was officially sworn in after saturday's confirmation vote itself. but that didn't stop president trump from once again attacking democrat democrats early today about the fight. >> i thought the way they behaved was absolutely atrocious. i've never seen anything like it. the way they conducted themselves, the way they dealt with a high-level, brilliant, going to be a great justice of the supreme court, the way they really tortured him and his family, i thought it was a disgrace. >> well, trump also called the allegations of misconduct that nearly derailed kavanaugh's confirmation a hoax. >> it was all made up. it was fabricated and it's a disgrace. and i think it's going to really show you something come november 6th. i think a lot of democrats are going to vote republican. >> you know, he's like john mcenroe complaining after he lost a tennis match. what's going on here? after weeks of acrimony with now

just 29 days and counting until the midterm elections, voters will get a chance soon to make their voices heard at the ballot box. i'm joined by neera tanden, president and ceo for the center for american progress. eugene -- and national political reporter for "the washington post." robert, how does trump gin jin this righteous indignation? >> republicans were worried if this whole kavanaugh election process was going to alarm suburban voters. they're running on grievance. they're looking at the process and the protests outside the capitol as the confirmation vote went down and they think they can run against what mitch mcconnell is calling the mob. it's something going back to richard nixon in '68, running on this law and order message. >> right. >> against the trump resistance movement. >> we're looking at ruth bader ginsburg there, the justice of

the supreme court. john roberts, of course, there and a couple of other justices. they're all coming in now to join in the celebration. they look very happy, gene. >> yeah. they do look happy. >> clarence is wall-to-wall happiness. >> everyone should pay attention to this. this is what power looks like. this is what power looks like. republicans have the power to do this and they did it. they didn't care -- >> not that you're -- you are on the progressive side, i think, i'm just wondering how democrats -- this is what losing looks like to them? just chuckling here. >> this is a terrible moment i think for the country. whatever you think of brett kavanaugh, a majority of the country still opposes him, and i think just -- >> in the polling. >> just to respond to what robert said, you know, i think the challenge for the republicans is that they'd like to call those women on the mall and the supreme court the mob. >> here comes the president. >> they may well be the majority of the country. >> there is the president coming

in with justice kennedy and justice, hold your breath, kavanaugh.

>> thank you very much. thank you. members of congress, members of the cabinet, honored guests and fellow americans, it is my privilege to address you tonight from the east room of the white house. we're gathered together this evening for a truly momentous occasion. i have long been told that the most important decision a president can make is the appointment of a supreme court justice. well, in just a few moments we will proudly swear in the newest member of the united states supreme court, justice brett kavanaugh.

joining us for tonight's ceremony is every sitting supreme court justice. chief justice roberts. thank you. justice thomas. thank you. justice ginsberg. thank you. justice pryor. thank you, justice. justice alito. justice sotomayor. thank you. justice kagan. thank you. and justice gorsuch. i would also like to send out

deep appreciation to maureen scalia, the wife of the late great antonin scalia, and also to our white house counsel don mcgahn. thank you, don. thank you. we are thrilled to be joined this evening by justice anthony kennedy. justice kennedy, america owes you a profound debt of gratitude for a lifetime of noble service to our nation, and i want to thank you very much. thank you. very special and treasured

guests tonight are justice kavanaugh's amazing wife ashley. thank you, ashley. and their two beautiful daughters, margaret and liza. thank you. and we are also joined by justice kavanaugh's mom and dad, martha and ed. thank you. i would like to begin tonight's proceeding differently than perhaps any other event of such magnitude. on behalf of our nation, i want to apologize to brett and the entire kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you

have been forced to endure. those who step forward to serve our country deserve a fair and dignified evaluation, not a campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception. what happened to the kavanaugh family violates every notion of fairness, decency and due process. our country, a man or a woman must always be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. and with that, i must state that you, sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent. thank you.

margaret and liza, your father is a great man. he is a man of decency, character, kindness and courage, who has devoted his life to serving his fellow citizens. and now from the bench of our nation's highest court your father will defend the eternal rights and freedoms of all americans. you know that. we are joined tonight by a leader who has never wavered in his support and devotion to the rule of law and to brett kavanaugh's elevation. he's worked very, very hard and he truly has done just an

incredible and wonderful job for the american people, majority leader mitch mcconnell. thank you, mitch. please stand up. i think that's the biggest hand he's ever received. they just don't -- they don't get it, mitch. you're great. thank you. very much appreciate it. i'd like to thank another man whose principled leadership has earned widespread admiration, chairman of the judiciary committee, senator chuck grassley. thank you, chuck.

we are grateful to all of the senators on the judiciary committee who fought so hard for this confirmation. senators lindsey graham, john cornyn, orrin hatch, mike lee, ted cruz, ben sasse, jeff flake, mike crapo, tom tillis and john kennedy. and thank you also to rob portman, sitting right here. thank you, rob portman. and finally, we are indebted to senator susan collins for her brave and eloquent speech and her declaration that when passions are most inflamed, fairness is most in jeopardy. how true. how true.

how true. brett kavanaugh is a man of outstanding intelect, a brilliant scholar and his credentials are unsurpassed. a graduate of both yale college and yale law school, he has taught at harvard, yale and georgetown. when he's not working or with his family, he's giving back to his community. he spent 26 years in public service, and just like justice gorsuch, he clerked for justice kennedy. for the last 12 years, brett was a judge on the d.c. circuit court of appeals, widely regarded as our nation's second highest court. during his tenure, he authored over 300 opinions, distinguished by their masterful and impartial reasoning. known as a judge's judge, he is

a fair-minded, unbiased and even-handed person. he understands that justice must be divorced from the passions of the day, tethered instead to the enduring foundation of our republic, the constitution. justice kavanaugh fills the place left by anthony kennedy. soon, justice kennedy will administer the judicial oath to brett kavanaugh. just as he did last year for justice gorsuch. this will be the first time a supreme court justice has ever sworn in a former clerk to take his seat. a beautiful moment which reminds us that freedom is a tradition passed down from generation to generation. that's a big statement and i want to thank you for that so

much. that's so beautiful. so beautiful. so beautiful. margaret and liza's presence tonight reminds us what an historic event, all about your father, is all about. it's about what kind of a nation we're going to be and what kind of a country our children will inherit. it is up to each of us and to all americans watching tonight to answer that question. it is up to us to reclaim our heritage of equal and impartial justice. it is up to us to rededicate ourselves to the traditions and wisdom of our founders. and it is up to us to renew the bonds of love, loyalty and affection that link us all together as one great american family.

let us pray we are successful in this task, and let us pray that all of america's children will grow up in a country that is fair and just and safe and strong and free, and let us ask god to bless justice kavanaugh and his family as they embark on this incredible journey together. i now invite justice brett kavanaugh to come forward and to take the judicial oath. thank you very much.

>> justice kavanaugh, are you ready to take the oath? >> i am. >> will you please repeat after me. i, brett m. kavanaugh, do solemnly swear. >> i, brett m. kavanaugh, do solemnly swear. >> that i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> that i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> and do equal right to the poor and to the rich. >> and do equal right to the poor and to the rich. >> and that i will faithfully and impartially. >> discharge and perform. >> discharge and perform. >> all the duties incumbent upon me. >> all the duties incumbent upon me. >> as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> so help me god. >> so help me god.

>> mr. president, thank you for the great honor of appointing me to serve as a justice of the supreme court. i've seen firsthand your deep

appreciation for the vital role of the american judiciary. i am grateful for your steadfast, unwavering support throughout this process. and i'm grateful to you and mrs. trump for the exceptional overwhelming courtesy you have extended to my family and me. mr. president, thank you for everything. >> thank you. >> i am honored to serve on a supreme court headed by chief justice john roberts. chief justice roberts is a principled, independent and inspiring leader for the american judiciary. as a country we are fortunate to have john roberts as chief

justice of the united states. i'm honored to serve alongside all of my new colleagues. each of whom i know and each of whom i greatly admire and deeply respect. all nine of us revere the constitution. article iii of the constitution provides that the judicial power shall be vested in one supreme court. the supreme court is an institution of law. it is not a partisan or political institution. the justices do not sit on opposite sides of an aisle. we do not caucus in separate rooms. the supreme court is a team of nine. and i will always be a team player on the team of nine.

as a new justice on supreme court, i understand the responsibility that i bear. some 30 years ago, standing here in the east room with president reagan, anthony kennedy took the oath to be a new justice of the supreme court. justice kennedy became one of the most consequential justices in american history. i served as justice kennedy's law clerk in 1993. to me, justice kennedy is a mentor, a friend and a hero. on the supreme court he was a model of civility and collegiality. he zealously guarded the individually liberties secured by the constitution. justice kennedy established a legacy of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. i will always be humbled and

proud to sit in justice kennedy's seat on the supreme court. >> thank you. >> i thank the members of the united states senate, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, for his leadership and steady resolve. i thank judiciary committee chairman chuck grassley for his wisdom and fairness, and i give special gratitude to senators rob portman, susan collins, joe manchin, john kyl and lindsey graham. they're a credit to the country and the senate. i'll be forever grateful to each of them and to all the senators who carefully considered my nomination. presiding over the final vote in the senate on saturday was vice president pence. i'm grateful to the vice

president for his sound advice and faithful support. i thank counsel to the president don mcgahn, who was a warrior for fairness and performed his critical duties in the finest traditions of our constitution. thank you. i thank all the outstanding people in the white house, the department of justice and the senate who worked day and night on this nomination. one of a federal judge's most important responsibilities is to hire four new law clerks each year. the law clerks are recent law school graduates and they work in the judge's chambers for one year. they're among the best and brightest young lawyers in america and they become the future leaders of the legal profession. i thank my former law clerks who

devoted so much time and energy to support me during the confirmation process. inspired by my mom, who was a trailblazer for women in the law, i've worked hard throughout my career to promote the advancement of women. women still face many barriers in the american workplace and all of us have a responsibility to address that problem. during my 12 years on the d.c. circuit, a majority of my law clerks were women and almost all of them went on to clerk at the supreme court. a clerkship on the supreme court is one of the most coveted achievements and credentials in american law. i'm proud that all four of my newly hired law clerks at the supreme court are women. a first in the history of the supreme court.

tonight i thank all my friends, so many amazing and fearless friends. from my high school days, college, law school, clerking, the bush white house, including president george w. bush. from the judiciary, teaching, coaching, playing sports, the vibrant loyal and tight-knit catholic community here in the d.c. area and so many others. ashley and i are grateful for their prayers and for the prayers from the thousands and thousands of people we have heard from throughout america. when i give advice to young people or speak to students, i tell them, cherish your friends, look out for your friends, lift

up your friends, love your friends. i love all my friends. i thank my family, my mom martha and my dad ed are here. i'm their only child. my mom was one of maryland's earliest women prosecutors and trial judges. my dad taught me his work ethic and love of sports. they've given me a lifetime of love and i'm forever grateful to them. my daughters margaret and liza are smart, strong, awesome girls. they're in the middle of fall lacrosse, looking forward to the

upcoming basketball season. i thank their teachers for giving them the day off tomorrow so that they can come watch two cases being argued at the supreme court. my wife ashley is a proud west texan from abilene, texas. graduate of abilene cooper public high school, university of texas at austin. she's the dedicated town manager of our local community. she's got a deep faith. she's an awesome mom. a great wife. she is a rock. i thank god every day for ashley and my family.

the senate confirmation process was contentious and emotional. that process is over. my focus now is to be the best justice i can be. i take this office with gratitude and no bitterness. on the supreme court, i will seek to be a force for stability and unity. my goal is to be a great justice for all americans. and for all of america. i will work very hard to achieve that goal. i was not appointed to serve one party or one interest but to serve one nation. america's constitution and laws protect every person of every belief and every background. every litigant in the supreme court can be assured that i will listen to their arguments with

respect and an open mind. every american can be assured that i will be an independent and impartial justice, devoted to equal justice under law. although the senate confirmation process tested me, as it has tested others, it did not change me. my approach to judging remains the same. a good judge must be an umpire, a neutral and impartial decider who favors no litigant or policy. a judge must be independent and must interpret the law not make the law. a judge must interpret statutes as written and a judge must interpret the constitution as written, informed by history and tradition and precedent. in the wake of the senate confirmation process, my approach to life also remains

the same. i will continue to heed the message of matthew 25. i will continue to volunteer, to serve the least fortunate among us. i will continue to coach, teach and tutor. i will continue to strive to be a good friend, colleague, husband and dad. as in the past, our nation today faces challenges and divisions but i am an optimist. i live on the sunrise side of the mountain. i see the day that is coming not the day that is gone. i am optimistic about the future of america and the future of our independent judiciary. the crowned jewel of our constitutional republic. as a justice on the supreme court, i will always strive to preserve the constitution of the united states and the american rule of law. thank you all.

>> well, justice kavanaugh tried as best he could to heal the wounds of the past couple of weeks but the president already ripped the scab off in his remarks. listen to what the president said tonight what was supposed to be a public ceremony and a nonpartisan ceremony. on behalf of our nation, i want to apologize to brett and the entire kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure. what happened to the kavanaugh family violates every notion of fairness, decency and due process. under historic scrutiny, he was proven innocent. susan del percio, that is a

partisan statement aimed directly at the elections four weeks from tomorrow. >> yes, it is, chris. it's also one thing that is interesting is he went and went after dr. ford again, saying it was lies and deception that were claimed against judge kavanaugh. one thing is clear, this president is only seeking to divide this country and do it in a way that will help the republicans hold the senate. he's written off the democrats -- the fact that the democrats will win the house, but this president has no idea what this country is built on, what it's about. we were talking about the justice of the supreme court and this man made it a partisan campaign hit. it's disgraceful. >> so do you agree with that, neera? he's thinking geographically. he's thinking missouri. he's thinking florida, perhaps. he's certainly thinking north dakota. he's thinking the red states. >> absolutely. oh. >> susan? i'm sorry, neera. >> so i think he -- i would agree with susan that he's

thinking in a partisan way, but i do think what he's underestimated is how much the responses by women. there is a poll earlier today that had trump's support amongst women at catastrophic numbers. his support is -- >> 14-point gender difference. >> actually 30 in this poll. >> 14 -- men up by five. 14 among women. democrats up by 14. so it's what we call a 19-point gender gap by numbers i looked at. >> i think what's fascinating is it seems like women are opposing him at higher and higher numbers. this might have been a huge miscalculation, to have a partisan vote that just jams this through. we'll see. >> speaking of jamming it through, by my calculations, i've been checking around with our producers, at least five networks were covering this in what we call a roadblock. the democrats don't have a stage like this. >> no, this is what you get to

do if you're president of the united states. you get to command an audience. they picked the -- they timed it so that more people would be watching, more people would be home and paying attention to it, and it was a -- it was, you know, in part a campaign ad by the -- by the president and an attempt by justice kavanaugh at rehabilitation. >> right. >> because of the display he put on during his hearings. he's aware of the numbers, i'm sure. he's aware that most of the country opposes him. it was an attempt at rehabbing that image. it would have gone better had he not started with a blatant lie, which is -- which is he began by saying -- thanking the president for his deep respect for the judiciary. which is the most absurd thing you could possibly say about donald trump. >> what are you, a mexican? >> exactly. any judge who makes any decision that he doesn't like is a so-called judge. >> susan, let me ask you about this dividing, because i get the feeling that mitch mcconnell and

the president are all into tribal politics, in the sense that they don't want national unity. they want a division. a division right down the aisle like they have in the senate. they want that in the country. they want that division to work for them. they don't want to take all the marbles, but they want to take the half that gives them the senate. >> that's absolutely right, chris. and it looked like at one point that mcconnell was even willing when the numbers were so bad to give up the senate for getting kavanaugh confirmed, but the tide changed and donald trump picked up an something -- you have to give credit where credit is due. he went out on the rally -- doing rallies and he started to pick apart dr. kavanaugh. he started to create a divide. he went after her. it further divided our country. and he knows if he goes in there and does that in red states, they're going to hold on to the senate. but it is going to really hurt them with the house and it will be interesting to see what

happens -- >> explain -- explain the difference for people who don't study the cook report every 15 minutes. why does the house look better for women and for democrats? >> because right now it's filled with a lot of swing districts. some say up to 60 house seats are up for grabs. they're in the toss-up categories. so they only -- and the democrats only need 23 to take the majority back. these are swing districts. by nature it means you need to have independents and especially women, moderate republicans, with you if you're going to take it as a republican. that's not looking like the case and it looks like based on this strategy they are saying we're going to lose the house. who cares? let's just go forward with the senate. >> well, as susan mentioned, roughly a week ago, president trump called dr. christine blasey ford a credible witness. four days later, catch this, during a campaign rally in mississippi, he pivoted and openly ridiculed her testimony and her. >> 36 years ago, this happened.

i had one beer. right? i had one beer. well, do you think it was -- nope, it was one beer. oh, good. how did you get home? i don't remember. how did you get there? i don't remember. where is the place? i don't remember. how many years ago was it? i don't know. i don't know. i don't know! i don't know! what neighborhood was it in? i don't know. where's the house? i don't know. upstairs, downstairs, where was it? i don't know. but i had one beer. that's the only thing i remember. >> well, on saturday, just a couple of days ago, shortly after judge kavanaugh was confirmed, trump called into fox news and was asked why he changed his tact. from open-mindedness about her testimony, creditulity to this nastiness. >> there were a lot of things that were happening that weren't true and there were a lot of things that were left unsaid and i thought i had to even the

playing field because it was very unfair to judge. now i can, you know, very nicely say justice kavanaugh. >> right. right. >> it was a very unfair situation. so i evened the playing field. once i started to do that, it started to sail through. >> so i think that donald trump knew that he had to basically marshall republicans. what he did was marshall republicans against dr. ford. it strengthened kavanaugh's hand. i think the big question in politics today is whether the ramming through of dr. ford -- of judge kavanaugh, of everything that's happened over the last week will create a backlash amongst women. we're seeing some. >> who is cheering when he makes fun of this doctor? this professional woman. they were cheering there. >> his base. his base. and the question is, he wants to -- you're absolutely right, he wants to have two tribes in the country. the question is, on issue after issue, whether it's family separation, et cetera, he's able to rally his base, but sometimes he creates a larger backlash. this is the question for america

today. which is whether women will be angry at what's happened. >> gene, i have watched -- i think it was trump cheering the number of executions in texas. had a big crowd cheering him. there are people in the hard -- cruel, think that's the word for it, right. they enjoy making fun of this professional woman who says he was sexually assaulted. let's make fun of her. who are these people? they like the -- >> trump appeals to a kind of blood lust, i mean, kind of gladitorial combat. combat to the death. it's something that he does effectively with his base and he manages to drive that wedge and you're either sort of with him or against him. and people who are, you know, who are in with trump for a dollar, they'll throw in another dollar, you know? they'll stay with him. >> well, maine senator susan collins was a pivotal vote, the vote, i'd say, because she was leading manchin for the vote on

kavanaugh. that was the vote we watched this week. yesterday on "60 minutes" she defended her vote by saying she thought dr. ford was mistaken that judge kavanaugh had assaulted her. let's watch. >> i believed that a sexual assault had happened to her. what i think she's mistaken about is who the perpetrator was. i do not believe her assailant was brett kavanaugh. i would have voted no if i disbelieved judge kavanaugh. but given his denials and the lack of evidence that this happened, i just did not think that it was fair to ruin the life of this distinguished judge and his family over allegations that cannot be proven. >> is there -- >> go ahead, gene. confused seems to be generous --

>> is there another woman in the country who believes that dr. ford would misidentify the -- a person who she knew who sexually assaulted her? >> i mean -- >> that's unbelievable. >> there is actual a sense -- >> what does it say about women in court, don't believe her. she's confused. >> just to say this, there is literally a science to this. this has never happened. that you actually have the trauma of a rape or assault. >> yeah. >> and then you misidentify. i mean, that itself has literally never happened. >> okay. >> and the idea that susan collins used talking points of mitch mcconnell here -- >> isn't that awful? let me go to susan on this because i think confused. let me throw out something here to nikki haley again. i'll do this for awhile because this is something i believe in. i think nikki haley has a very good shot at being the first woman president, for one reason, when someone accused her of being confused the other day, she stopped the band and said, i

don't get confused. she just drew the line on that. and i'm telling you, i don't care how right-wing you are, you got to respect that kind of toughness. i don't understand why these people say, oh, i'm a republican woman so this is another woman. she was confused. confused? is the guy ever confused? no, guys don't get confused. it seems to be a problem. >> it definitely is. but even if you just for a moment put that aside, it was brett kavanaugh's own words that made him disqualifying. if you wanted to even say it was a he said/she said, the way he conducted himself at that hearing showed that he was not going to be a fit, fair jurist. he -- i mean, he basically came out with a partisan attack, which he did not address tonight, which was very disturbing that he didn't even recognize the dianne feinstein in some shape or form. he attacked another female senator.

he -- his prepared remarks were just angry. and i don't -- i think that alone was what disqualified him, at least in this republican woman's mind. but going forward, i happen to think a lot of what you said about nikki haley. she's shown that you can be strong, you can even disagree with the president and you can also stand up for him when you think he's right, but this was just a bad show in just everything, chris. >> no, when you say i don't get confused, you're saying back off, bozo, which is the right thing to say. the emotionally charged confirmation brought hundreds of protesters to capitol hill in recent days. president trump and other republicans had a nasty characterization. this is how good they are. look at this. they don't call them protesters. they don't call them people using their right to petition congress, which is a constitutional right, they call them this magic little three-letter word. here it goes. >> in their quest for power, the

radical democrats have turned into an angry mob. you don't hand matches to an arsonist and you don't give power to an angry left-wing mob. and that's what they've become. >> they were trying to intimidate members of the senate. i'm really proud of my members for not knuckling under to those mob-like tactics. >> i'm glad those who trained to overturn the rule of law and replace it with mob rule lost. >> it's great. ethnically diversified. it's a bunch of people who are "they" coming out over the, what, wall from mexico? where is this mob coming from? it is classic. >> it is classic for him. but this is what i think could be counterproductive, right, he goes after muslims, nfl players. here he's talking about 50% of the country. a majority still -- >> okay. you're good. you're smart. okay. we're talking about how good you are. you're sitting here. tell me when the bugle is going to play on your side.

we just saw a prime time every network watched show for this guy kavanaugh. when is the liberal -- or the progressive side going to speak loudly and blow the trumpet? when tuesday? >> i hope november 6th, we'll have a big women's march. >> when are you going to go start the fight? >> i want to fight now. honestly. >> i know. i shouldn't put you on the spot. there is nobody at the -- where is pelosi, where is schumer, where is everybody? they shouldn't be taking the day off. >> i agree we need more leaders out there. >> thank you, neera tanden. you can be the leader. i got to get a trumpet here. neera tanden, thank you, eugene robinson, susan del percio, this republican woman, i love your phraseology. we just saw the victory lap by kavanaugh. it continues. the democrats have the last word? we'll see. let's talk about what when we get back. what's the democrats' game plan to offset you just watched? off. because my body can still make its own insulin.

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welcome back to "hardball," in tonight's swearing in ceremony for justice kavanaugh, president trump issued an apology to the kavanaugh family, saying that he was ultimately proven innocent. proven innocent of the allegations against him. >> on behalf of our nation, i want to apologize to brett and the entire kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering

you have been forced to endure. those who step forward to serve our country deserve a fair and dignified evaluation. not a campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception. a man or a woman must always be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. and with that, i must state that you, sir, under historic scrutiny were proven innocent. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> joining me now at the roundtable, covers the senate for politico. jonathan swann is a national political reporter at axios and the national political reporter for bloomberg. sahil, you're first. who has their act together to exploit the last couple of weeks in the elections coming up a month from now? whose got it together? >> no doubt, chris, this was a

boost in enthusiasm for republicans. if that holds, that's good news for them in the senate. the backgrounttlegrounds we kno >> is this a sugar high or a long-term thing? >> this is precisely the question. voters do the politics of governing. voters do not show up to the polls to say thank you. they show up to ex-express their anger usually. democrats are very angry. republicans are happy they won. a lot of the furor, strategists are wondering if that's going to sustain itself. >> elena, a couple of weeks ago before this episode, all aspects of it, everybody like i thought women in the suburbs were going to vote with as much zeal as we thought they would in '16. but they're really going to come through this time because there is no complications of who do you like. it's what do you feel and believe about this country. has that been a lesson to women of zeal to gout and vote? >> i don't think so. if anything this outcome of the kavanaugh fight has increased that. remember, that helps democrats in the house, not in is the senate where they're fighting with a bad map based on red

states where a suburban uptick won't matter. >> but around the cities it looks like it's going to help? >> i would say yes, absolutely. but it's important to remember to your point, democrats are not out here trying mobilize right now. they're licking their wounds. >> yeah, john, how do you see the fight right now? >> it hasn't demotivated women. a republican poll saw a dramatic uptick in the numbers through the republican enthusiasm among likely voters. the way he described it democrats are already 11 out of 10. republicans are 4 out of 10. it's brought them up to 8 out of 10. and the bet they're making inside the republican party is that democrats can't get any angrier. maybe they can -- >> it hasn't had a suppresses effect on women. >> absolutely. it's gasoline on the fire of the me too movement. as alana pointed out, it's lots of college educated women are going to determine which party controls the chamber. if anything this is a boost for democrats in the house. it remains to be seen ultimately. >> it likes another obviously

male/female distinction, but also college versus noncollege again. do you see that? >> absolutely. the big divide is education. >> justice kavanaugh, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell defended his decision to block and ultimately kill the nomination of judge merrick garland under former president obama. at this time mcconnell said that no nominee should even be considered during a presidential election year, not until after the voters themselves weigh. in well, now he is revising that rule, the mcconnell rule, raising new questions about a double standard. let's watch. >> recently followed the tradition in america which is that if you have a party of a different senate of a different party than the president, you don't fill a vacancy created in a presidential year. >> what you just said now is it's a question of whether or not it's the party in control of the senate is different than the president. the question i guess i'm getting to here is if donald trump were to name somebody in the final

year of his first term in 2020, are you saying that you would go ahead with that nomination? >> the answer to your question is we'll see whether there is a vacancy in 2020. >> that's all you need to know. that's power. mcconnell was trying to justify his decision to block judge garland. he never mentioned it. here is mcconnell, by the way, back in 2016. >> the american people may well elect a president who decides to nominate judge garland for senate consideration. the next president may also nominate somebody very different. either way, our view is this. give the people a voice in filling this vacancy. >> unless you've got a republican senate and a republican president, in which case he will not deny the chance to put that by or woman into the supreme court. he openly admitted it. >> it's important to think ahead, though. this map is very bad for democrats this cycle. in 2020 it's just as bad for

republicans. >> the next two years, if the republicans hold the senate, which they're likely to do. >> yes. >> that means they get another shot at ruth bader ginsburg or somebody else if they retire. >> my only point is in 2020 there is a lot of moderate republicans who might have problems with, that might, might. >> john? two faced, he speaks with a forked tongue. >> of course he is going to ram through someone in the last year of trump's presidency and come up with a new justification. >> there is no high-minded procedural principle here. the principle is to block liberal justices and confirm conservative justices. that's is why mcconnell got a standing ovation in that room. >> the democrats will do exactly the same thing. >> they will. you know they will. >> democrats in 1988 ran the senate. they confirmed a republican president's supreme court nominee in an election year, anthony kennedy. >> so you're wrong. you've just been taught. >> you know what i felt the last hour? what i think it would feel like if trump gets re-elected. that sense of power, in your

face power. live with it. that's what i saw what they just did. mcconnell will do what he wants to do if they have the power to do it. they use their power. they're different than democrats. democrats enjoy ideas and values. republicans like one thing, absolute power. thank you, alana. >> i think harry reid used a bit of power. >> that's true. >> what i thought was interesting -- [ laughter ] >> thank you, jonathan. >> thank you, jonathan swan. sahil you know your stuff. sahil kapur. when we return, let me finish with trump watch. you're watching "hardball." wat.

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trump watch monday, october 8th, 2018. imagine donald trump working with a red brick wall behind him. that's right, imagine him at a local comedy club out there on a monday night, refining his act, seeing what works and storing it for the next gig. i don't see, his real talent as i see it is stand-up. he tries out the material such as calling senator elizabeth warren pocahantas. if he gets a reaction, he uses it again and again. if she runs for president, they'll reset it to abracadabra. now he is in to his 2018 gig. we're starting to hear the punch lines. they're about dr. ford's leak letter, about avenatti. here comes the winner, the mob. the mob that protested the kavanaugh vote. the mob. you're going to hearer from now

to election day the fear of them, the fear of them. not just crossing the border, but right up to the doors of the supreme court. if democrats want to win congress next month, they better see this coming and get their act together. you can't expect your army to attack if you don't blow your own bugle. trump's already blowing hi. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. tonight on "all in" -- >> thinking about impeaching a brilliant jurist. >> the president drops the pretense. >> a man that was caught up in a hoax, that was set up by the democrats. >> 29 days until america votes. >> i love the poorly educated. >> tonight rebecca tracer on the anger over kavanaugh and whether democrats can use it to regain power. >> there is one answer, vote. then the republican senator who could lose his job over his kavanaugh vote. >> nevada needs a senator who takes sexual assaults