Tracking the wreckage of the Kavanaugh Express

Saturday, October 6 was a bad day for America. By ‘America’, I mean the majority of the American people. It was a great day for Republican operatives and hard right conservatives, and anyone who just wanted to stick it to Democrats and ‘liberals’. I put liberals in quotes because what is called the liberal left in the US is really neither, but that’s a topic for another discussion. Why I say it was a bad day for America is because of the vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) seat and his consequent installation in the SCOTUS. I had seen it coming, like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I just didn’t want to say at the time because of the sentiments I was seeing all over social media, from all sides. We’ll get to why I think the vote was against the American people in a bit, but first to the astrology to tell why I thought he would be confirmed. His hypothetical chart with transits is below (bigger), even though the time of day for his birth doesn’t matter much in this instance:

October 6 was a good day for Brett – can we call him Brett? The vote took place just prior to 4:00 PM, EDT in DC (Washington). The first thing that stands out is the transiting Jupiter square his Sun. It has been said that there are no ‘bad’ transits of Jupiter (except in cases of disasters and disease, in which case it only adds to the troubles), and that was certainly true in this case. It added to his sense of optimism and greatly bolstered his chances. In addition, we see several significant trines by transit – the Moon approaching to trine his Jupiter (further optimism, and similar to the Jupiter transit), the Sun to his Mercury/Venus conjunction and Mercury to his Sun. Saturn was on the anti-Vertex, indicating a win for conservatives, but also the dark mood surrounding the vote. Mars was conjunct his Venus, giving him more magnetism. The transiting Moon also activated the natal trine between his Jupiter and Uranus/Pluto conjunction, giving a sense of invincibility. We’ll get to that indicator a bit later on.

As to the vote itself, he was confirmed at 4:00 PM on the dot (vid, starting at 30:00)  by VP Pence. That chart is below (bigger). The vote was split along party lines, 50 to 48, with a couple of surprises. One Democrat voted to confirm, and one Republican voted against. The most prominent features of the chart are firstly, the Mars/Ascendant conjunction which is square to Venus, the latter having just turned retrograde, and several key midpoints. Venus square to Mars can indicate difficulties between the sexes, along with the retrograde Venus, and Kavanaugh’s Senate hearings were certainly marked by that. The vote was also a snub against women, as the current Republican dominated Congress does not favor women’s rights, and the general tone among more conservative commentators was that the entire Christine Ford testimony was simply a cheap trick by Democrats to otherwise discredit their chosen candidate. But as usual, the midpoints give us a more in-depth picture at what actually took place here and what it represents for the long term.

To begin, the Mars midpoints are more important in this case, with Mars being conjunct the Ascendant/horizon axis. Mars is at the midpoint of the ‘illness axis’[1], which points to a lack of energy, a lack of imagination (this refers specifically to Democrats in this case) and weak creative powers in general. It also points to the illness that has beset our political process in the US. This confirmation will tend to stifle those things, especially creative potential. Mars at the midpoint of Moon/Saturn gives a more pointed emphasis on the disadvantage to women, pointing to separations and illness, a lack of determination, soul conflicts and self-control to the point of torment. This being said, I have heard it often said that Ebertin’s readings of midpoints tend to be quite negative, which they can be, but I find in mundane astrology they are often otherwise accurate and descriptive.

We won’t cover all the midpoints here, as we could go on all day about them, but another one worthy of note is the MC=Sun/Pluto, which points to the “experience of physical interference or violence with psychical or emotional consequences”. There were large protests outside the Senate during the vote, as well as during the hearings, with several people being arrested. Further, the MC=Saturn/Uranus points to, “Making the highest demands upon one’s own strength, rebellion, provocation. – The act of separating oneself from others.” This was a very divisive process. Kavanaugh’s confirmation was seen by many in the US as a provocation by the Trump administration. As an interesting note, the Mars/Ascendant conjunction in the vote is the opposite polarity of Trump’s Mars/Ascendant conjunction in Leo, and this vote may, in fact, eventually work against him. We’ll see why directly. But that brings us to why this marked a bad day for Americans.

I have touched on why the primary reason why Kavanaugh being seated in the SCOTUS is not good for the nation in a previous post. That reason, among others, was first touched upon by Ted Kennedy (starting ref: S5307)  in another confirmation vote for Brett in 2006:

Nothing in Mr. Kavanaugh’s record suggests that he would be willing to keep the executive branch in compliance with the law on these matters [referring then to the environment]. More generally, nothing in his record suggests that he would be able to avoid the partisanship and politics that have marked his brief career. In fact, partisan politics is the only area in which Mr. Kavanaugh’s qualifications cannot be questioned. He has been deeply involved in some of the most bitterly divisive political events in the last decade—and always on the same side. At the Office of the Independent Counsel, Mr. Kavanaugh authored the infamous Starr Report, wrote the articles of impeachment against President Clinton, and investigated the tragic suicide of Vince Foster. As an Associate White House Counsel, Mr. Kavanaugh worked to support the nomination and confirmation of Jay Bybee, the author of the notorious—but then still secret—torture memo. He also was personally responsible for drafting the executive order that made presidential records less accessible to the public and the press.

This order was so restrictive that one observer said it would ‘‘make Nixon jealous in his grave.’’ We gave Mr. Kavanaugh an opportunity to prove that he was independent and impartial in spite of his partisan past. I personally noted that this was my chief concern with his nomination, and I know that my colleagues did the same. Mr. Kavanaugh refused to specify the issues and policies on which he would recuse himself—in spite of the fact that he was at the center of a number of executive policy directives in recent years. His answers to our questions resembled political talking points more than they did the answers we would expect from a nominee to such a prominent lifetime position in the Nation’s Judiciary. He has shown nothing to suggest that he will stand up to the President when his duties require it.

The comments of the other senators are there as well. But here is the primary point: The SCOTUS is supposed to serve as a check and balance – the third branch of government, for the benefit of foreign readers – both against the Congress and against the executive branch of the US government. That has been especially important in the past few decades, and most especially since 9/11 and the Cheney/‘W’ Bush administration. Just to be clear, Kavanaugh has ruled in favor of:

• the Patriot Act, the greatest infringement on American freedoms in recent times
• increased surveillance, post 9/11 (widening the surveillance powers of the nation’s intelligence agencies)
• He helped on the side of the Bush campaign in the Bush v. Gore controversy, as he was a lawyer on the Bush campaign
• the torture memos (He lied about knowing anything about them)
• the capture of meta data without a warrant
• Obamacare

Kavanaugh’s nomination was controversial on both sides of the political aisle. Inside opinion (vid) points to his being an establishment pick, and a fan of big government. He was a member of the Bush administration and married a Bush staffer. He knows Senator Susan Collins well, the latter being an insider with the Bush family, who was one of the swing votes and ended up voting in his favor. These things in and of themselves do not make for partisanship, but it gives clues as to the inside workings behind the nomination process. Bush actually got on the phone to try to persuade those senators who were wavering in their support of Kavanaugh toward a yes vote. But, there are additional reasons to be doubtful that Brett will serve as a good justice (see linked article for details) given his negative leanings to the following in the past:

• Double jeopardy
• Immigrant’s rights
• Age discrimination
• Endangered species
• Gerrymandering
• Voter’s rights
• The separation of church and state
• LGBTQ rights

From the same article:

Republicans knew Kavanaugh would provide a reliable vote against immigrants, workers, voters, and gay and transgender people. He would deliver a dependable vote for employers, private property and church-state bonding. The GOP can also rest assured that Kavanaugh will do his best to immunize Trump from criminal liability and enable him…

Without getting too long in the tooth with this discussion, we should note as well that the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), who normally would have vociferously opposed Kavanaugh’s accession, was conspicuously mute on the matter. And that brings us to the matter of identity politics, which was the primary focus in the confirmation hearings, along with party politics, which in turn overshadowed everything that should have been important.

The Democrats, in their opposition to Kavanaugh, brought in a dynamic (the alleged sexual assaults and fake grievance culture) that should not have even entered into the hearings, for the simple reasons that a) the alleged offenses took place decades ago and would not stand up in a court of law and b) it has only served to further galvanize the widening polarization we see in the nation, playing firmly into the hands of those factions behind the scenes who seek to keep the nation divided, off-balance and thus easily distracted. I feel sorry for the women who came forward. They were used to very poor effect by the Democrats. The Democrats may have also been played themselves in the whole mess. This accession, more likely than not, will further serve to erode civil liberties in the years to come.

The Republicans, for their part, have abandoned the norms of Senate procedures, such as withholding documents that were crucial to fair and open hearings and dumping huge numbers at the last minute to throw off Democrats. Instead, what we see is a win-at-all-costs attitude on their side, going for the ‘nuclear option’, like we saw with the Gorsuch confirmation. The whole of the Congress appears to have become a circus of political gamesmanship instead of a solemn chamber where laws are enacted, budgets are decided and people are vetted for high office. Both sides are to blame for it. This part of ‘the swamp’ shows no signs of being drained, and Trump has only added to it with Kavanaugh. However, people should also be aware, that Trump has seized on the hearings and used it to political advantage, playing the fake victimhood card (vid).  It was one of the single biggest factors that helped him win the White House, and people on the whole do not see it. It will also play a big factor with his base in the midterms. It has all been a great study in how to control narratives.

And as a final note, as if all this were not enough, this is what took place while the confirmation hearings were taking place:

• Congress approved the largest defense spending bill in world history
• The House voted in favor of almost four trillion dollars in tax cuts for corporations and the 1%. (It is not likely to pass the Senate)

This Kavanaugh accession was no vote for liberty. It takes away from the liberties of the average American. There was apparently a list of 2,400 law professors who signed a petition advising against the confirmation of Kavanaugh. That speaks volumes in itself. If the Democrats take the House in November, then the man who would take the seat of the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee has vowed to investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh. More circus. That may not happen, simply because instead of a hoped-for ‘blue wave’ by Democrats, we might instead see a ‘red tide’ in November. If you are one of the people hoping for that ‘red tide’, be careful what you wish for. Republicans, for all their talk of ‘liberty’ and ‘freedom’ have been steadily whittling away at yours since 9/11, and for most all Americans alike. Likewise for the ‘blue wave’ side. Neither party benefits us any longer. And both sides showed their true colors with this Kavanaugh fandango. Yes, Saturday was a bad day for America.

Featured pic from https://www.realtriv.com/gop-politics.html

[1] Ebertin, Reinhold, The Combination of Stellar Influences, p. 254