In Portland, Robert McCullough, an energy economist who describes himself as a “liberal Republican,” was struck by Judge Kavanaugh’s emotional tone as he pilloried Democrats on the committee and cried as he talked about how the charges had affected his family and children.
“For an experienced judge to issue such a tirade is very unusual,” Mr. McCullough said. “I was surprised and a bit alarmed.”
In Atlanta, Sophia Tone, 17, watched the hearing in a classroom at Druid Hills High School and then tuned in again once she got home. While Mr. Trump and Judge Kavanaugh’s conservative supporters rallied behind his angry rebuttals, Ms. Tone said she found them jarring. “He’s so aggressive, it’s hard for me to process what he’s saying and believe it,” she said.
She wanted the hearings to focus on an alleged sexual assault, but the increasingly divisive reactions from Senators of both parties only underlined, for her, the polarized atmosphere of American politics. “This shouldn’t be Republican versus Democrat,” she said.
When it was over, and people changed channels or turned off their televisions, there were few signs of any national catharsis. Dr. Blasey’s supporters believed her when she said she was “100 percent” sure Judge Kavanaugh had attacked her. Supporters of the conservative judge accepted that he was “100 percent certain” the allegations were false.
In Massachusetts, Ms. Brodesser finished the day with more empathy for Judge Kavanaugh and the threats and slurs his family had been forced to endure. But she still believed Dr. Blasey. Surviving an assault like she did, she said, does not simply wrap up like a daylong televised confirmation hearing.
“Every night when you walk to your car in a parking lot,” she said. “Every minute of every day, you’re thinking about it whether you want to or not.”
