I predicted Republicans would never regain control of the nomination process if they allowed another delay. I hope they do, but that prediction still seems pretty solid to me. Who thinks Jeff Flake won't agree with Dems who scream that a week wasn't long enough to investigate?
The last few days have seen the Dems and their media openly bribing Flake with the coin he's most interested in: fame, approval, hosannas as the most thoughtful Republican in DC. He's got a new career to build. They're offering him the resource he needs most.
They also showed Flake what happens to him if he doesn't vote against Kav or at least keep the delaying tactics going. It's the most blatant combination of inducements and threats we've ever seen.
At the same time, to no one's surprise, DNC Media continued carpet-bombing Kavanaugh with every op-ed, late-night comedy hit, and Fake News item it could muster. The audience for all of this is wobbly Republicans concerned with their media image and Dem constituents back home.
It cannot be stressed enough that the Dem strategy is wholly dependent on stopping Kavanaugh. They're all-in. They're not worried about enraging and motivating GOP voters. If they kill him with this scuzzy strategy, they know the air goes out of the GOP vote for 2018.
DNC Media likewise survives the damage to its tattered credibility if their tactics WORK. History is written by the victors. We've just seen one of the most disgraceful weeks of shoddy coverage ever, and that's saying a LOT. The media is all-in right alongside Democrats.
If the media stops Kavanaugh, they'll make sure last week is seen as an all-time high, not a low - a triumph of activist "journalism." They'll give each other awards for it.
Knowing those are the stakes, you know the Dems will stop at nothing to get the next delay or kill the nomination outright. All they have to do is keep a few nervous Republicans on a short leash. Expect the next late hit to be something tailored to that purpose.
You might think Dems looked foolish begging for a short delay and then instantly shrieking at the top of their lungs that it wasn't long enough, but remember, they only have to sell that crap to Flake and his ilk. No other American's opinion matters at all. /end
