Judge Kavanaugh's Senate Hearings and His Expressed Attitude

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring Anthony Kennedy as the next United States Supreme Court justice took place last week.  The proceedings, aired live on C-Span and the major cable news channels, gave the country a chance to see for themselves what kind of person he is.  From my point of view, he did quite well, very composed in the face of continually screaming hecklers and some very harsh questioning from the Democrats, most severely by Senator Kamala Harris.  We all know that he is conservative, but Kavanaugh himself stated that he would put his own personal views on issues to the side and address how the various cases he is presented with stand up to the law...most importantly, the foundational U.S. Constitution.  However, I've heard similar pronouncements from Court nominees in the past: Gorsuch, Kagan, Sotomayor, Alito, and Roberts all would supposedly deal with the law and not allow personal prejudices to influence them.  The only problem is that the pattern in any decision that has come down over the past few years with politically partisan implications has seen these justices and the others predictably line up on their different "sides" that they claim don't exist.  Kavanaugh said that he would treat the Supreme Court as the "team of nine" and would work hard to create more of a consensus with rulings instead of the sharply divided 5-4 votes that have characterized it in recent years.  Well, I'm pretty sure that he will be confirmed...maybe this will be one of those justices in history who will make a positive difference in unifying the nation.  I have written before that I like Brett Kavanaugh: unlike with Neil Gorsuch, whose performance at his hearings made me skeptical of his fairmindedness, this nominee far exceeded my expectations...in fact, much better than did the previous ones I've mentioned.  I wish him the best, but I'm also hoping against hope that he will truly be the independent justice that he promises to be...wouldn't that be a breath of fresh air for a change...