As Senator Lindsay Graham posed the question, "Would you say you've been through hell?"
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And Judge Brett Kavanaugh observed, "This is a circus..."
And Dr. Christine Blasey Ford proclaimed, "I believe I am here because this is my civic duty..."
Many of us observed the politics and process on mobile devices, surrounded by crowds, and yet alone.
WATCH: Key moments from the Kavanaugh-Ford hearing
Thursday's Senate hearings streamed almost anywhere to those caught up in it -- or not.
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"There has been nastiness brewing for a long time," said Liam Clark, an interior decorator in San Francisco.
At street level, we detected a level of disconnect, Thursday, even for this narrative that affects all of us. Imagine a contest, almost like a political Super Bowl, for so many of us had already pre-chosen sides and winners. Fair enough. Except, when football games end, a victor emerges. In this case, it depends who you ask.
VIDEO: Christine Blasey Ford's full statement at Senate hearing
"There is no winner here," we heard time and again.
"The nation loses." We heard variations of that, as well, of a process that has strayed into territory never imagined by our nation's founders.
"We're losers because we don't get an ideal candidate," said Michelle Abala.
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"This whole mess is upsetting," said Clark. "There has been nastiness brewing for a long time. It's upsetting to see the most powerful nation in the world behaving like utter children."
VIDEO: Watch Brett Kavanaugh's statement to Senate Judiciary Committee
Those would be observations from a distance.
At lunch.
Full coverage on the hearing here.