Mitch McConnell wasn’t patient. The majority leader went for the jugular instead.
Negotiations between the Senate Judiciary Committee and Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine Ford, are still ongoing, but that didn’t slop McConnell from promising that, regardless of what is revealed during the upcoming hearings, Republicans would confirm Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee.
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“You’ve watched the fight, you’ve watched the tactics,” McConnell told the Values Voter Summit on Friday morning. “But here’s what I want to tell you: in the very near future, Judge Kavanaugh will be on the United States Supreme Court.”
It will be a knife fight, McConnell assured the evangelical faithful gathered in Washington, D.C., who value the Supreme Court above almost all else for its ability to reverse Roe v. Wade. “So my friends,” he said, “keep the faith and don’t get rattled by all of this. We’re going to plow right through it and do our job.”
And this isn’t just bold. This is also out of the ordinary. Republicans have been more than accommodating so far to Ford. They offered a private or a public hearing. They have said repeatedly that she deserves to be treated fairly and her allegations taken seriously. But now, before Ford or Kavanaugh even have a chance to testify, McConnell has said those proceedings will have no effect on the outcome of the confirmation process. He is going to get his man.
This could be because McConnell has additional evidence that exonerates Kavanaugh and dismisses Ford. More likely though, this is because he has concluded two things. First, the current Supreme Court scramble will never rise above a he-said-she-said squabble. Second, keeping his majority hinges on confirming Kavanaugh.
Kimberly Strassel is of the second opinion. She writes in the Wall Street Journal that as Kavanaugh goes, so also goes McConnell’s majority because “the GOP can’t win for losing.” She points out also that conservative voters are tired of Republicans who are perpetually losing (this is, after all, the gripe that got Trump elected). If they lose again on the Supreme Court, their anger won’t be directed towards Democrats. The base, she predicts, are more likely to eat their own:
It is a question that McConnell has already answered in his own mind. He isn’t willing to risk another failure so he is preparing Republicans for a fight.
McConnell should be confident because of how easily he has outfoxed Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. on parliamentary process thus far. Until the Ford allegations surfaced, McConnell was master of the Senate and Schumer looked like a hapless congressional page.
McConnell should also be confident because of the grassroots army at his back. While the allegations have brought Kavanaugh’s approval rating down, they have overwhelmingly dismissed by the right. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll shows that 73 percent of Republicans still support the nominee.
Leaning on his ability and trusting in his allies, McConnell has made a promise he thinks he can keep. Or at very least, McConnell believes the survival of his majority depends on his ability to deliver.
