Senators Grassley and McConnell, in your rush to judgment on Kavanagh you are doubling/tripling your party’s political risks, ignoring the lessons of history in a now probably already futile attempt to appoint him to the nation’s highest court.

The limited scope of Thursday’s proposed hearing underscores its limited ambition. Far from a pursuit of truth, your already-declared goal is to “plow through” to a conservative Supreme Court majority. The lack of even trying to investigate ensures a she said/he said standoff which will not satisfy most voters and Americans and will surely reduce the credibility of the Supreme Court for a very long time.

And, if you manage to drive the Senate to a successful confirmation prematurely, you will be exposed after Kavanagh is on the Court to the very real risk of his immediate impeachment for having lied to the Committee – on possibly more than one occasion and more than one subject before he was ever questioned specifically about Dr. Ford.

There is nothing to prevent independent investigators, whether Congress, the FBI or others, from seeking the full story of Kavanagh’s knowledge or involvement in controversies with Dr Ford, the George W. Bush administration – and, more importantly, how he has described his role in those positions during his recent Senate testimony.

Dr. Ford’s allegations, meanwhile, haven’t even begun to be investigated. How confident are you that whatever Kavanagh says next week won’t be undercut in a matter of days, weeks or months by as-yet-unknown evidence? It would in the interests of all concerned to get those facts on the table before proceeding.

It’s understandable, if infuriating, that you’ve been willing to bend Senate rules and smash Senate customs to build a Supreme Court majority that you hope will hold for a generation. What’s perplexing is why you’re sticking with this deeply flawed nominee, who will surely dig your hole even deeper.

Kavanagh is swiftly losing public support, and history conveniently illuminates the cost of being seen as not treating women’s claims of sexual abuse or harassment with respect and deference. From Anita Hill to the #MeToo movement, your party has suffered severely when you haven’t taken women seriously. The Democrats in the Senate rejected one of their own for groping!

Giving Judge Kavanagh a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court will virtually guarantee sweeping Republic losses in November – and may well spark a Democratic takeover of the Senate, an outcome you evidently currently deem to be remote. The damage to the Supreme Court and to the country’s legal system will be just as severe, and last much longer.

Republican Senators, wake up before it is too late! You surely violated the Constitution when you refused to let the Senate have any say on Merrick Garland. Then you shattered the last barrier to a highly partisan, politically-motivated Court: the filibuster. Now you are rushing to judgment, and possibly your own demise.

Have you no wit, conscience or shame?

Why do I care enough to WARN you about what you are trying to do as it most likely favors Democrats?

The answer is because I care about the integrity of our whole political process and the credibility of our Federal Court System.

You seem to have lost your way in the fog of Trump politics!