OPINION:
Rep. Eric Swalwell has called off his run for California governor, apologizing for “mistakes in judgment” while insisting the sexual assault and misconduct charges that have come to light in recent days are “false allegations” that he will continue to fight. Notably, his suspension only came on the heels of pressure from Democrat Party leaders.
If party leaders had stood by him, there’s a very good chance Swalwell would still be in the race.
It’s only when Democrats outlive their usefulness and their liabilities become too much effort for too little return that the party machine ousts one of its own.
Think Bill Clinton. Even the women’s rights groups were silent as sexual misconduct accusation after sexual misconduct accusation piled against him. He was running for president, for gosh sake! He was president of the United States, for goodness sake!
Who to fill his shoes if he were to be tossed from politics?
Swalwell, unfortunately enough for him, was running in a crowded field. He was expendable. He was dispensable. No harm, no foul, no real damage to the political landscape at-large if Democrats were to turn on him. There were — there are — plenty other Dems already running.
When Rep. Keith Ellison was seeking the attorney general seat in Minnesota, and a former girlfriend, Karen Monahan, accused that he had physically and emotionally abused her — on one occasion, dragging her off the bed while shouting obscenities at her — he survived politically. He won. He denied the accusations — just like Swalwell — and won.
Sen. Bob Menendez faced a slew of accusations about hiring underage prostitutes while vacationing in the Dominican Republic. He consistently and vehemently denied those allegations — which, it’s true, were never proven. Swalwell’s aren’t proven, yet, either. And it wasn’t the salacious narratives that ultimately destroyed Menendez’s political career and sent him to jail; it was bribery and corruption.
Democrat Rep. Anthony Weiner sent one too many sexual texts and fatigued the party’s patience. After years of defending-slash-staying-silent on his alleged behaviors, Democrats finally cut him loose. But it took years. It took Weiner becoming a problem for Hillary Clinton — he was married to her top aide — that his star lost luster.
And then there was Tony Cardenas, California Democrat congressman.
From CNN, from 2018: “More than a day after the child sexual assault allegations against … Cardenas became public, [then] House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said she was withholding judgment … until a House Ethics Committee investigation is complete. A broad array of other Democratic officials in California and in Washington have declined to comment publicly.”
Silence can be golden when Democrats are protecting their own. Meanwhile, media coverage can be deadly when Republicans are running for office.
CNN continues: “The cautious response to a sitting congressman accused of assaulting a then-16-year-old girl more than 10 years ago is striking after a year in which the #MeToo movement and the Roy Moore scandal dominated the headlines.”
Roy Moore was a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and lost his special election on the heels of widespread reports of sexual misconduct with minor-age girls decades earlier. He carried a lot of baggage into the race, including issues related to his service as a judge in Alabama, when he was found guilty of violating judicial ethics. But once again, his is a case of denying all charges — and with Moore, he even filed defamation suits against his female accusers, saying their accusations of sexual assault were rooted in a political conspiracy that was driven by his foes.
Moore deserved the media scrutiny. He deserved the party scrutiny.
But so did Cardenas. So, too, Clinton. Same for Menendez; same for Ellison.
Too often, though, political campaigning is not so much a contest of principles as it is a race for party dominance, with the scales being tipped on a variety of measurables that have nothing to do with moral service, ability to uphold the Constitution or humble representation to the people. Rather, political contests are much more about deciding which candidate best represents the party’s interests. And toward that end, party leaders make their decision, in cahoots with their friends in the media, about the fate of the candidate and whether a sexual assault charge is worth ignoring, a domestic violence accusation is worth denying, a criminal corruption past is worth dismissing.
“Democrats withdraw endorsements of Eric Swalwell and demand he end bid for California governor,” CNN wrote.
And shortly after, he did. He just wasn’t needed. He could be easily replaced. The party saw it has other options.
Swalwell became easily disposable.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “God-Given Or Bust: Defeating Marxism and Saving America With Biblical Truths,” is available by clicking HERE.
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