OPINION

Republicans Better Get On A War Footing In Kavanaugh Fight. They Have A Lot To Lose If They Don't

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  Sep 26, 2018
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

This is going to be a hellacious week. And by hellacious, I mean a total mess. The Democrats are out for blood. The GOP is still figuring out what the hell they’re going to do—and the rest of us get a front row seat to gutter politics in its purest form. In other words, what politics is and what it has always been: a sewer fight. At the end of the day, to get something done, someone has to be defeated. Someone has to lose. On one side, the Democrats shudder at the thought of a solid conservative majority on the Court that will gut one of their favorite activities: aborting babies. On the right, conservatives see a solid majority on the Court, something they’ve dreamt of for ages. It’s within our grasp. Justice Anthony Kennedy retiring offered us that chance. Judge Brett Kavanaugh picked as the nominee. The hearings, which were rambunctious at times, went swimmingly. The confirmation vote was going to be smooth as well. The GOP has the votes. They still do. But then the sexual misconduct allegations came knocking because Democrats will do anything to slow the decline of their position in Washington. 

These allegations lobbed by Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez are 30-plus years old, there are gaps in the timelines, there are no corroborative witnesses, and there’s no evidence. Ford alleges an attempted rape at a high school party. Ramirez alleges indecent exposure at a college party at Yale. Evidence-free allegations work for the Democrats, whose entire game plan is to destroy Kavanaugh, derail his nomination, and run out the clock on the GOP being able to fill the vacancy before the midterms. Ford’s lawyers dragged their feet on trying to get her to go on the record, with the GOP offering her a private and public hearing, along with an option to have staffers fly to her home in northern California to get her account on record. They’ve reached out, but the Democrats pivoted. It’s hilarious. 

‘She deserves to be heard’ was the Left’s war cry before the GOP started offering avenues to tell her story. Then, it was “oh, how dare you bully her into telling her story.’  It’s insanely transparent. The playbook is an open secret. Delay, delay, and delay some more. When things started to buckle, another allegation—Ramirez—dropped to further gum up the works. And again, no one can recollect any of these women’s allegations. Ford can’t remember how this high school party came about, how she got there, or who hosted it. Due to the lack of evidence, they run a second blitz: have the FBI look into this. For what—there’s no federal crime here. The Democrats are trying to dragoon an executive agency to do their dirty work. Yeah, says the party that thinks the Trump White House is fraying the institutional integrity of the nation. 

Democrats are licking their lips at the thought of the destruction of a man’s life because they don’t agree with his legal opinions, saying that he’s not afforded due process of law, that the burden is on him, and in one case, suggest that his legal views might make him guilty of sexual assault. It’s unfathomable. Only Democrats—cough* Keith Ellison cough* cough*--are afforded the benefit of the doubt and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Due process of law is not and cannot be applied to conservatives. It’s wrong. Democrats are always wrong, but they’re united.

The GOP seems to be stuck in neutral. We all know they want to confirm Kavanaugh. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that a vote is coming hell or high water. Thursday’s hearing on these allegations is still set for Thursday. Hold the hearing, set the vote—that should be the game plan. Like the New York Giants’ offensive line, we have issues: Sens. Jeff Flake, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins could buckle. What is Flake up to right now? We don’t know. He’s stayed out of the spotlight ever since the second allegation dropped.  

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One thing the GOP never seems to understand is that they’re the ones with the most to lose. As long as Trump is president, the Left is going to be jacked up on hysteria. They’re ready to go. The GOP’s base is also ready to go, but if Hill Republicans cave to the social media mob, Democratic delay tactics, and other theatrics—the jig is up. I will vote for my party no matter what. I’m a base voter, but I could definitely see and respect those GOP voters who sit out this year if the Republicans continue to be toyed around with like some circus freak in this SCOTUS fight. 

The Democrats have launched a coordinated assault that targets Kavanaugh, our values, and institutions by blithely ignoring due process and faults in these allegations that very well could be total and utter nonsense. You don’t get to lower the standards for evidence just because you hate someone. That’s the mind of a two-year-old. If the GOP caves, baseless accusations can be used to kill anyone’s nomination. Anyone can make these things up—and yes, while the Me Too moment is new—it’s not as if people have lost their ability to lie. Politically, Republicans will undercut one of the main reasons why Republicans showed up at the polls for Trump in 2016: judicial appointments. Many skeptical Republicans knew about Trump’s shortfalls and deviation from GOP policy orthodoxy, but McConnell held the line in blocking Garland and Trump picking a successor to the late Antonin Scalia was obviously the better choice than Hillary. Screwing this Supreme Court fight up is one way to increase chances that the Democrats totally dominate the 2018 midterms. If a party cannot withstand the pressure that’s build upon hot air, unsubstantiated gossip, and social media losers—what good are you?

The prize here is too good to give up. We may never have another chance to tilt the Court heavily in our favor. Yes, it’s worth the risk. Again, who cares about Democrats being animated? They’ve been that way since inauguration day. Republicans should worry about their backyard, their voters, and their goals. Often, I feel the GOP gauges their decisions based on the actions of the progressive base rather than the people who put them in the position they’re in on the Hill. Yes, it’s a cliché. But in the era of Trump, you have to fight back. You have to get mean. You have to get dirty. For Republicans: this is what the order should be: fix bayonets. 

We have a president who punches the liberal media in the mouth, outmaneuvers them, and stands behind Kavanaugh. We have to win this, especially since the allegations are so thin that even Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), whose office set off this firestorm, admitted that the Ford allegation might not be true. She later backpedaled for obvious reasons. The New York Times did not follow The New Yorker, who broke the Ramirez story, because they couldn’t confirm anything. In fact, Ronan Farrow, who co-authored the piece with Jane Mayer, said that Senate Democrats sought out the Ramirez allegation and in doing so, pretty much cornering her. Oh, and she finally came forward when she was able to assess her memories after a week. That’s quite the process. 

Ford retained an anti-Trump lawyer, Debra Katz, and took a polygraph administered by an unknown former FBI agent, but her story was that she wanted to remain anonymous. No, these aren’t the actions of someone with that mindset. This is a game plan for going public. It’s a politically motivated hit job. Republicans should see it, as it’s as clear as day and not be afraid to hurl punches back at Democrats for this appalling and deplorable smear campaign against an eminently qualified judge. If you don’t like this process, Democrats, here’s a suggestion: win elections. 

In the meantime, we are at war with the Democrats. We should adopt a take-no-prisoners approach to this because the Left already has. Decency and civility will never be rewarded in this scenario. The media won’t give you brownie points. Set the tempo, get out there and fight, and ignore what CNN, MSNBC, and other liberal trash outlets whose sole purpose is to keep liberals’ blood pressure low say about the matter. Trump supporters and Republicans know the attacks against the Trump White House are nonsense, as are these allegations. Keeping the base happy is necessary to any election. The GOP is flirting with disaster to think like moderates in this fight. If not for Kavanaugh, fight for the rule of law and due process that’s also being brutalized and trashed by this smear campaign. The GOP has the ability to end all of this nonsense. Hold the damn vote. Yes, Democrats might try and impeach Kavanaugh if he’s confirmed and they retake Congress this cycle. That’s a battle for another time if that happens. Right now, fight for this man with everything you got.  Stand behind Brett. So far, Mitch and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, are trying to set battle lines. Grassley has already nixed the idea of summoning the FBI, which they can't really do, to investigate these claims. It's a start, but we need to get rolling on the vote and getting our people in line.