Trump has brought impunity to the highest office in the land, wielding a >wrecking ball to American democracy
Most of the 74,222,957 Americans who voted to re-elect Donald Trump – >46.8%of the votes cast in the 2020 presidential election – don’t hold >Trump accountable for what he’s done to America.
Their acceptance of Trump’s behavior will be his vilest legacy.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/26/americans-acceptance-of-trumps-behavior-will-be-his-vilest-legacy
Nearly forty years ago, political scientist James Q Wilson and
criminologist George Kelling observed that a broken window left unattended
in a community signals that no one cares if windows are broken there. The >broken window is thereby an invitation to throw more stones and break more >windows.
The message: do whatever you want here because others have done it and got >away with it.
The broken window theory has led to picayune and arbitrary law enforcement
in poor communities. But America’s most privileged and powerful have been >breaking big windows with impunity.
In 2008, Wall Street nearly destroyed the economy. The Street got bailed
out while millions of Americans lost their jobs, savings, and homes. Yet
not no major Wall Street executive ever went to jail.
In more recent years, top executives of Purdue Pharmaceuticals, along with >the Sackler family, knew the dangers of OxyContin but did nothing.
Executives at Wells Fargo Bank pushed bank employees to defraud customers. >Executives at Boeing hid the results of tests showing its 737 Max Jetliner >was unsafe. Police chiefs across America looked the other way as police
under their command repeatedly killed innocent Black Americans.
Here, too, they’ve got away with it. These windows remain broken.
Trump has brought impunity to the highest office in the land, wielding a >wrecking ball to the most precious windowpane of all – American democracy.
The message? A president can obstruct special counsels’ investigations of >his wrongdoing, push foreign officials to dig up dirt on political rivals, >fire inspectors general who find corruption, order the entire executive >branch to refuse congressional subpoenas, flood the Internet with fake >information about his opponents, refuse to release his tax returns, accuse >the press of being “fake media” and “enemies of the people”, and make >money off his presidency.
And he can get away with it. Almost half of the electorate will even vote
for his reelection.
A president can also lie about the results of an election without a shred
of evidence – and yet, according to polls, be believed by the vast
majority of those who voted for him.
Trump’s recent pardons have broken double-pane windows.
Not only has he shattered the norm for presidential pardons – usually >granted because of a petitioner’s good conduct after conviction and
service of sentence – but he’s pardoned people who themselves shattered >windows. By pardoning them, he has rendered them unaccountable for their >acts.
They include aides convicted of lying to the FBI and threatening potential >witnesses in order to protect him; his son-in-law’s father, who pleaded >guilty to tax evasion, witness tampering, illegal campaign contributions,
and lying to the Federal Election Commission; Blackwater security guards >convicted of murdering Iraqi civilians, including women and children;
Border Patrol agents convicted of assaulting or shooting unarmed suspects; >and Republican lawmakers and their aides found guilty of fraud,
obstruction of justice and campaign finance violations.
It’s not simply the size of the broken window that undermines standards, >according to Wilson and Kelling. It’s the willingness of society to look >the other way. If no one is held accountable, norms collapse.
Trump may face a barrage of lawsuits when he leaves office, possibly >including criminal charges. But it’s unlikely he’ll go to jail. >Presidential immunity or a self-pardon will protect him. Prosecutorial >discretion would almost certainly argue against indictment, in any event.
No former president has ever been convicted of a crime. The mere
possibility of a criminal trial for Trump would ignite a partisan brawl >across the nation.
Congress may try to limit the power of future presidents – strengthening >congressional oversight, fortifying the independence of inspectors
general, demanding more financial disclosure, increasing penalties on >presidential aides who break laws, restricting the pardon process, and so
on.
But Congress – a co-equal branch of government under the Constitution – >cannot rein in rogue presidents. And the courts don’t want to weigh in on >political questions.
The appalling reality is that Trump may get away with it. And in getting
away with it he will have changed and degraded the norms governing
American presidents. The giant windows he’s broken are invitations to a >future president to break even more.
Nothing will correct this unless or until an overwhelming majority of >Americans recognize and condemn what has occurred.
### - what a legacy LOL ! - his worst mistake, of course, was to revile
the free press who're gonna crucify him for 'years' to come for that? and >with only days of his office remaining they're starting that now! (like,
did ya see the shit they wrote about his "call girl" wife already?? geez,
and they's only just gettin' started!)
How the republican party is EVER gonna recover from this i just don't
know??
but it's sure gonna cost 'em a bundle! :D hah!
On Sun, 27 Dec 2020 06:33:25 -0000, slider <slider@anashram.com>
wrote:
Trump has brought impunity to the highest office in the land, wielding a
wrecking ball to American democracy
Most of the 74,222,957 Americans who voted to re-elect Donald Trump –
46.8%of the votes cast in the 2020 presidential election – don’t hold
Trump accountable for what he’s done to America.
Their acceptance of Trump’s behavior will be his vilest legacy.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/26/americans-acceptance-of-trumps-behavior-will-be-his-vilest-legacy
Nearly forty years ago, political scientist James Q Wilson and
criminologist George Kelling observed that a broken window left
unattended
in a community signals that no one cares if windows are broken there.
The
broken window is thereby an invitation to throw more stones and break
more
windows.
The message: do whatever you want here because others have done it and
got
away with it.
The broken window theory has led to picayune and arbitrary law
enforcement
in poor communities. But America’s most privileged and powerful have
been
breaking big windows with impunity.
In 2008, Wall Street nearly destroyed the economy. The Street got bailed
out while millions of Americans lost their jobs, savings, and homes. Yet
not no major Wall Street executive ever went to jail.
In more recent years, top executives of Purdue Pharmaceuticals, along
with
the Sackler family, knew the dangers of OxyContin but did nothing.
Executives at Wells Fargo Bank pushed bank employees to defraud
customers.
Executives at Boeing hid the results of tests showing its 737 Max
Jetliner
was unsafe. Police chiefs across America looked the other way as police
under their command repeatedly killed innocent Black Americans.
Here, too, they’ve got away with it. These windows remain broken.
Trump has brought impunity to the highest office in the land, wielding a
wrecking ball to the most precious windowpane of all – American
democracy.
The message? A president can obstruct special counsels’ investigations
of
his wrongdoing, push foreign officials to dig up dirt on political
rivals,
fire inspectors general who find corruption, order the entire executive
branch to refuse congressional subpoenas, flood the Internet with fake
information about his opponents, refuse to release his tax returns,
accuse
the press of being “fake media” and “enemies of the people”, and make
money off his presidency.
And he can get away with it. Almost half of the electorate will even
vote
for his reelection.
A president can also lie about the results of an election without a
shred
of evidence – and yet, according to polls, be believed by the vast
majority of those who voted for him.
Trump’s recent pardons have broken double-pane windows.
Not only has he shattered the norm for presidential pardons – usually
granted because of a petitioner’s good conduct after conviction and
service of sentence – but he’s pardoned people who themselves shattered >> windows. By pardoning them, he has rendered them unaccountable for their
acts.
They include aides convicted of lying to the FBI and threatening
potential
witnesses in order to protect him; his son-in-law’s father, who pleaded
guilty to tax evasion, witness tampering, illegal campaign
contributions,
and lying to the Federal Election Commission; Blackwater security guards
convicted of murdering Iraqi civilians, including women and children;
Border Patrol agents convicted of assaulting or shooting unarmed
suspects;
and Republican lawmakers and their aides found guilty of fraud,
obstruction of justice and campaign finance violations.
It’s not simply the size of the broken window that undermines standards, >> according to Wilson and Kelling. It’s the willingness of society to look >> the other way. If no one is held accountable, norms collapse.
Trump may face a barrage of lawsuits when he leaves office, possibly
including criminal charges. But it’s unlikely he’ll go to jail.
Presidential immunity or a self-pardon will protect him. Prosecutorial
discretion would almost certainly argue against indictment, in any
event.
No former president has ever been convicted of a crime. The mere
possibility of a criminal trial for Trump would ignite a partisan brawl
across the nation.
Congress may try to limit the power of future presidents – strengthening >> congressional oversight, fortifying the independence of inspectors
general, demanding more financial disclosure, increasing penalties on
presidential aides who break laws, restricting the pardon process, and
so
on.
But Congress – a co-equal branch of government under the Constitution – >> cannot rein in rogue presidents. And the courts don’t want to weigh in
on
political questions.
The appalling reality is that Trump may get away with it. And in getting
away with it he will have changed and degraded the norms governing
American presidents. The giant windows he’s broken are invitations to a
future president to break even more.
Nothing will correct this unless or until an overwhelming majority of
Americans recognize and condemn what has occurred.
### - what a legacy LOL ! - his worst mistake, of course, was to revile
the free press who're gonna crucify him for 'years' to come for that?
and
with only days of his office remaining they're starting that now! (like,
did ya see the shit they wrote about his "call girl" wife already??
geez,
and they's only just gettin' started!)
How the republican party is EVER gonna recover from this i just don't
know??
but it's sure gonna cost 'em a bundle! :D hah!
slider you're gonna have to change the title of your post to "22% of Americans' acceptance of Trump’s behavior will be his vilest legacy"
74/330 = 22%, that's how many Americans voted for this jerk.
78% either couldn't vote, wouldn't vote at all or voted for the other
side.
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