Should The Democrats Apologise to Brett Kavanaugh? Dialogue with a Socialist in the US.
The answer to the question is of course not. They had the right to question Kavanaugh about his alleged sexual harassment of Christine Ford. By the same token, Democrats have the right to call out and question Joe Biden with the same passion and enthusiasm they displayed two years ago. Below is a short dialogue I had with a Socialist in the US about this glaring contradiction.
“Dear Friend
Hope you are well. I do appreciate the short dialogue we had a few weeks ago in relation to Isaiah Jackson’s knee-on-neck abuse against a 2 yr old toddler. I welcome the various contributions that have been made. It is good to engage in dialogue especially when there is an atmosphere of intolerance and hate. And I hope we have witnessed that it is possible to have decent, de-polarised conversations and given that I am a British Conservative (I stood for Parliament in 2005 against a sitting Labour-Socialist MP…one of the very few Labour MPs I respect because of his commitment to the very foundation of the Labour Party which is Socialism, as opposed to the rest of Labour which seeks to dump its Socialist origins) that is why it has been possible to keep things civil. I am open minded, which is why it has been easy to engage in discussions with people who hold different philosophies…only two years ago I spoke with the Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh (my country of origin) who explained why he thought that Russians were better under Communism than under the current free market economy. I listened with interest.
I hope to engage with you again and attempt to understand an issue which I had raised on my Facebook post two years ago and is more relevant than ever after Kamala Harris was chosen as the Democrat VP candidate a few days ago. Your opinions would be highly appreciated.
I am not concerned about the racial origins of Harris, I think that Republican compatriots have gone a bit bonkers with their focus on this. ALL Americans other than the Native Americans have origins outside the US, hence this whole racial debate is moot. I don’t go for character assassinations, it is very un-British but what is important to me are integrity, transparency and honesty. I had an issue with the behaviour of the Democrats during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings in 2018 in the way they seemed to have used Christine Ford’s situation for their own benefit in order to prevent Kavanaugh from assuming his position on the Supreme Court. Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren were quite vehement in their denunciation of Kavanaugh’s alleged attempted rape of Ford. I watched the proceedings with great interest and at one point Kamala Harris seemed to put Kavanaugh in a tight spot with her precision questioning. During Ford’s hearing Kamala told her that she believed her. You may also recall when the Socialist (pro-Sanders) activist, Linda Sarsour, burst into Kavanaugh’s hearing as part of the Women’s march to protest against him, and later she said that this was about justice. In January 2019 she said, “Watching rape culture play out on a national stage has retraumatized women and survivors nationwide,” she said in the email. “But in response, we’ve turned our pain into power.”
After the proceedings ended I drew some conclusions and made a prediction:
a) The Democrat senators who questioned Kavanaugh received a lot of limelight, understandably. They would use this opportunity to advance their careers. It turns out that most of them did when Booker, Warren, Harris and Klobuchar put their hats in the ring to bid for the presidential nomination. Klobuchar was very interesting. She said that the Kavanaugh hearings and injustices against women due to sexual harassment motivated her to throw her hat into the ring.
b) I predicted that the Democrats would let down Christine Ford when the hearings were over. They seemed to be using her plight for politics. I was proven correct when she seemed to be ditched after Kavanaugh was confirmed. Whilst the aforementioned Democrat senators advanced their careers, Ford was and continues to be in hiding without any hope of leading a normal life. I am pretty sure that Nancy Pelosi said there may be a follow up, but there hasn’t been. A few weeks ago when I checked the Facebook pages and the websites of these senators who competed in the primaries, and Nancy Pelosi, there was no mention of Christine Ford anywhere. I was appalled by this. No one talks about Ford now. I am now beginning to understand what Brett Kavanaugh and the Republican Senator Chuck Grassley (who chaired the hearings) meant when they said that the Democrats were being very political and wanted to take down Kavanaugh because of his pro-Life stance. At the time I thought these were excuses to divert attention away from Kavanaugh’s alleged sexual harassment of Ford. But in the aftermath of what has happened and the capitalisation of the Democrat senators’ fame which led them to seek higher office, and a complete detachment from Ford who has received no further support, I can empathise with what Kavanaugh and Grassley said.
Since then, I seemed to have ventured into the Twilight Zone, where I look at what these Democrat senators and Linda Sarsour in the light of allegations of Joe Biden’s digital penetration (I’ll call it digital rape) of Tara Reade. Other than the Conservatives’ expected highlight of this case, the Democrats have been collectively completely silent on this matter or seemed to have excused Biden. The main media outlets seem to be silent now after a brief stint on this story. This is a major ‘WHAT THE F***?’ moment for me as there seems to be a mass cognitive dissonance or CONCSIOUS BIAS here.
At this point I have to give credit to your (left wing group) for calling out Biden on this. I did read a couple of posts where you reminded members that Biden is an alleged sexual harasser and no different from Trump. This is the only honest appraisal of Biden I have seen from the left in the US that has come from your group. The rest of the Democrats are silent or have taken contradictory approaches when challenged about this which is remarkable. An even more remarkable story I saw unfold in the Twilight Zone is the veteran feminist campaigner, Angela Davies, who announced her support for Biden so that he could be more easily influenced by the left. I also see Rabia Chaudry, who is an attorney and a vociferous campaigner for the release of Adnan Sayed, who is in jail for the murder of Hae Min Lee in 1999. She believes Adnan is innocent, hence wants him released. She was quote vocal in the Twittosphere against Brett Kavanaugh only to support Joe Biden in the upcoming elections. The following are the summaries of these contradictory approaches I have noticed:
1. Kamala Harris on Kavanaugh: “I sat through those hearings. Brett Kavanaugh lied to the U.S. Senate and most importantly to the American people. He was put on the Court through a sham process and his place on the Court is an insult to the pursuit of truth and justice. He must be impeached.” (Twitter, 15th Sept. 2019). She also told Christine Ford, “I believe you.”
Kamala Harris on Biden: “I believe them and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it,” Harris said at a presidential campaign event in Nevada. When asked if Biden should run for president, Harris said “He’s going to have to make that decision for himself. I wouldn’t tell him what to do.” (Daily Caller, April 2019)
2. Amy Klobuchar on Kavanaugh: “Let us never forget what courage looks like” (showing a picture of Christine Ford taking her oath. Facebook post, 15th Sept 2019)
Amy Klobuchar on Biden: “We need a President who cares about others, instead of himself. We need a President who believes service is about sacrifice, not self-interest. We need Joe Biden in the White House.” (Facebook page 24th May 2020)
3. Elizabeth Warren on Kavanaugh: “The fight against Kavanaugh. You don’t want to wake up the day after Brett Kavanaugh gets confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice of the United States and say: I could’ve done more to help stop it. Now is the time to make calls, write letters, and do whatever you can to speak out against Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. This fight is in the hands of the people.” (Facebook post, 18th September 2018)
She also said, “Let’s be clear: Brett Kavanaugh is NOT entitled to a seat on the Supreme Court. We’re going to keep fighting his nomination with everything we’ve got & make our voices heard. (Facebook post, 29th September 2019)
Elizabeth Warren on Biden: “This is the right way to conduct oversight. Thank you Joe Biden for committing to appoint a truly independent Inspector General and for tackling corruption head-on. (Facebook post, 12th May 2020)
4. Cory Booker on Kavanugh: “I’m here to call on folk to understand that in a moral moment there is no neutral. In a moral moment there is no bystanders,” Booker told the crowd. “You are either complicit in the evil, you are either contributing to the wrong, or you are fighting against it.” Booker also said, “It doesn’t say that I sit in the valley of the shadow of death. It doesn’t say I’m sitting on the sidelines in the valley of the shadow of death. It says I am walking through the valley of the shadow of death. It says I am taking agency that I am going to make it through this crisis,” Booker said. “And so I am calling on everyone right now who understands what’s at stake, who understands who Kavanaugh is. My ancestors said ‘if someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.’ He has shown us who he is.” (National Review 24th July 2018)
Cory Booker on Biden: Sen. Cory Booker says sexual assault allegation against Biden, which he has denied, should be investigated: “Investigate the claims, and I really celebrate Joe Biden for standing up and saying the same thing.” “I stand with Joe on his nomination,” he adds.
(The View, Twitter, 8th May 2020)
5. Nancy Pelosi on Kavanaugh: “Today is a profoundly heart-breaking day for women, girls and families across America.” “Courageous women risked their safety and well-being to speak truth about this nomination. Tens of thousands more joined them to share their own harrowing stories of sexual assault, at great personal risk. Yet, Senate Republicans chose to send a clear message to all women: do not speak out, and if you do — do not expect to be heard, believed or respected.
(6th October 2018, Speaker.gov websitw, after Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation)
Nancy Pelosi on Biden: “I have complete respect for the MeToo movement. I have four daughters and one son. And there’s a lot of excitement around the idea that women will be heard and be listened to.” “I have great comfort level with the situation as I see it, with all the respect in the world for any woman who comes forward, with all the highest regard for Joe Biden, and that’s what I have to say about that.” (The Independent, 30th April 2020)
6. Linda Sarsour on Kavanaugh: “I will be able to tell my daughters and future grandchildren that I STOOD UP. I was not and will not be silent when our bodies and rights are on the line. #CancelKavanaugh” (Sarsour’s Twitter quoting ABC News Twitter feed, 4th September 2018, after she stormed into Kavanaugh’s hearing as part of the Women’s March)
Linda Sarsour on Biden: “It’s no secret that I have disagreements with both VP Joe Biden & Senator Kamala Harris. But I know what I need to do — Elect the Biden-Harris ticket and prepare to hold them accountable in the White House. Remember, sometimes the hardest thing to do is the right thing to do. Let’s DEFEAT FASCISM.
(Sarsour’s Facebook post, 12th August 2020)
7. Rabia Chaudry on Kavanaugh: “The presumption of innocence applies in court. This a gdamn job interview.” (Twitter, 24th Sep. 2018)
“What kind of a shit judge would dismiss a sworn statement by a WOMAN WHO WAS GANG RAPED” (In response to Kavanaugh’s angry answer to Diane Feinstein’s question on Julie Swetnick, Twitter 27th Sept. 2018)
“Kavanaugh wasn’t raging because he is innocent. He was raging because one woman dared to try and hold him accountable.” (Twitter, 28th Sept. 2018)
“Yes it was planned 36 years ago when Kavanaugh attempted to rape Ford and covered it up ever since.” (In response to the GOP tweet what what was done to Kavanaugh was planned and politics at its worst. Twitter, 29th Sept. 2018).
Rabia Chaudry on Biden: Rabia posted an event, ‘Pakistani Americans for Biden — A Community Fired up for Change!’
Disturbing questions. What exactly is going on here? I am sure we can agree that digital rape (Biden) is far more serious than attempted rape (Kavanaugh). Yet Biden has been given the benefit of the doubt quite liberally. I cannot understand this contradiction. What is going through the minds of many Democrats who can see very clearly their contradictory approaches to sexual harassment, and yet sleep very well at night? I would expect some people on the left to call out Biden. Other than your organisation [***deleted***], there is collective silence on the matter on the left. Their relative silence is an assault on women victims of sexual harassment and I believe they are urinating on the MeToo movement now after showing support initially during the Kavanaugh hearings. Linda Sarsour’s meek demeanour in her recent Facebook post supporting Biden, truly occupies the stratosphere of the Twilight Zone. What of the veteran feminist campaigner, Angela Davies’s open support of Biden? Some women’s lives matter and others don’t.
I would be grateful if you would help me understand what is really going on here? I am seeking a genuine dialogue (I am not a Trump supporter by the way). I will end with the following question, ‘should Kamala Harris apologise to Brett Kavanaugh?’
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Response from the Socialist friend:
Honestly, it’s better to not post that. We (women) are VERY aware of both her and the DNC’ willful ignorance about the allegations against Biden. We don’t really need a reminder of the other women who have basically completely “forgotten” about the accusations to support him .
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Response from me:
Thanks for that. Ok I will respect your decision and won’t post it. I just wanted to understand why the other women senators and campaigners have forgotten about Biden’s allegations when they were so vocal about Kavanaugh. Sexual harassment should be above politics and a unifying factor about injustices against women as exemplified by the MeToo movement…and this should be the main news in the media. But what I am seeing now (no thanks to the Republicans) is an irrelevant focus on Kamala’s racial background. Why are the women Democrat Senators and campaigners (Linda Sarsour, Angela Davies) supporting Biden? If it is to stop Trump, it still doesn’t make sense because sexual harassment against women victims is a more important issue than Trump’s personality? I have found the [***deleted***] to be the only Left group in the US so far which has shown integrity and consistency by calling out Biden for alleged sexual harassment, which is why I wanted to get your perspective of this contradiction and why there is a veil of silence.
I forgot to mention in the main post [***note to reader, I added this story in the main post later after this dialogue ended***] about Rabia Chaudry, a famous attorney, who tweeted in 2018 that Kavanaugh had planned to rape Ford and that Julie Sweatnick was gang raped (which included Kavanaugh). Then only recently she posts an event, ‘Pakistani Americans for Biden — A Community Fired Up For Change’. One could not make this up. Even though my post is not public, it would be great to get your insight into what exactly is going on here and why firm advocates of women’s rights are now supporting Biden. Furthermore, your thoughts on my original post would be welcome. Thanks.
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Response from Socialist friend:
Honestly, I couldn’t tell you why these people who have built whole lives fighting the oppression and abuse of women would completely dump their entire value systems to support this person. My psychology background would tell me it’s from pure fear of what Trump can do, but if they actually did their research on what is happening, they would know that men like Joe Biden are the cause, Trump is simply the symptom. There’s a good chance that the formation of an authoritarian regime has been in the cards for several years, if not decades. Trump just seems to be more up front about it.
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Response from me: Thanks [***deleted***] for taking the time to provide a useful insight…great that your psychology background has come in handy! We might be on opposite parts of the political spectrum, but I do respect Bernie Sanders. He does seem to be a man of integrity and honesty. A similar personality to the veteran Socialist Labour MP, Dennis Skinner, whom I stood against in the Parliamentary elections in 2005. Honest and transparent guy.
End of discussion.
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Thoughts on the above mini-discussion: The Socialist acquaintance in the US was very honest about her views of the Democrats’ silence on Joe Biden’s alleged sexual harassment. She said that people were more concerned about what Trump could do, and that Trump was a symptom not a cause. I did not pursue this discussion as she was clearly feeling uncomfortable about being let down by the Democrats and I didn’t want to remind her of this, so I ended here. But the question that comes to mind after her response is, ‘what could be more concerning than the abuse of human rights, in this case sexual harassment of women?’ The reason for asking this question is that Trump had been rightly lambasted for the secret recording of a meeting in 2005 where he fantasised kissing Arianne Zucker and touching her private parts without her consent. Any human being would condemn this. What really struck me was that Trump was fantasising in 2005 what Joe Biden allegedly acted out in 1993.
So, what is this concern about Trump which Democrats are willing to observe collective silence on sexual harassment against women after being so vociferous two years ago? What issue is more important than human rights in the context of sexual harassment against women? Racism may come to mind, which is on par with harassment against women. And Democrats may think that Trump’s apparent racism may be more important than Biden’s digital rape of a woman. Again, this does not help the Democrats because Kamala Harris implied that Biden was a racist during the Primaries when she accused him of supporting segregationist senators; and Biden made an overtly racist remark when he told a radio host that you ain’t black if you have to choose between Trump and Biden. So I ask again, what is it about Trump that Democrats feel they have to remain collectively silent on Biden’s alleged sexual harassment and let down women victims and the Me Too movement?
Same question goes to Republicans/Conservatives who have fallen silent on this important issue after initial publicity, instead they are travelling down an irrelevant route of questioning Kamala’s race identity and Biden’s cognitive decline.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed are mine only and do not belong to the company I work for or the political party I belong to.
Author Biography
Hasan Ali Imam was born in Bangladesh in 1972 and brought up in the UK. He has engaged in respectful debate and dialogue with those which disagree with him, which culminated in his candidacy for the British Parliament in 2005. He continues to be involved with the UK Conservative Party in his spare time whilst working for a multinational corporation. Hasan has also been involved with the UK Government’s PREVENT counter terrorism strategy as a trainer to public servants on how to prevent young people from venturing into extremism. He also draws on his own experience of attempted recruitment by extremist groups in the 1990s. Hasan has authored three books.
Firstly, ‘United States of Anger — Why Linda Sarsour’s Rage and Far Left Violence Cannot Move Mountains.’ This book is a response to Linda Sarsour (an American Palestinian Socialist activist), and her far left compatriots who supported the violence and rampage that took hold in the US after the tragic killing of George Floyd.
Secondly, ‘BAME — Breaking Through Barriers.’ This book deals with the race space in the UK. It responds to critics who state that ethnic minorities have not progressed due to institutional racism. He tackles the issue head on and invites critics to dialogue and debate. This book was praised by the British Government.
Thirdly, ‘Aisha and Fatima — Ladies of Heavan. A Sunni Response to Shiaism.’ This is specific to the main Islamic sects of Sunni and Shia. The book captures dialogues that Hasan (a Sunni) had with Shia Muslims over the last 20 years.
A fourth book project is under way for publication in 2023, entitled, ‘Why the Far Right are Far Wrong.’ Yes, you guessed it. It includes responses to the Far Right and dialogue with some of its members.
Hasan has also written an article on ‘Medium.com’ to challenge the anti-vaccine narrative from his own Conservative side, including Dr. Simone Gold in the US, and has invited dialogue and debate with anti-vaxxers. He has also engaged in dialogue with and Israeli Jew and an anti-Israeli Muslim on the State of Israel and the importance of Jews, Christians and Muslims to unite under the Abrahamic brotherhood.
