Two Party Opera by Brian Carroll for October 26, 2020

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett spent much of her hearing refusing to answer any difficult question with any specificity, even when her past writings and speeches spoke loud and clear. The kinds of things we heard from her: “If I give off-the-cuff answers, then I would basically be a legal pundit. […] I don’t think we want judges to be legal pundits. I think we want judges to approach cases thoughtfully with an open mind”; and, "If I express a view on a precedent one way or another […] it signals to litigants that I may tilt one way or another on a pending case.”

As Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said, she’s “so far perfected the art of non-answers.” This rampant, blank-slate dis-ingenuousness from Barrett proved to be as irritating throughout the day as Brett Kavanaugh’s fake outrage and crocodile tears in his hearing, and just as unbelievable. When she held up a blank notepad, she wasn’t demonstrating what Sen. John Cornyn, who asked her about it, was saying she was. He called it “impressive” that she was there without notes. What it was was insulting. She came to that hearing prepared to do nothing but obfuscate and refuse to answer questions, without even bothering to prepare because she knows the fix is in and Republicans are going to jam her onto the bench no matter what. Her blank sheet of paper was the perfect, albeit unwitting, metaphor for this entire sham of a process.

A dark, sad day in America (what’s left of it).

Just wait until the new Senate comes in and invalidates her appointment since it violated procedure in getting out of committee (no quorum).

I wonder if Barrett ever stops to lament that she has become a pawn in the struggle between political ideaologies? I wonder what the other Justices think of all this? Are they so far above in the legal stratosphere that it doesn’t concern them? Barrett’s connection with late Justice Scalia distresses me. Now there’s a man who seemed to arrogantly relish his “Olympian” status, judging from his various public interviews.

C’mon guys, give it a break. We could be watching history in action here. The last vote by the GOP before it disappears forever thanks to Donald J. Trump.

What’s next after Griswold V Connecticut? Brown V Board of Education? Thank dog we emigrated to a civilized country.

Welcome back to the 1800s, America.

Tell me again how our 2 opposing parties, mutually exclusive, “winning is more important than governing”, electorate-ignoring, self-serving, political system makes our country stronger, wiser, healthier, happier, and more secure than multiparty democracies.

Ruth opened opportunities for women, Amy will close them down.

Payback will be a b*tch.

Another great cartoon, Brian. Well stated — and I love the sequence of Kavanaugh getting drunk

Exactly, Brian!

RGB, it’s a little late for that gurrrrl.

At this point those on the left can only pray for the health of Justices Thomas and Alito

The Justices have drivers, correct? Then no hope for a drink driving incident.

Doggone it! You mean that we will have a justice who won’t be an activist? Someone who isn’t a populist? What a “radical” idea!

Unfortunately, this sounds all too true of the handmaiden’s approach to women’s rights. racism, and the rule of law. Welcome BACK TO THE FUTURE of the 4th American Reich. When did a large part of this country lose its ability to think or show empathy for their fellow citizens?

They are going to swear her in tonight. Aggregious abuse of power. Just because you CAN do a thing does not mean that you SHOULD do a thing.

I hope the American people vote out every Republican as payback.