The Grand Illusion
Some pundits and many Americans seem think that both political parties are equally corrupt. Now, I know as well as anyone that facts seldom change anyone’s mind, but I can always hope that some day it might happen.
As for the equal corruption… let’s see how the Republicans stack up.
Exhibit #1 – Donald Trump. In addition to four pending criminal indictments, with 91 separate criminal charges, he also lost a civil lawsuit for defamation in which he was found guilty of sexual assault, and now faces another charge of defamation in which he’s again been found guilty, but hasn’t yet been sentenced. Trump and the Trump companies were found guilty of gross tax evasion. He also paid hush money to a porn star not to reveal his sexual relations with her.
In addition, the following Trump aides were charged, convicted, and sentenced to prison: campaign chair Paul Manafort; former campaign vice chairman, Rick Gates; former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen; former adviser and former campaign aide, Roger Stone; former campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos; Trump Organization’s former CFO, Allen Weisselberg. Also, former White House national security advisor Michael Flynn was charged and convicted, as were Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and Elliot Broidy, vice chair of Trump’s inaugural committee.
Finally, those charges don’t include criminal charges against more than eighteen other individuals that are still in the process of being litigated.
Exhibit #2 – Ken Paxton. Over 21 years, the Republican Texas Attorney general has been charged with duping investors, using inside information illegally for profit, using his office to interfere in legal proceedings on behalf of a friend, using government funds to hire outside counsel to investigate his political enemies. The Republican dominated Texas State House impeached Paxton, with 70% of the Republicans supporting impeachment, but the Texas State Senate acquitted him on all charges. In the meantime, Paxton was indicted in federal court for criminal fraud in lying to financial institutions and faces a federal trial.
Exhibit #3 – Republican Congressman George Santos. Indicted on 13 felony counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.
Exhibit #4 – Republican Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Convicted in March of three felonies involving lying to federal investigators and concealing illegal campaign donations.
On the other side, all the Republicans seem able to do is to claim that Hunter Biden failed to pay his taxes on time, that he used drugs, and bought a gun while under the influence. But Hunter Biden isn’t even an officeholder, and so far, with all their rhetoric and hearings, Republicans have yet to come up with any evidence involving his father, just as they never could come up with criminal evidence against Hillary Clinton. Also, isn’t a little strange that the Republicans are hounding Hunter Biden about $2 million in fees he received from Ukrainian businesses, but they seem to have forgotten the $2 billion that Ivanka’s husband Jared Kusher got from the Saudis?
I’m not saying that Democratic national political figures are blameless or that some haven’t been convicted of felonies, because some have been, but never recently on this scale. In recent years, however, there’s no comparison in corruption on the national level… and by the way, Watergate was also a Republican example of corruption, with real evidence and jail sentences.
Sadly, the Republican Party now stands for the message that all politics is dirty, that it’s all a con. So if a politician hasn’t run afoul of the law, it’s because they’re good enough not to be caught.
It’s a disgusting exercise in conspiracy theory, and is very believable for a sizeable number of people. Because of this, Republican Party voters cannot be convinced that government can work for the general good.
With Donald Trump, Republican voters know that he’s a con man, but they believe that they are in on the con.
After hearing about Gen. Milley’s article in The Atlantic, I can state that Trump is not only a crook, he’s a traitor to everything our gov’t stands for. I did not realize just how close we were to losing our democracy, were people like Milley not there to stop him.
Corruption and other criminal activity of our individual congressional elected officials can be and is an indication of the general morality of the society of a democracy. I am more concerned about the inability or purposeful neglect of the US Congress in governing our country.
Nixon’s crime against the US was his failure to uphold the level of responsible and lawful behavior expected of a representative of the USA. In 2023 we have a congress that is, perhaps up to a criminally neglect level, impeding the necessary daily activities of administering this nation.
Not everyone in the Pot or the Kettle is tarred by the same brush simply because they are of the Republican or the Democrat political party; after all there is no other choice. But, if a Mr. Smith was to come to Washington today, other than filibustering (which is just another block to administration), what can he do in the Capitol that would improve the daily functioning of the US Government? Even an alliance with the military would not achieve a change in focus of our elected representatives, from ‘blackness of us vs them’ back to the running of the US.
It seems as if even in the US Congress what matters is who you know rather than how much you know; and we seem to be bereft of few if any connections of respect between the pot and the kettle.
One of the problems is that not only do Republicans not respect others, but they also are showing considerable disrespect for the law, which is also another aspect of their disrespect of anyone who doesn’t believe precisely as they do.
So when you were in Washington, what made your job with the congressperson 24/7? The vicarious calls by the boss or the time taken to hunt down the best contacts/(re)sources for information and coordination? Or perhaps the need to multitask because of the size of the House and the restriction in the size of the Representatives staff?
House staffs are too small for the volume of work. The amount of constituent correspondence is enormous, and any failure to respond can potentially cost a vote in the next election. Then there’s “case work,” which involves trying to help constituents with problems they have with various federal agencies. Add to that research on pending legislation, as well as drafting position papers and speeches for the congressman or congresswoman (many of which aren’t actually delivered but inserted in the Congressional Record under the provision of “extending and revising remarks”). Senior legislative staff also have to read the Congressional Record to stay current on what’s happening and what isn’t. I spent a great deal of time on research because often important constituents or companies from the district had complex problems, and they weren’t always forthcoming about the downsides of what they wanted. Then there are meeting with constituents (at least there were when I was there). There are also meetings with the staff of various organizations to which the member belongs. At least some staff usually stays late if floor action lasts into the night. And for more junior members, someone on the office staff has to prepare background and possibly amendments for committee meetings and hearings.
Also, the staff size limits apply to not only the Washington, D.C., office but the district offices, and the members I worked for had districts large enough to require two district offices.
As an unrelated separate thing, if anyone doesn’t have most of our host’s books as ebooks yet, Humble Bundle is doing a bundle of some 36 of them thanks to Tor, finishes mid October.
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/le-modesitt-collection-tor-publishing-group-books
Thank you for providing the link – I bought all of’em
I believe it is painfully obvious to those in the country who are not worshipers in the Cult of Trump that the Republican investigation of Hunter Biden and the impeachment effort are merely cynical ploys to cling to power by whatever means necessary, in this case by obfuscating the publicity around Trump’s legal issues by trying to create a climate of ‘everyone does it’. And the sad thing is, they don’t even need to succeed in the investigations or impeachment so long as they can sufficiently muddy the waters in the minds of voters long enough to allow Der Fuehrer, er, Donald Trump, to be elected. These kinds of destructive behaviors to democracy are the kind of thing we’ve been used to seeing in 3rd World countries. But we’re in a new world ourselves here.
I have historically been center-left. I will vote for a Republican on a case-by-case basis if the evidence I have is that they are the better candidate. However, as I slide towards retirement I note that both parties are in denial about both spending and taxing us to pay for it. That includes cutting taxes as a political tool to get votes. My votes these days would consider anyone who puts forth a coherent plan to balance the budget while considering apolitically the needs of the people. I’d like to see Florida and Texas spend some of their taxpayer dollars to bus some of our immigrants to Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, etc., not just the blue cities…
I have to wonder about anyone who spouts this kind of both-sides-ism. You can’t say that the Republicans in Congress are in denial about balancing the budget. They have no budget. They are the “Party Of No”.
If you can look at the recent past history of Republican and Democratic control of government and think that the Democrats are in denial about the budget, then take off the blindfold.
Also, take your “apolitical consideration” and stick it where the sun don’t shine. It would be wonderful if the Republican legislators stood for some kind of governing principle. There could be a good-faith negotiation between the parties, as there used to be.
In the total absence of governing from the Republican party, it’s not up to the Democrats to put forward “apolitical” solutions.
And, I get tired of your incessant need to attack fence riders. Take that and stuff it where the sun don’t shine. Don’t attack someone who’s principles you don’t agree with, unless you’re willing to take the mudslinging as a result
As I read Postagoras’s post, he’s attacking Morpheus not for his principles, but for not having any principles. And if one doesn’t have any principles, except that both parties are in denial, that really doesn’t do much to resolve the problem.
It is interesting that a principle is a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of beliefs or behavior or a chain of reasoning.
Thus the ‘principle’ of those choosing the political ‘center’ is that of reaching a ‘balance’ between two (or more) offered political ideological ‘principles’. The chosen center is the principle of reaching for a ‘stable’ point. It is the weight and the range of those ‘principles’ outside of the center that vary and fluctuate causing the ‘center’ to move.
In the case of US politics, the principles to consider are associated with either the right (with Trumpism) or left (with Bidenism) of center. There are multiple sub-factors (or concepts, ideas, propositions, principles) to consider on the right and on the left. However one may choose to view political ‘principles’, from the point of view of the ‘Nation’ or that of ‘Confederation’, one arrives at different strengths of persuasion.
So it seems to me that the ‘center’ of balance must consider both the matter of the blackness of the pot and the kettle and the matter of whether one or the other lacks a handle. Even if the ‘left’ and the ‘right’ choose to ignore such ‘principles’ because they do not feel the need for balance.
The concept of “Bidenism” makes me very uncomfortable. The president should lead and take the views of the party and create a workable plan. Biden is president because he was a safe alternative to boy orange. He was supposed to bring healing to the country after the divisive speech of the previous president. It is going to take longer for the country to move on than anyone thought especially since the Maga disciples are still out loose spreading hate and lies.
One of the very problems with the former president is that he made it solely about himself and still does. His disciples are trying to take over his mantle by being even more outrageous.
It is never just about policies or just about the person. It is always a combination of both. We need to get to a situation where there is more separation from the person and the policies.
I could not think of a better label for the divisions we face today.
It does appear that these two, Trump and Biden, will be the representatives of the two political parties at the next national elections. While I agree that the final question put to the electorate will be about policy and about person, inevitably the winner will be identified with the label of ‘Trump’ or ‘Biden”. You and I may very well decide that the voters chose one or more policies (and ignored the probability of one or other person making the attempt to make those policies realities) but the media will still label such winning policies by the winning person’s name.