This dirtbag is running for president, and in the age of Trump and Avenatti, being the most boorish possible “fighter” for your own side is absolutely an asset for an aspiring national nominee.

His reaction here fits too with my theory that the Kavanaugh/Ford saga is at bottom just an exercise in “rough justice” for the left. Whether Kavanaugh actually assaulted Ford is a secondary, almost academic, question. Justice for #MeToo victims everywhere requires borking this guy, to show in the brightest possible spotlight that accusations must, and will, be taken seriously. Swalwell scoffing at death threats aimed at Collins is itself just a form of “rough justice” in his mind, I assume, for the myriad death threats Ford herself has been getting over the past week. There are a lot of dirtbags out there, on both sides.

And a few in Congress too, apparently:

https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1042675860975677440

In his defense, nearly all death threats are unserious. It’s not like any crazed leftists tried to mass-murder Republican members of Congress in recent memory.

Just to sweeten the pot here, Collins herself was asked yesterday about the threats Ford’s been receiving. Her reaction was not “boo hoo.”

https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1042789010014388224

In fact, the full quote shows that Collins mentioned the threats her own office was receiving in the same breath that she called for protection for Ford. Either Swalwell or the staffer who tipped him to what she said deliberately ignored Collins’s wishes that Ford receive security.

Swalwell’s getting some pushback from the left for his callousness so I assume an apology is forthcoming. But his political instincts are sound: In the year of our lord 2018, when you’re aiming for the highest office in the land, you can’t be too much of a dick. In fact, if he wants to break through the noisy clutter of Warren and Booker and Gillibrand and Harris and Avenatti and 85 other Democratic presidential candidates, he might well calculate that the smart play is to double down and hope that Collins gets shot. What better way to prove one’s progressive authenticity than by publicly wishing for a Republican’s death?

Update: Annnnnd it looks like the tweet has already been deleted. The apology:

Yes. No one should make threats. This is a democracy: Be loud and be heard. We don’t use violence. I didn’t mean to suggest that. But I’m pissed how this victim’s safety has been ignored and a rush to confirm has been prioritized. Why not offer the witness security? https://t.co/xzds16EuRx

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) September 20, 2018

Sexual assault victims deserve respect. And senators shouldn’t be threatened by the public. I said something stupid and minimized ugly behavior. That tweet is deleted and I’m sorry for that.

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) September 20, 2018

You can thank the liberals on Twitter who called him out for making that happen. Lord knows it wouldn’t have if it were only conservatives griping at him.