Christine Blasey Ford has been awarded for her attempt to derail the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The ACLU of Southern California presented her with the Rodger Baldwin Courage Award on Sunday.
In September 2018, Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that in 1982, when both were teenagers, Brett Kavanaugh attempted to rape her during a house party in suburban Maryland. She described a traumatic experience – she claimed Kavanaugh pinned her down, groped her and then tried to undress her, and held his hand over her mouth so that she couldn’t scream for help. Kavanaugh vigorously and emotionally denied that this happened during his senate hearing.
This all played out during the height of the #MeToo movement. Blasey Ford became an overnight celebrity – a face of the movement. The lefties couldn’t praise her enough, as they were desperate to jam up a Supreme Court nomination by President Trump. It was reported that Senator Feinstein (ranking member on the committee) recommended an attorney for her. After the circus left town at the conclusion of the nomination process and Kavanaugh was seated on the Supreme Court, Blasey Ford was richly rewarded for her effort with online donations.
After mostly staying away from the spotlight, Blasey Ford emerged to accept her award in Beverly Hills. Her acceptance speech is as you might have expected. She did, though, voice surprise at the level of pushback she received. That is odd, to me anyway, because she is a Psychologist – a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University in Northern California. Wouldn’t she have an idea of the workings of the human brain and emotions? Surely she was given a heads up from her attorneys that she would be attacked from Kavanaugh supporters. And, she was a known participant in anti-Trump marches so she was aware of the political environment. In other words, it’s pretty hard to believe she was so naive to not anticipate pushback.
The ACLU of Southern California is proud to present the Roger Baldwin Courage award to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford for her brave testimony before Congress last year, a shining act of courage. #ACLUhonors #WeBelieveSurvivors pic.twitter.com/8MmUXpdmrB
— ACLU SoCal (@ACLU_SoCal) November 18, 2019
As she accepted the award, she gave credit to Anita Hill, another California professor who tried to derail the Supreme Court nomination of a conservative judge, for inspiration. She gave a nod to the values instilled in her by her parents, and she said she viewed her testimony as carrying out her responsibility to her country.
“When I came forward last September, I did not feel courageous. I was simply doing my duty as a citizen,” Ford said at the organization’s annual Bill of Rights dinner as she accepted her award.
“I had a responsibility to my country, to my fellow citizens, to my students, to my children.”
She admitted to being prepared to be “dismissed” by critics but not to the level of “venom” that came her way.
“I was not prepared for the venom, the persistent attacks,” she said at the event. “I was not prepared to be physically threatened and forced out of my home.”
But in addition to the attacks, others came to support Ford, with many women and survivors of assault protesting Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Ford told the crowd on Sunday that public support gives strength to those who are attacked.
“My voice was just one voice,” she said. “You are many. We are many.”
She was introduced by filmmaker Judd Apatow, who called her a “a true American hero.” Apatow is a charter member of The Resistance. Blasey Ford’s presence at the ceremony was not announced in advance, perhaps because of security concerns. The ACLU’s press release touted a long standing ovation for Blasey Ford.
Chalk Christine Blasey Ford’s performance against Brett Kavanaugh up as another failure by The Resistance to stop President Trump’s agenda and overturn a presidential election. Blasey Ford was a willing participant. She’s following the path that Anita Hill forged in 1991. Hill never accused Clarence Thomas of rape, though. That was a new twist for the #MeToo generation.