The GOP did a good job of revealing the sausage-making political nature of how the Dems managed the allegations. That’s a separate issue than the credibility of the accusations, which seemed believable to me, and the craziness of his response.
The hearings gave the impression that the Dems sat on the accusations until the most politically opportune time. There may have been nonpolitical reasons for their timing or that politicization may be a fair and normal DC move, but in light of the seriousness of the accusations, it seemed dirty and manipulative.
It’s hard to hold the moral high ground, even if that high ground is as basic as being against rape, when the allegations seem like nothing more than a political tool. The raping part was no doubt the worst part, and running interference for a likely rapist is terrible as well, but using a crime victim to win a political victory is still a bit sleazy. At first the timing seemed tactically brilliant to me, but in light of the nature of the allegations, it was a bit unseemly. Still nowhere near rape though.
I thought the allegations seemed credible and his response was nuts and disqualifying, but everyone ended up looking dirty in the process.