Do folks think Michael Avenatti had any impact on what happened today with the Kavanaugh vote?

[oberliner]

Either positive or negative?

[qazplm135]

1. Nope

I think this was happening regardless

[octoberlib]

2. Collins seemed to be blaming him by inference. I'm seeing a lot of pundits on Twitter

blame him but who knows? Collins probably had her mind made up when Kavanaugh got nominated.

[NewJeffCT]

5. didn't she initially mention wanting to hear from the 3rd accuser?

meaning Swetnick...

I'm guessing that Grassley or McConnell told her "no" on that one

[oldtime dfl_er]

7. She will blame anyone

that she thinks is an easy target. Just because she's pointing a finger at him doesn't mean anything except she's playing rank politics. She's trash.

[malaise]

3. No

Divide and rule

[mythology]

4. Not particularly

In theory a small negative one, but I don't think it mattered. Republicans knew at this point it was Kavanaugh or nobody.

[we can do it]

6. No

[Thekaspervote]

8. No

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. No.

[k8conant]

10. No

[Bleacher Creature]

11. Collins was all in from day 1. She just used Avenatti as an excuse.

If not him, she would have found something or someone else.

[triron]

12. Yeah, blame it on Avenatti. Way to go.

[JoeOtterbein]

13. No

[procon]

14. The point being missed, how could he have persuaded any senators to change their votes?

He was using the press and making himself into a well known public image, but his goal always seemed to be his own political adventure, not Kavanaugh.

[MontanaMama]

15. No.

It had everything to do with the Groper Party being united in all things. And add Joe Manchin to that cesspool.

[ZZenith]

16. I've never seen anyone do it better!

Your diversionary skills are world class!

[violetpastille]

32. +1

[Tipperary]

17. Avenatti is all about himself.

So, no.

[Puzzledtraveller]

37. Avenatti 2020

You better get behind it.

[Tipperary]

42. Lol.

I hear ya.

[ProudDem314]

18. yes

It did help our case. I would put it that way. It would have been better if he stayed out of it.

[octoberlib]

19. Sen. John Kennedy is on MSNBC blaming Avenatti right now, lol

They're using it as an excuse. I think Ed Whelan was the one who gave them an out.

[OnDoutside]

38. Senator and that shithead in one sentence....something is seriously wrong in US politics

[MattP]

20. Debra Ramirez remembers has witnesses and is being ignored

[Mike Nelson]

21. Not exactly...

… I see Louisiana Sen. Kennedy is blaming him... wrong. He should be naming the real sleaze - TRUMP, the creepy porn president.

[Jersey Devil]

22. Think he made no difference whatsoever

It is unfortunate for his client, but no one seemed to pay any attention to her accusations. IMO he didn't help any with the teasing nature of the way he released (and didn't release) corroborative evidence. Even the Dems kept their distance for fear they were being played.

[rzemanfl]

23. Thank you for asking this question. It gives me faith in my predictive powers.

Nope.

[Orangepeel]

24. He's an excuse. It was a done deal from the start

[Kingofalldems]

25. Right wing disruptors hate Avenatti.

I do believe that.

[skylucy]

26. No. (eye roll)

[femmedem]

27. No. And any Republican saying or hinting otherwise is a lying weasel.

They are looking for anything and anyone to pin it on other than their own raw partisanship.

[C_U_L8R]

28. Today, Republicans are revealing...

how threatened and afraid they are of Avenatti.
I don't think he really had much influence one way or another in the nomination of the K-Creep, but it's very telling that the GOP so emphatically wants to take him down. The way they rally around Trump is nauseating.

[Kurt V.]

29. no

[guillaumeb]

30. No, every GOP Senator would have voted to confirm no matter what was revealed.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

31. Not in the least... I admire the guy. Need more like him!

[Generic Brad]

33. No more than we did

We all fought the good fight but the dirty fighting bullies won by cheating. No finger pointing now.

[quadtetra]

34. He neither helped nor hurt.

I think if his client had a stronger accusation, it might have helped. But all she could say was terrible things were happening at parties she attended and she recalled seeing Kavanagh. But she was not able to pin down what, of anything bad, she saw Kavanaugh doing.

Personally, I think his client shouldn't have come forward if that was all she could say. I don't think it was worth exposing herself to the public.

[EffieBlack]

35. No

The vote is exactly what it would have been three weeks ago before anyone had heard Dr. Ford or Ms. Swetnick.

[Puzzledtraveller]

36. As I said somewheres else

I don't think he helped, not the victim or the charge, but he I think he takes away from things by being part of the story himself and it feels like self promotion as much and sometimes more than what he is claiming. Dr. Fords attorney was great, and I think that is what I would like to see in these cases.

[Snake Plissken]

39. Nope this was strictly about money, those votes were all purchased by special interests

[WeekiWater]

40. Doesn't matter.

His efforts helped to bolster the narrative of how corrupt and unethical todays republicans are.

What do you think his impact was?

[oberliner]

43. I'm not sure if he had any impact

My thought is that it might have been more effective if the focus had just been on Ford (rather than having Avenatti out there as a convenient distraction for some Republicans to go after) but it seems that it would not have made any difference in the end in terms of the votes.

[WeekiWater]

45. I don't see how it distracted from Ford.

I don’t think it distracted Flake or Manchin. I think that is an extremely far stretch in order to attempt to define his actions as negative toward our side.

[kacekwl]

41. No.

[Demsrule86]

44. No...I don't...so many posts about Avenatti.

The GOP was determined.

[gulliver]

46. Negative. Big time.

[ck4829]

47. About the same amount of effect voting had in the 2016 presidential election

[Tipperary]

48. He's a joke.

So, no.

[JHan]

49. Collins would have voted the way she did anyway I suspect ...

And while I don't care for Avenatti, there's a danger in making Avenatti the culprit. This was a power grab by the GOP, and they don't care how they pulled it off.

[Azathoth]

50. If he had any effect, it was negative

Once he hopped on board, I think even mainstream news sources started feeling like this had become a circus.

[Kilgore]

51. Nope, he comes off as slimy

Jusy want to take a shower after hearing him speak.

[shanny]

52. I think didn't and probably couldn't have.

The pukes were set on this outcome.. But I also think there's a civil suit coming down the pike.