The Kavanaugh saga is far from over

Collins condemned Democrats for having their minds made up before Kavanaugh was nominated (as if Republicans did not), expressed dismay at misrepresentations of his record (though not his flood of deceptions), and decried the “dark money” mobilized to oppose him (the dark money mobilized to back him didn’t seem to annoy her).

Meanwhile, her treatment of the Christine Blasey Ford affair was so shamelessly disingenuous that it is hard to avoid the conclusion that her call for an FBI inquiry was really about gaining the cover to do what she intended to do all along. Hearing her speak, it seemed she regarded the biggest injustice in the whole saga to be the fact that Ford’s charges were leaked, putting Republicans through the inconvenience of having to deal with them.

[...]

Now, with Kavanaugh poised to be confirmed, we’re sure to hear an updated taunt: Not only did you stupid Democrats not stop Kavanaugh, Republican voters are so mad they’re going to flock to the polls.

Of course, these days every event generates its own backlash, and Kavanaugh’s coming confirmation will likely make Democrats, particularly Democratic women, even more angry and motivated than they have been up until now.

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When we look back on the Kavanaugh controversy, we’re probably going to say that as painful as it was, it accelerated vital societal change. The contrast between Ford (poised under great stress, seemingly sincere in her posture that she had come forward to help the country) and Kavanaugh (angry, unhinged, resentful at seeing his ascension challenged, sneeringly contemptuous of opposition lawmakers, especially female ones such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)) will be burned in our minds forever.

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Beyond this, the hearing — and this whole saga — surely will have a major cultural impact. More and more women are coming forward to tell their stories of harassment and assault, in many cases trauma they’ve kept silent about for years or decades.

  WaPo

Expect the backlash from entitled and angry white men to be fierce (it's already happening).

Who can forget the paroxysm of rage that Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) flew into — not at children being separated from their parents or thousands dying in Puerto Rico — but at the idea that one rich white guy might not get the lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court to which he was entitled?

Then there’s the role of President Trump. From the outset of this whole affair, his aides pleaded with him to lay low and not attack Ford. But of course, he could not maintain that posture for long and finally let ‘er rip at a rally, mocking not just Ford, but the very claim itself.

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This perfectly captured the Republican closing argument for Kavanaugh, which was basically that Ford’s charges should never have gotten the full examination that they did end up getting, that the huge swaths of America who were deeply moved by her willingness to carry this banner can be brushed aside with a contemptuous tweet, and that the real victim in this whole affair was (naturally) Kavanaugh. Republicans had tried to keep this subtle — the sugar coated version was that of course Republicans take the charges and the broader issue seriously, but, hey, Kavanaugh was also equally credible, and this whole thing is unresolvable, so it would be equally wrong to derail him over it. As always, Trump ripped off the mask.

Indeed, this whole debate, while no doubt emboldening sexual assault survivors to come forward and forcing a national reckoning around the issue, also revealed the power of the forces arrayed against change. Now Kavanaugh’s ascension probably means those forces will succeed in taking a shiv to women’s reproductive rights.

Collins on Friday assured us up and down that this will not happen. Well, her speech will make for fun viewing in a couple of years. Oh, by the way, Collins is up for reeleection in 2020.

And a two million dollar fund has already been collected to back whoever her opponent may be.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 10/7:

A crowdfunding effort to raise money against Sen. Susan Collins's (R-Maine) potential 2020 opponent broke $3 million in contributions Friday.

The campaign, organized by Be A Hero Team, Maine People's Alliance and Mainers for Accountable Leadership, was conditional on Collins's vote in the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and after pledging her support for the nominee Friday the money will now go to her potential opponent.

  The Hill