IT'S NOT RIGHT, BUT IF THE ACCUSER DOESN'T TESTIFY MONDAY, KAVANAUGH WINS

This is a reasonable request:

The woman who has accused President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault all but ruled out appearing at an extraordinary Senate hearing scheduled for next week to hear her allegations, insisting on Tuesday that the F.B.I. investigate first.

Speaking through lawyers, Christine Blasey Ford said she would cooperate with the Senate Judiciary Committee and left open the possibility of testifying later about her allegations against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh. But echoing Senate Democrats, she said an investigation should be “the first step” before she is put “on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident.”

It's reasonable, but it won't be hard for Republicans to persuade much of America that it's unreasonable. They have so many talking points that will make sense to non-politics junkies who haven't been following the Kavanaugh story closely: Dianne Feinstein held the accuser's letter for weeks (never mind that it was to protect the accuser's privacy at her request); there's no corroborating evidence; Kavanaugh has been through six FBI background checks; he's prepared to testify on Monday; she's a Democrat, and Democrats want to delay this so Kavanaugh can't be approved before the midterms.

NBC's Kasie Hunt is being called a stenographer for right-wingers because she posted this:

Dr. Ford had upper hand with nominee under seige: Rs under pressure to show they were letting her be heard, WH on the fence about just how much capital to spend defending Kavanaugh

Refusing their offer shifts the ground and is an opening for GOP, per early read from sources

— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) September 19, 2018

I agree with this. Yes, Anita Hill's charges against Clarence Thomas were investigated by the FBI. But people in the mushy, apolitical middle don't remember that. They remember testimony -- and Blasey Ford will be seen as unwilling to offer that. The people who'll understand her decision are the ones who are already eager to vote against Republicans in November -- I don't think failing to accommodate her requests will change any votes. We sometimes talk as if what conservatives do will anger "women" when in fact there are many conservative and moderate women who aren't in sync with feminism and don't choose to call themselves feminists. Donald Trump won the white female vote in 2016, even after the release of the Access Hollywood tape, and he's only a few points underwater with white women now.

So I think Senate Republicans can get away with proceeding to a vote if Blasey Ford doesn't testify. They'll say she had her chance. And much of America will believe it.