In a new book, Jeffrey Toobin makes a convincing case that Gerald Ford’s pardon of President Nixon set the stage for unchecked presidential power. Franklin Foer on the act that paved the way for Trump and Musk:
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I think it started with letting the civil war confederate leaders retire to the comfort of their southern mansions. They should have been hung for treason. That would have ensured no Jim Crow, no statues, no Forts named after them and on and on.
So, Jeffrey Toobin wrote a book about a man who cannot issue a rebuttal because he is dead. But Gerald Ford always owned his decision to issue a pardon. However Trump will never admit he has done anything wrong and will defend every bad decision with every breath he has.
This is silly. We had had segregation just a few years before. Are we gonna blame letting George Wallace die in his house instead of in prison for racism today? After a while, we all have to take responsibility for the faults of our own generations.
There is truth in this. Pardoning a felonious President shed light on a movement in the Republican Party away from integrity especially when those of us aghast at the crimes committed were brushed aside by the party members who said “He just got caught.”
A lot of Republicans were willing to stand up to Nixon. However when Reagan said the only thing Nixon did wrong was to not destroy the tapes — clear obstruction of justice —the media chose to ignore Reagan’s blatant support for presidential law breaking. Then they were shocked that Reagan violated
our constitution with his crackpot secret Iran Contra operation. The Sainted Poppy Bush was also deeply involved in that criminal conspiracy but repeatedly lied to us, claiming he had been “out of the loop”. Unfortunately for Bush prosecutors finally got his diary detailing his involvement.
Unfortunately for the rule of law Bush shut down the prosecutors by pardoning all of his co-conspirators with the support of his AG William Barr. Fortunately for Bush the media memory-holed the story. After all Saints Ronnie and Poppy couldn’t possibly be criminals; they were honorable Republicans.
I absolutely agree. I have thought about this a lot but am not gifted enough to write a book. Couple this with the DEI for red states - the electoral college - and our country has been ripe for a dictatorship
That is nice and all. Very nice think piece, but we need articles on what to do now. How to mitigate the usurpation of the power of the other branches NOW.
Meanwhile right wing fat cats like the Mercers, Kochs, Scaifes etc. have been funding “think tanks” to whitewash their propaganda and the Federalist Society to help them take over our courts. Traditional Republicans partnered with extremist, racist “Christian” groups to increase their power.
The mainstream media ignored or normalized these dangerous influences — e.g. after Jerry Falwell travelled the US peddling a video accusing Pres. Clinton of drug running and the murder of scores of people Falwell was an honored guest on shows like Meet the Press as the spokesman for Christians.
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