"I now know better, of course, but it's dismaying to know that, given the proper economic circumstances, Americans will elect any rogue, scoundrel, or lackwit to the Oval Office."
I'm old enough to remember when Democrats and their allies gave us every excuse for why it's totally fine that the president got a blow job from his intern in t…
"I now know better, of course, but it's dismaying to know that, given the proper economic circumstances, Americans will elect any rogue, scoundrel, or lackwit to the Oval Office."
I'm old enough to remember when Democrats and their allies gave us every excuse for why it's totally fine that the president got a blow job from his intern in the Oval Office and then lied about it (I'll never forget that finger wagging at us when doing so too), no need to step down, no sir.
You and others may not think there's a through line from Clinton to Trump, but some of us know better.
I’m a Democratic voter and, as much as it pains me to admit it, you have a point.
I come from an evangelical Christian community. When most of my Republican family and friends originally threw their support behind Trump in 2016, I reminded them, “Didn’t you teach me as a child in the 90s that Bill Clinton was a disgrace to the White House and to America for his sexual immorality? For his lying about it? That character matters?”
Some of my family and friends were honest enough to admit that they believed character didn’t matter anymore for presidents. They said character died to them when they saw Democrats bend over backwards to defend Bill Clinton’s personal conduct that contradicted the party’s rhetoric on valuing women. And they were honest enough to say that they were now doing the same for Trump’s immoral behavior. It’s no accident that right after the “grab em by the pussy” tape came out, Trump trotted out women who accused Bill Clinton of sexually abusing them. He knew who his audience was.
I’ve come away from all this trying to remind myself that Trump and Clinton are not the only immoral leaders we’ve ever had. People are deeply flawed, and it is unhealthy to worship politicians or political parties. We as Americans are supposed to know better.
That said, it’s still jarring to see good people defend such an awful man. Not all sins are created equal, and Trump’s boastfulness about his immorality and his bigotry are things most of us wouldn’t accept from a coworker. Yet we accept it from a leader of 330 million people. Shame on us for picking him twice.
"I now know better, of course, but it's dismaying to know that, given the proper economic circumstances, Americans will elect any rogue, scoundrel, or lackwit to the Oval Office."
I'm old enough to remember when Democrats and their allies gave us every excuse for why it's totally fine that the president got a blow job from his intern in the Oval Office and then lied about it (I'll never forget that finger wagging at us when doing so too), no need to step down, no sir.
You and others may not think there's a through line from Clinton to Trump, but some of us know better.
Ah, the tu quoque defense!
I’m a Democratic voter and, as much as it pains me to admit it, you have a point.
I come from an evangelical Christian community. When most of my Republican family and friends originally threw their support behind Trump in 2016, I reminded them, “Didn’t you teach me as a child in the 90s that Bill Clinton was a disgrace to the White House and to America for his sexual immorality? For his lying about it? That character matters?”
Some of my family and friends were honest enough to admit that they believed character didn’t matter anymore for presidents. They said character died to them when they saw Democrats bend over backwards to defend Bill Clinton’s personal conduct that contradicted the party’s rhetoric on valuing women. And they were honest enough to say that they were now doing the same for Trump’s immoral behavior. It’s no accident that right after the “grab em by the pussy” tape came out, Trump trotted out women who accused Bill Clinton of sexually abusing them. He knew who his audience was.
I’ve come away from all this trying to remind myself that Trump and Clinton are not the only immoral leaders we’ve ever had. People are deeply flawed, and it is unhealthy to worship politicians or political parties. We as Americans are supposed to know better.
That said, it’s still jarring to see good people defend such an awful man. Not all sins are created equal, and Trump’s boastfulness about his immorality and his bigotry are things most of us wouldn’t accept from a coworker. Yet we accept it from a leader of 330 million people. Shame on us for picking him twice.