"Sucker-Punched"

[Teach]

“You don’t know how to make a milk shake!” the customer said, beratingly. “I’ve been makin’ them now for over a year and no one’s complained,” my friend replied. Well, a heated argument ensued. The irate customer then asked my friend to step out from behind the soda-fountain. My friend obliged. My friend then tried to calm down the irate patron. Just then, suddenly, out of the blue, the customer sucker-punched my friend. Fortunately, the blow was more of the glancing variety than a direct hit. Seconds later, my friend’s boss and other customers intervened.

Well, as I look at today’s political landscape in Washington less than three weeks after POTUS’s inauguration, I see a good deal of “sucker-punching”. Oh, these aren’t the physical assaults, such as the one my friend experienced in the late-1950s at a drug store in inner-city Boston, but they’re more of the verbal variety.

Case in point. POTUS’s Supreme Court-nominee, Neil Gorsuch, has been visiting various U.S. Senators in “meet-and-greet” sessions. Yesterday, he visited Richard Blumenthal (D –Connecticut). In the course of their conversation, Sen. Blumenthal asked Gorsuch about his feelings (reactions) about POTUS’s comments that have been critical of the Federal judiciary (POTUS called the federal judge in Seattle who last week blocked the travel ban order a "so-called judge.").

Well, Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch responded to Sen. Blumenthal’s question using two unflattering words: “demoralizing” and “disheartening” (You’ll have to draw your own conclusions as to the choice of words and the motivation; there are manifest meanings and actions and, then again, there are obscure and latent ones).

In any event, those words that were spoken by nominee Gorsuch have been both confirmed and corroborated by multiple sources, including a spokesman for the team shepherding Gorsuch's nomination through the U.S. Senate.

Despite that confirmation from Gorsuch's camp, POTUS, this morning, took to Twitter to attack Blumenthal, writing: "Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam (POTUS got out because of bone spurs) when he said for years he had (major lie), now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him."

Well, in this conundrum that is Washington, you’ll have to reach your own conclusions. Can we take all of this at “face value,” or is this all a dialogue straight out of Shakespeare’s Hamlet: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."?

Oh, in conclusion, there’s a piece of prose in another Shakespearean play – “As You Like It” -- that seems, under these circumstances, to be most befitting: “All the World’s A Stage…”

[Clocker]

The only sucker punch I saw was Richard Blumenthal (D –Conn ) stooping low to repeat alleged comments from a private and undocumented conversation without the approval of the other person.

[woodtoo]

As usual: A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

[Teach]

woodtoo -

A most cogent comment. I couldn't agree with you more.

[davew]

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. - Mark Twain

[sammy the sage]

All this proves...D.T. at least got one appointment right...an HONEST judge...who'd a thunk it

[reckless]

Whatever President Donald J. Trump says about the judicial system is within his rights as a President, as a leading political figure or even as that of everyday citizen who speaks his mind. He is within his rights and boundaries and he could say whatever he wants about anything he wants when he wants to say it.

So.... whatever Neil Gorsuch (or any judge in this country) says or feels about Trump's comments is OK too. These judges could also criticise a criticism if they so choose. If they make public statements so be it. They shouldn't be muzzled either, especially when it's suggested to do so by those silly legal gurus on CNN.

Anyone who thinks these judges -- starting with the US Supreme Count all the way down to some backwater town justice who marries first cousins and cuts the ribbon during a July 4th parade -- are not political nor politically motivated is naive and uninformed.

Yes, some are smarter than others, such as Scalia or Thomas, and some are dumber, such as Kagan and Kennedy, but don't make any of them out to be much more than what they really are -- lawyers who are well-connected to the political system.

[jk3521]

Originally Posted by sammy the sage

All this proves...D.T. at least got one appointment right...an HONEST judge...who'd a thunk it

There are some who suggest that this whole thing was a ploy by the White House to hurry the approval of Gorsuch so that he will surely be sitting on the Supreme Court in time for "the Muslim Ban" vote. Hmmm.. I hate Politicians !