A Day Of Watching Politics (or I Believe Her)

Like many people, yesterday I was watching Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh testify regarding the sexual assault allegations. This is history being made and I felt like I needed to watch. I know some friends didn’t watch because it was all too triggering, but I didn’t have that feeling (at least at first) so I tried to watch as much of it as I could. I did miss a few moments because I was watching while I was working and had to actually do work from time to time. But I watched almost all of it.

Obviously I had some bias going in because I do believe that women who make accusations of sexual assaults tend to be telling the truth. False allegations do happen, but they are extremely rare. Some people were saying Dr. Ford was doing this for money or fame, but that’s not what she is getting from coming forward. She is getting death threats and is unable to be in her home safely. Coming forward doesn’t benefit her in any way other than being able to tell her truth and have a clear conscious.

And once Dr. Ford started speaking, I think it was obvious to so many people that she was telling the truth. Even some of my friends who are Trump supporters and want Judge Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court started sharing that she was a believable witness and that maybe something did happen. Politicians on both sides of the spectrum were saying she was credible. Some were saying that even though she is credible it shouldn’t affect the confirmation, which is a bit unbelievable to me.

When they had their break between the testimonies, I was reading social media and it seemed like a majority of people (both Democrats and Republicans) believed Dr. Ford and that gave me some hope. But then some Republicans were saying that just because they believed her that it isn’t important because of various reasons. Some believed that this happened too long ago to matter anymore. Some believed that just because he did something wrong it shouldn’t outweigh good things.

When Judge Kavanaugh started his testimony, you could tell there was as change of how people were feeling and reacting. Again, with my bias it felt like he was being angry and annoyed by this entire process. I know some Republicans agreed with my opinion and some felt it was justified because they didn’t think that this should have happened. I don’t personally think his reaction to the questions helped his case and made him look even-tempered and ready for the job of being on the Supreme Court. But it’s not up to me to decide and we will just have to wait and see what happens.

This entire thing has been crazy to watch. I know that this is history making, but I also have never been as involved in politics as I am now so I am extra aware of everything going on. I’ve been trying to read information from sources that are non-partisan or to read sources that are on both sides to get an honest and full view of what’s happening. And there is one thing that is extremely clear about all of this.

This is something that doesn’t need to be as political as it has been. Someone being appointed to the Supreme Court is not supposed to be on one side or the other. We know that it’s not the case, but it’s supposed to be like that. If it really wasn’t about political party, then when President Obama was trying to appoint someone to fill the vacancy it would have been considered. But instead, the majority in control said it was not right to appoint someone before an election. If we are using that as an example, then it would not be right to appoint someone now as we are so close to another election. But I also don’t want this to continue for any appointment when there is an election happening at any point in time.

And someone accusing another of assault or any other crime shouldn’t be political. I’m saddened that people are saying just because Dr. Ford didn’t come forward sooner that it is somehow a political move. I know that people don’t always come forward with assault allegations immediately. I am one of those people. Dr. Ford came forward before Judge Kavanaugh was announced as the official nomination. Things moved too quickly for her statements to be known before he was the nomination and the time she could speak up was while he was being questioned. That timing is not political with the exception of possibly how quickly things have happened. But her timing of coming forward doesn’t mean that it’s politically motivated or some sort of conspiracy theory.

I wish I had something nice to end this post with, but I don’t. I am glad I watched things yesterday but it also left me feeling unsettled and sad. The questioning made me sad, the answers made me sad, and the reactions from elected officials and citizens made me sad. And all of it was making me feeling uneasy and concerned about what will happen politically in the future. This time of everything being accused of being political isn’t going to go away. It’s going to continue for a long time. I am hoping that one day it will go back to how it was even just a few years ago when people on both sides worked together and didn’t think party first.

My personal belief is that Dr. Ford is telling the truth. I also believe that even if she wasn’t truthful that Judge Kavanaugh’s attitude during this all has shown that he might not have the temperament to be on the Supreme Court. I think that he showed that he was quick-tempered and not happy with the repetitive questioning which is something common when dealing with politics and legal issues.

But again, it’s not my decision on what happens.

I just wanted to share that I do believe her. And I believe other survivors who have been coming forward even though years have passed since they were attacked.

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