Kavanaugh Allegations

It may seem like a long time ago, but it was just about a week or two ago, that Justice Brett Kavanaugh faced a considerable storm over some new allegations during his early college years at a party. Do you support or oppose Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court? Split right down the middle. Did you? I think that question asks. Did you in the past support? It was split down the middle. 52 said they opposed it. 48% oppose ... Have you heard anything about these new allegations? 63% said they heard it. Do you think these allegations are true? What you had is 30, 45% saying they're true or probably true, 29% probably not true, and 26% saying unsure.

So you saw the news break here a little bit against the Justice, more people believing it's true, but then when you ask them are you aware or not aware that Kavanaugh's alleged victim said to the reporters ... And friends of hers, actually is what it was, that she does not have any recollection of it. 51% were not aware that the alleged victim had said to her friends that she was unaware of or could not recall any such incident. So, a lot of the information on this would be less than fully informed, and there was a brouhaha over the omission of that fact in the original New York Times story.

So, then when you say do you think that the alleged victim saying she does not have any recollection of sexual harassment disqualifies this allegation? The numbers completely flip around. 56% say it disqualifies it. 44% say it does not disqualify it. Do you think the New York Times was right or wrong not to report the alleged victim says she doesn't have any recollection of sexual harassment when it broke in the news of a new allegation? 26% say that the New York Times was right, 46% say the New York Times was wrong, 28% were unsure. So, pretty significant fact. That single fact turns around opinion almost 180%. So it's important. Do you think this is an isolated incident or is it selected and biased reporting on the rise? Selective and biased reporting on the rise, 62%, isolated incident, 38.

Which party is using today more unfair and negative political tactics, Democrats or Republicans? No winner or loser here. 52 Republicans, 48 Democrats. So, basically remember people don't like either party going into this, but the media is also under severe pressure here. And you look at this as a microcosm, story has tremendous pickup, tremendous visibility, and the single most important fact that might disqualify it turns out to be known by far fewer people, and once it is introduced, dramatically changes opinion.