Ahead of Brett Kavanauh’s nomination hearings for Supreme Court justice, liberals have been fearmongering nonstop to influence the process.
For example, Planned Parenthood and others colluded to stage a 10-city grassroots “#StopKavanaugh” campaign. At the end of August, actress Alyssa Milano dramatically predicted confirming Kavanaugh would make our country into something straight out of the dystopian world of the fictional “Handmaid’s Tale.”
Alyssa Milano protests Kavanaugh in "Handmaid's Tale" costume https://t.co/1k9zbSH95B pic.twitter.com/IMHs2GKSyU
— The Hill (@thehill) August 20, 2018
Yes, Democrats might have some cause for concern, because Kavanaugh is an originalist in the mold of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Democrats are no longer that keen on the rule of law and prefer judges that manipulate the laws to get a politically correct outcome instead of faithfully applying what the people’s representatives have passed.
But Kavanaugh’s resume is a sterling example of jurisprudence, intellect, and character: Kavanaugh went to Yale Law School, clerked for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy at the Supreme Court, then served as a judge at the Court of Appeals for the Washington D.C. Circuit. The American Bar Association just gave Kavanaugh a unanimous “well-qualified” rating.
In addition to his career accomplishments, Kavanaugh appears to be a devoted husband and hands-on father. In spite of this, the left nearly lost its mind over his nomination. Maybe it’s because there’s so little genuine reason to oppose his appointment. Here are some of the stupidest reasons the Left has tried to excoriate the potential next SCOTUS justice.
1. Brett Kavanaugh Is a Faithful Catholic
Kavanaugh is devoted to his Catholic faith, and leftist politicians and representatives frequently disparage an earnest commitment to religion. Kavanaugh was recently spotted feeding hot meals to the poor, an evidence of his faith one would think anyone can applaud. Instead, however, the Left is still very worried about Kavanaugh’s faith influencing his decisions as a sitting SCOTUS.
https://twitter.com/KevinDaleyDC/status/1017207936823758853
When discussing if Brett Kavanaugh’s Catholic values could influence his Supreme Court decisions, Father Tom Gaunt, a Jesuit of the Maryland Province, says most judge the world within some moral framework https://t.co/jFMq1ytITn pic.twitter.com/ZvgZEgoyy5
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) July 12, 2018
2. Brett Kavanaugh Really, Really Likes Baseball
A few years ago, Kavanaugh liked to attend the Washington Nationals’ baseball games so much, he accumulated debt purchasing tickets for him and his friends. I’m no fan of credit card debt, but it also appears he paid it off. The Washington Post reports: “In 2016, Kavanaugh reported having between $60,000 and $200,000 in debt accrued over three credit cards and a loan. Each credit card held between $15,000 and $50,000 in debt, and a Thrift Savings Plan loan was between $15,000 and $50,000.”
Now that’s quite a gap, but it wasn’t all on baseball. According to the Washington Nationals web page on season tickets, fans can purchase the coveted seats with a base price starting at $300 for half the season, $500 for the full season. The Atlantic points out “A renewing season-ticket holder at the most expensive price point would pay roughly $9,000 per year.” Rumors are Kavanaugh purchased them for his friends as well.
So if we throw three other lawyers in there for good measure, now the tab is $36,000 total—but that’s at its priciest and somewhat unlikely. Some of the debt was a loan taken out for home improvements, which is a fairly normal thing for suburban families to do and no reason to tank a nomination. According to a recent article in Time, Kavanaugh’s debt habits align with much of the rest of the country.
How did Kavanaugh pay off “all that debt,” The Atlantic wondered? A federal judge’s salary is approximately $220,600 and his wife made about $66,000 annually, so clearing that debt doesn’t seem too hard, especially if Kavanaugh’s friends paid him back for their portion. A disciplined person could do that with some effort. It’s unclear whether Kavanaugh got on the “Nats For Life” payment plan; if so, he would have been able to pay off that loan in 10 months for 0 percent interest.
ProPublica published an article with a headline, “Did You Go to a Washington Nationals Game With Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh?” The subhead read, “Trump’s pick is a baseball fan who racked up considerable debt buying season tickets. Help us figure out who went with the nominated judge.” Talk about taking “If you build it, they will come” to a whole new level.
Since baseball is America’s favorite pastime and the majority of adults are drowning in credit card debt, I’m relieved to see the Washington Post has adapted the new slogan, “Democracy Dies in Credit Card Debt.”
3. Brett Kavanaugh Was a ‘Keg’ King
When he was just a wee lad in high school, Kavanaugh reportedly didn’t just hit the books hard, dude knew how to party too. He listed himself as treasurer of the “Keg City Club—100 Kegs or Bust” in his high school yearbook. He must have been somewhat of a Renaissance man, because Kavanaugh was also a member of the basketball team, football team, and school newspaper in high school.
Despite all this, Scott McCaleb, a childhood friend of Kavanaugh’s, told The Washington Post he was still studious and “always kind of like an old soul.” Brains and keggers are probably not quite the makings of a Supreme Court justice looking to take down the country’s judicial branch, but it’s what the Left has got to throw at him.
4. Kavanaugh’s First Name Is, Wait for It: Brett
In probably one of the most bizarre attempts to take down Kavanaugh, late-night host Stephen Colbert and NARAL complained that his first name was “Brett,” which they say sounds like he’s a “frat boy.”
When one of the country’s most popular comedians is bashing a Supreme Court justice’s name, you know there’s no junky jurisprudence to unpack, no scandal to unravel, and no accolades good enough to make the Left happy.
5. Kavanaugh Might Scrutinize Our Unfettered Power to Kill the Unborn
As soon as Kennedy retired, liberals started to worry a new originalist on the Supreme Court might help overturn their landmark decision, Roe v. Wade. The Washington Post ran an opinion article complaining that Kavanaugh’s dedication to being a father and husband doesn’t matter a hill of beans if he criticizes Roe.
“It doesn’t really matter that Kavanaugh is a great ‘carpool’ dad,” The New Republic’s Jeet Heer griped, and he’s not entirely wrong. Of course adherence to the law is the most important thing to a judge’s public position, not his family life. However, it’s also easy to see the fact that Kavanaugh is a family man of integrity invalidates the personal venom immediately spewed his way. Good character in one’s private life also can indicate or bolster good character in one’s public life.
Instead of merely pointing out that Kavanaugh’s family life is irrelevant and the public discussion should focus on his job qualifications, the left piled onto Kavanaugh with a mix of sarcasm and hyperbole, asserting it would be so ironic for a man who loves his kids to strip the country of Roe v. Wade. Wonkette published an article with the headline, “Saintly Brett Kavanaugh Will Teach Basketball To All Your Forced-Birth Children.”
Planned Parenthood released an ad with a three-minute monologue from a supposed male Kavanaugh supporter who can’t wait for Roe to be overturned because he hates women.
None of this is really relevant or true. Opposition to abortion has nothing to do with opposition to women. The truth is the opposite: Advocates for the unborn love women and want them to make the morally defensible decision on their child’s behalf. They give their time and money to help women facing crisis pregnancies because they love these women. Futher, as a legal matter, Roe v. Wade is a garbage court decision and even the left will admit that.
If Kavanaugh were truly unqualified, the left would be tearing apart his legal qualifications, record as a judge, and time spent in the Bush administration. Instead, they’re savaging his name, hobbies, values, and priorities. I guess President Trump picked a qualified candidate after all.
