MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Reveals Democrats' Targeted Plan to Block Kavanaugh's Confirmation: 'There Is a Method to What They Are Doing'

Most observers believe Democrats have no chance to stop the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, but the lawmakers are nevertheless putting up a serious fight in his Senate hearings.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow argued Thursday night, however, that the Democratic senators' efforts — pressing the nominee on specific hot-button issues, jostling to get documents from his time in government released — are not mere showboating. Rather, she said, they appear to be a targeted campaign to induce potentially wary Republican senators to abandon their support for the nominee.

If she's right, it's certainly a longshot — but it's the best chance Democrats have.

She pointed to efforts by senators like Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) who brought up specific issues from Kavanaugh's past that might make a few GOP lawmakers hesitant to support him. Booker was particularly vocal Thursday about releasing Kavanaugh documents that pertained to racial issues.

"Those are documents that wouldn't have otherwise been seen by anybody off the committee," Maddow explained. "When they're releasing the documents, that may be the only way they can let Sen. Tim Scott know that Brett Kavanaugh says affirmative action is a naked racial set-aside. That may be the only way they can let Sen. Lisa Murkowski know what Brett Kavanaugh would do to native Alaskans. That may be the only way to lay it out as clearly as possible for Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins that Brett Kavanaugh doesn't think Roe v. Wade is settled law. He really does think the court could overturn that."

She concluded: "It is not just noise here. There is a melody. There is a method to what they are doing."

Watch the clip below: