We are being challenged to live up to the ideals we have insisted made our nation "exceptional".

[Atticus]

ARE we "a nation of laws, not men"?

ARE "no men above the law" in our nation?

If these are not just meaningless high-sounding "fluff", why are we even questioning whether or not the law will punish Trump for his despicable crimes?

[CentralMass]

1. History.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. They are meaningless high-sounding fluff and always have been.

There have always been plenty of obscenely unjust laws on the books, and there are always more where those came from! As for no men above the law, that's simply a fantasy too. Many people get away with crimes because of their positions and status, and the willingness of law enforcement entities to look the other way.

The only thing exceptional about the U.S. is its exceptional hypocrisy.

[Deuce]

5. Totally agree...

[sop]

3. The peaceful transfer of power following free and fair elections is another bit of "fluff" that

makes America "exceptional." Trump violently tried to prevent that, for the first time in over two centuries. If the rule of law cannot be enforced for violating that ideal, we've lost any claim to any exceptionalism.

[Biophilic]

4. The fact that we haven't lived up to them doesn't mean that we can't at least try.

Ideals are meant to be striven for. Ideals are very rarely achieved. The striving makes us better human beings. When we give up striving for those ideals, when we say it's not worth the effort and we will never get there, than we become like the Trumpers and right wingers where it is all about hate and anger. I'll keep striving.

[nuxvomica]

6. Agreed. One's reach should always exceed one's grasp

That's the rule infants follow and we should not grow out of it. And, yes, we should be wary of cynicism is it is one of the many traps that lead to corruption, as it has done with the RWers.

[Biophilic]

7. Funny, I never had kids so I missed that important piece of wisdom, but so true.