Enough with the Theatrics over Kavanaugh

Lisa Blatt describes herself as a liberal Democratic feminist. She also, her Politico bio says, leads the Supreme Court practice at a famous Washington law firm, Arnold and Porter.

When she offers her support for Brett Kavanaugh’s candidacy for the Supreme Court, we should understand that she is not only trying to tell her liberal colleagues that, in pretending to try to stop Kavanaugh they are fighting a losing cause. She also wants to maintain collegial relations with someone who will soon have power over cases that she or members of her staff will be arguing.

Blatt knows that Kavanaugh will be confirmed. She knows him. She likes him, She respects him enormously. And she wants to be on his right side. Stoking antagonism is not a smart move for the head of a law firm’s Supreme Court practice.

She writes that she finds Kavanaugh qualified. And besides, if you elect Republicans you get Republican judges. Just as, when the nation elected Democrats it got Democratic judges. And vice versa:

But unless the Democrats want to stand on the principle of an eye for an eye—and I don’t think they should—folks should stop pretending that Kavanaugh or his record is the issue. He is supremely qualified. Although this fact is distressing, Republicans control both the White House and Senate. In comparable circumstances, when President Barack Obama was in office, our party appointed two justices to the Supreme Court….

I do not have a single litmus test for a nominee. My standard is whether the nominee is unquestionably well-qualified, brilliant, has integrity and is within the mainstream of legal thought. Kavanaugh easily meets those criteria. I have no insight into his views on Roe v. Wade—something extremely important to me as a liberal, female Democrat and mother of a teenage girl. But whatever he decides on Roe, I know it will be because he believes the Constitution requires that result.

And she is advising her fellow Democrats to stop the futile theatrics. It’s not a bad piece of advice… and it applies well beyond the Kavanaugh nomination:

Democrats should quit attacking Kavanaugh—full stop. It is unbecoming to block him simply because they want to, and they risk alienating intelligent people who see the obvious: He is the most qualified conservative for the job.