Today I watched the senate judiciary committee hear testimony from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the doctor who has accused him of sexual assault, PhD Christine Blasey Ford. There is a lot I could say. There is a lot I have said. I believe Dr. Ford is a hero. I believe Brett Kavanaugh was unable to mitigate his anger (at being accused or being caught depends on who you ask). But beyond those under questioning, I also watched 3 senators in particular.
Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Orrin Hatch of Utah, and Democrat Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont have been on the judiciary committee since Clarence Thomas came up against Anita Hill in 1991. I was two years old. However, those three senators have been serving in the senate longer than I have been alive. I wanted to believe they grew with time and their position. I wanted to believe as I have grown, from nothing, to two, to a college graduate and an employed voting adult, that those around me, and representing me and the new world views around me, had grown too.
Perhaps they believe if Judge Kavanaugh is voted onto the Supreme Court it will convince other survivors of sexual assault to be silent. Perhaps they believe if Kavanaugh makes his way onto the bench women will go quietly, understanding we never had any real power in the first place. But that just means they have not really been paying attention.
Today I watched a lot of old men talk instead of listen. It doesn’t matter how I feel about their age now, or even their politics, their actions reveal that they no longer represent the country I live in.