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It has been fascinating to watch as President Trump’s SCOTUS pick Judge Amy Coney Barrett sits calmly and listens patiently as condescending Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee “question” her on a variety of issues in hopes of tripping her up and getting her to reveal the way she would rule on future cases that will inevitably come before the court.

Without missing a beat, she answers the senators in a manner befitting a nominee for the highest court in the nation, making sure to observe the so-called “Ginsburg rule” at every opportunity.

But perhaps to break up the monotony of the confirmation hearings as they went into the second full day, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) asked Judge Barrett to explain to those listening what it felt like to be a nominee for the Supreme Court.

The answer she gave was pretty powerful:

“I’ve tried to be on a media blackout for the sake of my mental health,” Barrett told the committee. “You can’t keep yourself walled off from everything and I’m aware of a lot of the caricatures that are floating around.”

She added: “We knew that our lives would be combed over for any negative detail. We knew that our faith would be caricatured. We knew our family would be attacked. And so we had to decide whether those difficulties would be worth it because what sane person would go through that if there wasn’t a benefit on the other side?”

Barrett continued to say that the benefit is “that I’m committed to the rule of law and the role of the Supreme Court in dispensing equal justice for all. And I’m not the only person who can do this job. But I was asked, and it would be difficult for anyone. So why should I say someone else should do the difficulty if the difficulty is the only reason to say no?”

Judge Barrett also noted that she had “made distinct choices” in her life. “I’ve decided to pursue a career and have a large family. I have a multiracial family. Our faith is important to us,” she stated.

“All of those things are true, but they are my choices.” She also said she had “never tried in my personal life to impose” her choices on people with differing views from hers. “And the same is true professionally.”

Watch:

ACB's answer to Graham's question on how it feels to be nominated to the Supreme Court is pretty tremendous. pic.twitter.com/ZuvGCl4iOG

— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) October 13, 2020

I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to be a Supreme Court nominee, much less one nominated by a Republican president and who has to appear before perpetually angry and pompous Democrats, many of who declared before the process even got started that they were opposed to her nomination before they’d even had the chance to ask the first question.

Amy Coney Barrett’s answer to Graham’s question was about as perfect as it gets, as has been the dignified way she’s presented herself throughout this process. I think Democrats know this, too, which is why they have spent so much time appearing to go through the motions while using their time more to attack Trump and the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee than to question ACB.