{"id":11616,"date":"2018-10-04T22:49:42","date_gmt":"2018-10-05T04:49:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/?p=11616"},"modified":"2018-10-11T21:22:43","modified_gmt":"2018-10-12T03:22:43","slug":"the-other-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/2018\/10\/04\/the-other-side\/","title":{"rendered":"The other side"},"content":{"rendered":"

D<\/span>uring Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford\u2019s hearings on Sept. 27, it struck me that the stakes of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary decision would reach far beyond the spectacle of the day.<\/p>\n

Because of the nature of the decision itself \u2014 to confirm Kavanaugh as the newest addition to the U.S. Supreme Court \u2014 as well as the nature of the allegations against him, the Republican one-vote majority would essentially reveal who actually decides the truth in America: the accused or the accuser? As National Political Correspondent for TIME, Molly Ball wrote, \u201cHow Kavanaugh\u2019s drama plays out could be the ultimate test of today\u2019s struggle for political and cultural power.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision last Friday to allow a week for the FBI to investigate Ford\u2019s story was the Senate Republicans\u2019 best option. It both honored Ford\u2019s testimony and offered Kavanaugh a chance to clear his name, something that would not have easily happened if he had been swiftly confirmed the day after Ford\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n

But the issue we witness before and during these hearings embodies more than another #MeToo showdown \u2014 more than the possibility of a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. It represents this turbulent moment in American politics. Both Ford and Kavanaugh\u2019s hearings were unquestionably overshadowed by partisan bickering.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you want to do is destroy this guy\u2019s life,\u201d Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said to the Democrats present during the hearings.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got nothing to apologize for,\u201d he said, turning to Kavanaugh.<\/p>\n

And to his fellow Republican senators in the room, he said, \u201cIf you vote no, you\u2019re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

This rhetoric was not out of place, either. Throughout the day, headlines read things such as \u201cIn an awful process Democrats gain the advantage as Republicans walk on eggshells\u201d (Fox News), and \u201cGraham wants another investigation \u2014 into how Democrats handled Ford\u2019s accusations\u201d (NBC News).<\/p>\n

Not only would the hearings determine who decides truth, but ultimately who would come out on top. More people were concerned about the effect of Ford\u2019s testimony on midterm elections than her credibility. As for Kavanaugh, he himself called the confirmation process a \u201cnational disgrace,\u201d a \u201ccircus.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is not surprising, then, that the introduction of Kavanaugh\u2019s statement did not address Ford or the accusations against him directly, but rather the Democratic party that had orchestrated them in the first place \u2014 something he called a \u201ccoordinated and well-funded effort to destroy [his] good name and to destroy [his] family.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said later, \u201cYou may defeat me in the final vote, but you\u2019ll never get me to quit.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, according to Kavanaugh, this chaos is entirely the fault of the Democratic party, \u201cfueled with apparent pent up anger about President Trump\u201d; and whoever would come out the other side on top would, in effect, have \u201cwon\u201d the day.<\/p>\n

There is no question that these hearings further pitted Democrats against Republicans \u2014 the Left against the Right.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, though, regarding the Supreme Court itself, the idea that \u201ca federal judge must be independent, not swayed by political pressure,\u201d which Kavanaugh argued himself, got no air-time at all.<\/p>\n

The major issues made evident in Kavanaugh\u2019s initial hearings \u201cwere about how he might rule on cases related to abortion and Trump\u2019s susceptibility to prosecution \u2013\u2013 two issues that relate directly to the same questions of power and autonomy,\u201d according to Ball.<\/p>\n

More succinctly, Kavanaugh is and always will be the second Supreme Court nominee offered by Trump, who himself called the hearings \u201ca display of how mean, angry and despicable the other side is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Note the language: \u201cother.\u201d<\/p>\n

When did we start \u201cothering\u201d our fellow Americans? Why do we suddenly seem like a country divided by tribal war? It is easy to allude to the Civil War as the last time our nation was truly torn apart; but there is no question, especially after hearing the language tossed back and forth across \u201cthe aisle,\u201d that we behave today as if nothing has changed.<\/p>\n

Partisanship has never been the answer to anything. It not only confuses and emotionally charges an already complex system of government, but it has also only further divided our country.<\/p>\n

If we are to learn anything from these past few weeks, it is that American politicians need to worry less about winning and more about doing their jobs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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