It’s a teachable moment if ever I saw one.
During a public job interview for a lifetime position on the highest court in the land, Judge Brett Kavanaugh had to take an uncomfortable walk down memory lane to explain the drunken, misguided behavior of his youth.
At least three women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. But only one, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a professional psychologist and statistics professor, testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27, saying that she was so distraught over the childhood incident that she sought professional counseling.
While some of the victims’ reports of sexual misconduct date as far back as more than 30 years ago, the complaints against Kavanaugh suggest a pattern of reckless indifference that can often accompany those of privilege as they push the boundaries of their power.
What has struck me the most has been the dismissive words of men trying to silence the courageous voices of the women who have stepped forward – men of privilege and influence who shape conservative thought. President Donald J. Trump called the accusations a “con job” orchestrated by Democrats seeking to derail Kavanaugh’s nomination. Trump repeatedly asked the accusers, quizzically: “Why did they wait so long?” to report.
His sentiment was echoed by a chorus of amens, including one from Rod Dreher, a senior editor of The American Conservative, who referred to Kavanaugh’s alleged attack of Ford during his Georgetown Preparatory School years, as simply the “loutish, drunken behavior of a 17-year-old high school boy.” Ford accused the then-teen-aged Kavanaugh of pinning her to a bed, and trying to take off her clothes as he held his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming.
Why do allegations of incidents that happened 30 to 40 years ago matter now? It all boils down to one word: integrity.
