McMAHON: What To Do Next

By Mallory McMahon, co-founder of Fight Back Bay Ridge

On Thursday, America watched a furious man rant about how sexual assault allegations are “ruining his life.” Judge Brett Kavanaugh showed nothing that resembled remorse or contrition for his actions against Christine Blasey Ford all those years ago; instead, he was enraged that he might have to face consequences for those actions. Despite calling themselves the “party of personal responsibility,” the GOP has done nothing but coddle and protect this man, promising him that they won’t let a pesky little thing like sexual assault allegations prevent him from joining the Supreme Court.

Christine Blasey Ford told the Senate she never wanted to be there, testifying in front of them. She was afraid. She was humiliated. No woman wants to recount the most traumatizing experiences of her life to people who have already decided not to believe her. Ford did so anyway, because she felt America had the right to know the truth.

Senate Republicans are not interested in truth. Lindsay Graham said he intended to confirm Kavanaugh on Wednesday, before the hearings even took place. In response to Ford’s allegations, Mitch McConnell told a group of conservative voters that he intended to “plow through” the confirmation, dismissing Ford’s testimony before it was even invited. Representative Kramer of South Dakota questioned that, if Kavanaugh had committed these crimes against women, “Does it disqualify him?”

I’m not sure why we continue to be surprised. This is the party that stood by Roy Moore as child victims came forward and accused him of abuse; it’s the party that has turned a blind eye to a laundry list of sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump. The GOP has made it clear that women, and their safety, don’t matter.

We the people cannot prevent the Senate GOP from confirming Kavanaugh, which they almost certainly will. What we can do is ensure that they feel the sting of this betrayal of America’s women for generations to come. Until the Republican party purges itself of predators and stops enabling and apologizing for their behavior, no thinking woman should ever vote for a Republican candidate. We should raise our voices against the entire party, and raise money for their political challengers. We can no longer allow the GOP to grab us by our collective genitalia whenever they want, and we can no longer allow them to continue to hold power over our lives.

AP Photo