A Mighty Wind

     Pivotal events, the sort that give rise to great and long-lasting transformations in the order of things, often go unappreciated until well afterward. Some such are never flagged in the history texts. Others assume their full significance only after a long period of reflection on “how things got to be this way.” But some are visible to millions as they occur and become permanent markers in our collective memory.

     Senator Lindsey Graham’s impassioned denunciation of the Democrat members of the Senate Judiciary Committee was such an event:

     That’s not stage anger, Gentle Reader. That’s the real thing, the sort of fury that once led to pistols at dawn. And from Lindsey Graham! The man most likely to pour oil on troubled Senate waters when “my Democratic colleagues” pretend that something perfectly reasonable is outrageous and unpardonable...or vice versa. It’s like watching the slow-motion video capture of a great explosion.

     One short sentence stands above the rest:

“These have been my friends.”

     Note the perfect tense of the verb: “have been.” The Democrats have finally gone far enough for Graham – Graham! — to put such a relationship firmly in the past. If any Republicans on Capitol Hill haven’t yet grasped the significance, it had better not take them much longer.

     “We’re all thieves and scoundrels, so whatever we say in public, let’s be friends in private” has been the working principle of Congress for decades. That rule has just gone into the toilet...and it’s about BLEEP!ing time. Beer bashes and softball shall no longer salve the wounds from political viciousness. Venality and injustice shall no longer be papered over with earmarks.

     It’s barely in time to avert an armed uprising. At least, I hope so.

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     There are three figures at the center of this cyclone. Each deserves individual mention for his part in it.

     First is Brett Kavanaugh himself, who’s stood foursquare for his record and his reputation despite the most evil, utterly calculated slanders any Supreme Court nominee has ever faced. Kavanaugh didn’t give an inch. That’s the way it must be, for throwing a sop to the wolves only delays the moment when they eat the rest of you.

     Second is Lindsey Graham. He’s long been the U. S. Senator with the milquetoastiest reputation in the GOP caucus. He strained to preserve his amiable relations with men who did their best to savage him and the rest of us when the chips were down and the little marble was rolling. Clearly his priorities have undergone a revision. As I said above, it should be clear to the other Republicans in Congress that the time for playing nice in the forlorn hope that the other side will reciprocate has passed.

     Third and foremost is the 45th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump. His aggressive, combative style got him the White House. His string of victories in both the domestic and foreign-relations spheres confirms the appropriateness of his methods. His enemies, whether in office or in the press, are the measure of his stature. It’s unlikely that anyone else could have opened the eyes of the always-be-nice Republicans who even when they held the majority in both Houses have repeatedly kowtowed to the Democrats in the hope that “next time they’ll play fair.”

     All three have been instrumental in bringing us to this cusp. All three deserve our thanks and ongoing support. Don’t think the barrages of calumny from the Democrats will cease just because of this setback. It’s far more likely they’ll redouble their efforts. That’s what fanatics do.

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     There are midterm elections coming. It’s had me worried. I think, if Americans’ memories aren’t totally wiped of the events of the last two weeks, the Right will enjoy those elections. The Left, poor screeching babies, will not.

     Judge Brett Kavanaugh will soon be Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh of the Supreme Court of the United States. Thank You, God. Don’t forget to vote on November 6.