While I’m out today, here are some thoughts about the Kavanaugh nomination that, hopefully, haven’t been overtaken by events (and aren’t the same damn thing everyone else is saying). In no particular order:

1. I think there’s a misunderstanding about the letter of support by the ‘Kavanaugh 65.’ It was meant to defang the charge that he has a drunken pig in his high school and college years (‘he said some bad things then, but since then, he’s matured. Besides, he wasn’t really bad.’). The tell is that, of the forty signatories that have been contacted after the sexual assault allegations broken, only two have stuck with him. They didn’t think attempted sexual assault allegations were coming, though they probably should have. This is yet another reason why you need diversity among your advisors: with a more diverse crew, some of them would have thought he’s an entitled asshole.
2. Merrick Garland wasn’t accused of sexual assault.
3. Neither was Neil Gorsuch–and I think he’s an awful judge. But when you limit yourself to the subset of Federalist Society approved judges who also think the president is essentially unaccountable, the talent pool is rather thin.
4. After decades of hearing about ‘degenerate urban culture’, we should realize that ‘suburban culture’ can be just as degenerate?
5. Approving Kavanaugh’s nomination sends an awful message to young men. If young men were (hopefully more?) worried that sexual assault could ruin them, some would be less likely to commit assault. How this is a bad thing escapes me. And if you did something like this, your victim has had to live with it, so you should too.

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