After Brett Kavanaugh was recently appointed Supreme Court Justice despite allegations of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford, president Trump defended Kavanaugh, saying that the allegations were “a hoax” and “brought up by people that are evil”, and that he thinks Democrats will now try to get Kavanaugh impeached. In order for this to happen, his actions would need to be classified as a “high crime or misdemeanor”. The accusation would need to be brought up in the House and ratified by two thirds of the senate, meaning, even if Democrats were to gain more control of Congress after the midterm elections, this would not be likely, at least without more evidence. Republicans say that the Kavanaugh controversy has strengthened their voter base, whereas Democrats believe that Republicans’ treatment of the Kavanaugh allegations will hurt their results in the midterm. Trump also claims that many Democrats will vote Republican in the upcoming elections because the party has swung too far left.
- How do you think Kavanaugh’s appointment to the supreme court will affect the upcoming midterm elections?
- What will the Republican party be able to achieve now that it has control of all three of the main branches of government?
- What is your opinion on whether Ford’s accusations were truthful? Is it possible Trump was right and it was really just a plot to prevent Republicans from gaining control of the Supreme Court?
I believe Kavanaugh's recent appointment will influence voters to vote Democrat because the Republicans now control all branches of the government.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP can now push their own agenda. There will be no limit to their policies because they control all three branches (unless Midterms change the Legislative branch).
I absolutely believe that Ford's accusation are truthful. Ford had her entire career on the line and she risked a lot to come out publicly. Accusations should always be taken seriously, and I was disappointed that hers were not.
Clara Kennedy
ReplyDelete1. I believe that Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court will likely have one of two possible effects. First of all, his appointment may prompt more Democrats to vote in the midterm who are unhappy with the appointment and who wish to regain liberal control in a segment of the national government. However, Kavanaugh's appointment may also increase Republican turnout as they might be fueled to vote based on their recent success in the Supreme Court nomination.
2. Now that the GOP has control of all three main branches of government, it will be easier, theoretically, for them to coordinate on implementing parts of the GOP political agenda. Since all three branches are now supposedly prioritizing the same goals, the GOP may be able to make faster progress on these goals due to few disputes to do ideological differences between branches.
3. I believe that Ford's accusations were truthful. In her testimony during the hearing, it was very evident how the retelling of the story was very difficult for her emotionally, and the tension in her body was a sign of her credibility. Also, Ford did not need to come forward and, in doing so, brought a lot of strife into her life that someone would not be willing to tolerate without a desire to share the truth. I do not think it was just a plot to stop Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court because of the effort it took on Ford's part to come forward. I believe that she came forward when she did to prevent someone capable of such cruelty from sitting on the highest court in the country without public knowledge of his actions.
Julia Doran
ReplyDelete1. I think that with Kavanaugh's appointment it may increase Democratic voter turnout since they are upset by the appointment. The Democrats will want to gain control of a branch of government by getting more Democrats into Congress. It is also possible that Republicans who are excited by Kavanaugh's appointment may also increase their midterm voting.
2. With Republican control of all three branches of government they would be able to reach their goals easier as the branches would have the same goal and the checks and balances would not be a problem.
3. I believe Ford's accusations. I believe that Trump is wrong and that it was not just a plot to prevent Republican control of the Supreme Court because Ford did not need to come forward. She put herself out there because she felt that she did not want this man who had assaulted her to have that much power.
Julia Maxwell
ReplyDelete1. I think that Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court will increase voter turnout for the Democratic party because of the majority the Republican party has in all the branches in government.
2.The Republican party will have an easier time pushing their political agenda because they have the majority in all three branches. They can pass laws that make the government and country more conservative.
3.I do believe that the accusations were truthful. Ford did want to come forward to prevent Kavanaugh from gaining such a powerful position when she had been harmed by him, but it was not just made up. Ford put a lot on the line with coming forward because she was the center of media attention and was under criticism from lots of people who thought it was all just a plot.
Jasmine Ang
ReplyDelete1. I think that Kavanaugh's appointment will increase Democratic turnout. Women already favor the democratic party more, and I think his appointment might have empowered more women against sexual assault to vote against the Republican party. Additionally, since the Republicans now have control of all three branches of government, Democrats will turn out more to try and fix this problem. It is also possible though that Republican party will be energized by the appointment and will increase voter turnout to keep the momentum going.
2. The Republican Party will be more efficient in pursuing their political agenda because the three branches of government theoretically have the same the same goals. There will be less disputes and it is unlikely that checks and balances will be used often.
3. I believe Ford's accusations are truthful. During her testimony, it was clear how emotionally distressed she was when she was recounting her story. Additionally, it took a lot of bravery to come out into the public eye as she was subject to many different opinions. There were also a lot of negative ones. I don't see a reason she would willingly put herself through this to lie. She wanted to reveal what Kavanaugh had done because he was trying to be appointed to the highest court in the country, and she believed the public should know more about his background if he was going to have that much power.
Joshua Ishimoto
ReplyDelete1. The effect the Kavanaugh confirmation will have on the midterms will largely come down to turnout. Both the Republican and Democratic sides have been greatly energized by the divisiveness of the whole confirmation process. In both the fact that it will have meant that in two years President Trump will have put two justices to the Supreme Court and that Kavanaugh had allegations of sexual misconduct the nations will be more polarized politically. Deciphering which side has been more energized is hard to say and really will come down to a narrow race between Republican and Democrats urging for their bases to turnout.
2. Republican control of all three branches will spell out one thing and one thing only: the continuation of the brash and uncontrolled power of the presidency. Trump's influence has only been expanded as he essentially has extended his mandate of rule by decades through the Kavanaugh nomination. It will not be so that the Republican Party will be more able to accomplish it's goals, but more of Trump being unleashed to act without any goal in mind other than to spread chaos among all branches of government.
3. The confirmation of any justice to the Supreme Court will be undoubtedly partisan. That is very much the world we live in. Democrats attempted to block Kavanaugh in the same way Republicans successfully blocked Merrick Garland. In all honesty Dr. ford's testimony probably was truthful just by the fact how she remained consistent in her testimony and how she put herself through a terrible experience just to do so. But, of course, in today's day and age that doesn't very much matter.
1. It could impact the midterm elections in the way that more democrats will be influenced to vote beause they will be angry about the election of the republican judge. Therefore, the House of Representatives might get a chance to retake a democrat majority which is good for the democrats.
ReplyDelete2.The Republican is able to essential take over the entire government and is able enact legislation that is beneficial to the president and the republican government. It could even impact the government for a long time, such as the judge being elected.
3. I think Ford's accuations were truthful. Many scientists said that her account seemed valid and truthful. She recieved lots of death threats and threats from extremists which is why it was not an easy thing to come forward. Republicans obiously would have tried to stop the Democrats but it really shows gridlock in society and our government.
1) I believe that it will not rly affect the upcoming mid terms because Kavanaugh was approved by the senate and most republican senators are not up for re election. This means that it will be a lot harder to get democratic members into the senate. I do not think it will make much of a difference in the House becuase the house had no impact on his nomination thus people cannot be mad at them and thus it will not affect their vote.
ReplyDelete2) I believe that even though they control all three branches they will still not do much because one it is the end of the year and they will have to fight for re election and two because the Republican party has so many divisions and conflicts within its own party that they will be unable to get anything done.
3) I believe that her accusations were truthful, but it made sense that she would not have been able to stop the nomination of Kavanaugh. Since we live in a country that requires that a person is innocent until proven guilty there it has been too long for there to be any strong evidence to truly show that he is guilty. Thus no matter if it is truthful or not she will be unable to change anything.
1. I think that Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court will probably lead to more turnout for Democrats because of all of the republicans that are in SCOTUS, President, etc. Republicans might lose the midterm but they already have lock on SCOTUS and Presidential position which is very influential for the next couple of years
ReplyDelete2.The Republican party will have an easy time creating more conservative laws, especially on topics like abortion and gun control, because of the majority they hold in government.
3.While the accusations might be truthful, I think there was not enough evidence to fully prove him wrong as shown which is why he is a part of SCOTUS. However I do believe the accusations could have been true and it is not ok for things like this to happen. Especially because of how long ago it happened, it is really hard to bring it as useful information in deciding whether or not to allow him to be part of SCOTUS
1. I don't believe the Kavanaugh confirmation will do much to affect the midterm elections. There will probably be a handful of voters who feel strongly about the message this confirmation is sending, in regards to sexual assault, but I believe most voters do not necessarily understand the impact this confirmation can have on the legislative branch.
ReplyDelete2. At the time the unitary government would have allowed the passing of almost all policy, yet as shown in the midterms it is extremely hard to keep a unitary government. Although they would be able to pass legislation, I doubt they would have enough time to pass extreme or numerous important policies.
3. I believe there was not enough hard factual evidence to ultimately prove that this evidence was truthful or not. I personally feel that it is and would have tried to delay the confirmation in order to confirm or deny these allegations. It certainly is sending mixed messages to the public as it may be hinting that sexual assault does not matter, while also showing that evidence needs to be fully supported before it can truly affect a decision.
1. Overall, Kavanaugh's nomination might have an effect on the midterms because of Democratic voters that will be angry over his confirmation and will want to have a blue Congress. However, I think a lot of people are uneducated about the topic so the confirmation won't have a large effect on the results of the midterms.
ReplyDelete2. Having Republicans control all three houses basically gives them the power to pass any legislation they want unless Republican members of government oppose it. However, we don't have to worry about that now because the Democrats control part of Congress.
3. I believe Ford's accusations were truthful, as she really has no reason to lie about something as serious as this. It brought her so much hate and controversy that I do not really see a reason for her to lie. However, I don't think there was enough factual evidence to confirm that she was actually assaulted by Kavanaugh, even if her story seems true. If I were in the position of the government, I probably would have delayed Kavanaugh's confirmation and tried to find more factual evidence.
1. Kavanaugh's nomination served as a wake-up call for the Democrats, so I think his nomination did have an effect on the midterm elections. The high media coverage and people's anger from the nomination made the Democrats vote.
ReplyDelete2. Republican control in all three branches theoretically made it easier to advance the Republican agenda. However, there divisions within the party itself and the process of passing legislation is slow.
3. I do believe Ford's accusations were truthful because her testimony seemed sincere. Also, she was willing to be the subject of the media and much criticism, so I don't see why she would lie. I don't think Ford's testimony was a "plot" to keep Republicans from gaining control, but I disliked how long it took for her story to actually be released and investigated.