THAT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE VULNERABLE AND THEY KNOW IT’S BULLSHIT: Red-state Democrats refuse to come out against Kavanaugh.

The Democratic Caucus’ clutch of moderate senators, who mostly hail from conservative states where voters could punish them for opposing Kavanaugh, is under more pressure than ever from a liberal base furious over the sexual assault allegations.

So most of those intently watched Democrats are deferring their public stance until after Thursday’s scheduled hearing with Ford and Kavanaugh. They’re worried about taking unnecessary political risk by taking a stand amid a swirl of unproven charges and uncertainty about whether the GOP even has the votes to confirm the 53-year-old appeals court judge, according to senators and aides.

Still, Democratic leaders are confident of a unanimous “no” vote against Kavanaugh from their caucus, especially if Ford comes off as credible, according to more than a half-dozen senators and aides.

Ford will have to show up tomorrow if she’s to have a shot at credibility, and even at this late date her appearance is still in doubt.