I agree with the Bork nomination being a contributing event--- but his nomination was partly a deliberate provocation on the part of the Reagan administration. The thing that was remarkable was the way the template was set for both parties to attack almost all nominees from then on. The difference being that he was rejected in a bipartisan vote of the full Senate. Whereas the current mode is to harass, harangue and hector the nominee in the media before they get to a vote. History is filled with many ironies. Because Bork was "Borked" Anthony Kennedy was appointed giving the key swing vote on a number of preferred liberal outcomes before the court. And had Bork been on the Court when he died in 2012 Obama would have been able to make a fourth nomination to the Supreme Court... Mitch McConnell notwithstanding. When I think of Bork I think of damaged goods. Had he not been such a toady for Nixon and been so free expressing his extremist opinions he might have faired better. Would you support Bill Barr being nominated in the next Republican administration?