You have to let that sink in because it is, indeed, the reality now.
No matter what side of the aisle you're on, we have to move on despite the fact that all this confirmation process did was further divide and weaken the United States, leaving the president that only winner, a man whose goal it is to divide America a much as possible. Instead of our politicians taking the steps to lead us out of this morass, they simply take actions to deepen the divide, with the United States Senate - no longer should it be considered the world's most deliberative body - leading the way.
On top of no longer being deliberative, the Senate doesn't even remotely reflect America writ large. After this bitter, partisan fight, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said that there are no Republican women on the Senate Judiciary committee because being on said committee is really hard work, inferring that women can't handle it. This is reflective of the fact that Senate Republicans were never ultimately going to deny Judge Kavanaugh a seat on the court, no matter what. Even if you feel that Mr. Kavanaugh was not guilty of the allegations brought by Dr. Ford, as we said in last week's column, he illustrated his ill-temperament to be on the court with his naked partisanship spouting conspiracy theories, of all things. Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute said that judges usually grow in the office, gaining a deeper understanding of their responsibility, but that hasn't been the case with Clarence Thomas nor will it be the case with Brett Kavanaugh. And if you think many women are angry now, if Roe v. Wade comes before the court again, and five men decide the to strike the precedent, the divide will become irreparable.
Founder of the MeToo Movement, Tamara Burke, explained that most people do not understand the life cycle of a sexual assault survivor, and it's not difficult to put people such as Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham or Chuck Grassley in that camp. In the joint interview, Alyssa Milano, who brought MeToo into the cultural consciousness said that she is not playing for the 'win,' but against the abuse of power. The only problem with that is she's fighting forces (see the aforementioned Senators) that are fighting for the win and don't care how their potential abuses of power are perceived. On the part of Republicans in the Senate, their really is a disconnect.
With all that said, Mr. Kavanaugh's reputation is destroyed as his career almost was, and if there isn't solid evidence that he committed this criminal act, like it or not you're innocent in the United States until proven guilty. The FBI investigation was incomplete at best so Senator Lamar Alexander's (R-TN) explanation isn't based on all the facts. On the other hand, despite Democrats emphasizing the point too late that this is a job interview as mentioned today by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), that's in fact what it was, and Mr. Kavanaugh did not do well. Again, proving he shouldn't have been confirmed.
Republican strategist Al Cardenas had the most sensible solution in the aftermath of this most damaging battle and that is that the Senate should move to set clear guidelines for their role of advise and consent. Unfortunately, the problem is with Mitch McConnell leading the way, that's never going to happen because it doesn't allow him to change the rules or muddy the water when he wants as to ensure that he gets what he wants.
Where does this leave us? Mr. Cardenas said we're headed for a civil cold war, but we're already there. Both sides are energized and are ready for the midterm fight. NBC's Kasie Hunt explained the conventional wisdom says that Democrats will take the House and Republicans will keep control of the Senate. The problem with that thinking is that you have to ask yourself, has anything in the last three years been conventional? Not in the slightest.
This picture pretty much sums up the week, doesn't it?
Panel: Kasie Hunt, NBC; Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute; Al Cardenas, Republican Strategist; Michael Beschloss, Presidential Historian
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