Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) continues to be praised for the compelling logic, sensible reasoning and impressive evidence she outlined in her remarks on the Senate floor Friday in explaining her “yes” vote for embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
In a speech that lasted nearly an hour, the senator articulated her thinking — including her analysis of the Constitution as a legislative guide; legal precedent; how news is spread today; the #MeToo movement; Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony and allegations; and the character and judicial temperament of Kavanaugh himself.
After testimony more than a week ago by both a sexual assault accuser and the nominee — and after weeks of polarized rhetoric from so many people — the Maine senator brought a much-needed focus to provable facts, adherence to the Constitution, and a person’s past judicial accomplishments.
While the speech is worth reading in its entirety, below is a selection of strong lines from the Collins speech:
1.) About the weeks leading up to the vote: “Today we have come to the conclusion of a confirmation process that has become so dysfunctional, it looks more like a caricature of a gutter-level political campaign than a solemn occasion.”
2.) On the swift and aggressive pushback to Kavanaugh’s nomination: “The president nominated Brett Kavanaugh on July 9. Within moments of that announcement, special-interest groups raced to be the first to oppose him, including one organization that didn’t even bother to fill in the judge’s name on its prewritten press release.”
3.) About the activity of pro-abortion advocates during previous high court nomination cycles: “Incredibly, they [the pro-choice groups] even circulated [in 1990] buttons with the slogan ‘Stop Souter or women will die.’ Just two years later, Justice [David] Souter co-authored the Casey opinion reaffirming a woman’s right to choose. Suffice it to say, prominent advocacy organizations have been wrong.”
4.) On a prominent legal mind’s view of Kavanaugh: “Lisa Blatt, who has argued more cases before the Supreme Court than any other woman in history, testified, ‘By any objective measure, Judge Kavanaugh is clearly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. His opinions are invariably thoughtful and fair.'”
5.) On a notable American ideal: “We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy. The presumption of innocence is relevant to the advice and consent function when an accusation departs from a nominee’s otherwise exemplary record.”
6.) On outrageous claims against the nominee: “Some of the allegations levied against Judge Kavanaugh illustrate why the presumption of innocence is so important. I am thinking in particular not at the allegations raised by professor Ford, but of the allegations that when he was a teenager Judge Kavanaugh drugged multiple girls and used their weakened state to facilitate gang rape.”
7.) On her thoughts about the accuser: “Mr. President, I listened carefully to Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony before the judiciary committee. I found her testimony to be sincere, painful, and compelling. I believe that she is a survivor of a sexual assault and that this trauma has upended her life.”
8.) On what Collins found interesting about Ford’s testimony: “And professor Ford also indicated that even though she left that small gathering of six or so people abruptly, and without saying goodbye, and distraught, none of them called her the next day or ever to ask why she left. ‘Is she okay?’ Not even her closest friend, Ms. Kaiser.”
9.) On the mindset of many, including feminists: “I have been alarmed and disturbed, however, by some who have suggested that unless Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination is rejected, the Senate is somehow condoning sexual assault. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
10.) “We must listen to [sexual assault] survivors, and every day we must seek to stop the criminal behavior that has hurt so many. We owe this to ourselves, our children, and generations to come.”
“In our intense focus on our differences, we have forgotten the common values that bind us together as Americans.”
11.) About the leaker of Ford’s private letter: “My only hope is that your callous act has turned this process into such a dysfunctional circus that it will cause the Senate and indeed all Americans to reconsider how we evaluate Supreme Court nominees.”
12.) “In our intense focus on our differences, we have forgotten the common values that bind us together as Americans.”
Related: Sen. Susan Collins Has Defining Moment, Defends America’s Core Values
13.) On today’s technology and the spread of news: “When some of our best minds are seeking to develop even more sophisticated algorithms designed to link us to websites that only reinforce and cater to our views, we can only expect our differences to intensify.”
14.) On the nominee’s character: “Mr. President, we’ve heard a lot of charges and countercharges about Judge Kavanaugh, but as those who have known him best have attested, he has been an exemplary public servant, judge, teacher, coach, husband, and father.”
15.) And the statement that almost certainly paved the way for the confirmation: “Mr. President, I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. Thank you, Mr. President.”
See the full speech in the video below.
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