Are Mobs Still Bad When Their Target Is Brett Kavanaugh?

One reason why the January 6 Capitol riot was so shocking is that it involved street mobs — on the political right. Mobs of many kinds that shut down the operations of government and business, intimidate individuals, or engage in riots and violence have long been a common tactic on the left. January 6 finally brought a lot of people on the center-left and left to decry mob protest tactics. For those of us who have spent years decrying such tactics, it was welcome company. But we did not expect that company to last, given how deeply ingrained mob tactics are in the world of left-wing activism and how often the opinions of voices on the left side of the political spectrum are entirely situational.

Monday evening, pro-abortion protesters from a group called ShutDownDC came to the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Had they been bent only on free speech, they could easily have protested outside the Court itself. Indeed, during the past term of the Court, Kavanaugh was the only justice working there, as the others worked from home. The crowd, drawn by protests over the Court declining to strike down the new Texas abortion law before it went into effect, chanted at Kavanaugh’s house that he should resign.

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Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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One reason why the January 6 Capitol riot was so shocking is that it involved street mobs — on the political right. Mobs of many kinds that shut down the operations of government and business, intimidate individuals, or engage in riots and violence have long been a common tactic on the left. January 6 finally brought a lot of people on the center-left and left to decry mob protest tactics. For those of us who have spent years decrying such tactics, it was welcome company. But we did not expect that company to last, given how deeply ingrained mob tactics are in the world of left-wing activism and how often the opinions of voices on the left side of the political spectrum are entirely situational.

Monday evening, pro-abortion protesters from a group called ShutDownDC came to the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Had they been bent only on free speech, they could easily have protested outside the Court itself. Indeed, during the past term of the Court, Kavanaugh was the only justice working there, as the others worked from home. The crowd, drawn by protests over the Court declining to strike down the new Texas abortion law before it went into effect, chanted at Kavanaugh’s house that he should resign.