Democratic heavyweight and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe had perhaps the most scorching take Monday night on President Donald Trump nominating Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Trump announced the selection of Kavanaugh, a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals judge, to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy Monday night, and within minutes McAuliffe was predicting doom for millions.
"The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh will threaten the lives of millions of Americans for decades to come and will morph our Supreme Court into a political arm of the right-wing Republican Party," McAuliffe said.
The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh will threaten the lives of millions of Americans for decades to come and will morph our Supreme Court into a political arm of the right-wing Republican Party.
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) July 10, 2018
Some other reactions to the pick on Twitter were similarly general in their condemnation of Kavanaugh, saying he would threaten America’s political stability in addition to people’s lives and rights. Among those reactions were a number of – like McAuliffe – potential 2020 aspirants who lambasted the nominee.
If Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to the Supreme Court it will have a profoundly negative effect on workers' rights, women's rights and voting rights for decades to come. We must do everything we can to stop this nomination.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 10, 2018
President Trump just announced Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to the Supreme Court. One thing’s already clear from his record: He can’t be trusted to safeguard rights for women, workers or to end the flow of corporate money to campaigns.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) July 10, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh is an anti-consumer zealot, an opponent of preexisting condition protections, a critic of abortion rights and access to contraception, a Second Amendment radical, and a bad choice for the Supreme Court.
Not a close call. I will vote NO.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) July 10, 2018
https://twitter.com/DerrickNAACP/status/1016492572359847936
.@realDonaldTrump wants to use the Supreme Court to undo what makes our country great. With his choice of Brett Kavanaugh, the Affordable Care Act is in danger. Voting rights and workers' rights are under threat. A woman's right to choose is on the line. #WhatsAtStake
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 10, 2018
On the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh would put in jeopardy many of the protections designed to keep Americans safe and free. From the Clean Air Act to marriage equality, Kavanaugh has sided against the American people time and time again. pic.twitter.com/StwQVIVcDx
— Justin DeWitt (@Dewitt4Congress) July 10, 2018
#WhatsAtStake is bigger than Planned Parenthood. This is a fight for:
Access to abortion
Health care access
LGBTQ rights
Racial equity
Voting rights
Immigrant rights
Workers’ rights
Environmental protections#SCOTUSpick #StopKavanaugh— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) July 10, 2018
Others tweeted specifically about Kavanaugh’s supposed views on particular issues, such as the Second Amendment.
Brett Kavanaugh is a true Second Amendment radical. He believes assault weapon bans are unconstitutional, a position way out of the judicial mainstream, far to the right of even late Justice Scalia.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) July 10, 2018
Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s extreme outlier approach to the Second Amendment would put in jeopardy the full range of gun safety laws. Tell your senators to OPPOSE this Supreme Court nominee: https://t.co/TyQc6vJN78 #ScotusPick pic.twitter.com/upd8VD4jpR
— Moms Demand Action (@MomsDemand) July 10, 2018
Judge Kavanaugh has made clear he would strike down prohibitions on the AR-15 and other assault-style weapons. In 2011, he dissented from a decision upholding Washington, D.C.’s prohibition on assault-style weapons and its requirement to register handguns.
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 10, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh's views are far outside the mainstream when it comes to health care, executive power, privacy and gun safety. We need a nominee who understands that the court must protect the rights of all Americans, not just political interest groups and the powerful. #SCOTUS
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) July 10, 2018
He was painted as an enemy of health care, especially in the eyes of abortion proponents such as NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Trump’s Supreme Court Justice nominee, Judge Kavanaugh, represents a direct and fundamental threat to the rights and health care of hundreds of millions of Americans. I will oppose his nomination to the Supreme Court. #SCOTUSpick
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 10, 2018
BREAKING: Donald Trump just announced anti-choice ideologue Brett Kavanaugh as his pick for the Supreme Court—and the fifth vote to overturn and gut #RoevWade, criminalize abortion and punish women. #SCOTUSPick #SaveSCOTUS pic.twitter.com/VP5aUeVT4b
— NARAL (@NARAL) July 10, 2018
The balance of the Supreme Court is at stake. We cannot allow it to be tilted against the constitutional right to abortion. The rights and health of generations of people are at stake. We cannot go back. #scotuspick
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) July 10, 2018
BREAKING: Brett Kavanaugh is Trump’s #SCOTUSpick. It’s time to get LOUD to #SaveSCOTUS: https://t.co/KIDZgWGQAh pic.twitter.com/NJ0ajbFY0G
— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) July 10, 2018
In selecting Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, @realDonaldTrump has put reproductive rights and freedoms and health care protections for millions of Americans on the judicial chopping block. #WhatsAtStake #StopKavanaugh #ScotusPick pic.twitter.com/vUoVpJ6SHu
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 10, 2018
Republicans have broken precedent and made a mockery of the Senate by refusing to give Merrick Garland a hearing and by removing the need for 60 votes for Supreme Court justices. It’s time that the Senate holds this administration accountable by rejecting this extreme nominee.
— Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) July 10, 2018
Some of Kavanaugh's critics apparently wrote part of their criticism before he was even chosen, as the Women's March organization sent out an email with a placeholder "XX" in place of a name.
https://twitter.com/AlexPappas/status/1016499063657844736