Sad Flake

As has been just reported all over the interwebs the Judiciary Committee vote to advance Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination and a seat to the United States Supreme Court was approved 11-10 today in a non-suprising party-line vote.

The part that did catch some people by surprise was a last minute negotiation by Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, and Sen. Jeff Coons to delay the floor vote on the nomination once it was moved there. The week would give the FBI to go through and takes notes and confirm what was testified to yesterday by Ford and Kavanaugh.

Nothing.

My colleague Jennifer Van Laar covered part of the aftermath here in her post Watch Out, Mitch – Lindsey Graham’s On His Way To Your Office

Here is an exchange with reporters and Sen Linsey Graham, new conservative slayer of delay…

During the hearing, Graham helpfully pointed out that no matter what is said in the committee about hoping for an FBI investigation, none of that binds Sen. McConnell once the nomination is on the floor. So, the spotlight turns to McConnell and Sens. Collins and Murkowski, who hopefully will render Flake irrelevant. I think I know what happened. I hope some Democrats will say that if we do what Jeff said, that will end the process dispute. Jeff’s trying his best to bring the country together…the best way he knows how. So I don’t know if that’s the agreement. Will McConnell agree to this? “I don’t know. That’s why I’m going to talk to him right now. Last time I looked, you need 50 votes.”

Graham has been on fire lately and he is right about this also.

Jeff Flake obviously got moved off his yes vote porch by the emotional outburst that happened today in the Senate elevator, where some women screamed at him about wanting to vote for Kavanaugh. Nothing in that exchange was relevant to facts but Flake could not process it.

Sen. Coons who delivered a non plus speech during the committee meeting today that was about as disingenuous as it was lackluster, met with Flake to talk up this week delay.

If Flake and Sen. Collins or Sen. Murkowski ( who has now agreed to the Flake compromise) are all no votes without the week delay than you need to delay. You can get all upset about it but if one week is the price to get an uber qualified judge on the Supreme Court than you do it. Otherwise, a new nominee won’t be seated until after the Nov election.

Sen. Mitch McConnell can count and if he does not have the votes, he won’t do that.

Take a step back to take two steps forward and secure your nominee.

While Jeff Flake can’t stand his ground on facts lets not get all wound up so tight and emotional like the ladies that yelled and screamed at him earlier that we can’t fight the fight that is coming.

I know we can do it.

In case you missed my other post on a different subject Brett Kavanaugh Is A Better Human Being Than Senate Dems, So He Must Be Destroyed and my podcast Bourbon On The Rocks check it out and follow me on the twitters at IRISHDUKE2