Bullies try to spoil Brett Kavanaugh's dinner. Is this what our democracy has become?

While trying to enjoy a dinner out last week in Washington, D.C., Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh found himself the target of protesters.

They discovered where he was dining, gathered outside and then called the manager of Morton’s steakhouse, demanding the justice’s removal from the restaurant.

The band of bullies apparently wanted to express their displeasure over Kavanaugh’s vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

'Let him eat cake'

Luckily, Morton’s didn’t fold to the mob, and Kavanaugh finished his dinner. Well, almost. He reportedly left out the back door before dessert.

What happened is bad enough, but it’s the flippant response from some Democrats that’s even more distasteful.

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Jan. 6 was an attack on our democracy: So was a man's plan to kill Justice Kavanaugh

Keep in mind that just weeks ago, Kavanaugh was the target of an assassination plot, and for days, protesters marched outside his home – and the homes of other conservative justices.

After the restaurant shaming, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York chimed in on Twitter with a snarky take:  "Poor guy. He left before his soufflé because he decided half the country should risk death if they have an ectopic pregnancy within the wrong state lines. It’s all very unfair to him. The least they could do is let him eat cake."

Others who joined in the fun included U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s husband. Buttigieg defended him as well as the protesters “exercising their First Amendment rights.”

Even the White House offered a tepid response when asked about what had happened.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to a question from Fox News about whether justices have no right to privacy when protesters disagree with an opinion. Her answer: “This is what a democracy is.”

How do we fix this?: Democracy crisis existed in America long before Trump

Morton's stands up to the mob

Our democracy gives us many rights – to vote, to campaign for people and issues we believe in, and to speak our mind. Yet just because we can do something, should we?

Morton’s got it right in its statement, defending the rights of its patrons to eat in peace.

“Politics, regardless of your side or views, should not trample the freedom at play of the right to congregate and eat dinner,” the restaurant stated. “There is a time and place for everything. Disturbing the dinner of all of our customers was an act of selfishness and void of decency.”

I know. There’s not a “right to eat dinner” in our Constitution. And I’m a firm believer in freedom of speech.

There’s something dehumanizing, however, about preventing someone from enjoying something as simple as a meal. And the message is clear: If you don’t act in a way we approve, we will never stop intimidating you.

Now that abortion laws are a matter for states to debate, those who support abortion rights have plenty of opportunity to get involved in those decisions.

An officer killed her son: Now, this mom is fighting to save others

Many liberals seem fine with a much more childish response.

“We have to raise hell – in our cities, in Washington, in every restaurant Justice (Samuel) Alito eats at for the rest of his life,” said Samantha Bee on her late-night show of the Supreme Court opinion, authored by Alito. “Because if Republicans have made our lives hell, it’s time to return the favor.”

It’s a strange impulse.

Several years ago, I wrote about a spate of instances where women working in the Trump administration were accosted and shunned at restaurants and other public places.

Conservative women are often targets, but they're not the only ones.

Last October, ​​progressive protesters followed Democratic Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema into a public restroom because they were frustrated she wasn’t willing to sign on to the Build Back Better spending spree.

And in December 2020, protesters angry about the election results descended on the home of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat. She was trying to enjoy an evening with her young son.

Contempt blurs lines of civility

There’s no question we are a deeply divided nation, and the growing contempt the right and left have for one another is blurring the lines between the political and personal.

It’s no longer just about hating an idea or policy – it’s about treating the person who holds those views as worthless.

So while some may try to minimize – or mock – Kavanaugh’s spoiled dinner, it’s a symptom of a much bigger problem.

More from Ingrid Jacques:

Title IX: Biden would use civil rights office … to strip civil rights from students

What Arizona governor told me: GOP can become the ‘Parents’ Party’

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kavanaugh dinner targeted by abortion-rights activists. Democrats mock