The confirmation of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is an unprecedented cultural moment that has revealed just how brutal politics has become.

“I believe this is a seminal moment in our political history — where the American people watched with growing dismay at the tactics of the Democrats and their leftist storm troops, from the disruptions of the left wing paid protesters at the first round of the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, to the roaming mobs at the Senate and the bizarre and wholly uncorroborated accusations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, so at odds with everything else in his entire career and life — and which demanded the complete disregard of basic principles of due process,” political law attorney Cleta Mitchell tells Inside the Beltway.

Some heroic moments also have emerged, however.

“I believe that Sen. Susan Collins‘ remarkably courageous speech on the Senate floor may well prove to be a turning point, and perhaps will result in a demand by the American people that the Senate end these search and destroy tactics surrounding Supreme Court nominees. The left started these tactics with the nomination of Robert Bork, and they have grown increasingly more vile and outrageous through the years. I believe Sen. Lindsey Graham’s statement a week ago in the Judiciary Committee and Sen. Collins’ floor speech on Friday may well change the course of the nominations process,” says Ms. Mitchell.

“This is not a blip on the screen. It has focused the attention of the American people of the dangers posed by the left, the Democrats and the complicity of the national press who have utterly failed to practice any semblance of true objective investigative journalism about them. Hopefully, this will mark a return to the recognition of the principles on which our country was founded: advise and consent, due process, the presumption of innocence and accepting the results of elections. It is time,” she concludes.

90 PERCENT NEGATIVE FROM THE START

Once again, the meticulous analysts at Newsbusters.org have revealed that broadcast news coverage of President Trump is 92 percent negative, give or take a percentage point or two. This has been going on since he took office.

“In four weeks, Americans go to the polls for the midterm elections that the news media are casting as a referendum on the Trump presidency. Over the summer, the broadcast networks have continued to pound Donald Trump and his team with the most hostile coverage of a President in TV news history — 92 percent negative, vs. just 8 percent positive,” writes Rich Noyes, senior analyst for the conservative press watchdog.

His research team reviewed all 1,007 evening news stories that covered the Trump administration on ABC, CBS and NBC from June 1 to Sept. 30; that’s 1,960 minutes of airtime. Most stories focused on Russia-related issues, the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and North Korea.

“Bright spots for the administration such as the booming economy received extremely little coverage — 14 minutes — less than 1 percent of the four-month total,” Mr. Noyes said.

He has led identical studies of news coverage every four months since Mr. Trump took office — and each revealed that, yes, the broadcast coverage of the president was hostile and negative — on average by 91 percent.

FOCUS ON A PRO-LIFE SENATE

The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List has a very vocal presence in key battleground states, there on behalf of the most vulnerable Americans. The organization has sent a field team of more than 700 pro-life canvassers into the countryside, with some sterling results.

They have visited more than 2 million voters at their doors as part of a historic effort to educate and mobilize voters as Nov. 6 gets closer.

“We reached this ambitious goal well ahead of Election Day and will continue reaching out every day to pro-life voters who don’t always get to the polls — as well as persuadable Democrats, independents, and Hispanic voters,” says Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the group.

“Our canvassers effectively cut through the noise of television and radio ads one conversation at a time, educating voters about their senator’s extreme pro-abortion record and the importance of this election. We are taking the fight for a pro-life Senate to the neighborhoods of states like Ohio, Indiana, Florida, Missouri, North Dakota, West Virginia and Montana, where vulnerable senators up for re-election have betrayed their constituents by failing to protect unborn babies and their mothers. They will be held accountable at the ballot box,” says Mrs. Dannenfelser.

FOXIFIED

The ratings were handsome indeed for the Fox News Channel in the past week, according to Nielsen Media Research. Fox News was the most watched network in the basic cable realm — which includes 110 channels — pulling in 3.5 million viewers in prime time, trouncing such competition as ESPN, TBS and USA Network. News rivals MSNBC drew 1.8 million viewers, CNN 1 million.

The big draws on Fox News: “Hannity” (4.1 million), “The Ingraham Angle” and “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (each with 3.7 million), and “The Five” (3.1 million). MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” garnered 2.9 million.

For the 34th consecutive week, Fox Business Network also bested CNBC with a 46 percent ratings advantage, according to Nielsen. “Varney & Co.” now marks 72 consecutive weeks as the most watched stock market program on television.

POLL DU JOUR

• 63 percent of Americans say the U.S. economic system “unfairly favors powerful interests”; 36 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of Democrats agree.

• 52 percent say people become poor due to “circumstances beyond their control”; 31 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of Democrats agree.

• 43 percent say people become rich because they “worked harder”; 71 percent of Republicans and 22 percent of Democrats agree.

• 42 percent say people become rich because they “had advantages in their life”; 18 percent of Republicans and 62 percent of Democrats agree.

• 33 percent say the economic system is “generally fair to most Americans”; 57 percent of Republicans and 62 percent of Democrats agree.

• 31 percent say people become poor due to “lack of effort”; 48 percent of Republicans and 18 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 1,754 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 18-24 and released Monday.

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