rant · moment 7 of 16

Kavanaugh's Character, Roe v. Wade, and Plessy Comparisons

from Time To Retire · #116

Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.

7 min

A long back-and-forth weighing whether Kavanaugh's alleged behavior fits the profile of entitled prep-school douchebaggery, whether Roe v. Wade could realistically be overturned, generational shifts on abortion and gay marriage, and comparisons to Plessy v. Ferguson.

In this bit9 moments
  • 16:37Tim on Kavanaugh: if he didn't act gross and shitty toward women, he'd be an exceptional guy, because that's the normal course of action when drunk.
  • 17:25Overturning Roe v. Wade would cause chaos, but the generation most opposed to it is dying off.
  • 18:26People talk shit about abortion until they actually get pregnant, but that doesn't mean they vote that way.
  • 19:10Conservative radio host Bob Grant's point: religious convictions are volatile, but Roe v. Wade was settled law for 50 years.
  • 20:30Comparing Roe v. Wade to Plessy v. Ferguson: both took decades to overturn, but attitudes toward segregation were already shifting.
  • 21:22Tim doubts public attitudes have moved more pro-life in the last 40 years the way they moved toward desegregation.
  • 21:44Problem with the Supreme Court: cramming it with arch conservatives like Samuel Alito and Kavanaugh, not brilliant minds like Scalia.
  • 22:21Scalia was an insanely intelligent individual; his rulings were bonkers but genius.
  • 22:56Comedy is heading toward nuanced, textured storytelling where serious stories have comedic elements, moving away from explicit laugh-out-loud movies.
Mentioned here

Samuel AlitoAntonin ScaliaBush administrationBrett KavanaughBob GrantJohn RobertsPlessy v. FergusonRoe v. WadeCheney

All 16 moments in this episode →