Her statement about it being a courtesy to her friend made zero sense...what did that even mean?
If I understand it correctly, it is intended to be a courtesy to Daines to let Daines stay longer at his daughter’s wedding. The margin of winning will remain the same (one vote). It would be something like 50 to 48 instead of 51 to 49.
I think the winning margin could still grow between now and the approval vote since everyone is now committed and senators still have time to switch sides so long as the approval outcome is not changed. I don’t think Daines coming back and voting once Murkowski votes present would be a good idea since it would to some degree decrease institutional trust in McConnell along with any Republican successor. However Murkowski’s reasoning seems weak enough that it seems to me conceivable that her mindset could be swayed in the direction of Kavanaugh in the final vote. This could be some kind of low grade kabuki. Another way Murkowski could be swayed is if Trump intervened with a carrot or a stick. If so someone ought to make sure Murkowski understands what is going on since she seems as dumb as a rock.
As far as Feinstein strongarming her, my own thinking of the publicized photos of their discussion should not be over-analyzed. In some videos Feinstein seems to sway from one side to another. This makes me wonder if Feinstein has a problem with her legs— specifically her hips. Anyone know more details of her physical condition? I did not watch the entire bombast body language video but imho the possibility of an ambulatory-related physical ailment should be taken into consideration when trying to analyze Feinstein’s body language. Hip arthritis, knee problems, plantar fascitis, etc.