NYT: Republicans, the Time Has Come

[ffr]

Last edited Mon Sep 30, 2019, 12:22 PM - Edit history (1)

You have always told us that you believe in the distinctive greatness of the United States of America. “America is different,” as Senator Marco Rubio has said. Ben Sasse likes to say that “America is an idea” — a commitment to universal dignity over brute power.

You have also told us that you went into politics to serve a higher purpose. Well, your moment has arrived.

The president of the United States is betraying his oath of office in the most fundamental way, by using the presidency for personal gain at the country’s expense. He has corrupted our foreign policy with grubby attempts to help himself that his own White House staff immediately recognized as improper. He is telling the world that America does not, in fact, stand for any higher ideal. Can you for a moment imagine the icons of your party, like Ronald Reagan or Dwight Eisenhower, risking the security of a country threatened by Russia, for the sake of smearing a political rival?

President Trump must go, and you — only you — have the power to make it happen.
<snip>

Senators, I know that many of you now feel helpless — repulsed by this president and yet afraid that any criticism of him will end your careers. But his support is shallower than it seems, and you have more power than you may realize. If even a handful of you began speaking out, you would instantly transform this situation and begin to end our long national nightmare.

America is better than this, isn’t it? - NYT

[Cartoonist]

1. Thanks for trying

Repubs would rather resign than show any respect for this country.

[Funtatlaguy]

8. They'd rather die than elect a Democrat.

[stopdiggin]

25. hammer on the Duty, Honor, Patriotism

Rs (and the MAGAs) love that sh*t. This WORKS with the god and guns crowd.
(and it has the additional advantage of being crystal clear -- and bedrock truth.)

[bdamomma]

30. they are nothing but

COWARDS.

[TheRealNorth]

2. The NYT is presuming that Moscow Mitch....

Leningrad Lyndsey Graham, Kaliningrad Kelly Anne, and the rest are not part of the betrayal.

[jrthin]

3. NYT, the time has come: An editorial demanding the pResident's resignation.

The NYT demanded Clinton's resignation for a blowjob. Certainly they think foreign influence in an election is more serious.

[ffr]

5. Or was it because he was a successful popular democratic prez whom they hated

They just made shit up and investigated his administration relentlessly. They even shut down the government to try to hurt him, but he was so popular, their actions made him more popular. And this only scratches the surface at all of the accomplishments democrats were able to accomplish under President Clinton.

They hate Clinton for being too good and making them look incompetent.

[mrs_p]

13. I agree. No use lying to

Ourselves about his lying under oath. He shouldn’t have done it. Plain and simple.

[mr_lebowski]

29. He actually didn't lie ... he parsed words ...

'Sexual Relations' has a legal definition, and that definition is 'sexual intercourse'.

That's why he said it. Cause he didn't engage in intercourse.

His supposed big lie was actually a legalese dodge.

You think if Clinton were a Repub, other Repubs wouldn't immediately 'let him off' and say 'it wasn't a lie, because he didn't screw her'?

You friggin' KNOW they would.

[Cartoonist]

9. Which is why

No republican president will ever go under oath.

[Perseus]

11. Technically, Bill Clinton did not lie

What he said was "I did not have sexual intercourse with that woman.", and that was the truth, he never said "I did not get a bj from that woman", he is smarter than the average bear, so he knew what he was saying, and that technically he was not lying, the key words were "sexual intercourse" which he did not have with Lewinsky.

A BJ is nothing compared to the accumulation of crimes and misdemeanors the creature has committed in only three years. I still think that Clinton's impeachment was a true political maneuver by the GOP, which I am glad it failed. And I do think that Linda Tripp was involved somehow by suggesting to Lewinsky to keep the dress. Anyway, that is water under the bridge now.

[progree]

16. "I did not have sexual RELATIONS with that woman"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_of_Bill_Clinton

The specific charges against the president were lying under oath and obstruction of justice,

... Clinton gave a sworn deposition on January 17, 1998, where he denied having a "sexual relationship", "sexual affair" or "sexual relations" with Lewinsky. He also denied that he was ever alone with her.

...
Article I charged that Clinton lied to the grand jury concerning:[22]

the nature and details of his relationship with Lewinsky
prior false statements he made in the Jones deposition
prior false statements he allowed his lawyer to make characterizing Lewinsky's affidavit
his attempts to tamper with witnesses

Article III charged Clinton with attempting to obstruct justice in the Jones case by:[23]

encouraging Lewinsky to file a false affidavit
encouraging Lewinsky to give false testimony if and when she was called to testify
concealing gifts he had given to Lewinsky that had been subpoenaed
attempting to secure a job for Lewinsky to influence her testimony
permitting his lawyer to make false statements characterizing Lewinsky's affidavit
attempting to tamper with the possible testimony of his secretary Betty Currie
making false and misleading statements to potential grand jury witnesses

[DallasNE]

17. Actually He Said

"I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky". He based that on the definition the Republicans developed that listed about 30 acts that somehow omitted a BJ. Still technically not a lie but I despise such splitting of hairs. Still, impeachment over a BJ was silly and Republican paid a price in November.

[dewsgirl]

31. I can't even think of 30 sex acts that don't include a blow job.

Is it different positions? BDSM?

[The Wizard]

27. The Judge also ruled the Lewinsky question

to be stricken from the record as it nothing to do with the Paula Jones complaint that the trial was about. Clinton's lawyer should have objected at the time the question was asked but failed to do so, thus exposing Clinton to perjury.
This is nothing compared to the Republican sanctioned treason committed by the Trump cartel.

[louis-t]

26. They were going to keep searching until they found something, anything.

When Clinton was elected, the GOP leadership stated: "We are going to make him the most investigated president in history". Not "he is the most corrupt president in history", only that he would be investigated more than any predecessor. I believe it was Gingrich who said it, but I'd have to look it up. If he had admitted it right off the bat instead of lying, they still would have kept trying to find anything to throw in his face.

[The Wizard]

28. The day after Clinton's

first Inauguration Georgia Republican Bob Barr issued Articles of impeachment against Clinton. Talk about presidential harassment .
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm tired of Trump and his cadre of whiners.

[louis-t]

32. I was thinking it was Barr who said it, if not Gingrich.

Barr was one of the ones who had cheated on their own wives before being involved with impeaching Clinton. And by the way, it was after Clinton's second inaugural that Barr introduced the articles, and it was shortly before the Lewensky thing even surfaced. Barr also was convicted of campaign finance abuse and paid a large fine. He's a piece of work. Libertarian to the core. His own mother got him into Ayn Rand. He's been all over the map and on both sides of every issue at any given time in his 'career'.

[Stuart G]

7. This is column by David Leonhardt..in NYT....referrred to on front page of NYT..NOT AN EDITORIAL

NOT AN EDITORIAL, BUT A COLUMN BY A WRITER..

[ffr]

14. Better?

[maxsolomon]

22. So much this on DU lately.

Op-Ed pieces being casually misrepresented as the NYT Editorial Board's work.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. Bet more would if they had a decent VP nt

[pangaia]

12. " Can you for a moment imagine the icons of your party, like Ronald Reagan...."

Yeah, well. Reagan did JUST THAT !!!!!!

[Thunderbeast]

21. As did Nixon. It's Business as Usual!

[DallasNE]

15. When These Republican Senators Fail To Meet The Challenge

They are hollowing out their career, which effectively ends their career. How do they not realize that. Cowardice in the face of adversity is cowardice. Indeed, how can you look in the mirror and not see shame. A true American stands tall. They don't hide in the shadows and hope this storm blows over. Find a spine.

[progree]

18. The opinion of an op ed writer is not the opinion of the New York Times

Like most major newspapers, the New York Times has several Op Ed writers drawn from across the political spectrum so as to prevent diverse views and so as to appear "balanced".

https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/columnists
https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/contributors

[duforsure]

19. Republicans have to know

They will get attacked and destroyed no matter what they do because he'll turn on them. He will hurt them anyway he can, and bypass them with loopholes, then take their power away from them. He's proven how treasonous and corrupt he is. Are they willing to be completely destroyed by trump? My bet is no.

[NCjack]

20. I think that the GOP senators have a blocking problem.

Trump knows that they took roubles from Putin.

[intheflow]

23. "...our long national nightmare..."

[SergeStorms]

24. When I was younger I believed America was better than this.....

But now I'm not so sure. Our country has entered an era of selfishness and renewed overt racism, and that is due to one particular person and political party. I'd like to believe Americans can rise above this dark time in our lives, and return to policies of sanity and generosity. I guess that remains to be seen. I hope I live long enough to see the United States of America become what it's truly capable of, and thoroughly reject the dark, selfish, boorish behavior of the Trump era, forever.

It's time for an American Renaissance. Rejecting and overturning everything 'Trump' is the first step.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

33. K&R

[Cha]

34. Wow! Bold for the NYT!

Mahalo, ffr!

[bucolic_frolic]

35. It's not enough to remove Trump

There are also the supporting players - Pence, Barr, Pompeo, Mulvaney.

And what have Jared and Ivanka been up to?