Civility Has Its Limits
The conflict over Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination centered not on tribalism, but on a lack of justice.
When it comes to Brett Kavanaugh, there are three camps. The first believes it’s a travesty that he was confirmed. The second believes it’s a travesty that he was smeared. The third believes it’s a travesty that the process was so divisive.
David Brooks is in the third camp. The Kavanaugh hearings, he wrote on Friday, constituted an “.” You often hear such phrases from people who think the biggest problem with the Kavanaugh battle is that the participants weren’t more courteous and open-minded. Jeff Flake said that in debating Kavanaugh, the Senate “.” Susan Collins called it “.” Think about that for a second. For most of American history, Supreme Court nominees—like virtually
