"Let's wait and see what the investigation shows! Anyway, the timing is suspicious! Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?"

The political arena is not a courtroom. Elections are not trials. We the People are not prosecutors, or defense attorneys, or judges. Maybe we're closest to being jurors, but even that is a lousy analogy. There is no obligation to follow rules of evidence or procedure. But there *is* an obligation to do what we think is best, with the knowledge we have at the time.

Eric #Swalwell should not go to prison without trial. Of course. He shouldn't be a candidate for the governorship of the most populous state in the country, either, under the current circumstances. All the #Democratic Party and the voters of #California can do right now is go with their guts.

By way of analogy, when Donald #Trump first ran for President, he had not yet been found legally liable for any sexual offenses. We'd be better off today if more #Republicans had chosen not to hold their noses and ignore the unmistakable stink of sleaze radiating off the guy. Sauce for the goose ...

And while I'm on that topic, all the cries about timing, the rumors of Roger Stone's involvement, etc.? Okay, it could be true. *Maybe* it's a plot to take down someone who was until recently a rising star. We know it happens.

We also know, or should know, that abusers turn up in every walk of life, every job, every political party. Right now I'm catching more a whiff of "He can't be like that, he's one of Our People! That's a Those People problem!" Yeah. Never a good look.

Throughout my life, I've been part of several quite different groups of Our People, and one thing they have in common is that they are very reluctant to admit repulsive behaviors right in front of their noses, because they're so sure only Those People do such things. Which makes me a lot less thrilled to be one of Our People than I was when I filled out my membership application.

Maybe Swalwell didn't do any of what he's accused of. Maybe he did some, but not the worst. Maybe he did all of it and genuinely believed at the time that it was consensual. I acknowledge that any of those could be true.

I just don't care. It's time for him to go.