« Are you going to let our democracy die?! »
Moments after Sen. Collins finisher he speech outlining her reasons for voting yes to confirm Judge Kavanaugh, Sen. Manchin announced that he would also be a yes on the final vote tomorrow. CNN’s Manu Raju and several other reporters cornered Manchin in the hall and asked him about his decision.
Thirty seconds into his answer, protesters began chanting “Shame! Shame!” so loudly that it was difficult to hear him. The questioning goes on and so do the chants, shifting from “Shame!” to “Shame on you!” and eventually to “Look at us!” when Manching seems to be focused on responding to the press.
All of this is happening after the Collins announcement, which suggests the far left isn’t ready to let go of this despite the fact that it’s effectively over. You can thank Jeff Flake for that. The spectacle of two protesters causing him to delay the vote and demand an FBI investigation has given all the impetus the far left needed to try for a repeat. Who is to say whether one more awkward confrontation could change someone’s mind again.
But I don’t think the protesters are likely to get it done at this point. My worry now is about what else could happen between now and tomorrow’s vote. Shortly after Collins’ speech, a progressive activist tweeted this:
Never let Collins have a moment of peace in public again.
— kat calvin (@KatCalvinLA) October 5,2018
Targeted harassment in public is becoming old hat for the far left. I think it creates a dangerous environment, especially when activists are already operating at a fever pitch. The stage has been set for extremism. Let’s hope no one overwrought about the results today gets carried away and does something really stupid.
As Manchin walks toward the elevators at the end of this clip, one protester shouts, “Are you going to let our democracy die?!” I don’t think the protesters believe this is over yet.
