Murray to survivors: ‘Your voices do matter. It makes a difference.’

The following is from the office of Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.):

Washington, D.C. (Oct. 8, 2018) — On Friday, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) delivered a speech on the Senate floor just hours ahead of the final vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, whose nomination was clouded by unanswered questions regarding sexual assault allegations. In her remarks, Sen. Murray sent a message to families across the country that just because President Trump and Senate Republicans brushed women aside during Kavanaugh’s confirmation process, she remains encouraged by the millions of Americans who have stood up to make their voices heard about the many reasons why Judge Kavanaugh is unqualified for a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court and why Senate Republicans were wrong to rush this nomination through without a full set of facts. Sen. Murray, who ran for the U.S. Senate after seeing the way an all-male Senate committee treated Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings in 1991, vowed to keep fighting for a country where sexual assault survivors are respected and heard.

EDITOR’S NOTE — As a Facebook friend of The Entire Staff of The Stand commented on Saturday: “Thank you, Patty Murray. We see your light in that dark room.”

Below are key excerpts, or you can watch her entire floor remarks:

“I believe Republican leaders and President Trump did everything they could to hide the facts and rush this through because they were afraid of what a full investigation would show. And I believe it is simply wrong to rush to a finish on this confirmation based on this alone. I also believe that what we saw of Judge Kavanaugh’s temperament in the hearing last week — his bitter partisanship, his rage, his disrespect was absolutely disqualifying as well, and will undermine the Supreme Court and erode trust in the decisions they make. I believe the lack of credibility and honesty he demonstrated in his hearings, which I and my colleagues have spoken about at length, is absolutely disqualifying as well. And this isn’t just me saying this. We are hearing an unprecedented outcry on this particular point from lawyers, judges, former clerks, the religious community and even former Supreme Court Justice Stevens.”

“…I am very concerned about the message Republican leaders are sending to women, girls, and survivors right now. The message they are delivering here on the Senate floor, at rallies, through the press, and directly to people.”

“I want to send a very different message today to women and girls, to survivors. Your voices do matter. Your experiences do matter. There are a whole lot of people who are listening to you, who hear you, who believe you.  And please, please don’t give up, and don’t stay quiet. Because no matter what happens today, however this vote goes, your voices are making a difference. Maybe not to those Republicans mocking Dr. Ford. They may not want to hear what you have to say. Maybe not to President Trump. But with every story that comes out, every new voice that breaks from the silence, we make progress. Every father and mother who learns what happened to their daughter or son all those years ago that they had never shared before. Every son and daughter who hears from their mom or dad about abuse or attacks they faced and never talked about. Everyone who hears from a friend, who listens to a co-worker. It makes a difference.”