In This Episode
In the aftermath of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, Republicans feel energized, Democrats debate what’s next, and both parties hone their messages in the final month of the midterms. Then Democratic candidates Jesse Colvin, Abigail Spanberger, and Lauren Baer talk to Tommy about running for Congress with national security and military backgrounds.
Show Notes:
Brett Kavanaugh
- New York Times: Kavanaugh Is Sworn In After Close Confirmation Vote in Senate
- Washington Post: The GOP attains domination — at least for a few weeks
- New Yorker: Brett Kavanaugh and the G.O.P.’s Bargain with Trump
- The Atlantic: Requiem for the Supreme Court
- Vox: 8 takeaways from the knock-down, drag-out fight over Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation
- Vox: The Supreme Court’s legitimacy crisis is here
- Slate: Only the Seated Supreme Court Justices Can Save Us Now
- Washington Post: D.C. Circuit sent complaints about Kavanaugh’s testimony to Chief Justice Roberts
- New York Times: Confirming Kavanaugh: A Triumph for Conservatives, but a Blow to the Court’s Image
- Washington Post: Bitter partisan battle wounded Kavanaugh and the Supreme Court he’s joined
What happened on Friday
- New York Times: Collins and Manchin Will Vote for Kavanaugh, Ensuring His Confirmation
- New York Times: Susan Collins, Standing Alone, Makes Her Case for Kavanaugh
- Politico: Collins defends Kavanaugh vote, dismisses 2020 concerns
- CNN: Collins says she put herself ‘in his shoes’ when considering Kavanaugh’s temperament
- Vox: Susan Collins’s 2020 challenger already has a $3 million campaign fund, thanks to her vote on Kavanaugh
- CNN: Collins: ‘I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh was’ Ford’s assailant
- Susan Collins’s speech
- New York Times: Show How You Feel, Kavanaugh Was Told, and a Nomination Was Saved
- Huffington Post: The Fraudulence Of Susan Collins
- Time: ‘Such a Slap in the Face.’ Sexual Assault Survivors Who Met With Susan Collins Feel Betrayed She’ll Vote for Kavanaugh
- Wall Street Journal: I Am an Independent, Impartial Judge – Opinion
- CBS: Why Sen. Heidi Heitkamp voted “no” on Brett Kavanaugh
- CNN: Trust the polls: Heidi Heitkamp is in trouble
- Politico: Murkowski: ‘We need healing’
- CNN: Murkowski on track to be the sole Republican senator to oppose Kavanaugh nomination
- Washington Post: Trump says Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski ‘will never recover’ for voting no on Kavanaugh
The Dems
- Washington Post: Defiant Republicans hope Kavanaugh fight will stoke their voters next month
- Bloomberg: Trump Flashes ‘Thumbs Up’ on Air Force One After Kavanaugh’s Confirmation
- Washington Times: Trump: Dems ‘overplayed their hand’ on Kavanaugh, GOP enthusiasm ‘strongest I’ve ever seen it’
- Vanity Fair: DID DEMOCRATS OVERPLAY THEIR HAND IN PROTESTING BRETT KAVANAUGH?
- New York Times: After Lots of Bluster, Trump Has a Week to Brag About
- New Yorker: The Political Aftermath of the Senate’s Final Kavanaugh Vote
- New Yorker: “None of This Was Fair”: the Kavanaugh Nomination Marks the Triumph of Trumpism on Capitol Hill
Bredesen/Manchin
- Tennessean: Bredesen, explaining party break on Kavanaugh, says evidence ‘didn’t rise to the level’ of disqualifying
- Associated Press: Manchin faces firestorm at home following Kavanaugh vote
- CNN: McConnell: ‘We’re trying to win seats,’ says GOP will still challenge Manchin
- The Hill: Poll: Most voters unlikely to change support in key Senate races based on Kavanaugh proceedings
- West Virginia Metro News: Democratic poll: Manchin leads Morrisey by 12 points
- Daily Beast: Top Dem Super PAC Backs Away From Phil Bredesen for Backing Kavanaugh
- Reuters: Liberal groups won’t support Democrats backing Kavanaugh
- New York Times: On the Left, Eyeing More Radical Ways to Fight Kavanaugh
- Wall Street Journal: Parties Seize on Kavanaugh Supreme Court Clash
President Avenatti Litmus Test
- Los Angeles Times: With the midterm election looming, calls to impeach Kavanaugh pose awkward challenge for Democrats
- NBC News: Impeaching Kavanaugh rouses progressive Democrats after confirmation
- Mother Jones: Can Democrats realistically impeach Brett Kavanaugh?
- Washington Post: With Kavanaugh confirmed, impeachment could follow. Here’s how.
Court packing
- New York Times: House Democrat Promises Kavanaugh Investigation if Party Wins Control
- Think Progress: Top House Democrat vows to investigate perjury, sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh
- CBS: Senate races: GOP up in Texas, Tennessee; Dems up in Arizona, New Jersey
Trump
- Kansas City Star: In Topeka, Trump seeks to turn Kavanaugh victory into Republican rallying cry
- New York Times: A Day of Broad Smiles and Raised Thumbs for Trump
- Washington Post: Drain what swamp? Trump’s supporters embrace Kavanaugh, member of a class they once rebuked
- Washington Post: At Kansas rally, Trump touts ‘tremendous victory’ on Kavanaugh
- Huffington Post: Trump Lambasts Democrats As ‘Angry Left-Wing Mob,’ ‘Party Of Crime’ At Kansas Rally
Republican strategy
- Washington Post: McConnell calls opposition to Kavanaugh a ‘great political gift’ to Republicans
- The Hill: McConnell: Senate GOP ‘refused to be intimidated by the mob’
- Vox: “Nothing unifies Republicans like the courts”: Republicans celebrate Kavanaugh confirmation
- Vox: Republicans don’t care what you think – Republicans lost the argument, but they ultimately had the votes.
- Wall Street Journal: Parties Seize on Kavanaugh Supreme Court Clash
How can we get back the narrative?
- Daily Beast: Democrats Fear the Party’s Kavanaugh Obsession Could Backfire
- Axios: 1 big thing: America, the radicalized
- Politico: Democrats Fear They’re the Wet Rag Party
- New York Times: The Senate’s Deep Wounds From an Ugly Kavanaugh Fight
- Washington Post: The Kavanaugh battle only magnified the nation’s divisions and may leave lasting scars
- NBC News: The fight over Kavanaugh ended up damaging almost everybody
Lauren Baer
- Campaign website
- The Hill: Cook moves status of 6 House races as general election sprint begins
- Daily Beast: Lauren Baer Is ‘Proud’ to Be the First Out-LGBT Person Florida Might Elect to Congress
- Palm Beach Post: Brian Mast vs. Lauren Baer: U.S. House 18 race to get national focus
Jesse Colvin
- Campaign website
- Washington Post: Rep. Andy Harris, Jesse Colvin win Maryland 1st Congressional District primaries
- The Star Democrat: Jesse Colvin meets with voters in Easton
- Delmarva Now: The case for Jesse Colvin for Congress by a Republican
Abigail Spanberger
