The Battle of Stalingrad was lengthy, dramatic, and decisive. Both belligerents through everything they could to win. In the end, the Soviets won, and the victory, paired with the equally critical victory in Moscow, paved the way for many victories to come. The Republicans look as though they are facing the same outcome as the Soviets but in the realm of political theater instead of a war between two socialist ideologies. Brett Kavanaugh will fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court after a long and heated battle with the self proclaimed resistance.
The battle appeared to be dramatic from the start. With all the votes and election hype in play, Mike Pence casting a tiebreaking vote was well within the realm of possibilities. Yet the confirmation hearings went smoothly. Despite Democrat outcries about information, Kavanaugh was passing with flying colors making it difficult for Democrats to resist the Trump nominee in an election year. In the eleventh hour, the Democrats and their allies unleashed an attempted rape allegation in an effort to torpedo the Kavanaugh Hearings. The Democrats, media, Twitter, and Hollywood all joined forces to take down Kavanaugh who, at the time, stood to win at least three Democrats. The Republicans led by Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley responded by tactfully catering to Democrat demands. What’s the rush? As long as he’s confirmed before election day, the difference between mid September and early October is nominal in the long run.
The Democrats wanted to delay the vote to explore the claims they hid for so long. Republicans agreed. They led an investigation and held a hearing. But that wasn’t enough. The Democrats further wanted to stall by calling for an additional FBI investigation. McConnell and Trump agreed and called for a supplemental investigation. Of course, they weren’t happy with it. Now they lost a cloture vote and every Senator has a stated position. The Republicans narrowly confirm Brett Kavanaugh.
Ask any racer, any real racer. It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning’s winning.
-Dominic Toretto
They threatened the presumption of innocence as well as impartial deliberation. The Democrats rejected reasoning and accountability. They embraced sexism, ire, and bullying tactics. The Republicans embraced due process, bipartisanship, and patience. The Republicans also strongly stood their ground in what they thought was right. The optics of the situation reflect well on the Republicans. The Republicans managed to gain a sense of unity and leadership they’ve lacked for much of Trump’s term. In an earlier post, I elaborated on Mitch McConnell’s greatest attribute as Senate Majority Leader: his shrewd command in confirming or rejecting Supreme Court nominees. After being a leading voice in the Kavanaugh confirmation battle, Mitch McConnell delivered the vote. McConnell was patient enough to make sure that he had the votes before proceeding with the vote. Conservatives must take the time to appreciate this tact. Without it, the GOP would have been betrayed by its worst Senators. Without it, the confirmation failure would have dealt a major blow to morale with the election upon us. The GOP could not afford that loss, and instead shifted momentum back on their side. According to an NPR poll, the Democrats’ enthusiasm gap is statistically evaporated. The GOP base is fired up, Kavanaugh is shoved ideologically to the right, and leftist tears are flowing, and red state Democrats are in a tough predicament. So much winning and all of it is the result of the GOP winning this political Stalingrad. This victory will lead to midterm victories as well as SCOTUS victories.
