Brett Kavanaugh's anger may be backfiring

By Aaron Blake

October 3 at 6:00 AM

Brett M. Kavanaugh will still probably be confirmed to the Supreme Court. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that he damaged himself with last week’s angry appearance in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Appearing after Christine Blasey Ford, Kavanaugh traded his previously subdued, soft-spoken denials for something else entirely: a 45-minute conspiratorial broadside against Democrats — a speech he said only one other person had reviewed. He then appeared to have a difficult time calming his nerves when senators began questioning him.

More than one pundit remarked at the time that Kavanaugh’s anger was probably calculated to reinforce his innocence and/or rally the conservative base. That may have been the aim, but the downside of that approach is becoming clear.

While Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) forced a delay specifically because of the allegations, he now says he is also quite concerned about the temperament Kavanaugh displayed in that hearing. Calling Kavanaugh’s display “sharp and partisan,” Flake said Tuesday, “We can’t have that on the court."

Neither of these concerns appeared in Flake’s initial statement Friday announcing his support for Kavanaugh. Given a few days to process it, that appears to have entered his calculus in a very significant way — and could loom large for a senator fond of highflying rhetoric about the importance of institutions.

And Flake isn’t the only erstwhile Kavanaugh supporter balking at his display. Two of his Yale Law School classmates who previously expressed support withdrew it Tuesday. In doing so, they emphasized that their decision wasn’t about Ford’s allegation, but rather about Kavanaugh’s testimony. “In our view that testimony was partisan, and not judicious, and inconsistent with what we expect from a Justice of the Supreme Court, particularly when dealing with a coequal branch of government,” Michael J. Proctor and Mark Osler wrote.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/10/03/brett-kavanaughs-anger-may-have-backfired/