Yep. There are 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee. Trump ordered a one week inquiry by the FBI into the Kavanaugh allegations. If the FBI can't find hard evidence corroborating the accusations, then we will see a party line vote next week 11-10, referring Kavanaugh to the Senate for confirmation. If the GOP wants Kavanaugh, then they will get him through the Judiciary Committee. The bigger struggle will be in the Senate where there are at least two moderate GOP women, who very well may vote against. In the Senate, they can't afford to lose even one vote.
At this point, if it were me and not Trump, I'd take the Senate GOP poll and if I think I can't win, I'd go to candidate # 2, which is a very conservative Catholic woman, Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett. She'd be just as conservative as Kavanaugh, but unimpeachable, because she's a woman. She'd be the Democrats worst nightmare.
Either way, if the GOP doesn't get a GOP candidate through the nomination and confirmation process before mid-terms, the Dems will sit on the vacancy until they can regain power to get their own candidate in there. |
