Time proves the irrelevancy of its “Influential 100″ list, which asks celebrity pals and fans to write about the magazine’s list of chosen influential people, by including both Christine Blasey Ford and the man she accused of assaulting her.
Not only is Brett Kavanaugh on the list, pointed out by Jessica Valenti, his insufferable blurb is written by Mitch McConnell. It reads, in part:
When Brett Kavanaugh was named the President’s choice to succeed Justice Anthony Kennedy, he was one of the most qualified Supreme Court nominees in modern history. He had a sterling academic record, impeccable legal credentials and a prolific record of thoughtful and impartial jurisprudence over more than a decade on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
But when unhinged partisanship and special interests sought to distract the Senate from considering those qualifications, we saw other facets of Justice Kavanaugh’s character shine forth as well…
Meanwhile, Ford’s blurb, written by Kamala Harris, doesn’t even mention Kavanaugh’s name. “Her story, spoken while holding back tears, shook Washington and the country,” Harris writes. “Her courage, in the face of those who wished to silence her, galvanized Americans. And her unfathomable sacrifice, out of a sense of civic duty, shined a spotlight on the way we treat survivors of sexual violence.”
Shined a spotlight indeed, and it’s a spotlight Time has used to sell magazines before. They named many women who spoke out about their sexual assault and harassment as “Person of the Year” in 2017. It’s a good reminder that praising women for speaking out about their sexual assault isn’t the same as actually standing with them. Time takes the easy way out by simply validating women’s “voices,” but not their stories. It’s a limp attempt to make sure both the he and the she of say their piece, but the inclusion of Kavanaugh, glowingly praised by Mitch McConnell, only proves that he still gets the last word.