Senators are at each other's throats over Kavanaugh confirmation, and some fear there could be lasting damage

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Senators are at each other's throats over Kavanaugh confirmation, and some fear there could be lasting damage

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  • Republicans and Democrats are fighting back and forth in the Senate over the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
  • The process has resulted in considerable animosity between the two parties, leading some lawmakers to think there could be real damage done.

WASHINGTON - Throughout every fight, even the ugliest ones, Republicans and Democrats in the United States Senate regularly like to tout their strong personal relationships forged across party lines.

But as lawmakers are constantly at each other's throats over the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, some senators fear things are taking a turn for the worse on Capitol Hill.

Democrats and Republicans have erupted at each other during the multiple confirmation hearings for Kavanaugh, culminating last Thursday when South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, lambasted Democrats for what he called a smear campaign against the nominee.

Graham accused Democrats of stalling and doing anything they possibly can to keep the empty Supreme Court seat vacant in the chance they retake the White House in 2020.

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"Boy, you guys want power," he said during last Thursday's hearing. "God, I hope you never get it."

And each morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have lobbed not-so-veiled shots at one another from across the Senate floor.

During his Wednesday morning floor speech, McConnell tore into Democrats for going after Kavanaugh and lending credence to any and all accusations, even those many lawmakers have dismissed as not reliable.

"It's time to put this embarrassing spectacle behind us. The American people are sick of the display that's been put on here in the United States Senate in the guise of a confirmation process," he said.

Schumer followed McConnell's speech Wednesday morning, nearly calling him a liar on the Senate floor over who is responsible for the delayed voting process.

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"He's to blame for the delay, but he couldn't do anything otherwise because his own Republicans insisted on it," Schumer said. "Again, it is a blatant falsehood. I'm so tempted to use the L-word, but he's my friend, to say that Democrats caused the delay. Mr. Leader, assert your power to determine what's put on the floor, and be a man. Man up and say it's your decision, not ours. We have nothing to do with it."

Senators differ on what kind of lasting damage the animosity could have

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, the Democrat who paired with Arizona Republican Jeff Flake to strike the deal to hold any confirmation vote until a weeklong FBI interview is conducted, said Tuesday he is "concerned" about the damage being done to key bipartisan relationships.

"That's one of the reasons I've been trying to conduct myself in a measured and respectful way with my colleagues," he said. "Because the amount of passion and even anger and process that led to the hearing last Thursday and the markup last Friday - it's really led to some of the sharpest exchanges I've ever heard as a senator."

Coons also admonished the increasing animosity during a question-and-answer session at the Atlantic festival in Washington.

"We are an exceptional nation and we are at risk of losing it all through a populist mob mentality where no one can win because everyone must lose," he said.

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The constant fighting is not as bad for peer-to-peer relationships as it is for overall process, said Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

"The problem is less with relationships - like I said, those are resilient - than it is with process," he said. "I think when there are process failures, that's a lasting problem."

Others think they just need time to heal, like Sen. Bob Corker, who told Business Insider that most lawmakers revert back to their friendly selves "after about 60 days."

"I remember when the nuclear option happened in like 2013 and it was worse than this," said Corker, a retiring Republican from Tennessee.

Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, who serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, told Business Insider that lawmakers understand the need to get over tense moments. But he said real damage has been done.

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"I was a whip in the House for a long time and my view always was no matter how disappointed you were, you might need the person you were most disappointed in tomorrow," he said. "And I do think there's some short-term damage and I think we will benefit from being out of here for some days at least between now and the election."

"I'm sure we'll get over it," he added. "But it was not a helpful thing the way this has been handled."

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