Inside the Beltway: The complex hazards of the ‘MeToo Kavanaugh ambush’

NEWS AND OPINION:

Behold. The Wall Street Journal has offered a new editorial titled “The #MeToo Kavanaugh Ambush.” Regarding the baroque challenges now facing Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh from political and cultural opponents, the news organization simply advises “A story this old and unprovable can’t be allowed to delay a Supreme Court confirmation vote.”

Some Democrats hope for an “election-eve #MeToo conflagration,” the editorial said, parsing out the complexities on Capitol Hill and the attendant political implications — and cautioning against any partisan attacks on accuser Christine Blazey Ford.

“GOP senators should understand that the political cost of defeating Mr. Kavanaugh will likely include the loss of the Senate. Democrats are already motivated to vote against Donald Trump, and if Republicans panic now their own voters will rightly be furious. They would be letting Democrats get away with the same dirty trick they tried and failed to pull off against Clarence Thomas. It would also be a serious injustice to a man who has by all accounts other than Ms. Ford’s led a life of respect for women and the law. Every #MeToo miscreant is a repeat offender. The accusation against Mr. Kavanaugh is behavior manifested nowhere else in his life,” the Journal said.

“Letting an accusation that is this old, this unsubstantiated and this procedurally irregular defeat Mr. Kavanaugh would also mean weaponizing every sexual assault allegation no matter the evidence. It will tarnish the #MeToo cause with the smear of partisanship, and it will unleash even greater polarizing furies.”

FOR AND AGAINST THE NOMINEE

As the potential confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court grows ever more complex and emotional, 65 women have publicly vouched for his character, wisdom and professional abilities. There’s an active #StandwithBrett hashtag and a new ConfirmKavanaugh.com website. The Judicial Crisis Network, meanwhile, has launched a $1.5 million national cable and digital ad campaign featuring Louisa Garry, a 35-year friend of Mr. Kavanaugh who praises his devotion to family, his integrity and the nation’s need for “bright, curious, open-minded, thoughtful, empathetic people who are judges.”

She is not the only one speaking out about the potential outcomes of Mr. Kavanaugh and his quest.

“This 11th-hour character assassination does not add up. We are not going to stand by and let Judge Kavanaugh be smeared. Countless women have attested to his exemplary personal and professional character throughout his life,” says Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director for the Judicial Crisis Network.

But the foes are ready too.

“Women are angry, and we will not stop until Kavanaugh and every one of his supporters, are out of power,” counters Bob Bland, co-president of the Women’s March, who also notes that “200 women and allies” were arrested during Judge Kavanaugh’s previous Senate confirmation hearings.

Ms. Bland and her organization have already launched CancelKavanaugh.com, a dedicated website devoted to their cause, and they plan another “action” on Thursday, presumably on Capitol Hill.

YET ANOTHER ’RECORD LOW’

Economic victories emerging during President Trump’s time in office continue to accumulate, often ignored by the news media. Yes, well. So what else is new? Here’s another promising trend.

“A record-low 12 percent of Americans currently cite some aspect of the economy as the most important problem facing the U.S., down from 17 percent last month and one percentage point below the previous low of 13 percent recorded in May 1999. Mentions of the economy as the top problem reached 86 percent in February 2009, the highest in recent decades,” reports Frank Newport, director of the Gallup poll.

This is the best reading on the trend in 27 years, dating to 1991 when the pollster began polling Americans on their most serious economic concerns.

THE GOP’S TIDY EDGE IN CALIFORNIA

Republican Young Kim holds an edge over Democrat Gil Cisneros in the open seat contest for California’s 39th Congressional District says a new Monmouth University Poll. Ms. Kim is supported by 46 percent, Mr. Cisneros by 42 percent of all potential voters in a district includes portions of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties.

The Republican’s edge grows, though, when considering a pair of projected voter scenarios. A midterm model based on historical trends gives her a 51 percent to 41 percent for her opponent. Even with a possible turnout surge in Democratic precincts, Ms. Kim still leads 49 percent to 43 percent, the poll analysis said.

“This district swung from Republican to Democrat in the last presidential election. However, it doesn’t look like Cisneros is generating enough interest among those voters to overcome the district’s historical preference for Republicans at the House level,” says poll director Patrick Murray.

“The problem for Cisneros is that the strongest anti-Trump voters are also among the least likely to show up in November. He’s not able to capitalize on a number of fundamentals, such as concerns about health care and dislike of the GOP tax package, that have been boosting Democrats’ chances in other competitive races this cycle,” he adds.

FOXIFIED

Fox News Channel has marked the 36th consecutive week as the most watched network in the entire basic cable kingdom, according to Nielsen Media Research. That kingdom includes 101 channels. Fox News claimed 10 of the top-25 telecasts in total viewers, and still rules prime time, attracting 2.5 million viewers compared to 2.1 million for MSNBC and 1.2 million for CNN.

Fox Business Network, meanwhile, continues to trounce CNBC, with an average 35 percent advantage in the ratings. This was the networks 31st consecutive weekly win over CNBC in both “market hours” and “business day” programming.

Fox Business also debut a new prime time lineup in mid-October, led by “Trish Regan Primetime” at 8 p.m. Network President Brian Jones says Fox Business will extend is live programming until 10 p.m. to ensure viewers get a “robust and comprehensive look at how the political economy affects their everyday lives.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 65 percent of U.S. college students have studied all night.

• 54 percent found a best friend at college; 43 percent felt lonely.

• 35 percent said they were “having the greatest time of their life.”

• 34 percent felt homesick; 30 percent fell in love.

• 25 percent have partied all night; 17 percent had a crush on a professor.

Source: A Chegg “State of the Student” survey of 1,001 U.S. college students conducted June through August and released Tuesday.

• Murmurs and asides to jharper@washingtontimes.com