Kavanaugh vote will have lasting impacts

If Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill votes against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, she’ll lose her Senate seat to Attorney General Josh Hawley.

That’s my prediction.

McCaskill and Hawley are in a heated race for the Senate with massive amounts of money being poured into their respective campaigns.

Nothing would please Republicans more than flipping the Missouri Senate seat.

But McCaskill will surely spend more money and she has a far greater name recognition than Hawley. And word is, Democrats are highly motivated in this midterm election given the high stakes.

So assuming this race is close, the vote on Kavanaugh could very well spell the difference.

All Democratic Senators are getting pressure from the left to reject Kavanaugh. There are threats of removing funding from those races if any Democrat defects and votes for President Trump’s nominee.

With seven weeks or so before the crucial election, most of the national focus is on the prospect of the Democrats regaining control of the House and Nancy Pelosi returning to the Speaker’s chair.

But that prospect alone should be a highly-motivating factor for Republicans.

By virtually any measure, Brett Kavanaugh is a highly-qualified jurist with an amazing record in his career. Some have called him the most qualified nominee in history, though it’s far beyond our limited ability to make that judgement.

McCaskill has remained mum on her thought process concerning that crucial vote.

But rest assured, if she votes against Kavanaugh, it will be because of political pressure and not his resume.

Time is running short. Within the next two weeks and perhaps as soon as next week, a vote will be held on confirming Kavanaugh and the stalling game will come to an end.

But let there be no doubt. This vote is historic in nature because it may well set the tone for Supreme Court decisions for decades.

The Democrats are without a valid argument to oppose Kavanaugh. But with the court likely to tip conservative should he get the nod, the Democrats are hellbent on derailing Kavanaugh through any means necessary.

Voters often lack effective memories. But with this vote so close to an election, voters will be reminded time and time again on McCaskill’s no vote should she decide to go in that direction.