New poll shows what Americans thought of Democrats smearing Kavanaugh, and it's stunning

A stunning new poll asking Americans what they thought about how Brett Kavanaugh was treated in the confirmation process has a stunning result for Democrats.

Independents are unimpressed

Among the crucial election demographic of independents, Democrats are underwater by a 28-percentage point margin.

While 30 percent of independents approved of how Democrats handled the nomination, a whopping 58 percent said they disapproved.

The CNN/SSRS poll was released Monday just head of Kavanaugh being sworn in to the Supreme Court.

Independents are key indicators of elections because while those identified with either party generally vote according to their identification, independents are seen as swing votes that can decided an election.

Overall, the numbers were less rosy for Republicans. Only 41 percent of Americans said they wanted to see Kavanaugh confirmed, while 51 percent opposed the confirmation.

Other polls however, show that Democratic hopes for a "blue wave" are fading. On Tuesday, a Quinnipiac University poll showed that the Democratic advantage in the generic ballot had been sliced in half from 14 percentage points in September to just 7 percentage points at the start of October.

Another poll from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist released last Wednesday showed that Republicans had all but obliterated the "enthusiasm gap" that Democrats were enjoying.

Here's the latest in the Kavanaugh confirmation saga: