Transcript for Matt Dowd: 'There's no takeback' in a lifetime Supreme Court appointment

than a nation. Find out more and respect. And I hope that she comes and ha a full oppoit STO in a way th respect but I also think judge Kavanaugh deserves a fl ity to nd himselfnd ICAN people make an assessment of what Happe D Ford's algaons should be invtigated by the FBI. Full style.there's predat. Th Thi given the gravity of the accusations. A senate debate fy night not E last time thill be discusd on the campaign trail. We're joined by cokie Roberts. Tt sh gay stolbg. Ris chriie. Rmer new jseor. And pick Gaspard, president of the open society foundations. Rmer polital dirtor in T owe what white house. Cokie, we haven't been here since 91 Anita hl, clarenc Thom. Rd to overats at stake in the hearings. Unbelievable what's at stake. And in a vfferent time from a hill arence Thomas. We're in the me too moment. There's a tremen amount ofsure on the commit use of THA Ana amount of support for Dr. Ford without aving heard at will beomething committee has to deal with and something that the supreme real with. And S you coverhis every day for "The New York Times" in congress. This is someththat senate republicandid not wa to have think they D of ho she wouldn'ttify. They were. But they can't avoid it. First off, there are repcan seike Jeff flake who say theyanr from her He's on T cotee. He's the commiee. He's not comfole until hears froher. Publicans also know that this GHT? In Anita hill there were men on the judiciary committee.today, fouwoall of theare demos. We still have optics o11 publican M question a woman and they're very, very nervous they're ndling it lily. Want an outside question to And you might get a comprose, having both sides. Hr of those blican senors calledou up and said, D we handle it? What's your answer? Let outside counsel ask the questions. Insist uat. Ths no way yhould let a witness decide who questions . Secondly, do what I've said for the better part of a week the doct has a rig to have her allegations heard. If she's willing to do that public, which it ssike shebe. It sho be preferabl done the blic. From the beginning, judge vabeen pretty conste. I have heard some pey, shouldn'ade a fulloated denial. He should have done thdifferent. S S the truth? What is the way he recollects it?e to be hed LI aolitician? Or do we want him tol the truth as he sees it? Ything I have been told by people who S this him. Saying what H believes.this is absolutely the truth, as he recalls it.hatsiscredit, not his detriment. How do the Democrats handle it? We' idibly important a. Coki said we're in the me T a few da ago, mcdold's workers stepped off the job. Dans. Of aions. We're more than 40 days away national election that determine the courf congress. We have to appreciate that decrats and Republicans are looking at the clock as thinout this qstioning and ththink Democrats haven thismoment, appreciate everyone has theht to be heard. No one has the right to be believed ie first inance. Itough, tough tough matter argoing looko see whatoth parties have allowed transpa convsations. One of the big questions, en, matthedowd, is it possible for voters to look throthprism but Partis politics? Thais the problem with almost everything we today. Don't listeno them itheynot saying what we want them to say. Ink this is reallyally important cultural moment. It'sn brewing R 'S a momwh, presumptn of innocence is important.we presumen most cases that the woman is lying.instead ofaying, let presume she is tel tnd we have a presumption of innocence, what do we do? Women have death this for many, many years. Nol the '80s that we told women that you can be D in marriage.most cases of rape are not reported. Most cases a investigated. Most of these things, women are not beli.in T eremely rare cases that mes false wine and esn't T truth is comp to thextremely CN cases when are not believed. Wh we get to he said, she said, almo every sine time in a he sa, she sa case, the default position is he wins. People are changing their minds. That is something didn't expect. "The walstrnal" poll out on Friday, women over 50 one from being plus three anaugh in August to minus seven now. D - this is fascinating. Were plus nine ovanaugh and are now minus ten. Seor Theficulty Foth republic how do they calling drrd a liar. Hink at's exactly right co said, we're in the ooa. U H Tak this in thee in. Women Arn option of the truth right now. She's presumed to be creble. Very fewublican setors say, oh,hink she'sying. I was struck -- I E a oftafears ago. Co advocate ld me thtime, , think she was just making it up. You're not hearing that today from conservatives. One of things you we heing this week,be she's not maybe she's misidentifying. Maybe's misrembering. I have been vted by the FBI. It's exhaustive.alk to everybody who has known for 30-plus years. That's occurred for judge for the FBI to go back quickly interview the witnesses that dr.ord has -- You could interview those four people in day. Easily. You could. Buey have alsubmitte Letts atere they know they're subject to precution under 18 U.S. C. 01. It's not the same. You're ruin of going T jail end a letter that turns out to be false. To get back to your question about how carepublicanr vote foraugh and not be calling the professor a liar? I think it's that you can't determine it. I think republicanenator could say, listen. I think there'scry des of is. Can't determine which one makes sense here. Erefore, aa -- therefore - A tough S E'll all judge cbility. T make a determinatioour mind that he committed this act, the I think you have to then judgm O his confirmation or based on other factor Thats to the estion I wao bring to M is is not a court of law. Not whr he'll ha liberties taken ay.it the privilege of a seat on the he. This is not a pcution in Tria this ia Eady has a lifetime appoent. He'll be on wheth or is goes fod or not. If T's undeterned in this that we can't decide if she's or WER or not 'S fund meally telli the tru I thin that theef posi is -- don't give somebody appointmen the high C in T land, onef the most powerful positions in the world. At the point you're doing it it's ntakeback. Lternative, if that ppenis guy, for better or rse, the whole country is going to think he was guilty. Right. Absutely right. Half the country thinks that right now. T may be uortunate but as mt suggest, the pendul womeve credibity for the first time in this. That reallmatters.the vote this has all taken considerable press off red STE Democrats. Like Claire Mccaskill. Both Corr and flakar for re-election Aney're profouly critical ts president, Republicans have to worry. The preside to be so careful. His tweeting the presi? Carefu wepa He may have srted a whole movement, really of why I 'T report.and that has becomge thing, as well. Morrow, a big Y of women this is tougher and tougher when you talk about theen's vote. It's hug It's alsoermining aey Republicans are G that you them to T senate. Why should you re-elect them? 'Ll keep the supre court with the Republican president. Now all 'ss enzing E base.this is earn -- energizing democr And Republican rs. I want get to th quesho you had on. I uld raise money for a pact, put him on tisys. N didn't wt to touch that. Durbin oked stricken when you played that for him. E other thg is, you' not taking away his rty. HT matter wh H, judge naugh, after these proceedings, is not going to . But U're takinhis career.the idea tt this guyould, in fact, go back to the court of appeals and coue to servif he'sotconfirmed, I think is really unl he'll have his career stolen from him. Respectfly, women ve had much wor taken away. Two wrongs Doke a right. Women are looking at this as if their finally voicegoing tod and if TRE going to be believed. For 5,000 year have been treated as property. Ies, inclung cath church, wch I'm thember of, they have been treated as second class citins.men didn't G right to vote unt though they were told years before that all PEOP are created E. Women have dealt with this for hundreds and hundred years. Will thebe believewhen they act accuse a we A WHE do it otherwise? That's the other thing. The queson many N are asking. Just in conversation. Why would she me forward She's aery sympathetic re in thatay. She dn't want is to be public I'm to by folks ose to her this is one reason she wanted to this private no O for her privacy, but for his privacy. She simply felt duty bound as a citizen to share the information with the committee before he was nominated, back when he was on the short list. She wanted to share this. What senator Feinstein DI is reprehensible. Use she heaked is informaon. N't know tt. I absolutely. That's an allegation without evidence. And I don't think we're going

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