Moments after Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins announced Friday afternoon that she’ll vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, liberal journalists were despondent. But for others decided to face the music and CNN’s David Chalian did so by admitting that this was “perhaps” Donald Trump’s “best week as President.”
Chalian conceded that Trump has, “in a year-and-a-half's time as President of the United States, has succeeded in executing on one of the generational goals for conservatives, to reshape the Supreme Court in a more reliably conservative direction for decades to come.”
He explained that Trump’s decision to work with the Federalist Society and publish a list of jurists he’d choose from was successful in being “able to get” even those concerned about Trump the man “on board with this unifying and generational goal for the party, and Donald Trump has executed on it.”
“He is going to be a Supreme Court justice and this is going to go down, for all the things that will go down in history about Donald Trump's presidency, this will certainly be one of them. He's capping off, I would say, perhaps his best week as President,” he concluded.
Earlier in the day, Chalian appeared on At This Hour following Friday morning’s cloture vote to declare that “the ballgame’s over” regarding the chances of Democrats stopping Kavanaugh.
Chief political analyst Gloria Borger observed after Collins’s speech that “she’s now turned into Kavanaugh's greatest defender,” but fretted that Collins began her speech “by eviscerating Democratic outside groups as if there were no Republican outside groups on this, but that's another story.”
Without pointing out the role that CNN and the rest of the liberal media played in this, Borger also stated that “it's clear that the entrance of Avenatti into all of this really, really ticked her off, but she — you know, this is something that I think she's thought about a lot.”
To see the relevant transcript from October 5's CNN Newsroom, click “expand.”
CNN Newsroom
October 5, 2018
3:53 p.m. EasternGLORIA BORGER: Yeah and, you know, in a way, she's now turned into Kavanaugh's greatest defender. Ariane was saying this is the beginning of the rehab and she also — I think we had her at hello. We knew where she was at the very beginning of this, because she started this by eviscerating Democratic outside groups as if there were no Republican outside groups on this. But that's another story and Democratic senators who she believes did a disservice to Professor Ford and I thought where she was most engaged on this was she — talking to Democrats, whoever leaked it, she said, I don't believe Dianne Feinstein leaked it, but she said, “you have sacrificed” a survivor's “well-being in a misguided attempt” for “whatever political crusade you think you are fighting.” And it's clear that the entrance of Avenatti into all of this really, really ticked her off, but she — you know, this is something that I think she's thought about a lot. I think she went and read everything and I think, however, she did not surprise by voting — by voting for her — I mean, by voting for — for him.
WOLF BLITZER: You know, it looks like it's going to be passed. He's going to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, now that Susan Collins has said she will vote yay.
DAVID CHALIAN: Donald Trump, in a year-and-a-half's time as President of the United States, has succeeded in executing on one of the generational goals for conservatives, to reshape the Supreme Court in a more reliably conservative direction for decades to come. Donald Trump has done that. He — he did it by first getting the Federalist Society, the conservatives, to put out that list. Vet all those potential people, so that all conservatives, some who even had questions about when Donald Trump was President, able to get on board with this unifying and generational goal for the party, and Donald Trump has executed on it. He is going to be a Supreme Court justice and this is going to go down, for all the things that will go down in history about Donald Trump's presidency, this will certainly be one of them. He's capping off, I would say, perhaps his best week as President.
