Don't believe the hype over the Kavanaugh hearing – Donald Trump won't abandon his man at the 11th hour

Everybody knows the American government is based on a system of checks and balances – and to be honest, it’s worked pretty well so far. Congress makes the laws, the president enforces them and the courts keep everybody on a tight constitutional leash.

But as the American political establishment continues its rapid devolution into a drooling, partisan monster, we need the power of the Supreme Court more than ever. We need rational, intelligent and politically neutral minds to keep selfish career politicians in check and protect us from our own collective, short-sighted stupidity.

Then again, what use is the highest court in the land if it’s been morally compromised just like our feckless politicians and masochist of a leader?

We’re talking, of course, about the embarrassing sideshow act going on in Washington this week. You’ve probably caught bits and pieces of this already: a couple months ago, Donald Trump got his chance to redefine the political balance of the Supreme Court and give it a sharp conservative twist by nominating judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace outgoing Anthony Kennedy. The Democrats were justifiably irritated by the decision, and have been giving Kavanaugh a hard time, before lawmakers vote on whether they’ll let him have the job.

Yet, in true 2018 fashion, Kavanaugh’s “nothing but net” confirmation has been tossed about off-course after three defiant women came out with allegations of sexual assault. One accuser alleged that Kavanaugh regularly drugged girls and was present while she was getting gang-raped. Another says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at Yale. A third, Dr Christine Blasey Ford, will stand before lawmakers today to share an explicit testimony regarding the time that she believed he was going to rape her. Kavanaugh denies all allegations.

If any of these allegations were proven to be true, this of course raises the prospect that a presidential nominee is a criminal with flagrant disregard for the law, an obvious disrespect for women and a total lack of human empathy. In which case, Kavanaugh would not deserve to sit on the US Supreme Court. But just because a powerful white man doesn’t deserve something, doesn’t mean he won’t get it.

Tomorrow, Senators will sit down and vote on Kavanaugh’s future. Under ordinary circumstances, lawmakers would look beyond party lines, cast the nominee aside and demand that Trump pick someone whose candidacy could not be so significantly called into question.

But these not ordinary circumstances: majority leader Mitch McConnell has already called the vote in Kavanaugh’s favour, and Donald Trump said yesterday he’s sticking by his man.

Why? Because our commander-in-chief knows exactly what it’s like to be accused of sex crimes. He thinks the #MeToo movement is bogus.

Let’s not mince words, here: if Kavanaugh is appointed to the US Supreme Court with these allegations still untested, the moral compass of the American system of governance will be smashed beyond repair. It could take generations to unpick the damage he could inflict upon the United States and its global reputation as a system based on political and legal checks and balances.

Unless there’s some sort of miracle in the next 24 hours, and a few brave Republican Senators manage to grow a fully functioning conscience by Friday morning, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.