The Kavanaugh smear campaign, 2.0 - orchestrated by the NYT

Good point - the goal is to intimidate Kavanaugh - and anyone else who might be nominated for the Supreme Court.

Surely, if a piece had causally smeared anyone with whom the Times has a natural affinity, say, Rachel Maddow or Ruth Bader Ginsburg, there would have been editorial due diligence before publishing it. But Kavanaugh, as a privileged white male who might vote against Roe, is a hate figure who is presumed guilty, even of an offense that it turns out his alleged victim isn’t accusing him of.

As for Roe, Christine Blasey Ford’s lawyer, Debra Katz, made it explicit: “He will always have an asterisk next to his name,” Katz explained in remarks claiming moral victory from the Senate hearings. “When he takes a scalpel to Roe v. Wade, we will know who he is, we know his character and we know what motivates him.”

In other words, the talking point is all cued up if Kavanaugh votes against Roe: He’s a misogynist showing his disdain for women yet again.

Top Democrats understand the play. They immediately began calling for Kavanaugh’s impeachment.

“His place on the Court,” according to Kamala Harris, “is an insult to the pursuit of justice.” Top-tier presidential contenders Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren joined the calls, as did a number of the single-digit candidates.