If she testifies, here’s what I think she’s thinking: this is a replay of Anita Hill against Clarence Thomas. Hill didn’t stop the confirmation of Thomas, but she did come out of the hearings very nicely. Her career blossomed. She is now a professor at a prestigious university and a feminist icon who can sell books and command major fees for her speeches. It was all upside for Anita Hill. And if Ford does testify she will likely reap the same rewards. Or at least she expects to. And why not? The Dems and the left will certainly reward her for destroying a man’s reputation, and attempting to keep him off the SC. As with Anita Hill, there is no downside. It’s all upside.
I don’t think Anita Hill would have gotten away with that in the internet age. Also, Republicans — for all their flaws — have had been much more politically astute and organized since the 1994 elections. They’ve actually eclipsed the Democrats in this area, in many ways.