“In this case, ‘believe women’ just means taking the claim seriously. ‘Believe women’ means not reflexively disbelieving them because you're eager for a vote and an investigation would be inconvenient. ‘Believe women’ means acknowledging how shockingly, terribly normal it is for women and men to be sexually assaulted, and how shockingly, terribly normal it is for men to be the ones sexually assaulting them."

CNN

“No one is entitled to a seat on the Supreme Court. It’s certainly reasonable to investigate Ford’s account; she herself has called for such an investigation. But that doesn’t mean that if she can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Kavanaugh assaulted her, the American people owe him a lifetime job deciding some of the country’s most difficult and consequential cases, including those that affect women’s right to make decisions about their bodies."

Vox

“Don’t tell me that Democrats will just smear the next candidate because they supposedly always do... no such charges surfaced against Neil Gorsuch, John Roberts or Samuel Alito... Nor have there been any against Donald Trump’s nominees for circuit court positions, or... against any of Trump’s cabinet officials... there’s no reason to believe that if Republicans sink this nomination that Democrats will respond with smears of other Republicans."

Bloomberg

Regarding the #MeToo movement, “Before Ramirez came forward, Kavanaugh’s defenders all made a similar calculation: Either a powerful man with a wholesome public face (he coached girls’ basketball!) was lying or a woman was. And all of those defenders chose to discount the woman...

In cases of sexual misconduct, a lone woman’s voice often isn’t given the same weight as a man’s. But Ramirez’s account is a reminder of how far the #MeToo movement has come: When a woman stands up to report misconduct, she rarely stands alone for long. The movement has not yet overcome our society’s tendency to dismiss a single woman’s voice. But it has multiplied women’s voices until they can no longer be ignored.”

Vox

“Conservatives and liberals may differ on what constitutes that standard of proof. But that’s much better than differing on what constitutes acceptable sexual behavior. And it’s infinitely better than treating all women as liars. Even if Kavanaugh is confirmed, we should rest assured that the #MeToo movement has made a difference, however much work remains."

Washington Post