This week in the saga

The momentum turns his way, and he tells the rally crowds the only reason to vote against him is if they are tired of winning. He dismisses the protesters as paid professionals with identical, manufactured signs. The chamber moves at last, voting to advance the nomination, and then the prize is won: the Senate confirms his nominee to the highest court, and he applauds the great victory. With the bench secured, he turns the enemy into the whole campaign — you don't give power to an angry mob, he warns; vote Republican. The bench is won, and now the mob he fought becomes the enemy of the midterms.