The End of Civilization

The storm of analysis and commentary over the Kavanaugh matter has reached Cat 5, but one of the standout articles today is Andy McCarthy’s National Review column entitled “The End of Civilization,” which takes the story back to its roots in the Bork and Thomas hearings.

My modest contribution was a Tweet yesterday posing the question, “Here’s a great idea: Let’s rerun the Clarence Thomas hearings but this time with 24/7 cable TV ‘news’ stations and social media! What could go wrong?” Given that all Twitter arguments become thermonuclear over time, over the next several days it wouldn’t be a surprise if Twitter’s servers simply blow up. The world would be a better place for it.

An example of how stupid this can be is this Tweet from Matthew Dowd, who made his bones as a Republican political consultant for George W. Bush:

As it happens, I met Dowd once at a conference in Texas back in the last decade (2006 if memory serves). After listening to him and then talking with him at some length, two conclusions seemed inescapable: Dowd is not just a lightweight, but a mediocre lightweight. So naturally he’s hired to be a “political analyst” by ABC News, which continues to identify him as a “Republican” even though he’s clearly moved to the left. It’s people like Dowd who give opportunism a bad name.

By the way, where were these “believe the women” stands when Al Gore was being accused of sexual assault a few years ago? (One woman in Portland, Oregon, filed a police report.) I’ll look forward to Dowd saying in his next appearance that the accusations against Gore should now be credited and appropriately punished criminally. Then he can advise us on Keith Ellison.

Needless to say, if we followed Dowd’s advice, several innocent Duke lacrosse players might be in prison right now for a hoax, along with several fraternity members at the University of Virginia who Rolling Stone falsely accused of rape.

My advice: Stay off Twitter for the next 10 days.

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