So the battle line republicans are drawing is a 'smear' defense against these womens' allegations

...I say, bring it on.

Link to tweet

I don't believe this fight is going to tolerate this panel of men (and the men shouting from the sidelines) dismissing these women's claims as some conspiracy. Beside the fact that they are mostly corroborated and come from women who are of apparently reputable character, there's been an awakening of sorts where women (of all stations) have felt more empowered to confront these excuses for abominable violence against them.

There are also many men identifying their own incidents of abuse with this movement of accountability and justice for abusers and the environments which allow them to persist and avoid prosecution.

These incidents being uncovered are about respect for and adherence to the rule of law. The person seeking approval for a lifetime seat on the Court should welcome the opportunity to clear up any questions about past behavior, but this nominee is determined to resist any entity but this weighted committee as an arbiter of the women's claims.

It's this resistance to the institutions and process of law, in favor of this rigged political process, which betrays Kavanaugh's contempt for the democratic process itself, including the one he expects to advance him to the Court. The only outcome of a committee vote weighted in his favor - a majority party membership openly declaring their intention to treat these accusations as an attack and vote to advance Kavanaugh anyway - will be a smear of these women who have been compelled beyond their intentions to appear and bear their pain before the nation.

I think these republican dinosaurs in the Senate (many, like Grassley and Hatch lording over nominees since Anita Hill) are going to find their weak protestations of some unfairness to a sitting judge seeking one of the highest positions in the land answering these women's charges without denigrating them, fully revealed as the bitter misogyny which is at the heart of their petty rule.