10/4/2018

BRETT KAVANAUGH/ELECTIONS/SENATE/SUPREME COURT/TRUMP PEOPLE/WOMEN: “The ugly partisan brawl over U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation remains undecided, but President Donald Trump appears likely to come out on top regardless of the outcome. If Kavanaugh is confirmed by the Senate in a vote planned on Saturday [10-6-18], Trump will have succeeded in placing his second justice on the top U.S. court and fulfilled his pledge to solidify its conservative majority. Even if Kavanaugh is rejected, the battle to save his nomination in the face of sexual misconduct allegations has jolted a slumbering Republican base to life just ahead of the Nov. 6 elections, political strategists and new polls suggest…Trump’s pugnacious style was well suited to the messy drama, and his decision to stick by Kavanaugh, mock the woman who accused the nominee of sexual assault and use the controversy to fire up supporters could help Republicans in key Senate races in conservative states – even if it turns off independents and women voters in suburban House of Representatives districts that were already trending away from Republicans.”

Reuters, “Trump Likely to Win Whether or Not Kavanaugh Is Confirmed,” The New York Times online, October 4, 2018