‘The country deserves better’: 3 top newspapers say no to Kavanaugh

Newspaper editorial boards across the country have come out against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. They include the three largest dailies in America: the New York Times, the Washington Post, and USA Today.

The highly unusual move is the latest indication of just how widely unpopular Kavanaugh has become, as poll after poll shows him losing public support in recent days.

Republicans are also under blistering attack for how they have handled the recent drama, and specifically how they have attacked women who have come forward with credible allegations of abuse in the past.

The Washington Post editorial board hasn’t come out against a Supreme Court nominee since 1987, when it opposed Robert Bork, whose nomination failed.

Writing about Kavanaugh, the Post urged senators to vote no:

Given Republicans’ refusal to properly vet Mr. Kavanaugh, and given what we have learned about him during the process, we now believe it would be a serious blow to the court and the nation if he were confirmed.

“The country deserves better,” the Post warned.

For the New York Times, Kavanaugh’s casual lying is one reason he’s unsuitable for the job. “If Judge Kavanaugh will lie about small things, won’t he lie about big ones as well?” the paper’s editorial asks.

USA Today’s editorial board was also struck by Kavanaugh’s lack of honesty: “His testimony also revealed a lack of candor. Honesty is so basic to sitting on the Supreme Court that it seldom gets discussed. This time, it can’t be ignored.”

The paper urged no votes on his confirmation.

From the Midwest, the St. Louis Post Dispatch agreed Kavanaugh isn’t fit for the highest court in the land, especially after revealing his deep partisan anger at last week’s hearing, where he lashed out at Democrats and “the Clintons.”

“Even if the big question of sexual assault can’t be verified after this week’s FBI investigation, too many credibility and temperament problems stand in the way of Kavanaugh’s ascension to the nation’s highest court,” the Post-Dispatch concluded.

The Hartford Courant concurred that Kavanaugh’s “bitterness and vindictiveness” make him “unfit to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Out in Utah, the Salt Lake City Tribune, the hometown paper of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), could barely contain its rage regarding Hatch’s “despicable” attacks on women in the last week.

“It betrays a positively medieval attitude toward all women as sex objects who cannot be believed or taken seriously,” the paper insisted.

The whole world is watching.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.