Politics is (more often than not) a dirty business. One of the most blessed circumstances for New Zealand is that we are a small nation and that it is hard to "fool most of the people all of the time". Nevertheless we have our moments. The Christchurch Creche Case is one such.
In the US we have recently witnessed the mob braying for (metaphorical) blood--Justice Kavanaugh's to be precise. Now, it is true that the more sanguine types amongst the opposition readily acknowledge that their oppo was tactical in nature and had less concern with the truth than with what they perceived to be the far, far greater good. In particular, throwing Kavanaugh out of the running to be a Justice of the US Supreme Court would prevent the Court from being run by conservative justices for the next three or so decades. The was a fertile time for imaginations to frame Kavanaugh as a really nasty, unsuitable, wicked, and vile creature.
One of the things which amused me during this desperate imbroglio was the cacophonous silence amongst the mob over Kavanaugh's numerous written judgements which were readily available for all to read. It seems that his work and output as a judge won respect from the Left, the Right, and the Centre. Why?
Well Kavanaugh is a conservative, which means amongst other things he maintains a deep respect for legal precedent, the rule of law, and (above all) a respect for the US Constitution. This has meant that his decisions have won (at different times) positive acknowledgement from the good, the bad, and the ugly--otherwise known as the right, the left and the centre of the US political spectrum.
There does not appear to be any deleterious influence upon his judgements from his practice of drinking beer, from stupid comments allegedly made in high school, or from any other youthful foolishness. None of these "failures" appear to show up in the 56 year old Justice Kavanaugh's professional record. If these alleged youthful failures have had any influence it would appear to be a positive one. Most human beings would agree that when they were young they did some stupid things, but they learnt from mistakes, moved on, and became better citizens for it.
The Left (in this matter) has whipped up a mob. Let's hope it continues to bray lustily, motivating the centre and right to reject the radicals. It will indeed be interesting to see whether there is a reaction in the November mid-terms.
One final reminder of how fickle the mob can be: remember the stern resistance to uncloaking President Obama's academic record. It has been sealed in vaults deeper than Fort Knox.
[H/T: No Minister]
How the worm can pirouette and turn.
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