And Republican women, among others, are taking notice. The Politico/Morning Consult poll finds: “Public support for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat has dropped to its lowest point since President Donald Trump nominated him in July, driven in large part by a sector of the president’s base: Republican women.” Pollsters tell us, “Kavanaugh’s net support among Republicans — the share who oppose his confirmation subtracted from those who support it — dropped 11 points, with 58 percent now in support of his confirmation and 14 percent opposed. The shift was driven by an 18-point fall in support among Republican women, with 49 percent now in favor and 15 percent in opposition.”

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Republicans keep insisting their base will eat them alive if they drop Kavanaugh. Unless the new GOP base doesn’t include women, it’s hard to see how that prediction comes true, as Republicans struggle to push on and continue to “disregard or defame” them.

Unfortunately for the GOP and the country, Flake — who could restore some semblance of a legacy if he did more than give a floor speech — hasn’t said anything that would resolve this. Since Republicans are irrationally afraid of an independent FBI investigation, simply demanding that step be undertaken before a vote might be enough to short-circuit this travesty. Senate Republicans should apologize to both Kavanaugh and especially Ford for setting up a ludicrously inadequate hearing, refusing to hear from critical witnesses and jamming a vote.

Instead, we are heading for even worse days as Trump vows to take over defense of his nominee. (Wednesday he refused to say outright that the three women are liars, while ranting about lawyer Michael Avenatti.) Kavanaugh seems determined to go through with this, now hampered by slightly different explanations of his drinking habits (his written statement is more candid that his Fox News TV show, which itself debased him, the Supreme Court and the confirmation process). With GOP women now abandoning Kavanaugh, it should be hard to see how Republican moderates such as Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) go along with Thursday’s charade and vote without hearing from all the accusers and relevant witnesses. They still might, though. It’s at times like this that one feels the void left by the loss of John McCain.