For virtually my entire adult life, there was always at least one swing justice on the Supreme Court. First, it was Justice Powell, and then it was Kennedy. They gave both sides hope that the system could be made to work in their favor. The reasonable possibility of success gave the system legitimacy.
That is no longer true. There are no swing justices on the current Court. Roberts and Kavanaugh are on the same train, with the same ultimate destination, as the other four reactionaries; the difference is that they occasionally believe the train needs to slow down a bit to maintain public support for the Court.
So how will the left react when it realizes it can’t win culture war cases? First, with sullen acceptance; later, by proposing significant constitutional change and by refusing to comply with obnoxious federal court orders. It’s just a matter of time.