“Senate Democrats said Friday that they will begin meeting with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh later this month.”

Just a few weeks ago, Democrats were vowing to do whatever it takes to keep Judge Brett Kavanaugh from being confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. They played to their base by dialing the rhetoric up to ten, as usual. Now it looks like that effort is beginning to fade.

Erin Kelly reports at USA Today:

Senate Democratic leaders to begin meeting with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Senate Democrats said Friday that they will begin meeting with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh later this month. Most Democrats had been refusing to meet with President Trump’s nominee unless Republicans agreed to seek records from Kavanaugh’s three years as staff secretary for former President George W. Bush. Democrats now say they will demand those documents directly from Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh, who was nominated on July 9, has so far met with only one Democrat: Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who is in a tough race for re-election in the Republican-leaning state. Other Democrats – led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California – will begin meeting with Kavanaugh after the August recess. The Senate will return from recess on August 15. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., will meet with Kavanaugh on August 21, said her spokesman, Jonas Edwards-Jenks.

In Massachusetts, I see this pro-Kavanaugh ad from the Judicial Crisis Network on TV at least once a day:

Allahpundit of Hot Air offers this take:

The writing’s on the wall. Realistically, three Republican votes were in play after Kavanaugh was nominated. There were the perennials, Collins and Murkowski, but both have been bullish on him since the beginning. And why wouldn’t they be? He’s a veteran of the Bush White House and has been a judge for more than a decade, with a long paper trail of opinions. He’s the ultimate conservative/establishment known quantity. Of course center-right Republicans would feel comfortable with him… So, barring anything truly scandalous emerging from Kavanaugh’s professional history, he’s got 50 votes. And precisely because he’s been on the Republican radar for SCOTUS for basically his entire professional life, he’s probably the least likely person from Trump’s short list to have anything scandalous in his record.

This piece from Lisa Blatt in Politico is also worth a look:

I’m a Liberal Feminist Lawyer. Here’s Why Democrats Should Support Judge Kavanaugh. Sometimes a superstar is just a superstar. That is the case with Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who had long been considered the most qualified nominee for the Supreme Court if Republicans secured the White House. The Senate should confirm him. I have argued 35 cases before the Supreme Court, more than any other woman. I worked in the Solicitor General’s Office for 13 years during the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations. Because I am a liberal Democrat and feminist, I expect my friends on the left will criticize me for speaking up for Kavanaugh. But we all benefit from having smart, qualified and engaged judges on our highest court, regardless of the administration that nominates them.

The far left will continue to fight Kavanaugh’s confirmation, but their efforts look less likely to succeed.



