Did Dems sink Senate shot in approach to Kavanaugh?
WASHINGTON >> Just a few weeks ago, analysts thought control of the U.S. Senate was in play this November and momentum was shifting to the Democrats. Thanks to their brutal campaign of character assassination against now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh, those chances may be slipping away.
In Tennessee, Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn was struggling in her Senate race against popular former Democratic governor Phil Bredesen. After the first Kavanaugh confirmation hearings a CNN poll showed her trailing by five points (in a state Donald Trump won by 26 points). But as the attacks on Kavanaugh gained intensity, so did Blackburn’s poll numbers. By early October — after Christine Blasey Ford testified and Kavanaugh was accused of exposing himself to a college classmate and participating in high school gang rapes — a CBS News poll showed Blackburn had pulled ahead by eight points. Last week, after Kavanaugh was confirmed amid scenes of protesters banging on the doors of the Supreme Court, a New York Times poll showed Blackburn leading by 14 points. That’s a shift of 19 points in one month.
The Democrats’ smear campaign against Kavanaugh united Tennessee Republicans behind Blackburn and cooled Democrats’ chances there. It probably didn’t help with Tennessee voters that Democrats excoriated Kavanaugh for being a beerdrinking jock — as if that’s a crime. Worse, Kavanaugh was publicly branded a sex offender.
A man’s good name was being destroyed. The treatment of Kavanaugh wasn’t fair, just or right. And it backfired. Politico reports retiring Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., that Democrats’ attacks on Kavanaugh hurt Bredesen badly. Bredesen clearly saw how it was impacting his support among Republican voters he needed to win, and at the last moment announced his support for Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
His endorsement didn’t mollify angry Republicans and it enraged many of his Democratic supporters. The super PAC Priorities USA said it wouldn’t support Bredesen. MoveOn announced, “We’re cancelling a planned six-figure digital video ad expenditure for Phil Bredesen in Tennessee due to his Kavanaugh position.” His campaign volunteers have reportedly been bolting.
The Kavanaugh fiasco reminded Tennessee Republicans that while they may like Bredesen, a Democratic takeover would be a gamechanger, blocking any more Trump Supreme Court or federal appeals court nominees. Since the Kavanaugh fiasco, 58 percent of Tennessee voters say they want Republicans running the Senate. So, Democrats may have blown a chance to pick up a seat in a deep-red state thanks to their efforts to destroy Kavanaugh. As Sen. Lindsey O. Graham, R-S.C., so poignantly told Senate Democrats at the Kavanaugh hearing, “Boy, y’all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham.” It appears the American people have.
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., may also be a goner. After the Kavanaugh hearings, her Republican opponent’s lead expanded from four to 12 points. If she goes down, Democrats will need to gain three GOP-held seats to win the majority. But races have also shifted toward Republicans in Texas, Nevada and Arizona — the states other than Tennessee where Democrats have pinned hopes for flipping GOP-held seats.
Election Day is three weeks away; a lot could still happen. But if Democrats fail to take the Senate, they can thank their horrific treatment of Kavanaugh for a double defeat — securing a conservative majority on the Supreme Court and in the Senate. If so, they richly deserve it. And hopefully they learn the right lesson: When you drag your party and your country down into the depths of political depravity, Americans won’t reward you at the polls.