Brett Kavanaugh, Christine Blasey Ford hearing spurs more division - CBS News Poll

[DonViejo]

Source: CBS News


CBS NEWS October 1, 2018, 7:00 AM

By Anthony Salvanto, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Kabir Khanna

Americans are divided and somewhat more opposed to Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination than in favor of it after hearing Thursday from both Kavanaugh and the woman who has accused him of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford, but strong partisanship increasingly defines the public's views. Republicans have grown more in favor of his confirmation compared to last week, and nearly half say they'd be angry if Kavanaugh isn't eventually confirmed. Democrats are increasingly opposed after the hearings, with nearly half expressing anger at the idea of Kavanaugh eventually being seated on the court.



The net shift in sentiment over the week has been toward opposition. Today 37 percent of Americans do not think the Senate should confirm (up from 30 percent opposed last week) and 35 percent think the Senate should confirm (up from 32 percent last week) as partisan sentiments have hardened. Democratic opposition has gone from 60 percent to 68 percent, and Republican support has gone from 69 percent to 75 percent. Independents are more closely divided and slightly more in favor of confirmation than opposed.



Partisanship appears much more closely connected to overall views than does gender. Among Republican women, 70 percent feel Kavanaugh should be confirmed, while 80 percent of Republican men do. Among Democratic women, 65 percent oppose it, and 73 percent of Democratic men oppose. Overall, 41 percent of men feel Kavanaugh should be confirmed, and 29 percent of women nationwide do, with relatively more women saying it is still too soon to say.



More Americans overall have adopted a position this week compared to last -- 28 percent are undecided now, down from 38 percent. Most of those undecided last week remain undecided today, but of those who took a position in recent days, more have broken against the nomination than for it. The survey included interviews with Americans we previously talked to last week.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-christine-blasey-ford-hearing-spurs-more-division-cbs-news-poll/

[Hortensis]

1. Horserace polls on "division" do not measure ideology,

relative moral and ethical levels, positive and negative effects on society and government, and other huge factors hidden behind the word "division."

What is happening on the left and on the right is enormously more profound than "division."
These polls create a false equivalency of "division" shared by all, which is defined by the lowest common denominator -- what the right has become of course.

The problem is not that division itself is measured, but that is constantly measured and reported, a simple, dramatic, attention-grabbing number that can be used to distract from far more revealing data.

The end takeaway is that we all operate at one level, good and bad irrelevant. And I'm pretty sure the consistent pushing of that very untrue picture is very deliberate. People want to be good. Those controlling the Republican Party could not succeed if conservatives understood that a hundred million of their fellow American voters were able to support goals that were generally honorable and sensible.

[Fred Sanders]

2. An already divided nation confirming its division by appointing a divided judge to a divided court.

Just what America needs, am I right Senator Flake?

[elmac]

3. its not a case of more division

its a case of more dummies with a fox fake news lobotomy

[RobinA]

4. Really

My take away from this is, You’ve got to be kidding me. That many people on both sides of the aisle think this guy is OK?

[Bluepinky]

5. And 70% of Republican women think he should be confirmed?

That seems crazy.