The Unvarnished Truth about Brett Kavanaugh
People on both sides of this issue seem to already have made up their minds as to whether Brett Kavanaugh assaulted the then-15-year-old Christine Blasey-Ford. And to be honest, whether or not she was sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh is something that, after 36 years, can neither be proven nor disproven. The people who were supposedly there either claim that they cannot remember, or that it didn’t happen.
Put this in historical and cultural context: the drinking/fratboy/preppy culture of the 80’s. The big films were the Porky’s franchise, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Revenge of the Nerds, Breakfast Club, etc. Girls were expected to “make out” with as many boys as possible, boys were supposed to go as far as they could, and boast about what they did.
In such a context, it is hard to believe that a star football player and wealthy, privileged young man would not try to “make it” with as many girls as possible. What we can prove, based on his yearbook, is that he was a heavy drinker, partied hard, made references to sex, threesomes and possibly drug use. His diary is NOT evidence, because anyone can buy a used diary from 1983 on Ebay and write in it. But it is entirely believable that he may have groped girls under those circumstances.
OK, so we can prove that he had the personal character and opportunity to engage in drunken activities with young women, and that he probably could have assumed that every girl “wanted” him. That does not mean he committed rape, or attempted rape.
Did Dr. Ford experience a sexual assault at a party in 1983? Her testimony seems credible, in that she did not show any external signs of lying. However, she cannot recall many details, hardly surprising, since she was probably drunk at the time, the room may have been dark, and it was 36 years ago. Add to this the fact that she has clearly been coached by her lawyers to sound traumatized. Anyone can make their voice quake and shake when reading a text. All actors and singers learn how to do “vocal fry”. It does not automatically mean you are feeling emotion. However, she has exposed herself to death threats in order to testify, so it is believable that she did experience an assault, and believes that Kavanaugh did it.
Who is lying then? There are four options: Either both are (partially) lying, Dr. Ford is telling the truth, Kavanaugh is telling the truth, or both are (partially) telling the truth.
Since we cannot prove what happened, we may assume that A) some kind of sexual assault may have taken place, with or without Kavanaugh present, B) both Dr. Ford and Kavanaugh have strong motives to lie, given her previous Democratic leanings, and that he wants this position C) by his own admission, Kavanaugh “likes beer” and drank heavily, and therefore, may not recall what happened very clearly (even though he says he never “blacked out”, and D) the event is being highly politicized by both parties.
Whether or not Kavanaugh did assault Dr. Ford (which cannot be proven, and it could have been done by one of his buddies), his behavior on the stand proves that he did drink heavily, and associated with a crowd who would have found grabbing a girl and forcibly groping her was OK.
We know that Dr. Ford admits under oath that she did not tell anyone for many years.did not tell anyone for many years. There are only three possible reasons. The first would be that she felt somehow ashamed (perhaps that she had flirted with him, and felt that she had “led him on”– a typical feeling of assault survivors). The second possibility would be that he was a popular boy, and she would have been shunned if she spoke out (no one would have believed her), and the third is that she did not feel it was a big deal at the time, and only later (after 30 years) decided that it was, indeed, a sexual assault. Let’s look at how she answered the question. The fact that Kavanaugh was “known to be a heavy drinker” means that of course, it would have been believable. Everyone in the world expected drunk teenage boys to get “grabby” with girls, especially in the 80’s. Normally, a girl would have told her female friends, to warn them about him! It is, in my opinion, hard to believe that she would refrain from telling her classmates because she “did not want to admit she was drinking beer with boys at 15”. In the 80’s, drinking beer with boys at 15 (especially popular boys) was something you would have bragged about!
Therefore, my conclusion would be that she was assaulted by someone, who may have been Kavanaugh. The fact that no one else corroborated the story up to now means that either his reputation at the time was solid enough so that his buddies backed him up, or that the assault was either unknown or mis-remembered. All parties involved agree that alcohol was involved, so that memories may be sketchy. But she may have exaggerated her claims for political motives.
Who was lying? Whether she lied under oath (she may have) is not relevant, because she is not applying for a job as a Supreme Court Justice. Kavanaugh admits to liking beer. The fact that he has not owned up to his previous behavior, or that he has not disavowed the negative things he wrote in his own yearbook shows a lack of personal integrity and candor. He could have taken the high road, and done what George W. Bush did. He could have said, “In the past, I partied hard and drank heavily, but since I gave my life to the Lord, I live differently.” Instead, he attacked the Democrats who (unjustly) held the evidence for the last minute. Drinking heavily is not a crime, but he lied several times under oath. He lied under oath about his own behavior, especially about “Devil’s Triangle” and other lewd references to sex; therefore, he is not fit to be a Supreme Court Justice.