(no subject)
Sep. 28th, 2019 09:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatHmmm- in case you want to hear this, here it is. It's the full whistle-blower complaint, apparently, released by Penguine and read to us.
What just hit me about it -- is the similarity to what happened in Watergate. Where Nixon, while he was President of the US had his campaign staff break into Democratic Headquarters to get dirt on his opponent in the upcoming election. (George McGovern).
A summarization of Watergate Scandal as posted on Wiki.
"The Watergate scandal was a scandal during and after the 1972 Presidential Election. United States President and Republican Richard Nixon was running for election against Democrat George McGovern. Frank Wills, a security guard, discovered clues that former FBI and CIA agents broke into the offices of the Democratic Party and George McGovern months before the election. These people listened to phone lines and secret papers were stolen. When these men were found, it turned out that Nixon was involved and he had helped them cover it all up and might have even hired these men. The Washington Post was a newspaper which played a huge role in exposing the misdoings, specifically reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. This showed the public that Nixon was not to be trusted, and society began to view him in a different light."
Those who remember Watergate -- remember two things, 1) They didn't think Nixon would ever resign or get impeached, even though they believed he was guilty. AND 2) They had friends/family members and still do that didn't believe it actually happened and the Democrats made it up, and railroaded Nixon. (Some Republicans still believe that, all evidence to the contrary, because they could not believe anyone would do something either that stupid or that nasty to win an election.) And yet, here we are again. Except 100 times worse -- it's a foreign country, and it impacts foreign policy and how the world views us. Before it was just on US territory, but here it impacted another country's foreign policy and the aid it desperately needed, and it's relations with others. In attempt to get dirt on an opponent, the leader of one country impacted the people and leadership of another. In an attempt to print dirt on politicians a specific journalist despised, a news organization impacted another country's foreign policy. My take-away from all of this is not what you might think. What I'm seeing is a disturbing pattern that suggests that we need to find another way to handle elections in our country, and to run for elected office. The current process clearly has some major problems.
There has to be a kinder and more civilized manner to run for the office of President of the United States. And I don't know about you, but I do NOT want a President who feels the need to dig up dirt on his opponents and spread it around regardless of whether he did it while in office or outside of it. I don't want that person as a leader. I don't care if he or she is Democrat, Republican, Independent, and I do NOT care what their policies or goals or motive or justification is. I want a President who focuses his/her time on figuring out how to solve difficult problems in a manner that will result in the least amount of harm to my country, and my world and my environment. Someone who puts the needs of others before his/her own, and acts as an advocate on their behalf. Someone who thinks before he acts. We need to do something to stop this from happening. A zero tolerance for digging up and spreading dirt on your opponents if you are President of the US, and if you are running for election. You are permitted to look at the issues only. Your opponent's character and actions are not yours to investigate or determine. And if you do it? You are automatically dropped from the ballot, and automatically kicked out of office. No trial. No excuses. No hearings. Just out.
What just hit me about it -- is the similarity to what happened in Watergate. Where Nixon, while he was President of the US had his campaign staff break into Democratic Headquarters to get dirt on his opponent in the upcoming election. (George McGovern).
A summarization of Watergate Scandal as posted on Wiki.
"The Watergate scandal was a scandal during and after the 1972 Presidential Election. United States President and Republican Richard Nixon was running for election against Democrat George McGovern. Frank Wills, a security guard, discovered clues that former FBI and CIA agents broke into the offices of the Democratic Party and George McGovern months before the election. These people listened to phone lines and secret papers were stolen. When these men were found, it turned out that Nixon was involved and he had helped them cover it all up and might have even hired these men. The Washington Post was a newspaper which played a huge role in exposing the misdoings, specifically reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. This showed the public that Nixon was not to be trusted, and society began to view him in a different light."
Those who remember Watergate -- remember two things, 1) They didn't think Nixon would ever resign or get impeached, even though they believed he was guilty. AND 2) They had friends/family members and still do that didn't believe it actually happened and the Democrats made it up, and railroaded Nixon. (Some Republicans still believe that, all evidence to the contrary, because they could not believe anyone would do something either that stupid or that nasty to win an election.) And yet, here we are again. Except 100 times worse -- it's a foreign country, and it impacts foreign policy and how the world views us. Before it was just on US territory, but here it impacted another country's foreign policy and the aid it desperately needed, and it's relations with others. In attempt to get dirt on an opponent, the leader of one country impacted the people and leadership of another. In an attempt to print dirt on politicians a specific journalist despised, a news organization impacted another country's foreign policy. My take-away from all of this is not what you might think. What I'm seeing is a disturbing pattern that suggests that we need to find another way to handle elections in our country, and to run for elected office. The current process clearly has some major problems.
There has to be a kinder and more civilized manner to run for the office of President of the United States. And I don't know about you, but I do NOT want a President who feels the need to dig up dirt on his opponents and spread it around regardless of whether he did it while in office or outside of it. I don't want that person as a leader. I don't care if he or she is Democrat, Republican, Independent, and I do NOT care what their policies or goals or motive or justification is. I want a President who focuses his/her time on figuring out how to solve difficult problems in a manner that will result in the least amount of harm to my country, and my world and my environment. Someone who puts the needs of others before his/her own, and acts as an advocate on their behalf. Someone who thinks before he acts. We need to do something to stop this from happening. A zero tolerance for digging up and spreading dirt on your opponents if you are President of the US, and if you are running for election. You are permitted to look at the issues only. Your opponent's character and actions are not yours to investigate or determine. And if you do it? You are automatically dropped from the ballot, and automatically kicked out of office. No trial. No excuses. No hearings. Just out.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-28 02:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-09-28 04:53 pm (UTC)The best leaders are the reluctant ones, who don't want it. And of course they never run. The reason they are the best is they tend to be the less likely to use nefarious means to get there.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-28 02:26 pm (UTC)Indeed and you wouldn't think it would be so difficult to elect one. I am reminded of this article I read a few days ago.
Unfortunately unlike Watergate Trump has already stated he won't leave regardless. It's helpful that we'll have it on the historical record that his behavior wasn't approved of but I'm afraid the process won't do much otherwise.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-28 04:50 pm (UTC)If nothing happens, that in of itself is a damning indictment of our system and why it doesn't work. It will make it very difficult for us to claim we are democracy or a free country. In short, the land of the free and the brave will become a joke.
If it does work, we still need to do more than that. And it's not just Trump who is at blame here. Anymore than it was just Nixon. It was those around him who enabled and agreed to do it. Both parties. The Democrats and the Republicans are accountable. Not to mention the electoral system that is currently in place, our constitution, and our media.