Ultimately, the vote on Saturday was about preserving the status quo. It was about keeping women in our place. There are currently four female Democrats serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee, but no Republican female. In fact, there has never been a female Republican on the committee in its 202-year history. When asked why he thought that might be, chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, initially said it might be because of the workload. (He later walked back those comments.)

Some wondered earlier this week if the Kavanaugh vote would be Susan Collins’ “declaration of conscience” moment. Instead, Collins defended Kavanaugh and implied that Ford must have been mis-remembered her assault since the FBI could not corroborate facts from 36 years ago. I know that even though my own abuse started when I was only eight years old, I will never forget the man who did it. I will never forget his face. Ford said she was 100 percent sure that her assailant was Kavanaugh and I believe her. Shame on anyone who would call her “mixed-up” or “having a false memory” in the name of protecting the reputation of a “good man.”

The bottom line is that the modern Republican Party still only respects certain kinds of women. They have not embraced the changing demographics of America, they have not embraced the true diversity of America. They are a party run by white men, for white men, with the tacit support of a certain kind of white woman. But if recent polls are accurate, they will soon pay a steep price for their increasingly narrow vision.