir

Yep. He’s admitting he and other never Trumpers were fundamentally and dangerously wrong. I heard Glen Beck say something similar the other day. But why should we ever listen to these hacks again? They have shown that they are not to be trusted.


66 posted on 10/08/2018 9:18:48 AM PDT by Henry Hnyellar
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To: be-baw

No, he is right.
Until Trump ran against Hillary!, he was a NYC Democrat in good standing. I thought everything he promised was his “negotiating position.”
I voted against Hillary, which meant voting for Trump.
I didn’t expect much from him, but I have never been so happy about being wrong. A politician who tries to keep his promises. How amazing!


67 posted on 10/08/2018 9:27:05 AM PDT by Little Ray (Freedom Before Security!)
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To: Little Ray

You should have listened to me early on. I’m almost always right.


68 posted on 10/08/2018 9:36:38 AM PDT by be-baw (still seeking...)
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To: outpostinmass2

If the dems had a third of a brain, they would have worked out a deal during the Gorsuch nomination—we (the dems) will give you a painless/easy/quick confirmation in exchange for an agreement that the NEXT appointment (knowing that kennedy,breyer, and of course RBG could very well be replaced during the trump term) require a 60 vote confirmation.

That of course would have required foresight on their part. If they didn’t do something like that with Gorsuch then they for sure should have done it for the Kav nomination KNOWING that RBG is almost in rigor mortis and breyer is 80, so at least they could have had some leverage for future picks.

but no, they probably really believe/d that Trump will be impeached.......


69 posted on 10/08/2018 10:04:37 AM PDT by Jaysin
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To: billorites

Glad to see some never trumpers finally come around to reality. Welcome to the party. I will never trust their judgment on anything they say, ever.


70 posted on 10/08/2018 10:09:59 AM PDT by Defiant (I may be deplorable, but I'm not getting in that basket.)
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To: billorites

bump


71 posted on 10/09/2018 4:01:51 AM PDT by foreverfree
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To: billorites; All

The only thing that gives me pause about Kavanaugh:

He’s a respectable member of the Republican establishment


72 posted on 10/09/2018 11:35:43 AM PDT by robowombat (Orthodox)
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To: robowombat

We need a big tent to win elections.


73 posted on 10/09/2018 11:56:07 AM PDT by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
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To: billorites
True. But I am concerned about Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court performance. Anthony Kennedy was presented as a conservative and an originalist. Over time he ‘grew’ and ‘evolved’ into Mr. Justice Queer Rights. I hope K doesn't ‘evolve’ and gain ‘respect’ within the Beltway. Being a Bush horse holder is not the most reassuring thing in his resume.
74 posted on 10/09/2018 1:25:31 PM PDT by robowombat (Orthodox)
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