Posted on 08/23/2018 12:10:57 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The news about the president is shocking. Behavior that would get most people fired has taken place, and something must be done. Are we, as a nation, not up in arms when a president:
--Is repeatedly and humiliatingly unfaithful to his wife?
--Engages in sexually exploitative conduct with young women working for him?
--Is credibly accused of sexual misconduct by more than one woman?
--Uses racial slurs to describe African-Americans, in the crudest possible terms?
--Lies to the American public repeatedly?
--Spies on journalists and denies them access to the White House?
--Interferes with investigations into foreign nationals suspected of illegal activity?
--Cozies up to hostile nations?
--Issues executive orders of questionable legality -- and then brags about it?
--Refers to political opponents as “enemies”?
--Insults large swaths of the American public?
Aren’t you appalled? Are you ready to call your congressional representatives and demand impeachment?
That’s unfortunate, because it’s too late.
All of the behavior described above was engaged in by presidents who have already left office -- oh, and all Democrats, by the way.
Former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was unfaithful to Eleanor Roosevelt. (A New York Times article about FDR’s long-term affair with Lucy Mercer waxes nostalgic about the days of “an obliging press and retinues of discreet enablers” that enabled presidents to keep their dalliances private. Make of that what you will.) Former President John F. Kennedy’s infidelity to his wife, Jackie Kennedy, was pathological. (His father, Joseph Kennedy, apparently enjoyed a liaison with actress Gloria Swanson. Ew.) And not much need be said about former President Bill Clinton.
CARTOONS | AF BRANCO VIEW CARTOON Ditto for sexually exploitative conduct. Mimi Alford wrote a book about her affair with JFK when she was a 19-year-old White House intern. (Kennedy’s behavior was not only that of a predator but also a pimp.) Clinton had a notorious sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky (about which he lied under oath, setting the stage for his impeachment) and has been accused of sexual assault -- including rape -- by multiple women.
Former President Lyndon Johnson’s language was racist day in and day out. He used the N-word and other racial slurs against African-Americans in general, those who worked for him and even former Justice Thurgood Marshall -- whom he nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court!
When it comes to lying to the public, former President Barack Obama had a great run. He lied about the Benghazi terrorist attack. He lied -- repeatedly -- about what Obamacare would do to Americans’ health care coverage and costs. (The New York Times gently acknowledged that Obama “clearly misspoke.” Um, yes -- three dozen times.)
In fact, President Obama can take credit for a number of the items listed above. He spied on journalist James Rosen, “went to war” against Fox News and severely curtailed press access to the White House. Obama deliberately impeded an investigation into drug running and money laundering by terrorist organization Hezbollah because it interfered with the deal he wanted with Iran (which he also lied about, by the way).
Obama was also fond of lording his power -- whether or not completely in conformity with constitutional limits -- over his political opponents. Notable Obama quotables include “Elections matter,” and “I won,” and “I’ve got a pen ... and I’ve got a telephone.” Obama’s executive orders on immigration impermissibly usurped the legislative prerogative of Congress, and the federal appointments he made without Senate approval -- while the Senate was in session -- exceeded the lawful limits of executive power, as the Supreme Court unanimously pointed out.
Nor was President Obama more solicitous of the federal judiciary -- at least when it decided cases against him. Obama’s Department of the Interior was held in contempt by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, for refusing to remove a moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico that the court had previously found to be unconstitutional.
And he displayed his share of disdain for the public, saying at one point, “We’re gonna punish our enemies, and we’re gonna reward our friends,” and infamously describing the denizens of Rust Belt states as “bitter” anti-immigrant bigots who “cling to guns or religion.”
To say, “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” is to throw in the towel and tacitly accept this kind of behavior as a matter of course from our elected officials. If we don’t like where we are now, we’ll rue the day when that attitude becomes explicit.
That said, it is the media and other highly visible thought leaders -- largely on the left -- who bear the lion’s share of responsibility for the curious position in which we find ourselves. They have displayed craven hypocrisy in their willingness to excuse improper, immoral and even unlawful conduct from politicians on their side and then try to whip the American public into a furor by feigning outrage and indignation when anything even approaching that which they’ve winked at is engaged in by Republicans.
That, dear friends, is what has gotten us here. It is why so many Trump voters don’t give a damn about the allegations of surgically enhanced porn stars or ethically challenged lawyers.
If the president’s conduct is truly reprehensible, it should matter. But if it doesn’t matter for all, then -- like it or not -- it won’t matter for any.
But that was in another country: And besides, the wench is dead.
LBJ also had affairs, IIRC.
[ All of the behavior described above was engaged in by presidents who have already left office — oh, and all Democrats, by the way. ]
Yes, but it’s all O.K. when Democrats do it. Crime, extortion, pay-for-play, destruction of evidence.
It’s also O.K. if it’s Democrats masquerading as Republicans (Comey, Keating 5 McCain, etc.).
I doesn’t matter. There is no one to report the hypocrisy, and those who do report it are preaching to a choir.
This current President is so much better than the last 3. I was embarrassed and sick to my stomach the ENTIRE time obama was in office. What a disappointment a group of citizens have become. They no longer deserve to reside inside this country.
“New, from DemCo: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hate Crime!
“We’ve all been there, something bad happens and mean Republicans, pro-lifers, the NRA gun nuts or homophobic haters point out that it was perpetrated by minorities, homosexuals, transgender persons, or one of those wonderful Muslims.
“What is a progressive to do?
“Why, with new I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hate Crime you can push their tiresome, boring rants far, far away!
“Just apply I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hate Crime to your rectum like so and it’s patented politically correct recipe strongly attracts the skin of you scalp ...” (Voice now muffled) “... and now you’ll have no problem realizing who is really responsible for whatever goes wrong!”
(fast speaking voice)
“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hate Crime has no known side effects that you cannot blame on the bad people. If you start to feel uncomfortable simply apply more I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hate Crime and discomfort will fade. Reports of users disappearing up their own asses are muckraking rumors spread by crypto-fascists, who are you going to believe anyway?”
(muffled announcer voice again)
“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Hate Crime, available on school campuses and from druggist nation wide!”
Did you read the article? She’s saying if it didn’t matter for all those who were before him, it shouldn’t matter for him. Apply standards equally, or don’t apply them at all.
I’ll bet she sucked a lot of folks in on the first part of that.
Good one...
ROFL! Is that yours, or Gutfeld’s?
Mine.
You might want to at least read some of the article before you hit the “post” button.
I am not going to hold PDJT to any moral standard other than one dictated by law and due process.
Whatever he has done in his private life does not matter.
I like the way he is running the country and will vote for him as long as he works to continue to rebuild our economy and traditional institutions.
If PDJT has committed a crime, lets see your evidence. Otherwise STFU !
Trump is guilty of the crime of kicking Hitlery’s butt in the election. That is far worse than any other presidential misconduct and sins of all past president’s combined. That makes him a racist as well. ROFLMAO!
Republican presidents are accused of doing what Democrat president do. I would like to see Trump point that out.
RE: THIS WRITER NEEDS TO BUZZ OFF!
Did you bother to read the article, or just the title?
Over the ensuing years a great deal continues to be written and said about the importance of the President's morality. True, during Clinton's presidency - especially during the Lewinsky episode - Republicans made a YUGE issue about morals. The Dems, never a group that was big on unchanging truth, basically said whatever happens between two consenting adults is nobody's business. That may be bad morality, but it reflected the zeitgeist (perhaps formed by a willing MSM)....Clinton was impeached but not removed - and he didn't step down.
To a certain extent, though, the Clinton situation was an anomaly. The Dems wouldn't surrender Clinton; it was a political necessity to not abandon ship. Over the ensuing years, many people - including Algore and even Hillary - spoke of Bill's actions as being reprehensible.
And so we continued flying the morality flag:
-In large measure, the Republicans held on to this "morality at all cost" approach at the Executive level - it is in part what got us W, McCain (with his multiple divorces, yes, but again society got over that in 1980), then Willard.
-To a certain extent, the Dems also played this game - they ran Gore, Lurch (yea, Mr Heinz but that was at least ok in a Biblical sense), dropped John Edwards REAL fast, ran Obama then Hillary.
All of these candidates (with the great exception of Hillary) were pretty clean morally: intact and loving marriages, went to church, etc.
Trump failed that morality test set up by the parties. The guy was an alley cat in his younger days, with two ex-wives to boot. Against the other 16 or so Republican candidates, Trump looked like a moral degenerate.
When Billy Bush's video tape with "locker room talk" arose, that that should have torpedoed Trump. Trump turned it into an asset, bringing the woman Bill Clinton abused out of dark and into the campaign.
It is also reported that Trump had a sort of epiphany, a "born again" like moment during the campaign. I think this is a vital element in this saga: a key to Trump's success with Deplorables who otherwise would not want a guy like him being around their daughters, is that he has acknowledged his past and - dare I say - repented and received blessings . He never lied about or twisted his less-than-stellar morality in his younger years. He HAS remarried and stayed faithful but he acknowledges he's not perfect.
In contrast, there are websites dedicated to the victims of Arkancide.
I have found these better behaviors very helpful when the little DoodleBobs ask about Trump's past. History is filled with heros who failed the smell test. They all rose above their imperfections. Trump isn't perfect but I am convinced he'd wouldn't be successful today if it wasn't for this repentance and honesty.
This is why we hate the media.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.