Amid dehumanization, we saw two humans laid bare
In the end, everything — every blasted thing — gets sucked into the polarization black hole, never to emerge again.
That now includes the Supreme Court. It is not, of course, that this process has never been political before. But it has never been more clearly a function of contending culture war narratives.
Progressives saw the #MeToo movement come to dramatic life: a highly credible woman calling a powerful man to account for sexual abuse, and that man responding (as one New Yorker headline put it) with “a grotesque display of patriarchal resentment.” To those on the left, Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a living symbol of violent aggression toward all women by his (presumed) opposition to Roe v. Wade. What they saw during the judiciary committee hearing — the angry defense of prep school values — confirmed all their beliefs.
Conservatives saw the Democratic/media complex attempt to destroy a respected nominee on the basis of a thin charge, sprung as a transparent political ploy. They cheered and tweeted South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s accusation that the process was an “unethical sham.” And what they saw of Democrats on the judiciary committee — Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., treating high-school yearbook abbreviations like the Enigma code; Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., stroking his moral superiority in a near-obscene manner— confirmed their beliefs.
The result of these conflicting interpretations was a complete breakdown in process, civility and decorum.
This, however, is not what made the hearing memorable. In the midst of general and typical dehumanization, we saw two humans laid bare. And the experience is impossible to make sense of.
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was credible and compelling, precisely because she did not play the role of a cause-oriented crusader. She focused on her own story, simply told. There was a mix of fragileness and resolution in her presentation that indicated authenticity. She explained the experience of sexual abuse with more emotional clarity than I have ever heard — the helplessness, panic and fear. Following her remarks, a conservative friend wrote to me: “It’s virtually impossible to believe she invented this story.”
And Ford seemed utterly convinced of Kavanaugh’s guilt.
Then came Kavanaugh. He was credible and compelling, precisely because he was genuinely, completely, almost uncontrollably outraged. The Kavanaugh I worked with in the Bush White House was known for his calm, careful demeanor in the midst of West Wing chaos. In his latest testimony, Kavanaugh was clearly pushed past patience and restraint.
An accusation of sexual assault is not like a political disagreement.
It is enough, as Kavanaugh roared, to destroy the trust on which a life is based — the trust given a teacher, a coach, a judge. This kind of charge is not like losing a limb. It is more like a poison that affects the whole body. If the accusation is false, it makes sense for a nominee to treat his tormentors with contempt.
And Kavanaugh seemed utterly convinced of his own innocence.
What to make of all this? I supported a period of further investigation. But I doubted it will clarify much. Or matter much. Of one thing we can be certain: The outcome will run down political, not ethical, lines.
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