Hell, Yes, We Need To Gloat About Kavanaugh's Confirmation

Wearing red dresses and white bonnets represented in the dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” protesters line the sidewalk outside a hotel where Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to appear at in Greenwood Village, Colo., Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. Pence is scheduled to speak at a Republican Party fundraiser on Thursday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

I return to this video over and over when discussing conservative politics. It is the classic SNL short video starring Peyton Manning called “Mentor.” Manning is trying to inspire his team to victory but they just can’t quite get the hang of what it takes. This is the key part (the video is cued).

Early in the Kavanaugh business, we had conservative strategists and pundits saying that Kavanaugh should withdraw his nomination. This, mind you, is without ever hearing Kavanaugh’s defense or testing the allegations against him. Why? Because when it comes down to it, an amazing number of self-described conservatives, particularly in the punditry, are much happier being defeated and marginalized so they can safely pontificate on how things should be done from the sideline with their massive virtue still intact rather than get their hands dirty and win. Yes, they like to lose.

Since Kavanaugh’s confirmation seemed assured, there has been a bumper crop of “conservatives” advocating for Trump to nominate Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court if he gets another vacancy. Merrick. F***ing. Garland. The idea being that giving the Democrats an appointment (I forget, was Kagan or Sotomayor the GOP choice under Obama?) they will be happy and forgive us for putting a conservative on the court and all will return to its natural state with the Democrats calling the shots. I’ve even seen a couple of people push the idea that “for the good of the nation” Kavanaugh should immediately resign and the GOP should find a consensus candidate.

Now we’re going from the point of some conservatives being embarrassed by actually winning to them demanding that the rest of us act ashamed also. This is David Marcus (I’m told he’s a conservative) in today’s New York Times.

There is every reason for those on the right — like me — to celebrate. But there are also some very good reasons to keep those celebrations quiet, respectful and dignified.

Unfortunately, they haven’t been. Senator John Cornyn tweeted about drinking “#Bubbly4Brett,” while Senator Lindsey Graham told the world he wasn’t “tired of winning.” And that’s to say nothing of right-wing pundits, who are cheering the liberal tears caused by Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Laura Ingraham and Raymond Arroyo toasted Mr. Kavanaugh with Bud Light on Fox, while Kurt Schlichter responded to Jill Filipovic’s tweet about feeling as though women don’t matter by calling her a bitter harpie [EDITOR’S FACT CHECK: Kurt is right, Filipovic is a bitter harpy].

This kind of gloating is a mistake for Republicans and, more important, for the country.

And he goes on to list various reasons why we Republicans should go into hiding until Democrat wrath has dissipated and they promise to stop yelling at us and invite us back to their parties.

He says that conservatives cheering on a victory makes the Supreme Court less credible with the American people (really? how does that work?) and the Democrats (gasp) might retaliate.

There are already calls from the left to pack the court should Democrats regain control of Congress and the presidency. Such a maneuver would, in effect, transform the Supreme Court into a third elected branch of the federal government, instead of a nonpartisan guardian of the Constitution. Moderation from conservatives could go a long way toward tamping down calls for such an extreme measure.

Riiiiiiiight. So if we keep quiet, they will never notice the make-up of the Supreme Court. The same people who’ve declared war on the First Amendment, the Second Amendment–Hell’s bells, they’re only a hop-skip-and-jump from trying to get rid of the Third, too–the Electoral College, Congressional redistricting, citizenship requirements to vote, and the allocation of Senators to states are going to just ignore the one branch of government that has ruthlessly and relentlessly locked in progressive gains since FDR first threatened to pack the Court?

Then we get on to the real objective. He doesn’t like Trump’s style.

The difference between Ms. Collins’s and Mr. Trump’s remarks reveals a deep tension within the Republican Party today. Mr. Trump’s bullheadedness and bluster has arguably led to many of the big wins he promised. But it has also divided the nation and left moderate conservatives in a difficult position. They refuse to mimic his behavior, as Mr. Graham has in recent weeks, but they realize that refusing to join in pushes them farther from the new center of conservative power.

They are right to resist. Joining the frat party might be fun in the short term, but it will gut any small remaining claim the G.O.P. has to Romney-like dignity or McCain-like duty to serve all Americans.

You know what else Romney and McCain had in common? Yep. Neither one became president. But here, that lack of dignity (which, along with $17.37 will get you a fair-trade-soy-pumpkin-spice-latte at your local Starbuck’s) is entirely secondary to moving the nation further to the right.

And then there is the reflexive obeisance to #BelieveWomen.

Whatever one believes about the allegations leveled against Mr. Kavanaugh, it is clear that millions of Americans are in real pain. The widespread feeling that the voices of women are being ignored — once again — is leading to a rage that many on the left are increasingly embracing as the necessary counter to Trump-era conservatism.

If you are in pain over Kavanaugh’s confirmation you can either grow up and get over it…or you can FOAD. I don’t particularly care which you want to do. I didn’t placate my toddlers by giving in to their tantrums and I don’t see any reason to treat people “in pain” over this any better than I treated my kids. And no, the voices of women are not being ignored. Women are being treated like men and like adults. If you make a claim that, if true, would disqualify and man from a job, you don’t get believed just because you have the correct genitalia. You have to present proof. If you can’t deal with that, maybe you should not be heard for the safety of the rest of the nation. And I don’t care about rage on the left. F*** these people and the Prius they rode in. They are trying to trash our nation, they are trying to uproot the Constitution, they are claiming that men are guilty merely because a woman accuses them. Again, screw these people.

In fact, knowing they are enraged is an incentive and reason for us to celebrate long and loud. Giving them any reason to believe they are validated will only guarantee worse behavior from them in the future. They are people who can never differentiate between kindness and weakness. We should laugh at them, mock them, and humiliate them. If we are lucky, we may demoralize them and drive them from the nation’s political life. And there is no downside to this strategy. Because rest assured, they will do nothing worse, should they regain power, because we mocked them than they would do if we had been nice to them.